What We Believe

Christians believe that God created us and loves us, and that He wants us to live with Him forever. Yet all of us fall short of God’s goodness. We turn inward, make harmful choices, and damage our relationship with God and with one another. The Bible calls this **sin**. Left to ourselves, sin leads to brokenness and death.

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But God does not abandon us. He comes to us in love.

• God the Father sent His Son, **Jesus Christ**, to rescue and restore us. Jesus lived among us, suffered, died on the cross, and rose again to defeat sin and death for us. The heart of the Christian faith is captured in these words from the Bible:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16–17)

• God the Father and the Son also send the **Holy Spirit**, who helps us trust this good news, draws us to faith, and gathers us together as God’s people. This community is called the **Church**. The Church is described in the Bible as the “body of Christ”—imperfect people who are learning, together, to reflect Jesus’ love in the world.

• The Holy Spirit gathers us each Sunday around **God’s Word (the Bible)** and a **shared meal (Holy Communion)**. There we receive forgiveness, hope, and strength to live lives that honor God and serve our neighbors.

Our Saviour is part of the Lutheran tradition within Christianity. Lutherans emphasize the good news of what God has done for us in Jesus. Four simple phrases from the Reformation help summarize this faith. Each phrase uses the Latin word *sola*, meaning “only” or “alone.”

• **By Faith Alone** – *How are we saved?* We are saved by trusting in what God has done for us in Jesus—not by earning God’s favor through good works.

• **By Grace Alone** – *Why are we saved?* We are saved because God is loving and merciful. Salvation is a gift, not a reward. * **By Scripture Alone** – *How do we know this?* The Bible is our primary and trustworthy source for knowing God and His saving work.

• **By Christ Alone** – *Who saves us?* Jesus Christ alone—through His life, death, and resurrection—brings forgiveness, life, and hope. We also look forward to His promised return.

Our Saviour belongs to the **Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS)**, a conservative Lutheran church body. If you are curious, learn more about what the LCMS believes.

Christians live in what the Bible describes as **two kingdoms**. We belong to God’s eternal kingdom through faith in Jesus, and we also live as citizens of this earthly society.

God rules over both. He works through the Church in its proclamation of forgiveness and its ethic of grace and mercy. He also works through governments and civic institutions to maintain order and care for society. The world functions because God rules over both kingdoms.

These two kingdoms should not be confused. While moral questions are addressed through Scripture, partisan politics are not preached from our pulpit. Instead, worship and preaching aim to ground us in God’s unchanging truth, freeing us from the pressure of constantly shifting cultural expectations.

We are called to see every person as created in God’s image and loved by Jesus. Our calling is to love, serve, pray, and live as people of peace—trusting that God is still on His throne and that Jesus is Lord.

The Church exists not for itself, but for the sake of the world. We gather each week because we need forgiveness and renewal. From there, we are sent back into daily life to love and serve others.

We serve God through our **vocations**—as parents and grandparents, friends and neighbors, workers and leaders. As Martin Luther famously said:

“God does not need our good works, but our neighbors do.”

When we see others as God sees them—created in His image and redeemed by Christ—we are moved toward humility, compassion, and service.

Sunday worship is more than a routine or a social gathering. Christians believe that God is truly present and at work there. Jesus has promised to be there for the forgiveness of sins.

He is present and at work through the power of God’s word, the sacraments of communion and baptism, and the fellowship and prayers of those gathered in worship.

In worship, heaven and earth meet. Our worship joins an ongoing and unending worship done with angels and the whole company of heaven. We sing ancient songs that Christians have sung for centuries and use an order of service more than a millennia old. In Communion, we receive a foretaste of the feast to come in God’s eternal kingdom.

Worship is where God creates and sustains His Church. It changes lives.

And your presence matters. You matter.

If you have questions about worship—or hesitations about coming to church—Pastor Jim would be glad to listen and talk with you. Link: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX.