Our Beliefs
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God
Prince of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church confesses the true God to
be the Holy Trinity - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - one God in
three persons and three persons in one God.
We hold without reservation to the doctrine of God set forth in the
Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian creeds. “We worship one God in three
persons and three persons in one God, without mixing the persons or
dividing the divine being.” [The Athanasian Creed]
We believe and confess that Jesus Christ is true God and true man in
power and majesty. “We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of
God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the
Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation,
he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the
virgin Mary, and became fully human. For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day
he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures.” [The Nicene Creed]
We believe that the Holy Spirit is true God with the Father and the Son.
We confess that the Spirit of God proceeds from the Father and the Son,
that he is “the Lord, the giver of life.” The Holy Spirit does for us what we
could not do by our own thinking or choosing: he calls us from the
darkness of unbelief into the glorious light of faith in Jesus Christ. The
Holy Spirit “calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian
church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.” [The
Small Catechism]
be the Holy Trinity - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - one God in
three persons and three persons in one God.
We hold without reservation to the doctrine of God set forth in the
Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian creeds. “We worship one God in three
persons and three persons in one God, without mixing the persons or
dividing the divine being.” [The Athanasian Creed]
We believe and confess that Jesus Christ is true God and true man in
power and majesty. “We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of
God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the
Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation,
he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the
virgin Mary, and became fully human. For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day
he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures.” [The Nicene Creed]
We believe that the Holy Spirit is true God with the Father and the Son.
We confess that the Spirit of God proceeds from the Father and the Son,
that he is “the Lord, the giver of life.” The Holy Spirit does for us what we
could not do by our own thinking or choosing: he calls us from the
darkness of unbelief into the glorious light of faith in Jesus Christ. The
Holy Spirit “calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian
church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.” [The
Small Catechism]
The Bible
Lutheran Confessions
By the grace of God we take a high view of the authority of Holy Scripture,
confessing the Bible to be the very Word of God and therefore free from
error. “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.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
confessing the Bible to be the very Word of God and therefore free from
error. “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.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church accepts and confesses all the
symbolical (confessional) books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
contained in the Book of Concord of 1580 as true statements of Scriptural
doctrine. They are:
The three ecumenical creeds:
The six Lutheran Confessions:
Our congregation’s corporate name is Prince of Peace Evangelical
Lutheran Church. The word “evangelical,” when used along with the
name Lutheran, indicates that we take our stand on the Augsburg
Confession and the other symbols (confessions) of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church. We accept and confess these books without
reservation, not insofar as, but because they are the presentation and
explanation of the pure doctrine of the Word of God and a summary of
the faith held by the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
symbolical (confessional) books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
contained in the Book of Concord of 1580 as true statements of Scriptural
doctrine. They are:
The three ecumenical creeds:
- The Apostles’ Creed
- The Nicene Creed
- The Athanasian Creed
The six Lutheran Confessions:
- Dr. Martin Luther’s Small Catechism
- Dr. Martin Luther’s Large Catechism
- The Unaltered Augsburg Confession
- The Apology of the Augsburg Confession
- The Smalcald Articles
- The Formula of Concord
Our congregation’s corporate name is Prince of Peace Evangelical
Lutheran Church. The word “evangelical,” when used along with the
name Lutheran, indicates that we take our stand on the Augsburg
Confession and the other symbols (confessions) of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church. We accept and confess these books without
reservation, not insofar as, but because they are the presentation and
explanation of the pure doctrine of the Word of God and a summary of
the faith held by the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
The Sacraments
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church confesses that Christ has given his
Church two sacraments, Holy Baptism and Holy Communion.
Holy Baptism “is not just plain water, but it is water used by God’s
command and connected with God’s Word. Baptism works forgiveness of
sin, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all
who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.” [The Small
Catechism] We believe that baptism is, as Christ commanded, for “all
nations.” Because little children are born in sin, because they are part of
“all nations,” and because little children can believe in Jesus, we practice
infant baptism.
