Church of the Lutheran Confession Introduction
THE CHURCH OF THE LUTHERAN CONFESSION
The Church of the Lutheran Confession aims to be what its name implies — a church that continues to uphold the scriptural teachings and Christian values which God restored through the Lutheran Reformation some 450 years ago.
The historic Lutheran creeds, especially the Augsburg Confession, make it clear that salvation is a gift of God’s grace, that Jesus Christ paid the full price – His life – for that gift, and that the Holy Spirit works repentance and kindles the faith through which one receives the blessing of salvation.
THE FOUNDATION
The foundation for such saving faith is the Bible, which is the Scripture that cannot be broken. Since “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” it is completely reliable. It is the only safe basis for faith and true guide for living.
We believe that there is much to be learned from church history; the failures as well as the triumphs. One glaring failure is the growing tendency to put reason and its sciences into the proper place of the Scriptures. Philosophy, psychology, and sociology have their place in analyzing the problems of men. They do show the crying need for God’s healing Word with its Savior from sin. But they do not offer that solution. If people are to accept this Savior, they must learn about Him. Hence our general emphasis on the teaching of the Word of God, the Bible.
We believe that the Kingdom of God is essentially the gracious rule of God in heart and life. Men grow by the light which the Holy Spirit gives through the Word.
LIMITS
Our teachings and practices are as narrow and as broad as the Scriptures themselves. The Bible does not require a certain form of church service, nor a particular type of music, nor any specific kind of church building. The Bible does specify what we are to teach “all nations.” To His great commission our Savior added, significantly: “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” There is no liberty to tamper with His teachings.
FELLOWSHIP
There is common approval of alliances being fashioned today in pursuit of unity; even when such are made at the expense of the Christian witness. Toleration is asked even for outright denial of such basic Biblical teaching as the deity of Christ, the virgin birth, the natural sinfulness of man, and redemption through Christ alone.
In opposition to this trend we maintain that unity of doctrine is necessary for a God-pleasing organizational unity and fellowship, since the Apostolic Word requires an avoidance of errorists. Yet we are anxious always to extend the hand of fellowship to individuals and groups under conditions of harmony in the doctrine of Scripture.
THE BEGINNING
A number of pastors and congregations that could not in good conscience take part in the trend toward laxity and liberalism (defined in the church as modernism, disobedience to the Word, and plain unbelief) felt that they must make this confession to the world, and also to the world of Lutherans. Taking the name Church of the Lutheran Confession, they banded together in 1959 to maintain the historic doctrine and confession of the Lutheran Reformation.
THE GOAL
Many are the pitfalls in the way of orthodoxy. Legalism, rigorism, formalism, exclusivism and arrogance are only some of the temptations which beset especially those who are concerned about true teaching of the Gospel. Against them we implore the life of the Spirit, desiring to be faithful in service as ready instruments of God’s ministering grace in Christ Jesus our Lord, even as we stand fast in the faithful Word as we have been taught of God.