What We Believe

Trinity Lutheran Church is a congregation of Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC).

Our congregation, pastors, and members all subscribe to the Lutheran Confessions. In short, this means:

We believe, teach, and confess that salvation is in Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone on the basis of Scripture alone (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 5:24; 2 Timothy 3:15). These foundational truths are drawn directly from the Holy Scriptures—the only authority over the faith and life of the Christian Church—and are faithfully summarized and explained in the documents contained within the Book of Concord.

For more information about Lutheran beliefs, please see:

Book of Concord Christian Cyclopedia Lutheran Church–Canada

The Bible is God's Holy Word (2 Timothy 3:16). Scripture is:

• Divinely Authored by the Holy Spirit, who led apostles and prophets to write the exact thoughts and words He revealed to them (2 Peter 1:21).
• Authoritative. It is the sole and final authority when judging faith, doctrine, and morals (John 10:35; 16:12-15).
• Inerrant. It is totally free from error. God’s written Word is a reflection of Himself: it is true and never changes (Psalm 119:160; Numbers 23:19).
• A Means of Grace through which the Holy Spirit actively works to build and strengthen faith (Romans 10:17; Isaiah 55:10-11).
• Christocentric. Jesus Christ is the central focus of all of Scripture and He is the key that unlocks its true meaning (Luke 24:27; John 5:39; 20:31).
• Sufficient and Complete. It contains all we need to know about God. Nothing will ever be added to it or removed from it (Matthew 24:35; Isaiah 40:8; Hebrews 1:1-2).

The Bible presents two main themes that inform the Christian faith: Law and Gospel (John 1:17).

The Law reveals God's perfect holiness and our inherent sinfulness, leading to the knowledge of our separation from Him and our need for a saviour (Romans 3:19-20; 5:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20).

The Gospel is the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16; Ephesians 2:8-9).

God has revealed Himself to be one God in three distinct Persons, the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16-17).

The Bible describes God as:

• Spirit (John 4:24)
• Eternal (Psalm 90:2)
• Unchanging / immutable (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17)
• Almighty / omnipotent (Genesis 17:1)
• All-knowing / omniscient (1 John 3:20)
• Present everywhere / omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-10)
• Holy (Isaiah 6:3)
• Just (Deuteronomy 32:4)
• Faithful (Deuteronomy 32:4)
• Good (Psalm 145:8-9)
• Merciful (Psalm 145:8-9)
• Gracious (Psalm 145:8-9)
• Loving (Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:8)

God the Father is the first person of the Holy Trinity (Matthew 28:19). He created the heavens and the earth, all things visible and invisible, out of nothing by the power of His Word (Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 11:3). He is the source of all life and goodness (1 Corinthians 8:6; James 1:17).

The Father is not distant or indifferent to us (Psalm 139:7-10; Deuteronomy 31:6; 1 Peter 5:7). He demonstrates His constant care, goodness, and mercy by:

• Providing us with all that we physically need, including food, clothing, home, and family (Psalm 145:15-16; Matthew 6:25-33; Nehemiah 9:6).
• Standing with us in times of danger and guarding us against evil (Deuteronomy 31:8; Psalm 121:7-8).
• Governing all things for the benefit of His Church and the fulfillment of His saving purposes (Romans 8:28).

God created Adam and Eve, the first human beings, in His own image (Genesis 1:27). This means they were made righteous and holy, able to do God's will, and in full communion with Him (Genesis 1:31; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Ephesians 4:24).

Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve, of their own free will, disobeyed God by trusting the lies of the devil (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-7). This event is called the Fall of Man. As a consequence of Adam and Eve’s unfaithfulness, sin entered into God's creation, bringing with it death, disorder, and suffering (Romans 5:12; Genesis 3:16-19).

Sin caused Adam and Eve and all of humanity to lose the image of God (Romans 5:12). The righteousness and holiness that Adam and Eve originally possessed is now lost, replaced with a natural, inherent inclination to sin in thought, word, and deed (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23; 7:18-20). Sin separates us from God and leaves us spiritually dead (Genesis 3:8; Isaiah 59:2). We are totally incapable of overcoming sin and coming to faith in God by our own reason and actions (Romans 8:7-8; 1 Corinthians 2:14 Ephesians 2:8-9). We need God to save us (Matthew 19:25-26; Titus 3:4-5).