Holy Communion, or the Sacrament of the Altar, is the true body and
blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by
Christ for us Christians to eat and to drink. The chief blessing our Lord
gives us in this sacrament is the forgiveness of sins, “for where there is
the forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.” [The Small
Catechism]
Church two sacraments, Holy Baptism and Holy Communion.
Holy Baptism “is not just plain water, but it is water used by God’s
command and connected with God’s Word. Baptism works forgiveness of
sin, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all
who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.” [The Small
Catechism] We believe that baptism is, as Christ commanded, for “all
nations.” Because little children are born in sin, because they are part of
“all nations,” and because little children can believe in Jesus, we practice
infant baptism.
Holy Communion, or the Sacrament of the Altar, is the true body and
blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by
Christ for us Christians to eat and to drink. The chief blessing our Lord
gives us in this sacrament is the forgiveness of sins, “for where there is
the forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.” [The Small
Catechism]
The Way to Eternal Life
With true Christians everywhere, our congregation confesses that Jesus
Christ is “the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through (him).” (John 14:6) When the jailer at Philippi asked the
apostle Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul responded, “Believe in
the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your household.” We
are, therefore, saved by God’s grace alone, through faith in Jesus Christ
alone. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this
not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one
can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Our good works cannot earn eternal life for us because our obedience to
God’s commands never attains the perfection his law demands. “For all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Eternal life
is rather a gift of God’s undeserved love, freely given to all who trust in
Jesus as their Savior. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my
word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be
condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)
It is joy and gratitude for this great gift of salvation that prompt us to do
good works. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to
do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians
2:10)
Christ is “the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through (him).” (John 14:6) When the jailer at Philippi asked the
apostle Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul responded, “Believe in
the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your household.” We
are, therefore, saved by God’s grace alone, through faith in Jesus Christ
alone. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this
not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one
can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Our good works cannot earn eternal life for us because our obedience to
God’s commands never attains the perfection his law demands. “For all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Eternal life
is rather a gift of God’s undeserved love, freely given to all who trust in
Jesus as their Savior. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my
word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be
condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)
It is joy and gratitude for this great gift of salvation that prompt us to do
good works. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to
do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians
2:10)
WELS
Congregations hold a high view of the authority of the Scriptures,
confessing that all Scripture is “in its entirety, in its parts and in its very
words inspired by the Holy Spirit.” We preach and teach confidently,
knowing that the Bible is God’s Word and therefore true. “And we also
thank God continually because when you received the word of God,
which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it
actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.” (2
Thessalonians 2:13)
God’s amazing love in Christ Jesus is the message that predominates in
WELS preaching and teaching. In 24 world mission fields through the
work of 77 expatriate missionaries, and in nearly 200 mission
congregations in the U.S., the WELS is sharing the good news of our
reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ. This is in addition, of course,
to the evangelism work being carried on in more than 1000 other WELS
congregations.
Prince of Peace is a member of the South Central District, one of twelve
Districts in the WELS. The South Central District has 44 congregations in
Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and western Louisianna.
confessing that all Scripture is “in its entirety, in its parts and in its very
words inspired by the Holy Spirit.” We preach and teach confidently,
knowing that the Bible is God’s Word and therefore true. “And we also
thank God continually because when you received the word of God,
which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it
actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.” (2
Thessalonians 2:13)
God’s amazing love in Christ Jesus is the message that predominates in
WELS preaching and teaching. In 24 world mission fields through the
work of 77 expatriate missionaries, and in nearly 200 mission
congregations in the U.S., the WELS is sharing the good news of our
reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ. This is in addition, of course,
to the evangelism work being carried on in more than 1000 other WELS
congregations.
Prince of Peace is a member of the South Central District, one of twelve
Districts in the WELS. The South Central District has 44 congregations in
Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and western Louisianna.
| Prince of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church |
