What We Believe And Teach

FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH

              This congregation confesses the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

            This congregation accepts the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds as true declarations of the faith of the congregation. The Book of Concord, especially the unaltered Augsburg Confession and Luther’s Large and Small Catechism are the basis of our Lutheran doctrine.

             We Believe That Jesus Is Lord. Matthew 22:34-40, John 14:6, Philippians 2:9-11. Jesus is the head of the church. Unity among the various expressions of the body of Christ is best achieved through focusing on Jesus, who alone is able to draw all people to Himself. Jesus is the complete and ultimate expression of God and is part of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

             We Stand On The Word Of God. John 1:1, 1:14, II Timothy 3:16-17, Romans 15:4, Psalm 1. The Bible is our authority and sole guide for life and faith. We accept on faith that all of the Scripture is inspired and is without error; however, not all interpretation is without error. Therefore, we support and encourage the study of the original manuscripts, recognizing the original audiences and purposes of a text, and allowing the Bible to interpret itself. The Scriptures are the living Word that is always relevant and revealing God’s purpose for all of creation.

             We Desire Genuine Worship. I Peter 2:9, John 4:23-24, Psalm 98:4-9, Psalm 105:1-4. Worship establishes and encourages a right relationship between God and His people – God is the audience. Worship is essential for the believer and central to the life of the church. In it we cast our eyes to the cross, we come under the instruction of God’s Word, we are strengthened by the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and we are bound together as Christ’s body. Worship involves the whole person – body, mind, heart, and spirit.

             We Are Called By God. Matthew 4:19, I Corinthians 12:12 & 27, Ephesians 4:11-16. We believe in “the priesthood of all believers” (I Peter 2:4-10). All of God’s people are called to ministry and the body of Christ who must recognize and affirm that call. God has gifted every believer through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to serve the cause of Christ Jesus in the world.

             We Are Free In Christ. Romans 8:1-2, Galatians 5:1, John 8: 31-36. Because of what Jesus has done for us we are free. In this congregation it is OK to have fun, it is OK to make mistakes, and it is OK to say no. We are free to serve God as the Lord leads us and not out of guilt, obligation, or duty. We serve God in response to what the Lord has already done for us.  We serve Him joyfully.

              We Will “Go And Make Disciples.” Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew 4: 18-20, Luke 19:10, Acts 1:8. Jesus gave his disciples this command – “Go and make disciples of all nations.”  Therefore, the church exists primarily for the sake of those who don’t yet belong. We will seek to invite every person to consider a living and personal relationship with Jesus Christ, for He is the only way to salvation and eternal life.

             We Celebrate That God Is Changing Lives. John 8:1-11, II Corinthians 5:17, Colossians 3:15. We believe that God changes lives and that He alone has the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to create faith and help us live lives that are pleasing to Him. As believers, we accept that there is nothing in this world that ever stays the same except the solid rock of our Salvation. Therefore, we can learn to adjust and adapt to our changing surroundings. We worship Jesus our Lord, not our tradition, not our history, and not ourselves.