What We Believe

“It is exceedingly important to have a carefully and correctly drawn up definition of what the true doctrine of the Gospel is.”
— Martin Chemnitz

Hendrick van Balen [Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons.

God

We believe in the one Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as confessed in the Athanasian Creed.

Original Sin

We believe that since Adam and Eve’s fall into sin, all people are born sinful. That sin is a disease that brings eternal death to all of those who have separated themselves from Christ.

Johann Wenzel Peter [Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons.

AnonymousUnknown author [Public domain] via Wikipedia.

Jesus

We believe that Jesus, the 2nd person of the Trinity, is true God and true man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a perfect life, suffered, died on the cross for the sins of the world, and rose again on Easter morning. He ascended into heaven and now reigns over all things. He will return and judge all people.

Justification

We believe that because of original sin, no man can earn salvation for himself. Because of this, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross, paying the price for our sins. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are saved by grace through faith alone in Jesus.

Diego Velázquez [Public Domain] via Wikipedia.

Valentin de Boulogne [Public Domain] via Wikipedia.

The Bible

We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is without any errors and is the foundation for all belief and practice.

Baptism

We believe that baptism is necessary for salvation and is commanded by our Lord, Jesus. This baptism is for people of all ages, even infants. In baptism, the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is placed upon us. We are welcomed into God’s grace and given the Holy Spirit who creates faith within us.

Piero Della Francesca [Public Domain] via Wikipedia.

Leonardo da Vinci [Public Domain] via Wikipedia.

Holy Communion

We believe that the body and blood of Jesus are truly and physically present in the bread and wine, given by Christ to us for the forgiveness of our sins, life, and salvation. We practice closed communion, as St. Paul speaks in 1 Corinthians 10 of having a united public confession and warns in 1 Corinthians 11 of the dangers of wrongful eating and drinking of the Lord’s Supper.

Judgment Day

We believe that Jesus will one day return and judge both the living and the dead, where he will give those with faith eternal life in the new heavens and new earth, but will condemn those without faith to eternal torment in hell. We hold to an amillennial view of the end times, which means we believe that the 1000-year reign of Christ spoken of in Revelation 20 is a symbolic number and that His reign has already begun with His death, resurrection, and ascension.

Jean Cousin the Younger, also called Jehan Cousin Le Jeune (lived c. 1522–1595). [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons.

Ferdinand Pauwels [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons.

LCMS

Holy Cross Lutheran Church is a member of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. We subscribe to the unaltered Augsburg Confession and the Book of Concord because they are in accord with the Scriptures.

What We Believe​

God