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Main »» Our Beliefs
| What do we believe about the Bible? |
The Inspiration of Scripture:
We believe, teach and confess that all Scripture is given by the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit and that God is therefore the true Author of every word of Scripture. We acknowledge that there is a qualitative difference between the inspired witness of Holy Scripture in all its parts and words and the witness of every other form of human expression, making the Bible a wholly unique book.
We therefore REJECT the following views:
A. That the Holy Scriptures are inspired only in the sense that all Christians are “inspired” to confess the lordship of Jesus Christ.
B. That the Holy Spirit did not inspire the actual words of the Biblical authors but merely provided these men with special guidance.
C. That only those matters in Holy Scripture were inspired by the Holy Spirit which directly pertain to Jesus Christ and man’s salvation.
D. That non-canonical writings in the Christian tradition can be regarded as “inspired” in the same sense as Holy Scripture.
E. That portions of the New Testament witness to Jesus Christ contain imaginative additions, which had their origin in the early Christian community and do not present actual facts.
The Purpose of Scripture:
We believe that all Scripture bears witness to Jesus Christ and that its primary purpose is to make men wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. We therefore affirm that the Scriptures are rightly used only when they are read from the perspective of justification by faith and the proper distinction between Law and Gospel.
Since the saving work of Jesus Christ was accomplished through His personal entrance into our history and His genuinely historical life, death and resurrection, we acknowledge that the recognition of the soteriological purpose of Scripture in no sense permits us to call into question or deny the historicity or factuality of matters recorded in the Bible.
We therefore REJECT the following views:
A. That knowing the facts and data presented in the Scripture,without relating them to Jesus Christ and His work of salvation, represents an adequate approach to Holy Scripture.
B. That the Old Testament, read on its own terms, does not bear witness to Jesus Christ.
C. That it is permissible to reject the historicity of events or the occurrence of miracles recorded in the Scriptures so long as there is no confusion of Law and Gospel.
D. That a recognition of the primary purpose of Scripture makes it irrelevant whether such questions of fact as the following are answered in the affirmative: Were Adam and Eve real historical individuals? Did Israel cross the Red Sea on dry land? Did the brazen serpent miracle actually take place? Was Jesus really born of a virgin? Did Jesus perform all the miracles attributed to Him? Did Jesus’ resurrection actually involve the return to life of His dead body?
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| How do you know that Jesus Christ is true God? |
Because the Scriptures clearly call Him God, teaching the following:
A. Jesus has divine names.
John 20:28 Thomas said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"
Rom. 9:5 From them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!
1 John 5:20 He is the true God and eternal life.
Note: These names are not mere honorary titles but tell exactly who Jesus is, and they can be true only of God.
B. Jesus possesses divine attributes (qualities or characteristics).
He is:
1. eternal (without beginning and without end);
John 1:1-2. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
2. unchangeable;
Heb. 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to day and forever.
3. almighty (omnipotent);
Matt. 28:18 All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
4. all-knowing (omniscient);
John 21:17 Lord, You know all things.
5. present everywhere (omnipresent).
Matt. 28:20 Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Bible narratives: Miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5:4-6; John 21:6). Jesus knows the name and character of Nathanael (John 1:48). Jesus and the woman at Jacob's well (John 4:17-18).
Note: See also Matt. 21:1-7; 26:20-25; Luke 18:31-33; 22:8-13.
C. Jesus does divine works (which only God can do).
1. He forgives.
Matt. 9:6 The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.
2. He created.
John 1:3 Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.
3. He will judge.
John 5:27 [The Father] has given Him authority to judge.
4. He preserves.
Heb. 1:3 [He sustains] all things by His powerful word.
Bible narratives: At the wedding feast in Cana, Jesus revealed His glory by turning water into wine (John 2:1-11). He rebuked the storm (Luke 8:22-25). He healed the paralytic (Matt. 9:1-8). He called Lazarus back to life (John 11:38-44). He rose from the dead (Matt. 28:6-7).
D. Jesus receives divine honor and glory.
John 5:22-23 The Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent Him.
400 Heb. 1:6 Let all God's angels worship Him.
Note: See Phil. 2:10; Rev. 5:12-13.
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| Why was it necessary for our Savior to be true God? |
Christ had to be true God in order that
A. His fulfilling of the Law, His life, suffering, and death might be a sufficient ransom for all people;
Ps. 49:7 No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him.
Mark 10:45 The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.
Rom. 3:22-24 There is no difference, for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Gal. 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.
Gal. 4:4-5 When the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.
1 Peter 1:18-19 You know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
B. He might be able to overcome death and the devil for us.
1 Cor. 15:57-29 Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Tim. 1:10 Our Savior, Christ Jesus ... has destroyed death.
Heb. 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil.
