Lutheranism Beliefs

LUTHERANISM BELIEFS

Martin Luther founded the Lutheran denomination when he protested against the dominant Roman Catholic Church between 1517 and 1523. He was a German Monk and Professor who opposed the extravagant indulgences of the Catholic Church. He hoped to reform the church by exposing and eradicating practices that contradicted the Bible. For doing this, he was ex-communicated from the Catholic Church but he continued to spread his teachings. His writings and teachings spread from Germany to other parts of Europe and they now form the basis of the Lutheran beliefs.

The Bible and The Book of Concord are the core of the faith and beliefs of the Lutheran faithful. Martin Luther believed that we are kept vindicated by God's grace, through faith in Christ Jesus alone and that salvation comes through faith alone. According to Luther, all teachings and traditions of the church had to be put next to the standard and rule which God established as proclaimed in the Bible.

Lutheran faith and beliefs are centered on the works of Jesus Christ. Lutherans confess the Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Members also believe that God's compassion and forgiveness (and not man's work of righteousness to make up for past mistakes) and trust in Jesus is necessary for salvation.

The Book of Concord, which is regarded as an authority for doctrine and practice by all Lutherans, is a collection of texts and confessions written by Martin Luther or early Lutheran leaders. The book contains texts like The Three Ecumenical Creeds, the Augsburg Confession, The Defense of the Augsburg Confession, The Large Catechism, The Small Catechism, Smalcald Articles, Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, The Epitome of the Formula of Concord and The Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord.

The Lutheran Church is organized into synods with the largest synods being the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Members of the LCMS continue to believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God that has no error and it is the only revelation on beliefs, faith and practice. They believe that the Bible requires full agreement in doctrine before it is possible to join in altar and podium affiliation with other churches. The ELCA allows for the margins of errors, flexibility and cultural limitations in the Bible and interprets it using the methods of historical criticism. Although all Lutherans are guided by the 16th-century Lutheran confessions set out in the Book of Concords, the ELCA does not demand members to live by them as the code for modern life to entirety. On the other hand, LMCS members accept without reservations, all confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as the true will of the Word of God.

The ELCA is a member of the Lutheran World Federation and the World Council of Churches and has entered into fellowship with