One God: We believe in the one true God – who comes to us in three forms.

               The Father created the world and all of us in it.
               The Son (Jesus Christ) became human to suffer and die in our place and rise to life again to claim victory over Satan.
               The Holy Spirit creates faith in us through God’s Word and Sacraments.

Word of God: As Christians we believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It forms the basis for our worship services, sermons, hymns and songs, and devotional studies. It guides our pastors, teachers, leaders, and members in everything we do. The Bible inspired Martin Luther to reform the church in the 16th century. He summarized the reformation in 3 short phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone.

Grace Alone: God loves everyone even though we all sin, rebel against Him, and do not deserve His love. By grace, God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment for us. A more in depth look at “Grace Alone” is available from Pastor Andersen, here.

Faith Alone: Jesus died for us and rose again to overcome sin. If we have faith and believe in this Good News, our sins are forgiven and we will have eternal life. Nothing else is required.

Scripture Alone: The Bible is God’s Word – it is perfect without error. In this Word He reveals the rules we live by (Ten Commandments) and the way to obtain eternal life (Gospel). The Bible is the sole norm for Christian doctrine.

               For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8

Sacraments: We believe a sacrament is a sacred act

                     (1) Instituted by God himself
                     (2) Joins the Word of God with a visible element
                     (3) Gives us the forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation

We have two sacraments – Baptism and Holy Communion – both instituted by Jesus Christ during his time on earth. In Baptism we are made Children of God through water and the Word and given eternal life in heaven. In Holy Communion our sins are forgiven by God as we partake of the bread and wine (the body and blood of Christ). Baptism is performed once in our lives while Holy Communion is celebrated regularly in our worship services.

Forgiveness of Sins: All of us sin on a daily basis and need God’s forgiveness. In Holy Communion we confess that we have sinned and we receive absolution from the Pastor, as from God himself, that our sins have been forgiven.

Confirmation: The Lutheran Church has a rich tradition of education to learn how God’s Word can be applied to your life. At Faith Lutheran our young people go through confirmation training from 6th – 8th grade. Adults who have not grown up in the church are encouraged to attend special confirmation classes taught by the Pastor to learn what Lutherans believe.

Holy Communion: The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod encourages all its confirmed members to join us for the celebration of Holy Communion. Those not confirmed are asked to speak to the Pastor about becoming a confirmed member.

What does “Synod” mean? Faith Lutheran – Johnstown is a member of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS). The word “synod” comes from the Greek words that mean “walking together”. The LCMS is a group of congregations around the world that share common beliefs as taught in the Bible and first explained by Martin Luther during the 16th century. For more information, go to the LCMS website.