What Does it Mean to be a Lutheran?

To be a Lutheran is to believe what the Bible teaches. In the 16th century, a monk named Martin Luther taught that the doctrines of Christianity are clearly found in the Holy Scriptures. Luther rejected the idea that the Church could change doctrine, and this belief put him in conflict with the Roman Catholic Church.
Over the years, the church of Rome had obscured the doctrine of Justification, or the way that we are made righteous before God. Rome teaches that we cooperate with God in Justification: when we do good deeds, we earn merit for ourselves that contributes to our salvation. However, the Scriptures teach that salvation is a free gift from God, which we receive by faith, without any merit or worthiness that is our own. This Lutheran teaching of salvation by faith alone is at the center of Lutheran teaching and is at the heart of the debate that started the Lutheran Reformation.

To clarify and preserve the biblical doctrine of Justification, the Lutheran reformers joined together and wrote the Book of Concord, a collection of documents that form the basis of Lutheran teaching. It is a clear explanation of what we believe and confess as Lutherans. The Book of Concord is not Scripture; we do not teach that it is a new revelation. However, every teaching and doctrine found in the Book of Concord is drawn from the Scriptures, not the reason or wisdom of man. As a congregation of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS), Our Savior Lutheran Church accepts without reservation that the Book of Concord is a true and accurate statement and exposition of the Word of God. “Lutheran” is not just a denominational affiliation but is central to our identity. We are Lutherans because we are united around the teachings of Jesus Christ, as given to us in the Scriptures and explained in the Confessions.

The teachings of the Confessions are the basis for our unity. St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10).
We are to follow Christ, follow the doctrines that He gives us in His Word and avoid chasing our own ideas; for nothing in Scripture comes from private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20). We are to confess a common faith, a unity that is based on the teachings that we have received from God. Another word for unity is concord. This is why the Lutheran Confessions are called the Book of Concord. When the Lutheran reformers compiled the documents, they were confessing unity and agreement that was based around the doctrines of God’s Word.

As Lutherans, we are the inheritors of their legacy. We confess unity not only with those in our congregation, but also with the congregations of the LCMS and all those who have confessed the Lutheran faith throughout history. This united confession is why we call ourselves Lutherans – we confess the teachings that are in the Lutheran Confessions. These teachings are the basis of our unity because they are rooted in God’s inerrant, inspired Scriptures. They are true teachings of Christ, in them we find our hope and life.

-Pastor Pope