Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
1300 Beltline Road
Collinsville, Illinois  62234
(618) 344-3151

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Our Faith

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church  Missouri Synod are committed to the pure Gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, to love for God, and to love for neighbor. These teachings are clearly presented in the inspired and infallible Scriptures, and are summarized in the three ecumenical creeds and the confessional statements of the Book of Concord. We do not hold the creeds or Book of Concord to be inspired or infallible. They are not God's word and are not equal to the Bible. They simply summarize our beliefs.

The ecumenical creeds are the:

For a more detailed explanation of our doctrine and theology visit the Missouri Synod's Belief and Practice page on their Website.


A Very Brief Summary of the Christian Faith

Creation:
God is the Creator of the universe with all its beauty and design, and He sustains it with His mighty power. We believe that God created all things out of nothing by means of His spoken word.

Sin:

Adam and Eve, who God created, doubted and rebelled against Him. This rebellion was the beginning of sin, and their natures became evil. Now every human being is born with a self-centered nature and a tendency for evil. Attempts to change human nature or to please God with our own good are doomed to failure. People need to have their sins forgiven.
Faith and the Holy Spirit:
People receive forgiveness through faith. Faith is the hand which accepts God’s free gift. Faith is created by the Holy Spirit through the means of the Gospel message which tells of God’s love demonstrated in Jesus Christ.
Bible:
The Bible is the source of knowledge about God and His love. It is still the way in which God speaks to us today. The Bible was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and so is true and without error.
Church:
The church is the fellowship of all those who have come to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Lutheran Church gets its name from Martin Luther who emphasized faith alone, grace alone, and Scripture alone. We do not worship Luther; we worship Jesus to whom Luther pointed as the source and center of our Christian faith.
Sacraments:
God has given two special acts (which we call Sacraments) along with the Word to build His church. Baptism creates faith, and Holy Communion nurtures our faith. We receive the Holy Spirit and forgiveness in Baptism. In Holy Communion Jesus Christ gives us His body and blood in, with, and under the bread and wine for the forgiveness of sins.
Eternal Life:
The fellowship which God establishes with His believers on earth will continue after this life as believers live with Him in heaven for all eternity.

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Augsburg Confession  

Book of Concord

Christian Church Year

 

 

The Luther Rose: Stained Glass Version

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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