Click to read the Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE BIBLE
The Bible is God’s Word and is perfect and without error. God inspired men to write every thought and every word contained in the Bible. The message in the Bible is always useful because in it God points out our wrong doings and shows us how we are saved from those wrong doings. The Bible is the guide for everything we believe and do.
MANKIND
When God created the world he also created the first humans: Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were created pure. They were one with God and could stand in his presence. However, Adam and Eve willingly disobeyed God and lost the purity in which they were created. Since then humans are born sinful, that means they are spiritually dead, they cannot stand in God’s presence, and they deserve God’s punishment. Because all humans are born spiritually dead they cannot earn God’s favor and they cannot make a choice for God. Because all humans are born spiritually dead they will die and join Satan in hell.
SALVATION
The God, who created Adam and Eve, saw our human condition and out of love for us put in motion a plan to save us. He sent his son Jesus to live a perfect life in the place of all our imperfect lives. He sent Jesus to carry all of our sin on the cross and die an innocent death in our place. Then Jesus rose from the dead to prove his work was sufficient for our salvation. God approved of his work. Because of Jesus' work all people have been declared not guilty of their sin. In order to receive the benefits of Jesus’ death and resurrection we must have faith in God which is created by the Holy Spirit through God’s Word. God did not do this for us because of anything we did, but because of his precious love for all people
GOD
There is one God who has revealed himself as one God in three Persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This three in one God has always existed and does not change.
GOD THE FATHER
God created heaven and earth–the world exists because God created it. Because God loves this world, he cares for it by providing us with what is necessary for life. Not only has God cared for our physical life, but he also cares for our souls. He showed that care by sending his Son, Jesus, to rescue us from our wrong doing.
GOD THE SON
Jesus Christ is the Son of God who has always existed one with the Father. Out of love for humankind he became true man while, at the same time, remaining true God. It was necessary for Jesus to be both true God and true man so that he could live a perfect life under God’s law as our substitute and die as our substitute and then rise to life again. In this way Jesus bought us back from our sin, the death we would inevitably die, and the Devil.
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit makes us acceptable in God’s sight by allowing us to receive the benefits of Jesus’ substitutionary death. The Holy Spirit does this by creating faith in our hearts while working through God’s Word. The Holy Spirit then strengthens our faith through the Word and the forgiveness of sins. By all of this the Holy Spirit motivates us to live a new and holy life that is pleasing to God.
BAPTISM
Baptism is water that is attached to God’s promise. Through Baptism God promises to apply the gospel to sinners to give them new life and forgiveness of sins. Baptism is for all people, including infants, because all people are born sinful.
LORD’S SUPPER
In Lord’s Supper we receive Jesus’ body and blood with the bread and wine. This real presence is caused by Jesus’ words, “This is my body. This is my blood... for the forgiveness of sins.” Through Lord’s Supper God strengthens our faith and gives us the forgiveness of sins.
CHURCH
All people who have faith in God are a part of the holy Christian church. This church consists of people scattered across the world, but those who make up the church are known only by God, since he alone can read hearts. Since only God can read hearts, agreement concerning all the teachings of the Bible is what unites believers in a particular visible church. Those who join a congregation commit themselves to the doctrine and practice of that church.
MINISTRY
God has given the gospel, Baptism, and Lord’s Supper to all believers and has commissioned them to go into the world and tell people about the good news of salvation. God has also given us the public ministers of the Gospel to preach and teach God’s Word in the name of fellow believers. It is the church’s mission to proclaim the gospel faithfully, to build Jesus’ disciples up in their faith, and to serve people with the Word, baptism, and Lord’s Supper
THIS WE BELIEVE
