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Why
Are We Lutheran? A Lutheran answers the question “Why are you saved?” with four words: Jesus Christ my Savior. If someone
came up to you and asked, “Why are you Lutheran?” how would you answer? “Well,
my parents were Lutheran.” “I
married a Lutheran!” “I live
right down the street from a Lutheran church.” Hopefully,
you have a better reason than those! At the
center of all Lutheran theology is Jesus Christ our Savior. We believe that the
Bible is much more than a rule book that tells us how we are to live our lives.
The Bible is God’s revelation about how Jesus Christ saved us. We believe
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ways God offers us the forgiveness that
Jesus Christ won on the cross. We believe that every single verse, every single
chapter, every single book of the Bible, and every single doctrine ultimately
point to Jesus. Jesus
Christ our Savior is at the center of a Lutheran’s hope. If you ask the
question “Why are you saved?” many people will want to talk about their
lives. “I have tried my hardest to be a good person,” they will say. Or
perhaps “I have done my best.” How horrible it must be for such people to go
through life, wondering if their best is good enough to be saved! Others
will try to answer that question by talking about their faith. “I’m saved
because of my strong faith!” That too is a terrifying thought. Does that mean
when I have doubts, my salvation disappears? Does it mean when my faith grows
weak, my salvation grows unlikely? Does it mean when I am faithful, I am saved;
but the times when I am unfaithful and commit sin, I am damned? A Lutheran
answers the question “Why are you saved?” with four words: Jesus Christ my
Savior. Lutherans understand we are
saved for one reason. Jesus Christ
died to save us. Whether our good works are many or few, whether our faith is
weak or strong . . . these things have no bearing on our salvation. For such
things do not affect what Jesus did on the cross. He died so that we might live.
He rose to prove we too will rise. None of
this is Martin Luther’s invention. Lutheran
doctrine was not created by Martin Luther. Luther discovered nothing new. He
simply taught what the Bible teaches. Lutheran teaching is biblical teaching,
and the Bible teaches us about Jesus Christ our Savior. Since
Jesus Christ is at the center of all that Lutherans teach and believe, we
realize that there is only one reason we are Lutheran. We are Lutheran
because we are Christian. Christians love Christ, and since every aspect of
Lutheranism points us to Christ, that’s the reason we love being Lutheran. We
are Lutheran because we are Christian. ©
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