Lutherans believe in the Triune God-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-and hold that the Bible is the inspired and only authoritative source for faith and teaching
. Central to Lutheran belief is the doctrine of justification: humans are saved solely by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by any works or merits of their own. This salvation is based entirely on Christ's life, death, and resurrection, which reconciles humanity to God
. They affirm that Jesus Christ is both true God and true man, who lived a sinless life, died to atone for sin, and rose again to grant eternal life to believers
. Faith itself is understood as a gift from God, created in believers by the Holy Spirit through the Word and Sacraments (baptism and holy communion)
. Lutherans reject the idea that humans can achieve salvation through their own efforts and emphasize that good works are the natural outcome of faith, not a means to earn salvation
. They also believe in divine providence, that God preserves and governs all creation for the welfare of the Church and humanity
. The Lutheran Confessions, including documents like the Augsburg Confession and Luther's Small and Large Catechisms, are held as faithful explanations of Scripture and Lutheran doctrine
. In summary, Lutherans believe:
- In one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- The Bible is the sole authoritative source of faith.
- Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
- Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man.
- Faith is a gift from God, created by the Holy Spirit.
- Good works flow from faith but do not earn salvation.
- Baptism and Holy Communion are means of grace through which God imparts faith and forgiveness