Jesus is the second person in the Holy Trinity (Matthew 28:19). He is given various names in the Bible, including the Son, the Word, Messiah (Christ), the Lamb of God, and Immanuel. There never was a time when the Father and the Son did not co-exist. Jesus is begotten of the Father from eternity but is not inferior to Him. The Father created all things through Him (John 1:1-2; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:3).

Christ was sent from the Father to atone for the sins of the world as our substitute (1 John 2:2). He did this purely out of love and for our salvation in order to remove the curse of sin that separates us from God and leaves us spiritually dead from birth (1 John 4:10).

Through His incarnation, Christ united Himself with humanity, retaining His full divinity while becoming fully man (Colossians 2:9). Like us, Jesus endured every hardship and temptation to sin (Hebrews 4:15). Unlike us, Christ was sinless (1 Peter 2:22). He was conceived through the Holy Spirit without sin, born of the Virgin Mary, and lived a perfect, blameless life in total obedience to God's Law (Matthew 1:20; Hebrews 5:8).

God's Word tells us that “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). To pay for the sin of the world, Christ bore our punishment, both in body and soul, on the cross at Calvary (Isaiah 53:5). Christ sacrificially offered His righteousness before the Father on our behalf (Isaiah 53:11). His innocent blood was shed as a substitutionary payment to cover all our sins (Ephesians1:7; Romans 3:25). He was nailed to the cross and died bearing all of our guilt and, by consequence, all of God's wrath (Galatians 3:13; Romans 5:9).

Only Christ, being both God and man, could make this vicarious atonement (Hebrews 2:14). He offered His life to the Father and in exchange we are declared innocent for Christ's sake (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24). It is only through faith in Christ that our sins are forgiven and we are saved (Ephesians 2:8, Acts 4:12).

Christ's descent into Hell, His resurrection, and His ascension declare His total victory over the powers of sin, death, and the devil (Ephesians 4:10; John 11:25-26; Hebrews 2:14). Christ's glory is now fully revealed, replacing the humiliation He bore for the sake of the Gospel. Christ sits at the right hand of the Father and He will return in judgement, ushering in a new heaven and new earth (Hebrews 1:3, 2 Timothy 4:1).

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity (Matthew 28:19). He is true God, co-eternal and co-equal with the Father and the Son (Acts 5:3–4). The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son and is the author of the Holy Scriptures (John 14:26; 15:26; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21).

Because sin separates us from God and leaves us spiritually dead, we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ or come to Him (Ephesians 2:8-9; 4:18; Romans 8:7-8). Therefore, the Holy Spirit:

• Calls us, revealing our sin through the Law and pointing us to our Saviour, Jesus Christ, by the Gospel (John 16:8-11; Romans 10:17).
• Creates saving faith in our hearts and gives us a true understanding of God's Word (John 5:24; 2 Corinthians 4:6).
• Sanctifies us, setting us apart as holy and creating in us the desire and ability to live according to God's will (2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Galatians 5:22-23).
• Keeps us in the one true faith, protecting us from despair, interceding for us before the Father through our prayers, and strengthening us through the Means of Grace (Romans 8:26-27; Romans 8:6; Acts 2:38,42).

The Holy Spirit does not work apart from the Word and Sacraments (John 16:14-15). He is bound to the "external Word," using the preaching of the Gospel, Absolution, Holy Baptism, and Holy Communion to deliver the forgiveness of sins and the promise of salvation (Romans 10:17; John 20:22-23; Titus 3:5; Matthew 26:27-28). Through these means, the Spirit glorifies Christ and bestows all the treasures of His redemption upon the Church (John 16:14; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 1:3)

God's message of salvation is found only in the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Act 4:12; John 14:6). However, because of our sinful natures, we are spiritually dead and incapable of receiving the Gospel message through our own reasoning or abilities (1 Corinthians 2:14; Romans 8:7). It is the work of the Holy Spirit alone that leads a sinner to genuine repentance (John 6:44; 16:8).

