The Lutheran church is a product of the 16th century Reformation where many of the doctrines and teachings of the holy Roman Catholic Church were found not to based on the Scriptures, but based on the thoughts of man. The Lutheran church derived its name from Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk whose posting of the 95 Theses sparked the Reformation.
After years of study, Luther discover that the Scriptures teach that God’s grace is the sole basis of salvation (Rom 3:23-24; Eph. 2:8-9; Gal 2:16). The reformers wrote “that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ’s sake through faith when they believe that they are received into favor and that their sins are forgiven on account of Christ, who by his death made satisfaction for our sins”.
S i n
Romans 3:23-24 (NIV)
..for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
G r a c e
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
F a i t h
Galatians 2:16 (NIV)
..know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in[a] Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
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Martin Luther Teachings
Luther and other reformers did not set out to be doctrinal innovators. They believed and taught nothing more and nothing less then what the Scriptures themselves teach and what Christians through the ages have always believed. Lutherans believe that we all are sinners and that we are saved by grace alone (sola gratia) through faith alone (sola fide), on the basis of Scripture alone (sola scriptura). These three "Reformation solas" form the outline of what we believe, teach, and confess.
The teaching of Martin Luther and the reformers can be summarized in three phrases: "Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone."
Grace alone
God loves all people of the world, even though we 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 all of us. When we hear this Good News and believe it, we receive the eternal life it offers. God through the Holy Spirit gives us faith in Christ and gives us forgiveness through Him.
Scripture alone
The Bible is God's inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals to us His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Small Catechism
Luther’s Small Catechism offers a summary of basic Lutheran teachings. You may access this at: http://catechism.cph.org. When you open this you will see a brief introduction to the Catechism. By clicking on the box (stripes) on the upper right corner, you will gain access to a list of the different elements of the Catechism each of which may be viewed by clicking on the appropriate box/title. The principle points are found under the headings of:
You may find other sections of interest and useful for further understandings. Thank you for your interest.
Why we chose to be Lutheran
Why are we Christians? Why do we chose to be Lutheran? The answer to these questions is provided for us in Rev Daniel Preus book “Why I am a Lutheran”. This is his answer.
“Why am I a Christian? Because Jesus is at the center and it’s all about Him. I am a Christian by grace, a simple yet profund wprh of the new creation in water and Word. I know Jesus loves me because ‘[His] Word gives life to water poured.” Because of Jesus, I face no punishment for sin, nor do I face an eternal death. I am God’s child, and He has given me His family of believers wherein He feeds me. God is so kind and gracious. Thus I live with faith in Him and hope that is born from His promises.
I am a Lutheran for the same reason I am a Christian. It is not by choice but by grace. The teachings of the Lutheran Church place Jesus at the center because the teachings of the Scriptures place Jesus at the center. No other confession demonstrates such fidelity to the truth of God’s Word. No other confession glorifies Christ by placing Him at the center of all it confesses and teaches. Being a Lutheran is truly all about Jesus.
- The entire sinful world is loved by Jesus.
- God saves us through the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
- In the Lord’s Supper, we receive our inheritance with the body and blood of Jesus.
- The pastor proclaims and distributes the merits of Jesus.
- All our prayers go to the Father through Jesus.
- All our good works flow out of hearts that trust in Jesus.
- In the bearing of all crosses in this veil of tears, our eyes are fixed on Jesus.
- We wait with joyous hope for the day when we will see the face of Jesus.
Thus the Christian faith is all about Jesus. Being a Lutheran is all about Jesus. St. Paul says, “No one can lay a foundation other than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ’ ( 1 Chorinthians 3:11). St. Peter says, ‘There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4:12). That’s why we sing ‘On Christ the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand’.