OUR BELIEFS
According to Holy Scripture, and in the unity of the one, holy, Christian and apostolic Church, we believe, teach, and confess that:
THE TRINITY
The one and only true God is the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—as revealed by Jesus Christ and in the Bible. He created and sustains all things in heaven and on earth. Matthew 28:20; Genesis. 1-2; Psalm 146:5-6
JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is true God, eternally begotten of the Father, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, and is, by His perfect life, sacrificial death, bodily resurrection, and reign at God’s right hand, the only Savior from sin and the only Mediator between God and humanity. John 1:1-3,14; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John. 5:20; Acts 4:12
Our Lord Jesus Christ will appear visibly on the Last Day to raise the bodies of all the dead, to condemn those who reject Him in unbelief, together with the devil and his demons, to hell and eternal punishment, and to give eternal life to all who trust in Him for forgiveness, life, and salvation. Revelation 1:7; Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:28-29
HUMANITY
Every human being is conceived and born dead to God and lacks true fear, love, or trust in God, but rather is innately hostile to God and deserving of damnation. Ephesians 2:1-10; Psalm 51:5
SOLA FIDE: BY FAITH ALONE
We are justified, or declared not guilty, in the sight of God and rescued from sin, death, and damnation not by our works but solely by God’s undeserved kindness given through Jesus Christ. Romans 3:21-28; Ephesians 2:8; John 1:29
Good works, prayer, and holy living are the fruit of faith in Christ, not the cause of salvation or faith. Genuine good works, pleasing to God, flow from what God commands in His Word. For faith alone can justify; works serve our neighbor and supply the proof that faith is living. John 15:5; Hebrews 11:16; Ephesian 2:8-10
The Christian life is one of continual repentance and faith, from which flow good works as the fruit of faith. It is lived in faith toward God and in fervent love toward the neighbor in our God-given, daily vocations. Matthew 12:33; Luke 24:47
MEANS OF THE GOSPEL
The blessings and benefits of Jesus’ saving death and resurrection—the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation—are delivered and applied to us by means of the Gospel in all its forms: the preached and written Word, Baptism, Absolution, Lord’s Supper. Through these means the Holy Spirit works faith in Christ. John 6:63; 16:12-15; Luke 24:47; Matthew 28:19; John 20:21-23; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
SACRAMENTS
The Holy Church is present wherever believers are gathered around Jesus Christ in His Gospel purely preached and taught and the Sacraments of Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, Holy Communion. Matthew 18:20; Acts 2:42; Matthew 13:47-48
- Holy Baptism is water applied in the Name of the Triune God according to Jesus’ mandate and promise, and works rebirth and renewal, delivers and applies the forgiveness of sins and the very life of Jesus. Matthew 28:19-20; John 3:5; Titus 3:5; Romans 6:4; 1 Peter 3:21
- Holy Absolution is the forgiveness of sins spoken by the pastor to a penitent sinner in Jesus’ name and actually delivers and applies the forgiveness of sins to the repentant person with the full authority of the crucified, risen, and reigning Christ. Matthew 16:19; 18:18; John 20:21-23
- Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ given under bread and wine, instituted by Jesus Christ Himself, for Christians to eat and drink for the forgiveness of their sins. Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Holy Scripture, or the Holy Bible, is the written Word of God, the very “breath of God,” and is without factual error. It is the only source, final authority, and judge of all teaching, practice, and life. Holy Scripture preaches the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the repentance and faith of the sinner. 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:22; Luke 24:47
The Word of God is a two-fold word—the LAW, which reveals our sin and seeks and kills the sinner, and the GOSPEL, which announces, delivers, and applies the forgiveness of sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, creates faith in Him, and gives new life and identity to the believer in Christ. Romans 1:16; 3:21-22; Galatians 2:19-20
OUR MISSION
The purpose of Immanuel Lutheran Church shall be: To give honor and glory to the Triune God, to carry out His will, to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world, to manifest the unity of our faith in Jesus Christ as God and Savior, to foster Christian fellowship and love, to extend a helping hand to human need, and to achieve our objectives by preaching the Word of God, by administration of the Sacraments, and by providing religious instruction for all its members according to the confessional standard of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Constitution of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Lima, OH (2003)
WITNESS
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is God's own testimony about Himself. In fact, it is the very confession of Jesus Himself as well as the witness of the Church of all ages. Our fundamental gift and task at Hope is to bear witness to Jesus Christ - to His Gospel in all its facets (see Augsburg Confession VII 2; Formula of Concord, Epitome X 7). We bear witness to Christ for each other and to those who do not yet know Jesus.
Join us as we grow and learn to live life together as God's holy people.
WHAT ABOUT OUR SYNOD?
Immanuel is a member of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS).
