What We Believe - CHRIST OUR REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH

Our Beliefs at Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church

GOD

We believe God is real, personal, good, and that He loves you. God wants a relationship with you.

We believe there is one true and divine being, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each of whom possesses all the attributes and characteristics of deity (being God Himself). We believe He is the creator and preserver of everything. He has been and is operating throughout history to fulfill His purposes.

SALVATION

We believe history is an epic story. God created this world to be good and to exist in fellowship with Himself. Humanity defied God, choosing instead to go its own way. We are guilty of tainting and destroying that which God intended.

This corruption, called sin, separates us from God and leaves us unable to be in fellowship with Him. This fall took place at the beginning of human history. It is the cause of all that is wrong in the world, leaving us in dire need of salvation from God.

We believe out of his great love for us, God intervenes in history to restore His creation and bring us back into fellowship with himself. Salvation then, is entirely the work of God. It is not the result of any intrinsic goodness or merit on our part.

JESUS

We believe Jesus is God himself, who came to earth as a human being, in order to accomplish this salvation. Unable to save ourselves or ever get right with God on our own, we believe Jesus accomplished all that we could not do by giving his life as a sacrifice on a cross. Three days later He rose from the dead and later ascended into heaven, from where He promises to return again.

HUMAN DESTINY

We believe that just as Christ rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, so He will return again to judge the world, raise the dead, and bring about the final fulfillment of all the promises we have from God. For those with faith in Christ, this means eternal life in communion with God as He initially intended. For those who continue to reject God’s salvation, this means eternal separation from God and His goodness.

LIFE

We believe that all who come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ are a new creation. God seeks to transform us into the likeness of His Son and restore us to what He always intended for us to be. This means a life marked by the presence of God’s Spirit. As redeemed children of God, we therefore seek to live lives of love, marked by devotion to Him.

CHURCH

We believe the Church is not a building, but a community of Jesus-followers who meet in His name. While we gather in local communities, we believe these communities belong to a greater community of believers that transcends time, geography, nationality, and every other distinction humans create. We believe these communities are God’s chosen instrument to bring His salvation and goodness to a lost and dying world.

THE BIBLE

We believe the Bible is the true and inspired word of God, and is without error. It is the authoritative source which governs all we do and believe.

THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

We desire to conform our lives to Jesus, clinging to the orthodox, historic Christian faith. We believe that the Apostles, Nicene, and Athanasian creeds are accurate summaries of the Bible’s teaching and of who Jesus is, and who He is not. We see the creeds as a kind of roadmap to help guide us through what the Bible teaches and summarize some of its major teachings.

We also hold to the writings of the early reformers contained in the Book of Concord as a guide for our doctrine and practice. The Book of Concord is a collection of documents put together by the 16th century evangelical reformers to express the Gospel and other teachings of the Bible in greater clarity. You can check out the creeds and the Book of Concord at www.lcms.org .

DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?

Do you have a question about what we believe at Christ Our Redeemer? You are welcome to get in touch with our Pastor or one of our Elders. We love to share the difference Jesus makes!

In addition, we have documents available at the church or by request on the following areas of the Christian faith.