What We Believe
Man can know the true God and the way to eternal life only through the Bible. The Bible reveals to us Jesus, who says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Therefore, everything that we believe and teach at Living Savior Lutheran Church is drawn from the Bible. Below are some of the fundamental truths that the Lord has revealed to us through his Word.
The Bible
God reveals himself to mankind through his written word, the Bible.
The Holy Spirit moved the prophets to write the books of the Old Testament and the apostles and evangelists to write the books of the New Testament. The Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures, giving human writers the very thoughts and words to write. Therefore, the Bible is the Word of God, and it is trustworthy. It contains no errors, myths, or contradictions.
The primary purpose of the Bible is to reveal to us the way of salvation through Jesus Christ, our only Savior. The Bible also guides believers in godly living.
“Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).
“We impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:13).
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Triune God
There is only one true God. He reveals himself in Scripture as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is one divine being or essence, while at the same time three divine persons. Since God is three in one, we call him the Trinity. Although the Trinity is a mystery beyond our understanding, we believe that God is triune because this is how he reveals himself in the Bible. “
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4).
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
Creation
God created the universe in six natural days, as recorded in the first two chapters of Genesis. God created Adam and Eve, the first two humans, in His perfect image. Therefore, Adam and Eve, our first parents, were righteous and lived in perfect harmony with their Creator and with His creation.
“For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11).
“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).
Sin
Anything that is contrary to the commands of God is sin. Tempted by the devil, Adam and Eve fell into sin and lost for themselves and for all their descendants the righteousness in which they had been created. Now all people are sinful and corrupt by nature. We are conceived and born as enemies of God. We are subject to the wrath and punishment of God and to physical and eternal death. Our natural fallen condition is called “original sin.” As a result of this lost condition, we commit sins in our thoughts, in our words, and in our actions.
Sin corrupted the perfect world that the Lord had created. Now the world is broken. Everything that is wrong with the world—sickness, death, natural disasters, abuse—has resulted from sin.
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5).
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
“The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
Jesus Christ and Redemption
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. He took on human flesh and a human nature when He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus is fully God and fully man in one person. Our redeemer had to be true man to live under the law of God in our place and to die for us. He also had to be true God to obey all of God’s commands perfectly, and so that His holy life and innocent death would be sufficient to redeem all people.
Jesus has obeyed every command of God in our place. He has provided the righteousness that we need to stand before God through His righteous life. Jesus has suffered and died for our sins; He has paid the full price of our redemption through His sacrificial death. By His resurrection from the dead, Jesus demonstrated that His sacrifice had reconciled all people to God.
Scripture refers to the work of Jesus as “redemption” because Jesus has bought us back (redeemed us) from slavery to sin, death, and the devil. He has provided forgiveness and eternal life for all people. We cannot earn these gifts of forgiveness and eternal life by our good works. Instead, we receive these gifts through faith.
“There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5-6).
“[All] are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).
“The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
The Means of Grace – Gospel in Word and Sacraments
The Holy Spirit works faith in the hearts of sinners and grants forgiveness, life, and salvation through the means of grace. The means of grace are the Word of God and the sacraments. Through the sacrament of Baptism, the Holy Spirit forgives sin and grants the gift of saving faith. Through the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, Jesus Christ gives us his true body and his true blood under bread and wine to eat and to drink. Through this Supper, the Holy Spirit conveys the forgiveness of sins and strengthens saving faith.
“Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38).
“Baptism . . . now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21).
“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’” (Matthew 26:26-28).
“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16)