~THE LUTHERAN CHURCH~

Founded:  1517 Martin Luther’s “95 Theses” (challenges to Roman Catholic teaching) usually is the mark of the beginning of the protestant reformation.  1530:  The Augsburg Confession is written: (The first formal Lutheran Confession of Faith).

Adherents:  About 60 million worldwide (all branches) over 8 million USA.

Scripture:  Sole authoritative witness to the Gospel.  Conservatives view scripture as inerrant.  (Standard protestant cannon accepted.)

Who is God:  The One Creator and Lord of all, existing eternally as the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

Who is Jesus:  The eternal Son incarnate, fully God and fully man, conceived and born of the virgin Mary, died on the Cross for our sins, rose bodily from the grave, ascended into heaven, and will come in glory to judge us all.

Salvation:  Saved by grace alone (sola gratia) when God imputes to us the Righteousness of His Son Jesus Christ.  This is achieved solely by faith (sola fide). Good works are the consequential result of true faith, but in no way justify us before God.

Afterlife:  Upon dying, souls of Christians go immediately to be with Christ, and at His return are raised bodily to immortal and eternal life.  The souls of the wicked immediately begin eternal suffering in hell.

The Church:  The congregation of believers (mixed with the lost) in which the Gospel is taught and the sacraments rightly administered.  All believers are considered “priests” as in they have direct access to God.  (This seems to be in reaction to Roman Catholic priest intercession.)  All ministers are pastors, and some serve as bishops.  In the end of the 20th century, the ECLA was considered in ministerial unity with the Episcopal church.

Sacraments:  Baptism is necessary for salvation; in it both s and infants receive God’s grace.  The Lord’s Supper remains truly bread and wine but ALSO Jesus’ physical elements (consubstantiation).

Other Beliefs of Note:  Some members accept Mary’s immaculate conception, but not other Marian doctrines.  The church’s liturgy is very similar to Episcopalian.  The church also accepts the doctrine of predestination.