Why Do I Need Jesus? & Being A Lutheran

Belief and Practice

With the universal Christian Church, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God: the Father, creator of all that exists; Jesus Christ, the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all human beings and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death and Satan; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God’s Word and Sacraments. The Three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God.

Who is Jesus?

In the Bible we have the record of His birth, life, death on the cross, and resurrection. Through the study of the Bible, we seek the answer to this age-old question.

He loves us in spite of every hurtful thought, every harmful word, and every wrongful action. These are all a result of sin, which contaminates everything we do. It is behind every broken home, every empty life, every infirmity, every damaged emotion, every sorrow and grief. And as the Bible says, the end result of sin is death (Romans 6:23). But Jesus Himself was sinless; ony He could pay the penalty for our sins.

Because of his love, He suffered, died and rose again.

We are forgiven. All who believe in Jesus are guaranteed eternal life with Him in heaven.

Why Lutheran?

A Lutheran is a Christian who believes that our salvation by Jesus Christ through His death on the cross is  the central focus of our faith. We are saved by grace through faith. (Eph. 2:8-10).

Lutherans believe…

· we are saved by grace alone and not anything we do to save ourselves. Grace is a gift from God.

· We know about the grace from the Bible alone. The insight from other people or our own wisdom is not enough to reveal itself to us.

Lutherans also believe…

· We believe that God sends the gift of forgiveness to all people through the waters of Baptism—a gift available to adults and children alike.

· That the Body and Blood of Jesus are truly present in, with, and under the Bread and Wine of the Eucharist meal. He shares with His people. Therefore, we receive God’s gift of forgiveness every time we eat and drink the meal of Holy Communion.

The Lutheran Church is part of the one, holy, Christian and Apostolic church established by Jesus Christ. We trace our history back to the time of the New Testament and confess the biblical doctrines summarized in the Apostle’s Creed.

The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd is part of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) which began in 1839 when a group of German immigrants left the province of Saxony in Germany, search for religious freedom in the new world.