Faith lives to connect people to Jesus and to each other
WHO WE AREWe are a community of people receiving wholeness in Jesus Christ. Empowered by the gift of God's grace in Word and Sacrament we grow in love for the Lord and in loving service to our neighbors. You are always welcome to join us for worship.
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OUR LOCATIONWe are located at 1335 Vallecito Place (at Ogan Rd.) in the beautiful city of Carpinteria, CA 93013. Our phone number is 805-684-4707. We are meeting in person at 9 a.m. Masks must be worn during services. Office hours are currently on hold due to COVID-19. Please check back for future events and times or call our church number as listed above.
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WHAT IS A LUTHERAN?
While there are a variety of ways one could answer this question, one very important answer is simply this, "A Lutheran is a person who believes, teaches and confesses the truths of God's Word as they are summarized and confessed in the Book of Concord." The Book of Concord contains the Lutheran confessions of faith. Written by Martin Luther and others, these are historical statements of faith taken from the Bible that Lutherans believe to be a correct exposition of God's Word.
Perhaps you have attended an ordination of a pastor and heard him promise that he will perform the duties of his office in accord with the Lutheran Confessions. When people are received into membership into a Lutheran congregation through confirmation they are asked if they confess the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, as they have learned to know it from the Small Catechism, to be faithful and true.
What is the connection between the Bible and the Confessions?
We confess that, "The Word of God is and should remain the sole rule and norm of all doctrine" (FC SD, Rule and Norm, 9). What the Bible asserts, God asserts. What the Bible commands, God commands. The authority of the Scriptures is complete, certain and final.
The Lutheran Confessions are the "basis, rule, and norm indicating how all doctrines should be judged in conformity with the Word of God" (FC SD RN). Because the Confessions are in complete doctrinal agreement with the written Word of God, they serve as the standard in the Lutheran Church to determine what is faithful Biblical teaching, insofar as that teaching is addressed in the Confessions.
What is the main point of the Lutheran Confessions?
The Lutheran Reformation was not a "revolt," but rather began as a sincere expression of concern with the false and misleading teachings, which, unfortunately, even to this very day, obscure the glory and merit of Jesus Christ. What motivated Luther was a zealous concern about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here is how the Lutheran Confessions explain what the Gospel is all about:
Human beings have not kept the law of God but have transgressed it. Their corrupted human nature, thoughts, words, and deeds battle against the law. For this reason they are subject to God's wrath, to death and all temporal afflictions, and to the punishment of the fires of hell. As a result, the Gospel, in its strict sense, teaches what people should believe, namely, that they receive from God the forgiveness of sins; that is, that the Son of God, our Lord Christ, has taken upon Himself the curse of the law and borne it, atoned and paid for all our sins; that through Him alone we are restored to God's grace, obtain the forgiveness of sins through faith and are delivered from death and all the punishments of our sins and are saved eternally. . . . It is good news, joyous news, that God does not want to punish sin but to forgive it for Christ's sake (FC SD, V, 20).
So what is it to be a Lutheran?
Being a Lutheran is being a person who believes the truths of God's Word, the Holy Bible, as they are correctly explained and taught in the Book of Concord. To do so is to confess the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Genuine Lutherans, confessional Lutherans, dare to insist that "All doctrines should conform to the standards [the Lutheran Confessions] set forth above. Whatever is contrary to them should be rejected and condemned as opposed to the unanimous declaration of our faith" (FC Ep. RN, 6).
Such a statement may strike some as boastful. But it is not; rather, it is an expression of the Spirit-led confidence that moves us to speak of our faith before the world.
To be a confessional Lutheran is to be one who honors the Word of God. That word makes it clear that it is God's desire for His church to be in agreement about doctrine, and to be of one mind, living at peace with one another (1 Cor. 1:10; 2 Cor. 13:11). Hand-in-hand with our commitment to pure teaching and confession of the faith, is, and always must be, our equally strong commitment to reaching out boldly with the Gospel and speaking God's truth to the world. This is what it means to be a Lutheran.
A Brief History of Lutheranism
"Lutheranism," in one sense, was founded by Martin Luther (1483-1546). Luther began as a very faithful son of the Roman Church. Precisely because of this, like so many others of his age, he was deeply concerned about his soul's salvation. That, coupled with his incredible knowledge of Scripture, especially the "thunderings" of God's law, led Luther to a growing awareness that he was condemned by God's law and in desperate need of help.
Because of this crisis in his relationship with God, Martin Luther left secular life to become a monk in the Observant order of the Augustinian hermits. He took this dramatic step because the Church taught at that time, and Luther believed, that becoming a monk was the surest road to forgiveness and entrance into heaven. However, he discovered that this way was sadly lacking. In fact, the more he searched the Scriptures and compared those Scriptures with the teachings of the Church of his day, the more he found important differences between the two.
