With the Word of God at the center of our life, and with Jesus Christ at the center of the Word, we understand, believe, teach, and confess that We are God's people who are LOVED. TO GROW & GO.
LOVED. This is love: not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10
TO GROW. Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:15-16
& GO. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."Matthew 28:18-20
God LOVES us in Christ Jesus, covering over our sins and restoring our lives to His family by Jesus' death, resurrection, and life. In the presence of God's LOVE and the gifts of the Word, Holy Baptism & the Holy Spirit, & the Lord's Supper, we can't help but to GROW up into the people of God with Jesus as our Head.
What We Believe
We believe that the Lord God created
the entire universe and all mankind. We are here because of His great love. As
our Father Creator, He also provides for our every need and protects us from the
danger of eternal death.
The Old Testament of the Bible lays
the entire foundation for this belief. In these words, we are invited as
witnesses into the creation of the world, the fall into sin, and the promises
of God to do something about our plight; Jesus has paid the price for that sin
and restores us and all creation to a right relationship with Him. Generation
after generation of God's people have trusted this promise, wandered far from
this promise, and returned in repentance to His promise.
Then in Bethlehem of Judea, over 2000
years ago, God's long awaited promise was born to us; Jesus Christ, the Son of
God. Emmanuel; God with us. Jesus walked blamelessly among us. He taught, healed,
cast out demons and controlled nature. But ultimately, and most importantly, He
gave His sinless life for us on the cross in order to make us righteous by His
perfect sacrifice. And so we are! We are LOVED by God because of Jesus.
Yet the story goes on, because 3
days after His death, He rose to life again. He who was dead, whose blood
washed us free of our sins, lives! He spoke to His disciples and He speaks to
us His Peace. He lives as our Lord who calls us to be a part of His one church,
living as His LOVED people in order TO GROW & GO in that love and Good
News. This is the core, the center of our life together in Jesus Christ.
The Lutheran Church, along with
other Reformation Churches, has often shared our faith in 3 concise phrases:
GRACE ALONE: God loves the people of
the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve
His love. Because of His grace He has paid the price for our sin without our
asking Him or helping Him. This salvation is a free and unconditional gift. We
cannot earn God’s grace.
FAITH ALONE: By His suffering and
death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won
forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who hear this Good News and
believe it have the eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in Christ by
the power of the Holy Spirit and grants forgiveness to us through Jesus.
SCRIPTURE ALONE: The Bible is God's
inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of
salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian life.
Additionally, with the church
throughout the ages we hold to Baptism and The Lord's Supper as the two Sacraments
that Christ gave to His Church.Jesus
not only commanded that we live in them, but He also attached to them blessings
of faith and forgiveness and life in Him.
Holy Cross is a member of the
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LC-MS).That's an odd name - Synod - with a great meaning. It means walking
together.And that is exactly what we
do.HC is one of over 6,000
congregations across the nation and world who walk together in belief,
practice, mission, and service to the world.
