St. Paul Lutheran Church - What We Believe

St. Paul Lutheran Church is a member congregation of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.

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We Believe...

in the Triune God; God has revealed Himself to us as three distinct persons ( Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," ) in one divine being ( Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." ); these three persons are God the Father, God the Son, who became incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth, and God the Holy Spirit;
that while the existence of God is revealed in nature ( Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God,and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. ), it is only through His Word that we can learn who God is and His love for us. Because the words of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, inspired by His Holy Spirit ( 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ) through the pen of the apostles and prophets ( 2 Peter 1:21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. ), we believe that these writings are without mistake and can be trusted, and that these are the only authoritative rule and source of Christian doctrine;
that all of creation came into being through the Word of God ( Genesis 1 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. , John 1:3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ) and was created perfect; that this perfection was lost due to the first sin of Adam and Eve; and that all descendants of Adam and Eve inherit the corruption caused by this first sin (original sin) and are thus conceived and born in sin ( Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me. ; Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— );
that while we were still sinners and bearing the guilt of sin, the eternal Son of God took on human flesh and lived among us ( John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ), solely out of unmerited grace and love, in order to live in perfect obedience to God’s law and to be a perfect, innocent sacrifice on the cross in the place of sinners ( Hebrews 10:10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. );
that early on the third day after his crucifixion, Jesus Christ was bodily resurrected from the dead ( Matthew 28:6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay ; Mark 16:6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. ; Luke 24:6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ; John 20:27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” ) and that still today the incarnate Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father ( Acts 7:56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” );
that pardon from sin and peace with God were won for the whole world through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ ( 1 John 2:2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. ), and it is this good news that the Church exists to proclaim ( Matthew 28:19-20 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” );
that the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life won by Christ are received by faith, and are distributed even today by Christ Himself through the proclamation of His Word ( Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. ) and the administration of His Sacraments; the Word and Sacraments are called “means of grace” because they are the means by which Christ comes to His people with His grace
that Holy Baptism is one such means of grace; that it is a work of God, by which he calls people (including infants and little children) by water and His Word, gives them his Holy Spirit, creates faith within them, and washes away all sin ( Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ; 1 Peter 3:21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ; Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, );
that the Lord’s Supper is also a means of grace, where we receive the very body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, really present in with and under the bread and wine, given by Christ himself for Christians to eat and to drink for the forgiveness of sins ( Matthew 26:26-28 26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ; Mark 14:22-24 22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. ; Luke 22:19-20 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. ; 1 Corinthians 11:17-32 17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

);
that the work of creating, sustaining, and strengthening faith is not a work of man but a work of God alone, carried out by the Holy Spirit through the ministry of word and sacrament alone ( 1 Corinthians 12:3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. );
that Christ’s church is found where the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity and where the sacraments are administered rightly;
that Christ calls men to serve in the office of the public ministry of Word and Sacrament to proclaim the message of repentance and grace to all people still today ( Ephesians 4:11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ; Acts 20:28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. );
that Christ will visibly return on the last day to give bodily resurrection to all the dead, to judge both the living and the dead, to grant eternal life to all believers, and to deliver all unbelievers into eternal condemnation ( Matthew 25:31-32 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ).

On Closed Communion

St. Paul Lutheran Church is a member congregation of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, and we practice Closed Communion. The practice of Closed Communion is one that is very misunderstood in our modern age, but actually has been the practice of the Church since the days of the Apostles. Closed Communion is not practiced in order to be spiteful – instead, it is a practice born out of a desire to do what is right for one another, no matter the cost or sacrifice – the biblical meaning of the word “love.” While it would be easier for us to simply open the Lord’s Table to everyone, it would not be the right thing. This is our conviction based upon the Word of God revealed in the Holy Scriptures.

We believe that when we receive the Lord’s Supper, what we are receiving is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, in with and under the bread and the wine. When Jesus says “Take and eat, this is my body; take and drink, this is my blood ( Matt. 26:26–28 26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ; Mark 14:22–25 22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” ; Luke 22:14–20 14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. ; 1 Cor. 11:17–29 17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. ),” we take Him at His word. We believe that the body and blood of Christ, that was given into death on the cross, that was raised from the dead on Easter Sunday, that ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, is bodily present in the Lord’s Supper. What Christ gives to us in his meal is the real deal. Christ also tells us what we receive when he gives to us His body and His blood – the forgiveness of sins.

If I can use an analogy, consider a pharmacy. That pharmacy may have many things that are available for anyone. However, certain medicines are kept under lock and key, because these medicines are the real deal. They are powerful, and are dangerous if misused. Consider what St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. and 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. : “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord… For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” When we receive the Lord’s Supper, we receive the real deal, a powerful means of grace that, as Paul writes, can be dangerous if misused. The misuse that Paul corrected the Corinthians about was communing when there were divisions among them ( 1 Corinthians 11:18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, ). If we did not believe that the Lord’s Supper really is the body and blood of Christ, then we would have no reason for concern over who receives communion. However, because we do take Christ at His word and believe that the Lord’s Supper is the body and blood of Christ, for the sake of loving our neighbor, we must be faithful in our practice of the Lord’s Supper.

Our motivation for our practice is not a desire to be exclusionary, nor an attitude of hatefulness or superiority. Our practice of Closed Communion is motivated by Christian love for our neighbor. We take an unpopular stance for three reasons: first, to ensure that no one eats or drinks judgment upon himself or herself ( 1 Corinthians 11:29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. ); second, out of a desire to avoid profaning the body and blood of the Lord by coming before him as a collection of individuals who hold divergent beliefs regarding the common Christian faith; rather, we would seek to come before Him as one body unified in belief and practice; and third, in order to recognize the divisions among us, so that God’s Word may prevail over all false teaching.

If you attend worship at St. Paul’s and are not invited to receive the body and blood of Christ, please know that this does not mean we think you are not a Christian. Instead, it is a practice born out our earnest desire to love the Lord and to love our neighbor. We do thank you for respecting our efforts to preserve our unity of faith as we join as one body in common confession to receive the body and blood of Christ.

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found on the LCMS website.