Biblical
Foundation and Beliefs
We,
the people of
We, the people of
Jesus Christ is the Word of God incarnate, through whom everything was made and through whose life, death, and resurrection God fashions a new creation;
The proclamation of God’s message to us as both Law and Gospel is the Word of God, revealing judgment and mercy through word and deed, beginning with the Word in creation, continuing in the history of Israel, and centering in all its fullness in the person and work of Jesus Christ; and
The
Holy Scriptures are the norm for the faith and life of the Church. The Holy Scriptures are the divinely inspired
record of God’s redemptive act in Christ, for which the Old Testament prepared
the way and which the New Testament proclaims.
In the continuation of this proclamation in the Church, God still speaks
through the Holy Scriptures and realizes His redemptive purposes generation
after generation. (Christ Hamilton
constitution)
The
canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the written Word of God.
Inspired by God’s Spirit speaking through their authors, they record and announce
God’s revelation centering in Jesus Christ. Through them God’s Spirit speaks to
us to create and sustain Christian faith and fellowship for service in the
world. (ELCA Constitution)[iii]
We, the people of
We, the people of
We, the people of
accept the Unaltered Augsburg Confession, the Book of Concord and its confessional writings, namely, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles and the Treatise, the Small Catechism, the Large Catechism, and the Formula of Concord (documents of the Reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century) as further valid interpretations of the faith of the Church.[vi] We confess the Gospel, recorded in the Holy Scripture and confessed in the ecumenical creeds and Lutheran confessional writings, as the power of God to create and sustain the Church for God’s mission in the world.
2 Tim 3:16-17 (NIV) "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man
of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
Isa 40:8 "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
We, the people of
believe it is vitally important to maintain a complete and balanced view of Scripture, freely allowing God to speak to us through both the Old and New Testaments as they each reveal law and grace and recognize that only together they are the complete, revealed Word of God.[vii]
Mat 5:17-18 "Do not think
that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish
them but to fulfill them. I tell you the
truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least
stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is
accomplished."
Contemporary View
We recognize that many of the views held by society today are at variance with the Bible and historic Christianity, its traditions and beliefs. We struggle with the all too willing society in which we live to accept the latest study or psychology that fits the times rather than God’s eternal Word. [viii] Given our human frailties, we are instructed and cautioned by the Word of God:
Mark 7: 7 - 8 "They worship me in vain; their teachings are
but rules taught by men. You have let go
of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."
2 Tim 4:3-4 "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. "
Rom
As
human beings, we are tempted to change the biblical message to accommodate our
own ideas, wants and needs. Some people have
the idea that biblical writers would have changed their message based on
current positions or studies. This belief denies God's power; He is perfectly
able to direct those through whom He proclaimed His Word to write eternal
truths that apply to all ages (See 2 Tim 3:16‑17, Isa 40:8 above). Another modern day tendency is to first
decide what one wants to believe and then attempt to make Scripture support
such a position. The admonition of Scripture, as stated in Proverbs, is a
powerful reminder of the consequences of turning the process around.[ix]
Prov 30:5‑6
"Every word of God is
flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his
words, or he will rebuke you and. prove you a liar."
A major promise of Christian life is that all people must allow
God to form them into His image in order for them to glorify Him. Scripture
tells us that we need to be conformed to His image rather than us attempting to conform Him to ours, which is idolatry.[x]
Isa 29:16 "You turn things upside down as if the potter were
thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it
"He did not make me"? Can the pot say of the potter, 'He knows
nothing'"?
Isa 64:8 "Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you
are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."
Rom 12:1-2 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s
mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -
this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern
of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will
be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect
will."
Christians further believe and understand that all sins are equal
in God’s eyes and we know that all of us are sinners and deserve to be judged
guilty by Gods righteous standards.[xi]
Rom
Mark
Just as Jesus made no distinction between the various, sinful
acts listed above, we find no basis in Scripture for minimizing or exempting
anything God has called sin.[xii]
After prayer, careful study, discussion and deliberation, we affirm that the basis for evaluating all contemporary societal issues is our Biblical Foundation and Beliefs. It is upon that foundation that we affirm our beliefs in the context of contemporary societal issues.
We declare that the apostolic and catholic (universal Christian) faith revealed in Holy Scripture teaches and affirms, in both Old and New Testaments, the model of creation as male and female[xiii] and marriage as between one man and one woman (Mark 10: 6 - 9); [xiv]
We believe that our sexuality when used as God
intends is a good gift from God. Sexual intimacy is blessed by Him when
expressed according to God’s design, within the context of monogamous
heterosexual marriage. Outside of that context, sexual intimacy, whether
heterosexual or homosexual, is sinful. All who desire to turn from sin, sexual
or otherwise, can be forgiven and renewed by the grace of God in Jesus. (Genesis 2:24; Exodus 20:14; 1 Corinthians
6:19-20; Romans 1:26-32)[xv]
We declare, that the Lutheran Confessions also teach the model of creation as male and female;[xvi] and,
We declare, that the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church has - in all times and all places - affirmed the model of creation as male and female, and has upheld the sexual ethic of faithfulness within marriage and abstinence outside of marriage[xvii]; and
We declare that all of us are sinners but, through His
grace, salvation is possible. We must
truly acknowledge our sin and sincerely repent.
We remember that the Church is a community of forgiven sinners and we
must continue in our faith to reach out to those who have not yet repented of
their sin.[xviii]
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[i]
Constitution of the
[ii]
Constitution of the
[iii]
Constitution of Christ Hamilton United Lutheran Church and Constitution of the
[iv]
Constitution of the
[v]
Constitution of the
[vi]
Constitution of the