Lutherans

Ross Woods, 2022

Lutheranism is the branch of Christianity that derives from the teachings of Martin Luther and the 16th-century movements that issued from his reforms. Luther was brilliant, but unsystematic. His colleage, Philipp Melanchthon was the writer who arranged Lutheran beliefs into a systematic form.

Lutheran churches in each country are independent. Church government is usually synodal, although a few a congregational. In some regions, Lutheranism has become quite liberal.

Australian Lutherans

Lutherans believe that we are saved 'by grace, for Christ's sake, through faith'. In other words, there is nothing we can do to earn God's favour or to gain eternal life. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ has won all this and more for us.

  1. God created the universe and everything in it.
  2. Man sinned, making him helpless and hopeless under the judgement of God.
  3. God gave his Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sins of all of us, and that the good news of his love in Christ is for all people everywhere.
  4. Everyone who, by the working of the Holy Spirit, accepts in personal faith what Jesus Christ has done by his death on the cross and by his resurrection, receives forgiveness from God.
  5. Christians are called into the church to praise and worship God, to receive the Spirit's renewal of their faith, to strengthen their fellow believers, and to carry out God's mission of taking the good news of his saving love to all people.
  6. Only the Bible is the source of inspiration and teaching. Lutherans worldwide also believe that the Lutheran Confessions, contained in the Book of Concord of 1580, are true expositions of the word of God. These documents are:
    1. the three ecumenical creeds (confessed by Christians around the world): the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed
    2. the Augsburg Confession
    3. the Apology of the Augsburg Confession
    4. the Smalcald Articles
    5. the Small Catechism of Luther
    6. the Large Catechism of Luther
    7. the Formula of Concord.
  7. God offers his grace and forgiveness to all people, including infants, in the sacrament of baptism.
  8. In the sacrament of the Lord's supper, the body and blood of Christ are given in, with and under bread and wine, as a further assurance of personal forgiveness to believers.
  9. Though still subject to sin and failure, Christians will show love to God in a life of loving service to other people, practising forgiveness, kindness, patience, humility and unselfish service for Christ's sake.
  10. God will raise up all people on the last day and that every person who believes in Jesus as Saviour will be given eternal life.

Lutheran Church of Australia (www.lca.org.au)