We Believe, Teach, and Confess
– Lutherans are Christian –
We may be called Luther-ans, but we are not really followers of Martin Luther. We are followers of Christ! Jesus is our Lord and Savior, and the doctrine which we believe, teach, and confess is His. Even Martin Luther himself once wrote:
“by any consideration of body or soul you should never say: ‘I am Lutheran,’ or ‘Papist.’ For neither of them died for you, or is your master. Christ alone died for you, he alone is your master, and you should confess yourself a Christian. But if you are convinced that Luther’s teaching is in accord with the gospel and that the pope’s is not, then you should not discard Luther so completely, lest with him you discard also his teaching, which you nevertheless recognize as Christ’s teaching. You should rather say: ‘Whether Luther is a rascal or a saint I do not care; his teaching is not his, but Christ’s.”
~ Martin Luther, “On Receiving Both Kinds in the Sacrament” (1522)
Scripture Alone
As both Lutherans and Christians, we hold to the Holy Scriptures as the only rule and guide for our faith. Whenever there are questions about doctrine or practice, we do not decide these based on human authority. Nor do we rely on human logic or personal experience. We rely solely on the written Word of God.
Lutheran Confessions of Faith
Since there are so many different interpretations of God’s Word, it was necessary for the Lutheran Church to write down some confessions of faith. These confessions (or creeds, statements of belief) are not alternate authorities to God’s Word; they are witnesses to what God’s Word says. They are symbols of what we believe, teach, and confess according to the Word of God.
The Book of Concord (1580)
In the year 1580, the Lutheran Church in Germany gathered several of these creeds and confessions into a “Book of Concord.” This book has served the Lutheran Church ever since as a banner of God’s truth and a defense against doctrinal errors. It is also used for teaching and study at all grade levels. Children and adults, laymen and pastors, old Lutherans and new Lutherans all use this Book of Concord as an introduction and map to central teachings of the Holy Scriptures.
If you are interested in learning more about what Lutherans believe, teach, and confess, the Book of Concord is the perfect resource. You can read it online for free or in print. We recommend starting with Luther’s Small Catechism, then the Augsburg Confession.
– Lutherans are Historic –
Sometimes the Lutheran Church is critiqued as “new,” because as a denomination it is not as old as some others. The name “Lutheran” reaches back only as far as the 1500s, whereas Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches trace their heritages to the Apostles.
Historic Teachings
But while the name “Lutheran” is newer, our doctrine (body of teachings) is anything but new! We follow what Christ taught. We believe, teach, and confess the very same teachings His Apostles believed, taught, and confessed.
Our truth of our doctrine is also witnessed by the Ecumenical Creeds of the Christian Church (Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, and Athanasian Creed) and by the writings of many ancient Christian theologians. The teachings of saints such as Athanasius, Cyril, Ambrose, and Augustine align more closely with our teaching than with other denominations who claim to be historic. The doctrine of the Lutheran Church is not a break from the “catholic” (Apostolic) faith. It is a continuation of it and a restoration of those blessed teachings which were once obscured by false doctrine!
Historic Worship
Even our worship is nothing new! From the very beginning of the Reformation, the Lutherans reformers were clear that they were not throwing out or disdaining the liturgy, vestments, or other good ceremonies of the Church. They retained these reverently as valuable expressions of the Christian faith.
Philip Melanchthon (one such reformer) wrote in the Augsburg Confession:
“It is alleged unjustly against us, that we have abolished the mass. For it is well known that the mass is, without boasting, celebrated with greater devotion and sincerity among us, than among our adversaries. So the people also are repeatedly instructed with diligence concerning the holy Eucharist, with regard to the purpose for which it was instituted, and the manner in which it is to be used, namely, to comfort alarmed consciences, by means of which the people are drawn to communion and mass…Nor has any perceptible change taken place in the public ceremonies of the mass, except that at several places German hymns, for the instruction and exercise of the people, are sung with the Latin hymns; especially as all ceremonies should serve the purpose of teaching the people what is necessary for them to know concerning Christ.“
~ Article XXIV, Augsburg Confession (1530)
– Lutherans Treasure the Gospel –
All teachings in Holy Scripture are valuable and important. A few are central to the Gospel, which Lutherans prize mostly highly:
Justification by Faith is the Scripture’s teaching that we are declared righteous before God not by our own holy works or good deeds, but by faith in Jesus Christ. St. Paul writes in Romans chapter 3:
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
~ Romans 3:20-24
This means that nothing is required of us to earn eternal life. Jesus did it all! He secured righteousness and the forgiveness of sins for us through His suffering and death on the cross.