Repentance is the turning away from sin and a turning toward Christ for forgiveness (Acts 3:19). When God's Word is read or preached, it is the Holy Spirit at work (1 Thessalonians 1:5). Repentance consists of two parts:

• Contrition: This is the genuine sorrow and troubled conscience that affects a sinner through the preaching of God's Law, which reveals the extent of his or her sinfulness (2 Corinthians 7:10; Psalm 51:17).
• Faith: This is the belief that your sins are forgiven for Christ's sake. Faith is based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and comforts the conscience, delivering it from the despair caused by the Law (Romans 5:1).

A sinner contributes nothing to his salvation and can do no work to earn it (Ephesians 2:8-9). Repentance is a gift from God (Romans 6:23). A gift is actively given and passively received. When we acknowledge our sins and receive saving faith in Christ, it is God's doing. We are saved only on account of Christ's merit and work on the cross, and we receive this faith and are “born from above” only through the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 2:24; John 3:3-5). It is by God's grace alone that we are saved (Titus 3:5).

After graciously reconciling us to God on account of Christ, the Holy Spirit continues to work in the life of a believer through sanctification and good works (1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

Through sanctification, the Holy Spirit creates in us a will to do what is holy and pleasing to God in keeping with His Law (Ezekiel 36:27), which Christ summarizes as to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” and to “love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-40). When Christians act in accordance with God's will, we perform good works (Philippians 2:13). Good works are the fruit of sanctification (Colossians 1:10). By sanctification and good works, the Holy Spirit renews and strengthens us to live righteously (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 2:10), conforming us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).

Good works earn us no merit, however (Titus 3:5). We are justified before God entirely on the basis of Christ's merits, and it is the Holy Spirit who works saving faith in our hearts (Ephesians 2:8-9). A Christian’s good works serve only as an offering to God and a blessing to our neighbours (Hebrews 13:16; Matthew 5:16).

Christ instituted the office of holy ministry when He breathed the Holy Spirit on His Apostles, setting them apart and commissioning them to serve His Church (John 20:21-23). The Apostles subsequently taught and ordained other suitable men into the Office of Holy Ministry, likewise setting them apart to serve the Church under Christ's authority (Acts 14:23). The titles of pastor (shepherd), bishop (overseer), and presbyter (elder) are the terms used in the New Testament interchangeably to describe the Office of Holy Ministry (1 Peter 5:1-2; Acts 20:28).

Pastors are men who are trained in the apostolic teachings of the Church, set apart through the rite of ordination, and receive a call from a Christian congregation to serve it on Christ's behalf (1 Timothy 4:6,14; Hebrews 5:4; 13:17).

Pastors deliver God's grace through the teaching and preaching of God’s Word and the administration of His Holy Sacraments (Romans 10:14-15; Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 4:1; 11:23-26). Pastors also exercise the Office of the Keys, the authority granted by Christ to His Church to absolve the sins of repentant Christians through confession and absolution, and to retain the sins of unrepentant sinners (John 20:22-23).

Pastors are to love Christ and His people (John 21:15-17) by being faithful to God's Word (John 14:15). Biblically established duties and qualifications of the pastoral office include the need to:

• “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2 Timothy 4:2)
• “…be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5)
• “…be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.” (1 Timothy 3:2-7)

All called and ordained Pastors within Lutheran Church–Canada are required to accept without reservation:

• The Holy Bible as the written Word of God and the only rule and norm of faith and of practice (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17);
• The Book of Concord because it is a clear and faithful summary and explanation of Holy Scriptures.

The means of grace are the ways by which the Holy Spirit creates faith in us and offers us the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation through Christ (Romans 1:16). The means of grace are the Word of God and the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion (1 Peter 1:23; John 20:22-23; Titus 3:5; Matthew 26:27-28).

The word sacrament means a “solemn promise” or an “oath” given by God to His Church.

Lutherans define a sacrament as a sacred act:

(a) that is instituted by Christ,
(b) that is joined to a physical element, and
(c) through which God graciously offers the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

By this definition, there are two sacraments: Holy Baptism and Holy Communion.

HOLY BAPTISM

Holy Baptism is water joined to God's Word, as instituted by Christ in Matthew 28:18-20.

