WHAT WE BELIEVE
First and foremost, Mt. Hebron is a church of the Christian faith. The basics of that faith are as follows:
1) We believe in one God, the Almighty, creator of all things, who is the supreme ruler of the universe.
2) We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s son, who came down from heaven and became human. For our sake, he was put to death on a cross, was raised from the dead on the third day, and ascended to heaven. He will come again one day.
3) We believe in the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, who breathes life into us all, who has spoken through the prophets, and who inspires us to do God’s work in the world. These three entities – Creator, Redeemer, Life-Giver – are all separate, and yet they are also one God.
4) The Bible is our holy book. Its authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is authoritative in our lives because it provides a true witness to how God has been at work in the world throughout time, and tells us what our relationship should be to God, our fellow humans, and the world around us.
What makes the Lutheran church distinctive? There are several particular characteristics of the Lutheran church.
1) We place a special emphasis on being justified by grace through faith. Romans 3:28 – “For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.” This means there is nothing we can do to make ourselves right (justify ourselves) with God. No amount of good works will save us. We must rely on faith – our own faith in Jesus, and his faithfulness to the work God laid out for him.
2) The Lutheran church confesses a sacramental theology. A sacrament is a command from God, plus a sign, plus the faith that holds these things together. (Word + Sign + Faith.) In the Lutheran church, we have two sacraments: baptism and communion. Jesus called his followers to baptize (Matthew 28:19). The sign is the waters of baptism, and the faith we hold is that in those waters, there is forgiveness of sins and a new life in Christ. At baptism, the Holy Spirit is mysteriously present in ways we can’t fully comprehend, infusing the life of the believer. Jesus also called his followers to share the bread and the wine together at communion (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). The bread and the wine are the sign, and though they remain bread and wine, we believe that the body and blood of Jesus are also in, with, and under these elements. The faith we hold is that by partaking of these elements, and believing what they symbolize, we have redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ.
3) Lutherans hold a particular worldview known as the theology of the cross. Jesus told his disciples that whoever would follow him must be prepared to deny themselves and take up their cross (Mark 8:34). This means that the way Christians should relate to the world around them is not through seeking glory, riches, power, influence, or fame. Rather, we look for our example to Jesus, who emptied himself of all things, spent his time caring for the people around him, and gave up his life for the sake of the world.
4) Lutherans believe that every person on earth is both a saint and a sinner. There are no “good people” and “bad people,” for each one of us has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). And yet despite that, we have all been called and set apart by God to do God’s work in the world, which makes each of us a saint (regardless of how obedient we might be to that call!).
5) Martin Luther wrote about the priesthood of all believers, his idea that all believers are priests – but not in a literal sense. Rather, no profession (especially the priesthood) is more elevated than any other – each believer is able to serve God in their chosen vocation. Moreover, each believer is responsible for knowing the scriptures, teaching and exhorting other believers, witnessing to non-believers, and praying for one another. Read 1 Peter 2:4-5 to see one possible scriptural foundation for this train of thought.
6) The Lutheran church is liturgical, meaning that we have a set order of worship which we rarely deviate from. We also observe different liturgical seasons throughout the year (such as Advent, Christmas, Lent, etc.) and have a set pattern to our festivals. The liturgy and the seasons of the year ground us, create a sense of familiarity, and put us in touch with our ancestors in the faith who observed similar patterns of worship. In this way, the ancient rituals and observances remind us that we are a part of something much larger than ourselves.
7) Within the Lutheran church, there is a spirit of humility. Regarding our faith, we don’t claim to have all the answers. We don’t know everything there is to know about God. We don’t know what Jesus would do in every single situation. And while reading the Bible more is always a good idea, and will give you a clearer sense of how God calls us to be in the world, we understand that there will still be questions! In the Lutheran church, it is okay to ask questions. No one will question your faith for it. Everything is open to discussion. (Pastor Christopher has more questions than just about anyone, and he would love to talk with you about whatever faith topic you may wish to discuss!)
