What Lutherans Believe

There is only one true God—the Triune God—who exists in three separate but equal Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

God the Father is our Maker and the Creator of all things. By the Father’s Word, all things were made, and we are His beloved creation and close to His heart. The Son is Jesus Christ, who came to earth as the perfect “go-between,” bridging the gap between God and humanity. He has redeemed us and pleads for us before the Father. The Holy Spirit calls us to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, keeps us in the one true faith, and equips us for living out our faith.

We all fall short of God’s expectations because we are all born “sinful.” Sin can be summed up as all the things we say, think, do, and don’t do that fall outside of God’s holy will for our lives and end up separating us from God.

Sin was brought into the world when Satan lured the first people God created (Adam and Eve) into disobeying God through their own free will, breaking the perfect relationship between God and us. From that point on, sin ruined every part of our lives. The ultimate result of human sin is death.

Yet God loves us and does not want us to suffer from sin, death, and eternal punishment. That’s why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who willingly took our place as our Substitute. Christ took our sin upon Himself and died on the cross, on our behalf. When we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, He bears our sin and gives us His forgiveness.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

There is absolutely nothing we can do to “be saved”—Jesus Christ has already done everything necessary. In His death and resurrection, everyone who believes in Jesus as Savior has been brought back into a right relationship with God. That means that, on account of Jesus, everyone who believes is “justified,” or declared innocent by God. Even though God will do justice to all the world’s sins, we who trust in Jesus will not be harmed; because of Him, we are forgiven and will live forever.

We do not cooperate in our salvation, and there is nothing we could ever present to God to make our way into eternal life with Him. We cannot reason our way to salvation, nor can we earn it. All we can do is to believe in Him, trusting that Jesus has already done all that is necessary for us.

It is through faith in Jesus that we receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. By faith we believe that He has freed us from the guilt, punishment, and power of sin. Faith is a gift worked in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t come to us through anything we are capable of, but through what God does for us. We simply receive what God is already offering out of His great love.

Lutherans often refer to grace. While we deserved to pay the penalty for our sins, God had a different plan. Christ paid the debt, and we receive forgiveness and eternal life from Him. It is offered freely out of unconditional love. That’s why it’s called grace, because it is truly undeserved.

“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” (Ephesians 2:8-9).”

God has provided tangible ways through which He delivers His grace to those who believe, assuring us that the sins we commit are forgiven for Jesus’ sake. These are called the “means of grace.” They are God’s Word, Holy Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion). Through these means, God makes Himself known to us in a very personal way: God’s Word reveals His faithfulness and love; Baptism is our rebirth and renewal in Jesus; the Lord’s Supper is our closest communion with Christ, as we receive His body and blood.

Since there is nothing we can ever do to earn salvation, we do not do good works in order to be saved. Good works are done out of praise and thanks because we are saved. Such good works include, but are certainly not limited to, serving and caring for the needs of others, honoring and giving respect to those in authority, keeping our vows and commitments, and seeking to do what God considers to be good and right. It’s often said that Martin Luther expressed it this way: “God doesn’t need our good works, but our neighbor does.”

On Judgment Day—we don’t know when—Jesus Christ is going to return. On that day, everyone who has died will be raised, and those who are still alive will be bodily transformed. At that time, the final judgment will take place. Those who do not believe will go into eternal damnation in hell, and all those who believe in Jesus as Savior will have eternal life in heaven.