What We Believe

What Is a Lutheran?

We believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the inspired Word of God, and are the only source and guide for what we believe and do. Therefore:

We believe that the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is the only true God. He created the universe, including humanity, to exist in harmony with him and with itself.

We believe that because humanity rebelled against God, we are born sinful and unable to save ourselves. The curse of this sin has destroyed the harmony in the universe. We are in desperate need of a Savior to reconcile us to God and restore the broken relationships in creation.
We believe that God is merciful and that he sent the Savior because of his mercy alone, without any merit or worthiness on our part, when he sent his Son Jesus to live, suffer, die, and rise as our substitute.
We believe that the forgiveness and reconciliation won by Jesus on the cross is brought into our lives by God through his Word and Sacraments:
His Word, both when we read the promises of Scripture as well as when those promises are spoken through the mouths of his people
Holy Baptism, which is the promise of God connected to the washing with water for all people, nations, and tongues, regardless of age
Holy Communion, which is the body and blood of Jesus in, with, and under the bread and wine for the strengthening of our souls
We believe that God alone, working through Word and Sacrament, strengthens us in our life of worship in faith toward him and in love toward our neighbors and our world.

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Belief and Practice

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”

Trinity accepts and preaches the 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 phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone.

Though diverse in their service, congregations of the LCMS hold to a shared confession of Jesus Christ as taught in Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.

Lutheran congregations are confessional. Our congregations believe the Lutheran Confessions 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 transcribed and shared broadly by church leaders during the 16th century.

Luther’s Small Catechism contains essential summaries of our beliefs, while the Augsburg Confession gives more detail about what Lutherans believe.

Visit www.lcms.org/about/beliefs to learn more about who we are and what we believe.

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