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, Scripture alone, Faith
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.
The word "Synod" in The Lutheran Church--Missouri
Synod comes from the Greek words that mean "walking
together." It has rich meaning in our church body,
because the congregations voluntarily choose to belong to
the Synod. Diverse in their service, these congregations
hold to a shared confession of Jesus Christ as taught in
Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.
The congregations of the Synod are "confessional."
They hold to the Lutheran Confessions as the 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.
