The Doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
and of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession

The Evangelical Lutheran Church is:

• Catholic—(but not Roman Catholic) that is, we believe, teach and confess the faith once delivered to the saints, the faith taught by the prophets and apostles, and the faith confessed by the one, holy, catholic (Christian) and apostolic church throughout the ages.
   
• Evangelical—that is, our faith and life is centered in the Good News (the evangel, the Gospel) that Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world from sin, death and the devil. And we declare this Good News to the world, for the only way to receive this salvation is through this Gospel.
   
• Confessional—that is, we not only believe with our hearts in Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Son of God, but we confess with our lips the unchanging truth of salvation through faith in Him alone. And we confess this truth in written statements of belief called creeds and confessions.
   
  • The Evangelical Lutheran Church confesses with the whole church using the ecumenical creeds:
     
    • the Apostles' Creed,
    • the Nicene Creed, and
    • the Athanasian Creed.
       
  • And she confesses the faith once delivered in specifically Lutheran Symbols:
     
    • the Augsburg Confession,
    • the Apology (Defense) of the Augsburg Confession,
    • the Small Catechism,
    • the Large Catechism,
    • the Smalcald Articles,
    • the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, and
    • the Formula of Concord (Epitome and Solid Declaration).
       
• Sacramental—that is, we confess that God not only came to us two millennia ago in the person of Jesus Christ, but that He continues to come to us today, washing us in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, forgiving us in the words of absolution, feeding us with His Holy Supper in the Sacrament of the Altar. By these means, God works faith in the hearts of His people, saving them, forgiving them, and strengthening them for lives of service to their neighbors.

For additional information see: LCMS→Beliefs and Practices.

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