What We Believe
What We Believe...
St. John's is part of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. We believe...
GOD
God always was and always will be. He is Three Persons, One God.
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The FATHER who created us and all things and who provides all that we need.
" Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights." James 1:17
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The SON, Jesus Christ, who is True God and True Man who came to save us.
" When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." Galatians 4:4-5
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The HOLY SPIRIT who works faith in our hearts through God's Word and Sacraments (Baptism and The Lord's Supper).
" No one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit." 1 Corinthians 12:3b
THE BIBLE
The Bible is the Word of God. It is the only source and authority for all matters of faith and life.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
CREATION
In the beginning God created everything, out of nothing, by the power of His Word in six days.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. … And God said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light. … And God saw everything that He had made, and behold it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day." Genesis 1:1, 3, 31.
PEOPLE
The first people, Adam and Eve, were created holy, but they lost that holiness through their disobedience.
“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked." Genesis 3:6-7a.
ORIGINAL SIN
As a result of Adam and Eve's sin, we all are born with an inherited sin (original sin) that deserves punishment.
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psalm 51:5
ACTUAL SIN
The Bible is the Word of God. It is the only source and authority for all matters of faith and life.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
ALL DESERVE DEATH
Because of our sin we deserve to die, in time and eternity.
“The wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23
WE CAN'T SAVE OURSELVES
No matter how hard we try to save ourselves, we can’t.
“No one is justified before God by the law”. Galatians 3:11
SALVATION IS OUR BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS
Salvation is God’s gift to us from beginning to end. Even faith is a gift He gives to us.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
SINCE WE HAVE SALVATION
In response to our receiving the gift of salvation we will seek to serve God with our lives.
“We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
FAITH COMES THROUGH WORD AND SACRAMENT
God uses His Word to work and strengthen faith in our hearts.
“So faith comes from hearing and the hearing through the Word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
God uses the Sacrament of Baptism to work faith in the hearts of infants and to strengthen faith in the hearts of adults as He washes away sin.
“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7
God uses the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper to strengthen faith in the hearts of believers. In the Sacrament the bread and wine are the true body and blood of Jesus which was given and shed for the forgiveness of sins.
“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:26-28
THE CHURCH
The Church is made up of all who rely on Him for forgiveness and eternal life.
“ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 1 Peter 2:9