Our Beliefs
Based upon Scripture, Rooted in Theology
The Bible
We believe the Bible is God’s holy, inspired, and inerrant Word. God’s Word is alive and active, applicable for every area of life, and the final authority for Christian faith and living. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; John 17:17; Hebrews 4:12)
God
We believe in one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1; John 10:30; Matthew 28:19)
Jesus Christ
We believe Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Son, who lived a perfect life, died on the cross for the sins of all mankind, rose again from the dead, and will return in power and glory to rule and reign for all eternity. (John 1:1-4; John 3:16-19; Romans 3:23; 5:8, 6:23)
Salvation
We believe men and women were created in God’s image, but fell into sin and rebelled against God. Therefore, sin entered into the world, causing all people to be deserving of eternal separation from God. We believe that God offers salvation and eternal life to all who repent of their sin and believe in Jesus Christ as their savior. (Romans 5:12; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 3:19; Acts 4:12; John 3:16-17)
The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit lives in us to convict us of sin, prompt us to seek forgiveness in Jesus, comfort us, teach us, equip us, and enable us to live godly lives. The Holy Spirit also unites all believers into the church, through which God’s mission is carried out on earth. (Romans 8:9-11; John 16:7-8; Galatians 5:22-25; Romans 12:5; Matthew 28:19-20; Ephesians 4:11-13)
The Ancient Creeds
We accept and adhere to the three ancient creeds of the Christian church – the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. These creeds have anchored the historic Christian Church throughout the centuries and continue to instruct us today.
Lutheran Doctrine
We accept Luther’s Small Catechism and the Unaltered Augsburg Confession as true expressions of the Christian faith and accurate explanations of the teachings of Scripture.
Church Affiliation
Good Shepherd is affiliated with the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (AFLC), a church body consisting of 275 churches across the U.S., committed to solid Bible teaching, the inerrancy of Scripture, preaching the good news of Jesus Christ, and the basics of Lutheran doctrine. The AFLC, headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, includes a two-year Bible college (Free Lutheran Bible College) and a four-year seminary program (Free Lutheran Seminary).
Doctrinal Summaries
The creeds and confessions below summarize the Christian faith and outline the core teachings of Lutheran theology.
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. He descended into hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten, not made, Being of one substance with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life; Who proceeds from the Father and the Son, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, Who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy Christian and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and life of the world to come.
Amen.
Whoever will be saved shall, above all else, hold the catholic faith. Which faith, except it be kept whole and undefiled, without doubt, one will perish eternally. And the true Christian faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the Persons nor dividing the substance.
For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one; the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated. The Father infinite, the son infinite, and the Holy Spirit infinite. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal. And yet there are not three eternals, but one eternal; just as there are not three uncreated, nor three infinites, but one uncreated and one infinite.
Likewise the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, and the Holy Spirit is almighty. And yet there are not three almighties, but one almighty. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. And yet there are not three gods, but one God. Likewise the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, and the Holy Spirit is Lord. And yet there are not three lords, but one Lord.
For as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be both God and Lord, so we are forbidden by the true Christian faith to say that there are three gods or three lords.
The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone, not made nor created but begotten. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made nor created nor begotten but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three fathers, one Son, not three sons, one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.
And in this Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than another; but all three Persons are coeternal together and coequal, so that in all things, as said before, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped. Whoever will be saved is compelled thus to think of the Holy Trinity.
Furthermore it is necessary for everlasting salvation that one also believe faithfully the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man of the substance of His mother, born in the world; perfect God and perfect Man, of a rational soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood. Who, although He is God and Man, yet He is not two but one Christ; One not by changing of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking the manhood into God; One indeed, not by confusion of substance, but by oneness of person. For just as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, God almighty, from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead. At whose coming all will rise again with their bodies and will give an account of their own works. And they that have done good will enter into life everlasting; and they that have done evil into everlasting fire. This is the catholic faith; whoever does not faithfully and firmly believe this cannot be saved.
Written to be used as a resource for parents to teach their children the Christian faith, the Small Catechism continues to serve as a faithful and helpful guide in sumarizing the Christian faith for us today.
The Augsburg Confession is the classic summary of what Lutherans believe about God, humanity, sin, faith, the church, and the sacraments.
House of Refuge Statement
According to Scripture, Good Shepherd believes that all human beings, including unborn babies in the womb, are created in the image of God and loved beyond measure. Therefore, we advocate for unborn children and support causes to protect children in the womb. Good Shepherd is a ‘House of Refuge’ with Love Life, a national pro-life organization that unites and mobilizes Christians to stand up for the unborn and support families in need of love and care. Click here to learn more about Love Life.
GSLC is a House of Refuge
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is a House of Refuge; this applies to everyone in this church or people you know that need a place of Refuge.
Here’s what we believe:
If you find yourself in an unplanned pregnancy, please know that being pregnant is not a sin, and the child you carry is not a punishment; it is a blessing. God is knitting this child in your womb. You may have made a sinful decision that led to this pregnancy, or you may have even been sinned against, but we want you to know you are loved, and we will do whatever it takes to help you carry and care for this precious child before and after birth.
We can never support or encourage a woman to have an abortion because the child you carry is made in the image of God and is intrinsically valuable and loved by God. You need to know how we will respond.
Here’s what we won’t do:
This church family will not gossip about you, shame you, or abandon you. This is a House of Refuge, and we will not allow for the family of God to harm one another with words or actions contrary to the Love of God as revealed in his Word.
Here’s what we will do:
We will do everything in our power to remove whatever obstacles stand in the way of you having this child. There are people in this church ready to mentor you, throw you a baby shower, and connect you with resources inside and outside of our church (local pregnancy care center). We will also hold men accountable for living out their calling to provide and protect women and children.
Finally, if you have ever had an abortion in your past, we want you to know that abortion is not an unforgivable sin. Whoever confesses and forsakes their sin finds mercy. If you have never gone through an Abortion Recovery Bible study, we will be happy to connect you to one so that you can walk in complete healing and freedom.”
