Christ Lutheran Church
Lakeland FL

Mission Statement

The mission of Christ Lutheran Church is to proclaim Christ's saving love, share the Gospel, and serve God's people.

Statement of Faith

We believe, teach, and confess that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord, and that through faith in Him we receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation. We confess that, “our works cannot reconcile God or merit forgiveness of sins and grace, but that we obtain forgiveness and grace only by faith when we believe that we are received into favor for Christ’s sake, who alone has been ordained to be the mediator and propitiation through whom the Father is reconciled”.

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 unique book. We therefore believe, teach and confess that since the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God, they contain no errors or contradictions but that they are in all their parts and words the infallible truth.

We believe, teach and confess that God, by the almighty power of His Word, created all things. We also believe that man, as the principal creature of God, was specially created in the image of God, that is, in a state of righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. We affirm that Adam and Eve were real historical human beings, the first two people in the world, and that their fall was a historical occurrence which brought sin into the world so that “since the fall of Adam all men who are propagated according to nature are born in sin” We confess that man’s fall necessitated the gracious redemptive work of Jesus Christ and that fallen man’s only hope for salvation from his sin lies in Jesus Christ, his Redeemer and Lord.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven and that all who die without faith in Him are eternally damned. We believe that those who believe in Christ will enjoy a blissful relationship with Him during the interim between their death and His second coming, and that on the last day their bodies will be raised. The basis for the grace of God that alone gives hope to sinners is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We believe, as Martin Luther put it in his explanation to the second article of the Apostles' Creed, "that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person . . . not with gold or silver, but with his holy, precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death. . . ." (Luther's Small Catechism with Explanations, p.14).

We believe all people are created in the image of God and yet unique in every way. We teach and believe that all people fall short of God’s divine glory and all people are sinners. We hold certain conduct as sinful such as same sex marriage, pre-marital sexual contact and cohabitation, elective abortions, alcohol and drug abuse, pornography, child and elder abuse, and the like. Most importantly, we believe our God is gracious and will forgive the repentant sinner. We stand firm on God’s word and confess, teach, and believe that it is our duty to reach out to all God’s people with the Good News of Christ and his redeeming sacrifice on the Cross.

 

https://clclakeland.com/