The biggest difference concerned the doctrine of justification or salvation, that is, how to find forgiveness with God and enter heaven. The Roman Church directed people to trust in their own love, holiness, and good works. In addition, they also directed the struggling sinner to trust in Mary and the saints. Luther discovered that this flatly contradicted the Gospel, the most important teaching of the Bible. The Gospel directed struggling sinners to Jesus Christ alone. It joyfully declared that Jesus Christ has already paid for all our sins by His death on the cross. To all who put their trust in Him alone as Savior, God gives full forgiveness and heaven as a free gift.
In the years that followed, Martin Luther became increasingly aware that many teachings of the Roman Church clashed with this Biblical Gospel. With great alarm Luther saw that the authorities of the Roman Church were leading people away from God and into even greater darkness. So through his preaching, teaching, and writing, he began to protest the false teachings of Rome and to call for a Reformation of the Church. Luther's desire was never to start a new Church, but simply to restore the catholic Church to its original purity through his rediscovered Gospel. Luther contended that it was not he who had broken away from the Church. Rather, it was the Roman Church, who, by its false teaching and practice, had broken away from the ancient Christian Church of the first centuries.
As time past, thousands supported Luther's movement, not because they were supporting Luther the man, but because they agreed that what he taught was what the Bible taught.
They were drawn to the truth by the Holy Spirit, just as Luther himself had been. Already during Luther's lifetime, those who had received the Biblical Gospel that Luther had rediscovered began calling themselves "Lutheran." At first Luther had vigorously protested using his name for the movement. Later he consented to this since it was merely one way to identify those who believed the Gospel.
What Lutherans Believe
The answer to the question "What is a Lutheran?" can really only be answered by looking at the teachings of the Lutheran Church. Although the scope of this little tract does not allow a complete discussion of such teachings, a general idea can be given.
Lutheran teaching can be summed up by what are called the "Three Alones":
(1) Grace Alone; (2) Faith Alone; (3) Scripture Alone.
Grace Alone
A Lutheran believes in "Grace Alone." That is, a Lutheran believes that on the basis of God's Holy Word that a person is forgiven and enters heaven by God's grace alone. The Biblical word "grace" refers to God's attitude of undeserved kindness toward us. (Ephesians 2:8-9) "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.".
It is not our conduct or performance that moves God to save us, it is his grace that moves God to save us. In fact, we can't do a thing to save ourselves. According to the Bible we are dead in sin (read Eph. 2:1; Romans 5:6). But God offers us full forgiveness and heaven as a free gift because Jesus lived and died to atone for our sin. Our salvation is not teamwork between us and God. It is not a matter of us doing our part and God doing His. We are not saved by God's grace plus our good works or anything we do. We are not saved by God's grace plus anything. We are saved by God's grace ALONE.
We don't deserve this. What we do deserve is eternal punishment in hell for our sin. But God, because Jesus bore our punishment on the cross, gives us what we don't deserve: eternal life. "For the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
Faith Alone
A Lutheran also believes that we are forgiven and enter heaven by "Faith Alone." (Romans 3:28) "For we maintain that a man is justified [declared innocent, righteous] by faith, apart from the works of the law". Throughout the history of the Church, Christians have been tempted to believe that faith in Jesus as Savior is not enough. They have been tempted to believe that WE must do something that its added to faith. But the Scriptures consistently teach that we are saved through faith plus NOTHING. We are saved by faith ALONE.
Since God truly promises heaven as a gift to the human race on account of Christ, then there is only one way to receive a promised gift: faith. The moment we think that our entrance into heaven is contingent upon our conduct in any way, at that moment heaven ceases to be a gift and begins to be something we have earned and deserve. For a gift to remain a gift it must simply be received. Faith in Jesus as Savior is the open hand that receives God's gift of salvation. "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
Scripture Alone
A Lutheran believes in "Scripture Alone." That is, a Lutheran believes that all teaching that claims to be Christian is to be drawn from the Bible alone. The canonical books of the Bible are the only source, the only authority, and the only judge of Christian teaching. When the question is raised, "is this teaching or practice Christian?" the Holy Scriptures are the highest Court of Appeals and only they can decide the matter.
The reason the Bible is such an authority for Lutherans is because we believe that Holy Scripture is not merely the word of man; it is also the inspired and inerrant Word of God himself. The human authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write down exactly what they did. Every word of the canonical Bible is the Word of God. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16) and "Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit"
(2 Peter 1:21).
Other facts about Lutherans and Lutheranism
The first fact about Lutheranism is that many people have little or no idea what it is all about. In many parts of the world, Lutheranism seems to be one of the best kept secrets. Let us then remember a few facts about who we are and what we mean by calling ourselves Lutherans.