In Holy Baptism, God:

marks and seals us in the triune name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; Revelation 22:4; Psalm 54:1).
• saves us by washing away our sins through the blood of Christ (Acts 22:16, Revelation 7:14).
• sanctifies, regenerates, and renews us as He “pours out” the Holy Spirit on us (Titus 3:5-7; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Acts 2:38-39).
• incorporates us into Christ through His death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:27; Isaiah 49:16).
• receives and adopts us as His children and heirs of the Father's Kingdom (Titus 3:5-7; Galatians 3:25-27).

Baptism is a gift God offers to everyone, including infants (Acts 2:38-39, Matthew 19:14, Matthew 28:19, Colossians 2:11-12). Its efficacy is dependent entirely on God's grace and Christ's righteousness rather than a Christian's works (Titus 3:5-7).

HOLY COMMUNION

Holy Communion was instituted by Christ during His Last Supper. On that evening He took bread and wine, saying, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And also, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-28)

Holy Communion is exactly what Christ says it is: His true body and blood in, with, and under the humble elements of bread and wine (1 Corinthians 10:16). Just as Christ, through His incarnation, inseparably unites His divinity to flesh and blood (Colossians 2:9), so too, through the Words of Institution, Christ miraculously joins His body and blood to the bread and wine.

The Lord's Supper delivers the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation to repentant Christians on account of Christ's suffering and death for our redemption (Matthew 26:28; 1 Peter 2:24). His sacrificial death on the cross is a one-time, full and perfect offering to God that fully atones for our sins (Hebrews 10:12).

Scripture teaches that those who receive the Lord's Supper unworthily place judgement on themselves (1 Corinthians 11:27-30). For this reason, our congregation limits reception of Holy Communion to baptized Christians who share our confession of faith (closed communion).

Jesus Christ is the head of the Church (Colossians 1:18). He is the rock, the cornerstone, and the foundation upon which the whole Christian Church stands and is formed (Deuteronomy 32:3-4; 1 Peter 2:4-5; Ephesians 2:20-22).

The holy Christian Church is the total number of Christians, both on earth and in heaven, who have faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour (Ephesians 4:4-6). It is led in all truth by the Holy Spirit, who is the source of all Scripture and who glorifies Christ (John 14:26; 16:12-15).

The visible Church on earth is found wherever Christ's Gospel is purely preached and His sacraments are rightly administered (Acts 2:42). Within the visible Church, both believers and non-believers are gathered (Matthew 13:24-30).

Martin Luther identified seven “marks” that confirm where Christ's Church on earth can be found. The true Church is found where:

1. the Holy Word of God is faithfully preached and taught (John 14:15; 16:12-15; 2 Timothy 4:3-4).

2. the Sacrament of Holy Baptism is rightly administered (Matthew 28:18-20).

3. the Sacrament of the Altar is rightly administered (1 Corinthians 11:23-25).

4. the Office of the Keys is dutifully exercised (John 20:21-23).

5. the Office of the Ministry is occupied by qualified, ordained men called to serve Christ's Church (1 Timothy 4:6,14; Acts 14:23).

6. public prayer, praise, and thanksgiving is offered to God in the name of Christ in full accordance with the Word of God (Colossians 3:16-17).

7. tribulations are endured for Christ's sake due to the public confession of God's Word (Matthew 10:16-39).

After Christ's death and resurrection, He ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven (Mark 16:19). Jesus has promised that He will return in glory on a day known only to the Father (Matthew 24:36). His return will be visible, sudden, and final, marking the end of this present age and the beginning of the world to come (Matthew 24:30, 44; Acts 1:11).

Upon Christ's return, He will raise all the dead. Those who have died in the faith, being covered by the righteousness of Christ, will be raised to eternal life with glorified bodies. Conversely, those who have rejected Christ will be raised to eternal condemnation (John 5: 28-29; 1 Corinthians 15:52).

Christ will fully and finally destroy the powers of sin, death, and the devil (1 Corinthians 15:24-26; Revelation 20:10). He will usher in a new heaven and a new earth where God will dwell with His people (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-3). In this eternal kingdom:

• the image of God will be perfectly restored in us as we behold His glory (1 John 3:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18).
• all suffering will cease, there will be no more death, sorrow, or pain (Revelation 21:4).
• the communion of saints will gather in worship, jubilantly praising the Lamb of God with one accord (Revelation 7:9-12).