Our Statement of Faith
Peace be with you.The following is a brief statement of our Christian faith as Evangelical Lutherans.
Of our religion: Lutherans are Christians first, and Lutherans second, and we pray that God will account all good Lutherans as good Christians. While we name ourselves Lutherans, that is only our denomination within Christ's one holy catholic and apostolic church; our religion is Christianity.
Of the nature of God: As Christians, Lutherans believe in the one true and living God of love, whose divine nature is best explained within the three ecumenical creeds — the Athanasian Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed — all of which we accept as true declarations of the Trinitarian faith of this church. The three articles of belief in the triune nature of God, as stated within the Apostles' Creed, are explained within Part II of Luther's Small Catechism.
Of the teaching of the Gospel: Lutherans believe in the teachings of the Holy Gospel and we explain important portions of scripture and doctrine within the Small Catechism authored by Martin Luther, the founder of Lutheranism.
Luther did not seek to found a new denomination when he nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral; he sought to reform the Roman church, to cleanse it of corruption, abuses & venality, and to return it to its true purpose. When Luther failed to reform the Roman church and the break became inevitable he did not intend that the new wing of the catholic church should be called "Lutheran", but preferred the name "Evangelical". We are Evangelicals because Lutheran ministry is centred upon the spread of God's good news as given within the Bible, particularly within the Gospels — we evangelize, in obedience to Christ's own command and in accordance with Luther's teaching, by sharing and spreading the good news of salvation.
Noël! For unto you is born a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord
Alellujah! Christ is risen!
He that believeth in [Christ] and is baptized shall be saved
Of the Sacraments: Lutherans believe that there are but two sacraments: Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. All other important rites and ceremonies — such as Confirmation and Holy Matrimony — are not considered sacraments within the Lutheran church.
Of Holy Baptism: Lutherans practice infant Holy Baptism, the purpose and means of which are ably explained within Part IV of Luther's Small Catechism. Once a baptized Lutheran reaches the age of reason he or she receives instruction in Catechism class and is given the opportunity to affirm his or her Christian faith in the ceremony known as "Confirmation", after which full communion within the church is granted.
Of Holy Communion: Lutheran doctrine holds that within Holy Communion the elements of the Communion — the earthly bread and wine — are at one and the same time the true body and blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is known within the Lutheran church as "Sacramental Union", a concept often referred to as "consubstantiation" — but with a very Lutheran definition of the word, differing from the Eastern Orthodox concept of "consubstantiation", from the Roman doctrine of "transubstantiation", and from the doctrine of some of the younger churches which hold that the bread and wine are merely representational.
Of Salvation and Grace: Lutherans believe in salvation by the power of the Grace of God. Luther defined and taught the doctrine of justification by Grace through Faith. This doctrine explains that the path to salvation is "by Grace alone, through Faith alone, in Christ alone". What this means is that the only path to salvation is by the Grace of God, which is unmerited. We do not, and cannot, earn God's Grace by buying indulgences from the Pope, nor by bribing God with good works or offerings, nor by haranguing God with prayer; we come to it only by Grace itself, and this through our faith. Our faith must be placed wholly in Our Lord and Saviour, whose earthly body died on the cross in atonement for the sins of all mankind. As related in Mark 16:16, the risen Christ commanded his disciples:
Go ye into all the world and preach to every creature
and through the disciples Christ promised mankind:
He that believeth in me and is baptized shall be saved.
This promise we believe, teach and confess to be true.
Of Faith and free will: Lutherans believe that God knows, but does not foreordain the fate of each person with regard to salvation; we are not predestinarians. Quite the opposite, Lutherans believe that God has given each person the free will to have faith by receiving the Holy Spirit, or not to have faith by turning our hearts away from God, for if faith were ordained for us all it would not be faith at all, simply the inevitable response to the will of God.
Of sin and free will: Lutherans believe that God has given each person the free will to do good or evil as regards righteousness within our civil society, but that we, possessed of a sinful nature, are inclined to sin. Once touched by the power of the Holy Spirit, in faith mankind may desire to avoid sin both in civil society and with respect to things pertaining to God's will. Still, because we are imperfect we continue to sin in thoughts and deeds both great and small.
Of repentance and forgiveness: Lutherans believe that the truly repentant sinner is absolved of sin through confession, repentance, and the Office of the Keys. Thus the repentant sinner may be blessed, and is encouraged to sin no more. The unrepentant sinner is neither absolved nor blessed, for such would be tantamount to giving the church's blessing to the sin itself.
Of Lutheran worship: The Lutheran service is such that its elements are familiar to any person raised in the Roman or Anglican denominations. It is the mass by another name. The regular Lutheran service (or mass) includes Holy Communion, though this practice may differ according to local circumstances and traditions. The Lutheran service is liturgical, that is, based on the involvement of the congregation with the preaching of the Word of God. The Lutheran service is a singing service, so that we may make a joyful noise unto the Lord.
Of saints and prayer: Lutherans believe in honouring the memory of saints and martyrs as exemplars of faith and good works. We reject utterly the idle practice of the worship of saints and the invocation of them either to assist us on earth, or to mediate between mankind and God. Lutheran prayer is offered to God alone.
Of the priesthood: The ministers of the Lutheran church are known as pastors. As members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada we believe that every person of faith and good moral character, man or woman, who receives an authentic call to ministry is eligible for ordination and service as pastor. This position is in conflict with that held by some other churches, including some fractions of Lutheranism, and which base their position upon certain passages within the books of Genesis and I Peter, but mostly upon the Epistles of Paul. Unless arrived at through extrapolation, nothing within Genesis or I Peter upholds the position of excluding women as pastors. The opinions of the Apostle Paul concerning this matter have no support within the Gospels. All fractions of Christianity have admitted women as saints, and Our Saviour included women among His closest disciples. If Christ found women to be so worthy, we cannot in good conscience act in contradiction of His example.
As a member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada we subscribe to the church's Evangelical Declaration.
The primary symbols of the Evangelical Lutheran confession of faith are:
The Holy Bible.
The Ninety-five Theses, Martin Luther's famous protests against papal abuses and, particularly, the sale of indulgences, nailed to the cathedral door at Wittenberg, 31 October 1517, the document and the act that began the Protestant Reformation.
The Augsburg Confession, the Protestant Confession of Faith submitted to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, at the Diet of Augsburg, 1530.
The Apology to the Augsburg Confession, Philip Melanchthon's open letter of 1531, addressed to all who will heed and explaining the Lutheran Protestant position.
The Book of Concord of 1577; a Reconciliation of the Articles in Controversy among the Theologians of the Augsburg Confession.
Lutherans teach Luther's Small Catechism as the explanation of the bases of our Christian faith.
New members are always welcome in our church. Thank you for visiting with us online; you are cordially invited to join us in worship at Hope Lutheran. For more information see
On Becoming a Lutheran.
Go in peace; serve the Lord.
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