Demographics
Lutherans are numerous to say the least. There are over 70 million professing Lutherans worldwide, 9 million of these living in North America. Lutherans can be found on all the major continents and scattered throughout many countries. Only the Roman Catholic and Orthodox church have more professing Christians in their ranks. The large number of Lutherans can partially be explained by the fact that in some European countries (such as Denmark), Lutheranism is the state religion. Lutheran Christians have been around for almost 500 years.
Perhaps you have attended an ordination of a pastor and heard him promise that he will perform the duties of his office in accord with the Lutheran Confessions. When people are received into membership into a Lutheran congregation through confirmation they are asked if they confess the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, as they have learned to know it from the Small Catechism, to be faithful and true.
What is the connection between the Bible and the Confessions?
We confess that, "The Word of God is and should remain the sole rule and norm of all doctrine" (FC SD, Rule and Norm, 9). What the Bible asserts, God asserts. What the Bible commands, God commands. The authority of the Scriptures is complete, certain and final.
The Lutheran Confessions are the "basis, rule, and norm indicating how all doctrines should be judged in conformity with the Word of God" (FC SD RN). Because the Confessions are in complete doctrinal agreement with the written Word of God, they serve as the standard in the Lutheran Church to determine what is faithful Biblical teaching, insofar as that teaching is addressed in the Confessions.
What is the main point of the Lutheran Confessions?
The Lutheran Reformation was not a "revolt," but rather began as a sincere expression of concern with the false and misleading teachings, which, unfortunately, even to this very day, obscure the glory and merit of Jesus Christ. What motivated Luther was a zealous concern about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here is how the Lutheran Confessions explain what the Gospel is all about:
Human beings have not kept the law of God but have transgressed it. Their corrupted human nature, thoughts, words, and deeds battle against the law. For this reason they are subject to God's wrath, to death and all temporal afflictions, and to the punishment of the fires of hell. As a result, the Gospel, in its strict sense, teaches what people should believe, namely, that they receive from God the forgiveness of sins; that is, that the Son of God, our Lord Christ, has taken upon Himself the curse of the law and borne it, atoned and paid for all our sins; that through Him alone we are restored to God's grace, obtain the forgiveness of sins through faith and are delivered from death and all the punishments of our sins and are saved eternally. . . . It is good news, joyous news, that God does not want to punish sin but to forgive it for Christ's sake (FC SD, V, 20).
So what is it to be a Lutheran?
Being a Lutheran is being a person who believes the truths of God's Word, the Holy Bible, as they are correctly explained and taught in the Book of Concord. To do so is to confess the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Genuine Lutherans, confessional Lutherans, dare to insist that "All doctrines should conform to the standards [the Lutheran Confessions] set forth above. Whatever is contrary to them should be rejected and condemned as opposed to the unanimous declaration of our faith" (FC Ep. RN, 6).
Such a statement may strike some as boastful. But it is not; rather, it is an expression of the Spirit-led confidence that moves us to speak of our faith before the world.
To be a confessional Lutheran is to be one who honors the Word of God. That word makes it clear that it is God's desire for His church to be in agreement about doctrine, and to be of one mind, living at peace with one another (1 Cor. 1:10; 2 Cor. 13:11). Hand-in-hand with our commitment to pure teaching and confession of the faith, is, and always must be, our equally strong commitment to reaching out boldly with the Gospel and speaking God's truth to the world. This is what it means to be a Lutheran.
A Brief History of Lutheranism
"Lutheranism," in one sense, was founded by Martin Luther (1483-1546). Luther began as a very faithful son of the Roman Church. Precisely because of this, like so many others of his age, he was deeply concerned about his soul's salvation. That, coupled with his incredible knowledge of Scripture, especially the "thunderings" of God's law, led Luther to a growing awareness that he was condemned by God's law and in desperate need of help.
Because of this crisis in his relationship with God, Martin Luther left secular life to become a monk in the Observant order of the Augustinian hermits. He took this dramatic step because the Church taught at that time, and Luther believed, that becoming a monk was the surest road to forgiveness and entrance into heaven. However, he discovered that this way was sadly lacking. In fact, the more he searched the Scriptures and compared those Scriptures with the teachings of the Church of his day, the more he found important differences between the two.
The biggest difference concerned the doctrine of justification or salvation, that is, how to find forgiveness with God and enter heaven. The Roman Church directed people to trust in their own love, holiness, and good works. In addition, they also directed the struggling sinner to trust in Mary and the saints. Luther discovered that this flatly contradicted the Gospel, the most important teaching of the Bible. The Gospel directed struggling sinners to Jesus Christ alone. It joyfully declared that Jesus Christ has already paid for all our sins by His death on the cross. To all who put their trust in Him alone as Savior, God gives full forgiveness and heaven as a free gift.
