What We Believe

Throughout the centuries the Christian church has made use of ecumenical creeds to give a statement of faith. One of the creeds Lutherans commit ourselves to is the Apostles’ Creed.

First things first: What is a creed?

A creed is a statement of belief. For example, we do see belief statements in Scripture. One of the most famous for the people of Israel is in Deuteronomy 6 (“Hear O Israel, the LORD your God, the LORD is one”). In 1 Corinthians 8:6, St. Paul borrowed from this creed to include Jesus (“yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things andthrough whom we exist”).

The Apostles’ Creed is an important summary of what a Christian believes about God, and what God does in His creation for His creatures. This particular creed has been used at baptisms and may be borrowed from an even earlier baptismal creed.

Here is the text of this creed:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

You may be thinking….What does this mean?

We’re so glad you asked! At the time of the Reformation, Martin Luther wrote a catechism that helped teach the basic, central truths of the faith to the people. In his Small Catechism, he provides an article by article (or section by section) explanation of the Apostles’ Creed. This creed is the statement of faith to which candidates for baptism, confirmation, and membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church give confession.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, spouse and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.

That I may be His own Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead. We strive to keep this message front and center at St. John’s. We believe this message is the one that rescues us from death for life.

For more information on what we believe please email Pastor Staneck or visit www.lcms.org.