What We Believe, Teach, and Confess
Our Savior Lutheran
Church, Paradise, California is a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. 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.
Being "Lutheran", our congregation members believe
the Bible to be the infallible Word of God. We believe the Bible says what it means and means what it says. We also accept
and teach the Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century.
The teaching of Luther and the reformers can be summarized in three short phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture
alone.
Grace alone
God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve His love.
He sent Jesus, His Son, to love the unlovable and save the ungodly.
Faith alone
By
His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life
for them. Those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in Christ and
gives people forgiveness through Him.
Scripture alone
The Bible is God's inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of salvation
in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.
Who is Jesus?
In the Bible we have the record of his birth, life, death on the cross, and resurrection. Study of the Bible,
God's Word, will enable you to seek out the answer to this age-old question. You will find that Jesus Christ is both true
God and true man and that He came into the world to be the Lord and Savior of all. With his life, death and resurrection
he offers us the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life in heaven.
What does
"Synod" mean?
The word "Synod" in The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
comes from Greek words that mean "walking together". The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is an international church
body that seeks to share the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world.