Augustana Lutheran Church LCMS
Moscow, ID
What does it mean to be a Lutheran Christian?
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We believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God. He allowed himself to be crucified to suffer the punishment we deserve. He rose from the dead; and he will come again to live with us.
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We are Confessionals. What does this mean?
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Adhering firmly to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is crucial for salvation. When such adherence to the Gospel is not firm, salvation can then be doubted. God does not want this. He wants all people to come to a knowledge of the truth. He wants you to be sure of your salvation in Jesus Christ. To that end, as a Lutheran mission, we cling to the correct teachings about the Gospel of Jesus Christ as they are found in the Lutheran Confessions, also known as the Book of Concord. These Confessions are not the inerrant, infallible word of God, as is the Bible, but they are the proper teachings concerning the Bible. In that light, we are a Confessional Lutheran mission.
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We understand that the truths of the Gospel that we believe have been passed down to us by those who have come before us. We acknowledge that many of the traditions of the Church are rooted firmly in the Gospel. Those that are not, we do not follow. In this sense, we are a traditional mission church. Along those same lines, we believe the Church has worshiped using a historic liturgy that has been passed down through the generations. We find comfort using this Divine Liturgy, knowing first and foremost that it gives to us the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and secondly, that it unites us with all the body of Christ -- the communion of saints -- who have gone before us.
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Law and Gospel
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Another characteristic that makes the Lutherans unique is our respect and use of Law and Gospel. We believe that the Word of God is rightly divided into Law and Gospel. The Law are those statements that teach us what it is we are to do as humans and as Christians. Because we are born in sin and born sinful, we cannot keep God's Word. His Law makes this clear to us. Because we are sinful, the Law offers us no hope -- it cannot save us from our sin. That is where the Gospel comes in. The Gospel are those statements that teach us what God has already done for us and is doing for us in and through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel makes it clear that Jesus Christ has fully won for you salvation. His words on the cross, "It is finished," make it official. There is nothing left that you can do to save yourself. Jesus has done it all. Such is the sweetness of the Gospel.
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The Means of Grace
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As a confessional Lutheran mission, we believe thoroughly in the power of the Means of Grace, that is Word and Sacraments. What Christ Jesus has won for us on the cross -- forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation -- he gives to us freely in the Word of his Gospel and in Baptism and the Lord's Supper. These Means of Grace are everything to the Christian as they give to us what we need to grow in faith in Christ and love for God.
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