What We Believe

The Bible

We believe the Bible is the active, inerrant, and infallible Word of God. It shows us our sin through the Law and most importantly, tells us about the saving work of Jesus Christ in the Gospel for sinners.  It is source and basis for all our teaching here at Bethel Lutheran Church.
 

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." - Psalm 119:105

God

We teach that the one true God, Deut. 6:4; 1 Cor. 8:4, is the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, three distinct persons, but of one and the same divine essence.  We confess the three persons of the Trinity as:

We believe in the Father, creator of all that exists;

We believe in 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.  The Bible shows us our Savior throughout its pages.

We believe in the Holy Ghost, who creates and preserves faith through God’s Word and Sacraments.

What does “Lutheran” mean?

Bethel Lutheran accepts and preaches the Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century.  We hold to the Lutheran Confessions as found in the Book of Concord being a true presentation of what Holy Scripture teaches, along with the three creeds: Nicene, Apostles, and Athanasian. The teaching of Luther and the reformers are often summarized as follows: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone.

Luther’s Small Catechism is a great compact summary of our beliefs.

What does “Synod” mean?

The word “Synod” in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod comes from Greek words that mean “walking together.” The term has rich meaning in our church body because congregations voluntarily choose to belong to the Synod.  We are a nationwide church body of congregations which hold to the Lutheran Confessions.