In the years that followed, Martin Luther became increasingly aware that many teachings of the Roman Church clashed with this Biblical Gospel. With great alarm Luther saw that the authorities of the Roman Church were leading people away from God and into even greater darkness. So through his preaching, teaching, and writing, he began to protest the false teachings of Rome and to call for a Reformation of the Church. Luther's desire was never to start a new Church, but simply to restore the catholic Church to its original purity through his rediscovered Gospel. Luther contended that it was not he who had broken away from the Church. Rather, it was the Roman Church, who, by its false teaching and practice, had broken away from the ancient Christian Church of the first centuries.
As time past, thousands supported Luther's movement, not because they were supporting Luther the man, but because they agreed that what he taught was what the Bible taught.
They were drawn to the truth by the Holy Spirit, just as Luther himself had been. Already during Luther's lifetime, those who had received the Biblical Gospel that Luther had rediscovered began calling themselves "Lutheran." At first Luther had vigorously protested using his name for the movement. Later he consented to this since it was merely one way to identify those who believed the Gospel.
What Lutherans Believe
The answer to the question "What is a Lutheran?" can really only be answered by looking at the teachings of the Lutheran Church. Although the scope of this little tract does not allow a complete discussion of such teachings, a general idea can be given.
Lutheran teaching can be summed up by what are called the "Three Alones":
(1) Grace Alone; (2) Faith Alone; (3) Scripture Alone.
Grace Alone
A Lutheran believes in "Grace Alone." That is, a Lutheran believes that on the basis of God's Holy Word that a person is forgiven and enters heaven by God's grace alone. The Biblical word "grace" refers to God's attitude of undeserved kindness toward us. (Ephesians 2:8-9) "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.".
It is not our conduct or performance that moves God to save us, it is his grace that moves God to save us. In fact, we can't do a thing to save ourselves. According to the Bible we are dead in sin (read Eph. 2:1; Romans 5:6). But God offers us full forgiveness and heaven as a free gift because Jesus lived and died to atone for our sin. Our salvation is not teamwork between us and God. It is not a matter of us doing our part and God doing His. We are not saved by God's grace plus our good works or anything we do. We are not saved by God's grace plus anything. We are saved by God's grace ALONE.
We don't deserve this. What we do deserve is eternal punishment in hell for our sin. But God, because Jesus bore our punishment on the cross, gives us what we don't deserve: eternal life. "For the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
Faith Alone
A Lutheran also believes that we are forgiven and enter heaven by "Faith Alone." (Romans 3:28) "For we maintain that a man is justified [declared innocent, righteous] by faith, apart from the works of the law". Throughout the history of the Church, Christians have been tempted to believe that faith in Jesus as Savior is not enough. They have been tempted to believe that WE must do something that its added to faith. But the Scriptures consistently teach that we are saved through faith plus NOTHING. We are saved by faith ALONE.
Since God truly promises heaven as a gift to the human race on account of Christ, then there is only one way to receive a promised gift: faith. The moment we think that our entrance into heaven is contingent upon our conduct in any way, at that moment heaven ceases to be a gift and begins to be something we have earned and deserve. For a gift to remain a gift it must simply be received. Faith in Jesus as Savior is the open hand that receives God's gift of salvation. "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
Scripture Alone
A Lutheran believes in "Scripture Alone." That is, a Lutheran believes that all teaching that claims to be Christian is to be drawn from the Bible alone. The canonical books of the Bible are the only source, the only authority, and the only judge of Christian teaching. When the question is raised, "is this teaching or practice Christian?" the Holy Scriptures are the highest Court of Appeals and only they can decide the matter.
The reason the Bible is such an authority for Lutherans is because we believe that Holy Scripture is not merely the word of man; it is also the inspired and inerrant Word of God himself. The human authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write down exactly what they did. Every word of the canonical Bible is the Word of God. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16) and "Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit"
(2 Peter 1:21).
Other facts about Lutherans and Lutheranism
The first fact about Lutheranism is that many people have little or no idea what it is all about. In many parts of the world, Lutheranism seems to be one of the best kept secrets. Let us then remember a few facts about who we are and what we mean by calling ourselves Lutherans.
Demographics
Lutherans are numerous to say the least. There are over 70 million professing Lutherans worldwide, 9 million of these living in North America. Lutherans can be found on all the major continents and scattered throughout many countries. Only the Roman Catholic and Orthodox church have more professing Christians in their ranks. The large number of Lutherans can partially be explained by the fact that in some European countries (such as Denmark), Lutheranism is the state religion. Lutheran Christians have been around for almost 500 years.