The Bible is the inspired Word
of God. It is His message to all
people. The entire Bible points to
Jesus as the Savior.
There is only one true
God. He has revealed Himself as Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit.
God is the creator of everything that exists.
People were originally created
by God pure and holy. They lived
according to God's will, doing what was pleasing to Him.
Adam and Eve, the man and
woman God created in the beginning, went against God's will and brought sin
into the world. Since that time, all
people have been conceived and born into sin.
Sin is living out of
relationship with God, not living according to God's will, and thus
transgressing His holy will in thought, word, and deed.
People cannot save themselves
by their good works or restore themselves to a right relationship with God.
God sent His Son, Jesus, into
the world. He is both true God and true
man. He lived to fulfill God's law for
us, died on the cross to pay the penalty our sins deserved, and rose from the
dead so that we might have eternal life.
Because of Jesus' death on the
cross, God declares a human being just-or righteous-and forgiven. This happens not because of human effort,
but because the justification won by Jesus is applied to the one who believes
in Jesus as Savior.
Faith in Jesus is a gift of
God, given by the power of the Holy Spirit, thus all the glory belongs to God.
The means of grace are the
Word, Holy Baptism, and Holy Communion. By these means, God applies the merits of Jesus' atoning death to all
who believe in Jesus as their Savior.
Jesus will come again to take
all believers to Himself. On the final
day, all the dead will be raised. Those
who are still alive will be bodily transformed. After this, the final judgment will take place. Unbelievers will go into eternal damnation,
and believers into eternal life.
The true Christian church is
made up of believers of all times who believe in the Triune God and in Jesus
Christ as their only Savior.
The true visible church is the
church which correctly preaches and teaches God's Word and administers Holy
Baptism and Holy communion according to the teachings of Scripture.
Christians are called to tell others that the only way of salvation is
by faith in Jesus Christ and to show their faith by their deeds of love toward
others.
