​We believe that we are:

Saved by Grace alone,

Sola Gratia

through Faith alone,

Sola Fide

in Jesus Christ alone,

Solus Christus

according to Holy Scripture alone,

Sola Scriptura

​​​for Glory to God alone.

Soli Deo Gloria

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What does this mean?

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​Grace Alone

We are all sinners and we all deserve God's judgment and eternal condemnation, not His love.  However, God loves all of us, even though we are sinful and rebel against Him.  His love provides all of us a pathway to salvation through repentance and belief in His Son, Jesus Christ.  God's gift of grace to us is freely given and has nothing to do with our own merit.  None of us can save ourselves.  So, God Himself, through Jesus Christ's death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, rescues everyone who believes in Him.  His grace brings us to repentance and faith.

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"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." (John 3:16-17)

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"As it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.'" (Romans 3:10-12)

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"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)

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Faith Alone

It is not our works or efforts that save us from eternal damnation; it is Jesus Christ's death on the cross and resurrection from the dead that atoned for our sins.  Jesus Christ willingly bore our sins with Him on the cross and received God's full punishment and wrath, paying the penalty for our sins in full.  Those who hear this great news and repent and believe in Him, automatically receive the eternal life that His sacrifice offers.  God creates faith in Jesus Christ and gives us forgiveness through Him.

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"Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.  And to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness." (Romans 4:4-5)

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"But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God." (Romans 5:8-9)

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Jesus Christ Alone

Jesus Christ is the only Son of God and also Son of Man; being both fully God and fully human, since he was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary.  Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life during His time here on earth, so He was the perfect and last blood sacrifice for the atonement of all our sins.  Salvation from our sins is found in Jesus Christ alone; no human, except Jesus, can forgive sins.  It is by the works of Jesus Christ alone that saves us.

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"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.'" (John 14:6)

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"Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)

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"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

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Holy Scripture Alone

The Bible is the true inspired Word of God.  It is inerrant, infallible, sufficient, and the source of all truth.  His Word reveals to us His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ.  The Bible is the sole authority for Christian faith, doctrine, and practice.  All 66 books of the Bible were written by at least 40 different eye witnesses, from 3 different continents, in primarily 3 different languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Latin), and over the course of thousands of years.  The Bible is a living book, never contradicting itself because everything in the Bible was inspired by God Himself.

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The 39 books of the Old Testament describe God's creation of the entire universe, our fall into sin, and points to our redemption and salvation provided to us by God, through His Son, Jesus Christ.  The 27 books of the New Testament describe Jesus' miraculous birth, life of ministry, innocent and sacrificial death on the cross, resurrection from the dead, and ascension into heaven.  Everything after His ascension explains how to be a good Christian, spread His good news of salvation to the ends of the earth, and points us towards His coming again to judge all the earth.

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"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)

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Glory to God Alone

Our salvation is a work of God for His glory.  We cannot contribute anything to our salvation.  For this reason, we are commanded to live our entire lives to glorify God in all things.  By God's grace and mercy, and through the faith He provides us, He moves in our hearts, minds, and souls, enabling us to repent and believe in Jesus Christ.  This repentance and belief enables us to do good works to show our neighbors His love through us and to be living witnesses to nonbelievers.

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"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." (Titus 3:4-5)

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"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.  And I will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:44)

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"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)

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​We confess the Apostles Creed:

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"I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

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And 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 sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.  From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

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And 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."

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​What is the Holy Trinity?

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God the Father

The Creator of all that exists.

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"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.  And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." (Genesis 1:1-3)

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"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.  In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind." (John 1:1-4)

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God the Son

Jesus Christ, 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 sin, death and the devil.

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"'The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' (which means 'God with us')." (Matthew 1:23)

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"Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?'  Jesus answered, 'I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you really know Me, you will know my Father as well.  From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.'" (John 14:5-7)

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"It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining.  And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.'  When He had said this, He breathed His last." (Luke 23:44-46)

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"They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.  In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; He has risen!  Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" (Luke 24:2-7)

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"Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:55-58)

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God the Holy Spirit

Creates faith through God's Word and Sacraments.

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"But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.  They said to you, 'In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.'  These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.  But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.  Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear - hating even the clothing stained by corrupt flesh." (Jude 1:17-23)

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All three persons of the Holy Trinity are coequal and coeternal, as the One True God.

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He is:

omnipotent

(all-powerful)

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omniscient

(all-knowing)

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and omnipresent

(present everywhere at the same time).