What is Lutheran?
Our congregation is a member of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. With the universal Christian Church, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God: the Father, creator and sustainer of all that exists; the Son, Jesus Christ, who became human in order 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. These three Persons of the Trinity are coequal, and co-eternal, of the same essence, and inseparable within the unity of being God.
We believe all people are corrupted, conceived and born with a rebellious and self-centered nature. This sinful nature leads to sinful acts, and unless a change is made, we would be condemned to hell and eternal death, separated from holy God forever. Because even our best efforts are corrupted, we can do nothing to rescue ourselves from sin’s punishment. God sent His son Jesus into the world to redeem us from our sin, to die in our stead, and to reconcile us to God.
Our congregation accepts and preaches the Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther who led a reformation of the Church in the 16thcentury. Misleading errors in teaching and practice had made their way into the Church. The teachings of Luther and his fellow reformers can be summarized in three phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, and Scripture alone. This slogan expresses God’s teaching through the apostle St. Paul: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9-ESV)
SOLA GRATIA – Grace Alone
Grace means gift, something undeserved and unmerited, but freely given. God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him, and do not deserve His love. God sent Jesus, His Son, as a gift to love the unlovable and to save the ungodly from the consequences of sin, and to restore us to a right standing with Him. We cannot earn salvation or this right relationship with God. They are gifts from God, paid for by the perfect obedience, and sacrificial suffering and death of Jesus.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ.” Romans 3:23-24
SOLA FIDES-Faith Alone
Faith is a passive act that receives, trusts, and relies on those promises God gives in Jesus. Faith is the assurance of things that are as of yet unseen. So God’s promises are not only future events, they can be yours right now. Jesus suffered and died as a substitute for all people of all time. As the Scripture puts it, He is the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. He satisfied God’s justice and judgment against sin for the world, including you, reconciling you to God. Those who hear the good news of Jesus and trust Him, have the forgiveness and eternal life He alone can provide. God uses His Word to work faith in people’s heart, that they would receive the gift of Jesus.
Faith come from hearing the message, and the message of Jesus is heard through the Word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
This righteousness from God comes though faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe.” Romans 3:22
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
SOLA SCRIPTURA – 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. Any religious teaching ought to be compared and evaluated against it.
The Bible is also more than a rule book or instruction manual. It is the only source of revelation as to the grace of God in Jesus. The central message of the Bible is Jesus, and how He reconciles sinners to holy God.
“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 competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17-ESV)
“[Jesus said,] ‘You diligently study the Scriptures because you think by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me.’” John 5:39
“Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:68
“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” John 20:30-31
To learn more about our Lutheran understanding and teaching of Scripture, they are summarized in what is called the Lutheran Confessions. These Confessions are collected in the Book of Concord. These Confessions can be found online at: https://www.lcms.org/about/beliefs/lutheran-confessions. A brief summary of our beliefs can also be found in a series of pamphlets called the “What About?” Series. These pamphlets were written by former LC-MS President Rev. Dr. A.L. Barry. The pamphlets address doctrinal topics, moral issues, and concerns in the church, and would be helpful to any Christian who wishes to grow in their understanding of these important questions. You can find these pamphlets online at: http://www.lcms.org/belief-and-practice
If you have any other questions about our teaching, please take time to phone us at 281-934-8218, or via email at clcpattison@yahoo.com.
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What We Believe about the Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper, which we also call Communion or the Sacrament of the Altar, is one of the means by which Jesus offers us the forgiveness He earned for us by dying on the cross.
On the night before Jesus was arrested and crucified, He ate a meal with His disciples to celebrate the Jewish Passover. But Jesus gave this Supper new meaning. By His very words He mysteriously adds His true body and blood in, with, and under the elements of bread and wine that His disciples would eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins.
We believe, teach, and confess that this holy Supper is much more than a mere ceremony or memorial reenactment. It is a foretaste of the heavenly feast to come, intended for those baptized into Christ and His Church. In joyful obedience we accept Jesus’ words that His true body and blood are mysteriously present in and with the elements of bread and wine. That is, in, with, and under the bread and wine we receive Jesus’ glorified body and blood into our mouths. And we believe Jesus that He grants forgiveness here to those who believe His words.
Our Lutheran understanding of the Lord’s Supper is grounded in St. Paul’s record of our Lord’s institution of his Holy Supper (1 Corinthians. 11:23–26). St. Paul included a warning about participating in the Lord’s Supper. He writes (1 Corinthians 11:22), ‘whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.’ He adds, ‘anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.’
We care about people and don’t want them harmed. So we practice what is often called closed communion, participating only with those who confess a unity and agreement with what is taught here. Therefore we ask visitors to talk to the pastor before participating with us in the Lord’s Supper.
We desire that you would agree with us. We would be happy to meet you or to phone you to explain what we believe, teach, and confess about Jesus and the Lord’s Supper. You can also find information about Lutherans’ understanding of the Supper in these confessional documents:
–Luther’s Large Catechism:
https://files.lcms.org/file/preview/pJaM5UcXeupFtLtc5l1FcPTCooUtz2Bt?
–Article X of the Defense of the Augsburg Confession:
https://files.lcms.org/file/preview/SLMHvJZjZF06tSFUNz3CXU27MWckYY7Z?
–or Article VII of the Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord:
https://files.lcms.org/file/preview/e1ksVYUtaosdKD9yIuESpEjO9OAOGyWK?