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| What is our communion practice? |
King of Glory Lutheran Church follows the ancient practice of “Close Communion”
Holy Communion is celebrated each Sunday at King of Glory Lutheran Church in the glad confidence that our Lord, as His Words say, gives not only bread and wine, but also His true Body and Blood for us to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins. Our Lord invites to His table those who believe He is really present, repent of all sin, and set aside any refusal for forgive as He forgives us. When we receive Holy Communion, we publicly declare our agreement with the teachings of the church from which we receive it. Accordingly, if you are not yet a member of this congregation, a sister congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (or a Lutheran church body in full fellowship with the LCMS,) or if you have not previously spoken to Pastor about Holy Communion, we would ask that you please refrain from receiving Communion until you have first spoken with Pastor, and that if you choose to come forward you cross your arms over your chest so as to receive a blessing
You might be saying,"I'm offended! What do you mean I can't come to Communion?" Even if not asked directly, that's a sentiment which likely often has been in the minds of visitors to our church. The statement in the front of every week's bulletin does say, after all, "If you are not a member of ... the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, or have not spoken to Pastor about Holy Communion, please refrain from receiving Communion until you have first spoken with him." Too many, that Communion policy sounds exclusionary, unloving and, for that matter, down right mean. With this practice we are not saying we can see into your heart, for we cannot. All we can go by is your word and practice. If by your words you say “I am of the ___________ church (not LCMS)” and by your regular practice you attend a non – LCMS church, than my judgment is that you are in agreement with that church and not us. Otherwise, why would you attend there?
But, before we go further let me say we do rejoice with our fellow Christians over those matters on which we do agree. That you would say with us the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God, we say, “God be praised”. That you would say with us only Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, the life, He is the only way of salvation, we say “God be praised”. That you would say with us, I believe in the Triune God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we say “God be praised”.
So why then do we do say, we want full agreement with us to receive the Lord’s Supper? Well, for a few reasons. First, the church has been doing it for almost 2000 years. The practice known as "Closed Communion," or Communing only with those with who you are in doctrinal agreement, has been practiced from day one in the church. It is still the practice of the great majority of Christian churches (inclusive of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches). On top of that, "Closed Communion" is the stated practice of our own church body. The Missouri Synod in convention has repeatedly reaffirmed the practice of Closed Communion and the doctrine behind it. As a pastor of the LC-MS, I have voluntarily agreed to uphold the doctrine and practices of our church body. No LC-MS pastor, myself included, can with integrity, knowingly act and teach contrary to what he has voluntarily agreed, belief and practice must go hand in hand.
And if those two reasons don't settle the matter for you ... I’m glad to know it! They are pretty lousy arguments. You are right to protest "we've always done it that way" – while an argument not to be simply ignored, is also not an argument sufficient to justify an action. That the "LC-MS says so" hardly closes the deal. God's word, not man's, must always be the last word (as far as that goes, it ought to be the fist too).
All of which is brings us to the ultimate reasons, we, along with our Synod and the great majority of Christian's throughout the world, practice Closed Communion – because we care about the Spiritual well-being of those who commune at our altar and because we take the truth of God's word very seriously.
First, because we care. Practicing Closed Communion is the "loving" thing to do. To the charge of being unloving, ask yourself this: is it truly loving to let someone miss out on the greatest, most precious gifts God gives to His church? I pray you answered with a resounding "No!" In regard to communion, what could be more unloving than allowing someone to come to the Lord's Table week after week without knowing just what God offers there? week after week, Jesus offers his very body and blood for life and salvation. What could be more unloving than to let someone from, for example, the local non-denominational church come to the Lord's Table thinking all they get is bread, wine, and a pious way to remember what Jesus did long ago? To say "Come one and all," without prior instruction and examination, would not truly include anyone. Then it is just a memorial gathering and not recognition of the amazing and wonderful gift truly given there. It would in fact exclude all who are uninstructed from receiving the fullness of what God wants to give. (Not to mention the bit about "eating and drinking damnation on oneself" in 1 Cor. 11!) Granted, immersed in our culture's "how dare you tell me I'm wrong" kind of thinking, some folks will inevitably be offended. To that all I can say is that there are worse things than ruffling a few feathers. For starters, things like permitting people to miss out on the bread of life offered in the Lord's Supper.
To the second and related point about taking God's word seriously, we must not forget the Lord's Supper is more than about just individuals. Scripture makes very clear the nature of the Lord's Supper as the sacrament of Christian unity. Notice all of the encouragement from St. Paul “to be of one mind”, the prayers for “unity’, “the gathering together to build one another up” these can truly only fully happen when there is agreement in the teaching. In coming to the Lord's Table, we not only to receive our Lord's Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of faith, we also publicly profess our unity with those with whom we commune and our agreement with the teachings of the churches where we commune. It is certainly our Lord's will that we "be one." But His desire is not for a "can't we all just get along" kind unity. Our Lord desires a unity in the truth. It is a sad reality that there is disunity in the Church and that all God's children cannot yet kneel down at the same altar. That said, the best way to ensure we never reach unity in the truth, is to pretend we already have it, by a “Y’all come” approach that ultimately is united in nothing. That’s not true unity.
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Lutheran Glass Rose |
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Prayer of The Day |
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Dear Lord, I give thanks You have been merciful to me a sinner. Now, as much as possible, may my life be lived in harmony with Your will, reflecting Jesus' love to all those around me. In His Name. Amen.
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