Epiphany Lutheran
Church
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
What We Believe
God's Word
We believe that the Bible is God's Holy Word. The Bible itself claims this. For example, of the Old Testament the Apostle Paul writes, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God." (2 Tim. 3:16) And of the New Testament, he writes, "When you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God." (1 Thes. 2:13)
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Since the Bible is God's Word, we believe it is without error and something we can trust and bank on. Indeed, its main message is the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world; also known simply as "the Gospel."
God, the Trinity
Through His Word, God reveals Himself to be the only true God and as such the triune God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three distinct persons in one divine being (the Holy Trinity).
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Further, He reveals how the three divine persons are distinguished from each other: The Father has begotten the Son from eternity; the Son is begotten of the Father from eternity; the Holy Spirit from eternity proceeds from the Father and the Son. To the Father especially is ascribed the work of creation; to the Son, the work of redemption; to the Holy Spirit, the work of sanctification.
Man & Sin
God reveals in His Word that He created this world, including mankind, perfect and good, but subsequently Adam and Eve, our first parents, were tempted by the devil and fell into sin. Sickness and death resulted.
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God's Word reveals that since the fall of Adam and Eve, every person is conceived and born in sin, that is, full of evil lust and hatred toward the true God and unable to save himself (Gen. 6:5). Moreover, God's Word, particularly the message of His Law (in contrast to the message of Jesus), condemns all who are not born again in Christ Jesus through Baptism and the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-5).
Justified by Christ
The Bible reveals that God, the Father, in pure mercy sent His beloved Son into our world to save us from sin and death. FOR US and our salvation, the Son of God became a man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. As true God and true man, Jesus Christ lived a perfectly righteous life and then suffered and died on the cross as a sacrifice in our place, bearing the full punishment of our sins, and saving us from the eternal wrath of God we deserve.
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We cannot merit God's favor, forgiveness, salvation, heaven, nor eternal life by our own works and righteousness. But Jesus has earned them FOR US by His works and righteousness. These gifts are freely given to us by grace alone through faith in Christ alone. This is the essence of the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ that we announce and proclaim.
The Pastoral Office
So that we may obtain faith in Christ and His saving works and gifts, He himself instituted the Pastoral Office, the Ministry of preaching the Good News of Jesus and administering His Holy Sacraments. For through these means, God gives the Holy Spirit, Who works faith, when and where He pleases, in those who hear the Good News.
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This Ministry is the special authority Christ has given to His church to forgive the sins of repentant sinners and to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant. The Apostle John writes in his Gospel: The Lord Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone their sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." (John 20:22-23)
The Sacraments
We believe that Christ instituted Baptism, that it is necessary for salvation, and that even children should be baptized. For through it we are given the saving gifts that Christ merited for us by His life and death on the cross. Through Baptism we are incorporated into Christ, born again as beloved children of God, and saved from our sin, death, and the devil (John 3:5, Mark 16;16, Titus 3:5-8, 1 Peter 3:21-22).
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We also believe that Christ Jesus, as His Last Will and Testament, instituted the Lord's Supper. And that in, with, and under the bread and wine, the saving Body and Blood of Christ are truly present and distributed to those who eat the Holy Supper. Along with those Holy Gifts He also freely gives us the inheritance He merited FOR US by His Holy life and death, namely, the forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation--a foretaste of the Feast to come on Judgment Day (Matt. 26:26-28, John 6:48-58, 1 Cor. 11:23-29).