These blessings of Christ are given to us freely by faith. When we believe this Good News—that Jesus died for our sins—God imputes Jesus’ righteousness to us as our own righteousness. He forgives our sins for Jesus’ sake and we have peace with God. Romans chapter 4 says:
But for us also…it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
~ Romans 4:24-25, Romans 5:1
Thus, our righteousness before God is not our own. It is Jesus’ righteousness, given to us. For even after conversion, we are still sinners. We struggle with the “Old Adam” (our inclination to sin) who lives in us. But we comfort ourselves that our sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. Having been justified by faith, we really do have peace with God!
Another treasure of the Lutheran Church is the proper distinction between Law and Gospel. While every teaching in the Bible is God’s, we must recognize that not every teaching is of the same kind. Holy Scripture itself explains a two-fold distinction in its doctrine; for example, in St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians:
“But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
~ Galatians 3:22-24
The Law
When St. Paul says that Holy Scripture concluded all men under sin, he is referring to the Law of God. The Law places all people under condemnation because it shows that none of us have perfectly obeyed it. God revealed His will for us in the Ten Commandments—“Thou shalt do this…Thou shalt not do that…”—but we sinners broke the Law and fell into sin.
The Gospel
God also proclaimed another doctrine: the Gospel. Since no one could be saved by keeping the Law perfectly, God announced that He was sending His Son to die for our sins and be our Savior. Instead of us doing something to earn salvation, God proclaims that salvation is done for us by Jesus Christ. John 1:17 says: “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
Both Law and Gospel must be constantly preached to all Christians. We need to hear the Law because we need to know how much we need a Savior. If Law did not reveal our sin, we would begin to trust in ourselves and forfeit our salvation. We need to be reminded that we are sinners. But the Gospel is also needed in order to bring us salvation. Without the Gospel, we would only despair, since the Law condemns us in our thoughts and words and deeds. The Gospel never threatens or condemns. It comforts us with the forgiveness of sins. It assures us that we have the free gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
If it ever seems that Scripture is saying contradictory things, often the problem is that we are not “rightly dividing the Word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). When reading or hearing Holy Scripture, we must always remember this: The Gospel never tells us what to do; it tells us what Jesus has done. The Law does tell us what to do, but we are not saved by the Law; we are saved through faith in the Gospel.
Finally, Lutherans treasure what we call the “Means of Grace.” The Means of Grace are God’s means (or ways) of bringing His gracious salvation to us. In other words, they are divinely-instituted instruments for taking the forgiveness of sins won by Jesus on the cross and delivering it to us believers in the Church.
Technically speaking, there is only one Means of Grace: the Gospel. St. Paul says that the Gospel “is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Rom. 1:17). However, since the Gospel is proclaimed to us in more than one way, we typically divide Means of Grace into two categories: the Word of God and the Sacraments.
The Word of God (Scripture)
The Word of God is a Means of Grace because it announces God’s grace to us in Jesus Christ and creates faith which believes in and receives this grace from God. Paul writes in Romans 10:17: “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The Holy Scriptures are not a dead letter; they are the power of God unto salvation! The Holy Spirit works through the written Word in order to convert our hearts and create saving faith in His promises (Jm. 1:18, Jn. 6:63).
Sacraments
The Sacraments are also a Means of Grace because, in them, the same Word of God is connected to a visible element and a ceremony. For this reason, we sometimes call the Sacraments “the visible Word,” as opposed to the Word you only hear (or read). The point is that Sacramental ceremonies never stand on their own; they are always accompanied by the Word that instituted them and which promises to deliver grace through them.
Typically Lutherans count two Sacraments: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Baptism
In the Sacrament of Baptism, God works spiritual regeneration and confers the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5 says, “he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” And in Acts 2:38, St. Peter preached, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
The Lord’s Supper
In the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper (Communion), Christ gives us His true Body and Blood under the elements of bread and wine. By partaking of this Body and Blood in true faith, we receive the forgiveness of sins, strengthening of our faith, and are united with Christ and His Church in love. St. Matthew records this institution with these words, “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (26:26-28). Likewise, St. Paul writes in 1 Cor. 10:16-17, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.”
The wonderful thing about the Means of Grace is that they not only announce and offer forgiveness, but actually confer forgiveness. The Holy Spirit operates through the Means of Grace so that we not only hear about the forgiveness of sins, but truly receive it to the salvation of our souls! The Holy Spirit does this by creating faith in us, faith which grabs hold of God’s promised grace and trusts in Him for salvation.
While the blessings conferred in the Word and Sacraments are only received by faith, they are not dependent on faith. Whether or not the promises are believed, the promises are true because God says they are. The Holy Spirit is always working through the Means of Grace in order to convert us and forgive our sins.
Thus the Means of Grace are a great comfort for Lutherans because in them God bestows the forgiveness of sins, totally apart from our own deeds. Salvation does not depend upon our level of faith, but upon the unchanging promise of God. When we hear the Word and receive the Sacraments, we know that God is working and forgiving our sins—not on account of our faith, but on account of His promise and grace.