What We Believe
C2.01. We believe, teach and confess the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
C2.02. We believe, teach and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and the Gospel as the power of God for the salvation of all who believe in him.
A. Jesus Christ is the Word of God incarnate, through whom everything was made and through whose life, death, and resurrection God fashions a new creation.
B. The proclamation of God’s message to us as both Law and Gospel is the Word of God, revealing judgment and mercy , beginning with the Word in creation, continuing in the history of Israel, and centering in all its fullness in the person and work of Jesus Christ, through whom God was pleased to reconcile all things to himself.
C. The canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the written Word of God. Inspired by God’s Spirit speaking through their authors, they record and announce God’s revelation centering in Jesus Christ. Through them God’s Spirit speaks to us to create and sustain Christian faith and fellowship for service in the world.
C2.03. We believe, teach and confess the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the sole authoritative source and norm of our proclamation, faith, and life, and the congregation’s pastors and Church Council serve together as the final interpretive authority on the meaning and application of said Scriptures.
C2.04. We believe, teach and confess the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds as true declarations of the Scriptural faith.
C2.05. We believe, teach and confess the Unaltered Augsburg Confession as a true witness to the Word of God, normative for our teaching and practice, confessing that we are one in faith and doctrine with all churches that likewise accept the teachings of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession.
C2.06. We believe, teach and confess the other confessional writings in the Book of Concord, namely, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles and the Treatise, the Small Catechism, the Large Catechism, and the Formula of Concord, as further valid expositions of the Holy Scriptures.
C2.07. We believe, teach and confess the Gospel, recorded in the Holy Scriptures and confessed in the ecumenical creeds and Lutheran confessional writings, as the power of God to create and sustain the priesthood of all believers for God’s mission in the world.
C2.08.01 Sinners are made right with God by grace alone through faith alone on account of Christ alone. This is the article of faith by which the church stands or falls.[1]
C2.08.02 The Word of God is Jesus Christ[2], the proclamation of him[3], and the Holy Scriptures[4]. This Word functions as both law and gospel, which need to be distinguished, but not separated. The law orders society and convicts us of sin, showing us our need for a Savior[5]. The gospel is the power of God that liberates us from sin, death, and thepower of the devil, and brings us, by grace, from death to life[6].
C2.08.03 Christ commanded that his Word be proclaimed.[7] Through it, the Holy Spirit works faith when and where he pleases[8] and repentant sinners are elected unto salvation. Christians live out their earthly lives as totally justified and totally sinful.[9]
C2.08.04 Because the church is the assembly of believers among whom the Gospel is taught purely and the sacraments are administered rightly, it is not necessary that human traditions, rites and ceremonies, instituted by men, should be alike everywhere.[10] God instituted one office of ministry through which the means of salvation are provided.[11] For the sake of good order, a pastor is authorized to function in this public office by virtue of a church’s call.[12] Churches band together in fellowship and mission to strengthen their ministries, acknowledging participation in the universal Church of our Lord.[13]
C2.09 : Statement on Marriage, Gender and Sexuality
We believe, teach and confess that God creates each person either male or female, and that these two distinct and complementary genders together reflect the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within and upon that person.
We believe, teach and confess that the term “marriage” means only the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union (Genesis 2:18-25), and that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only within such a union. Any form of sexual intimacy outside this union (including but not limited to adultery, fornication, homosexual acts, bisexual acts, bestiality, incest) is sinful in the sight of God.
We believe, teach and confess that God offers plentiful forgiveness and restoration to all who confess and repent of their sin, seeking mercy through Jesus Christ and amendment of life through the Holy Spirit.
We believe, teach and confess that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect and dignity. Therefore, hateful or harassing behaviors directed toward any individual are to be repudiated, and those committing such behaviors will be subject to the congregation’s discipline policy as outlined in Chapter 15 of this Constitution.
All persons employed by or who serve as volunteers for Christus Lutheran Church, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender and Sexuality.
All persons who become members of this congregation agree to, and pledge to abide by, this Statement on Marriage, Gender and Sexuality.
C2.10 : Employees and Volunteers
All persons employed by or who serve as volunteers for Christus Lutheran Church engage in furthering the mission of the congregation, and thereby agree to and abide by all items within this Constitution, as well as the congregation’s Bylaws and Continuing Resolutions (and, if employed for pay, its employment policies), and will sign a statement affirming their agreement and willingness to abide thereby. [con’t.]
Any violation of the aforementioned Constitution, Bylaws, Continuing Resolutions and policies constitutes good cause for termination.
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[1] Augustana IV; Smalcald, Part II, Article 1: “Nothing in this article can be given up or compromised.”
[2] John 1:1, 14
[3] Matthew 18:20; I John 1:1, 2
[4] II Timothy 3:16
[5] Smalcald, Part III, Article II. The Law
[6] Romans 1:16
[7] Luke24:46-47
[8] Romans 10:17; Augustana V; Small Catechism Part II, Third Article.
[9] Smalcald, Part III, Article III. Penitence.
[10] Augustana VII; Smalcald Part III, Article XII.
[11] Augustana V.
[12] Augustana XIV.
[13] Ephesians 4:4-6