With the universal Christian Church, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God: the Father, creator of all that exists; Jesus Christ, the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all human beings and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death and Satan; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God's Word and Sacraments. The three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God.
Being "Lutheran," our congregations accept and teach Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century. The teaching of Luther and the reformers can be summarized in three short phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone.
Grace alone
God
loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel
against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love
the unlovable and save the ungodly.
Faith alone
By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all
time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for them.
Those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life that
it offers. God creates faith in Christ and gives people forgiveness
through Him.
Scripture alone
The Bible
is God's inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and
His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm
for Christian doctrine.
Who is Jesus?
For
more than 2,000 years people have asked the question, "Who is Jesus?".
We were not present when Jesus lived on this earth, but in the Bible we
have the record of his birth, life, death on the cross, and
resurrection. Study of the Bible, God's Word, will enable you to seek
out the answer to this age-old question.
What does
"Synod" mean?
The word "Synod" in The Lutheran
Church--Missouri Synod comes from Greek words that mean "walking
together." The term has rich meaning in our church body, because
congregations voluntarily choose to belong to the Synod. Though diverse
in their service, these congregations hold to a shared confession of
Jesus Christ as taught in Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions
which they believe are a correct interpretation and presentation of
Biblical doctrine. Contained in The Book of Concord: The Confessions
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, these statements of belief
were put into writing by church leaders during the 16th century. The
simplest of these is Luther's Small Catechism. The Augsburg
Confession gives more detail on what Lutherans believe.
Study Resources
This series of 29 pamphlets, written by former Synod President A.L. Barry, address doctrinal topics, moral issues and concerns in the church to help Christians grow in their understanding of these important questions. These documents are made available in Adobe Acrobat format. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them.