What Lutherans Believe

Lutherans hold to the basic principles of theology and practice espoused by Martin Luther:
  • Human beings are restored to everlasting life by the grace of God alone -- not by anything we do; 
  • Our salvation is through faith alone -- we only need to have faith that our sins are forgiven by God's grace for Christ's sake;
  • Human beings strive to love God and one another, but our motives are tainted with sin and imperfect; God's grace works through us and indeed strengthens us in our weaknesses; 
  • The Bible is divinely inspired, and together with the spoken witness of believers becomes active as the living Word of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Who was Martin Luther?

Martin Luther (b. November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Germany, d. February 18, 1546 in Eisleben) is known as the Father of Protestantism. He had studied to become a lawyer before becoming an Augustinian monk in 1505, and was ordained a priest in 1507. While continuing his studies in pursuit of a Doctor of Theology degree, he discovered significant differences between what he read in the Bible and the theology and practices of the church. On October 31, 1517, he posted a challenge on the church door at Wittenberg University to debate 95 theological issues. Luther's hope was that the church would reform its practice and preaching to be more consistent with the Word of God as contained in the Bible.

What started as an academic debate escalated to a religious war, fueled by fiery temperaments and violent language on both sides. As a result, there was not a reformation of the church but a separation. "Lutheran" was a name applied to Luther and his followers as an insult but adopted as a badge of honor by them instead.

Lutheranism 101

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We encourage you to explore the many online resources that exist to learn about the Lutheran faith. For example, the ELCA website has resources that explain the theology and traditions of Lutheranism. 

The ELCA

St. John's Lutheran Church is a member of the Southeastern Synod, www.elca-ses.org, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, www.elca.org.

The ELCA website has many helpful resources that explain the main beliefs held by members of the Lutheran faith.