Fall 2017

Introduction to Lutheranism What's a Lutheran?

What really is a Lutheran?

A Lutheran

Simply, a Lutheran is someone who believes, teaches, and confesses the truths of God's Word as they are taught in the Book of Concord.

We are not followers of Luther the man, but what Martin Luther taught.

So that it might be held in common, the Book of Concord was collected.

A Lutheran

• The Creeds (old)• The Augsburg Confession and Apology (1530-31)• The Small and Large Catechisms (1529)• The Smalcald Articles and Treatise on the Power and

Primacy of the Pope (1536-1537)• The Formula of Concord (1577)

How do we understand the Word of God?

A Lutheran

• The Creeds (old)• The Augsburg Confession and Apology (1530-31)• The Small and Large Catechisms (1529)• The Smalcald Articles and Treatise on the Power and

Primacy of the Pope (1536-1537)• The Formula of Concord (1577)

How do we understand the Word of God?

A Lutheran

• The Creeds (old)• The Augsburg Confession and Apology (1530-31)• The Small and Large Catechisms (1529)• The Smalcald Articles and Treatise on the Power and

Primacy of the Pope (1536-1537)• The Formula of Concord (1577)

How do we understand the Word of God?

A Lutheran Believes the Bible

What is the Bible

❖ The word "Bible," is from a Greek word that means "book."

❖ The Bible actually contains many different books.

❖ 66 books (39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New)

❖ Written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek from 1446 B.C. to about 90 A.D.

❖ Contains many genres

What is the Bible

❖ We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, that the very words are the words of God.

❖ "Verbal Inspiration"

❖ The Bible is the means by which God the Holy Spirit speaks to us today.

How Did It Get to Us?

We Got it from God

❖ 2 Timothy 3, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

❖ 2 Peter 1, "prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

We Got it from God

❖ Because people knew it was God's Word, they made copies.

❖ Letter by letter, word by word, line by line

❖ The Bibles we use are translations of the original languages.

❖ So long as the translation is faithful, it remains the Word of God.

How Do We Use the Bible?

❖ For everything!❖ The Bible is the only Word of God.❖ All teaching must be shaped and normed

by Holy Scripture.

But What About That Catechism?

The Bible is a big book.

The Small Catechism

• Written by Martin Luther.• A short, clear explanation of the basics.• Meant to be used by parents in training their children.

The Small Catechism

❖ The Ten Commandments

❖ The Apostles' Creed

❖ The Lord's Prayer

❖ Holy Baptism

❖ Confession and Absolution

❖ The Lord's Supper

More Information

❖ https://lutheranreformation.org/theology/

❖ https://www.lcms.org/about/beliefs

❖ http://catechism.cph.org/