This We Believe
Teach, Live, and Share Christ's Love
Lutherans are steeped in grace. From the earliest days of Martin Luther’s protests and his emphasis that salvation comes to us by "grace alone" - through "faith alone" - and is revealed through "scripture alone"
Today, we are a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), which is a confessional church, meaning that we hold to the historic creeds of the church—the 4th century Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed
Luther’s famous three "solas" (meaning "alone", as in sola gratia/grace alone, sola fida/faith alone, and sola scriptura/scripture alone) were in response to the Roman Catholic church’s emphasis at the time on the "works of the law" as a way in which believers participate in their own salvation. This belief went so far as to include the sale of indulgences as a way to purchase merit with God. Luther said "no!" Our salvation, as St. Paul made clear in his letter to the Romans, is pure gift, the grace of a loving God. These convictions of Luther and his followers were formulated into documents—confessions—that became the foundation of the Lutheran church, chief among them the Augsburg Confession (That confession and a larger collection of confessional documents were finally gathered together into The Book of Concord).
- to the founding of our congregation on the North Shore (1909), with its Hauge Synod pietist beginnings, Lutherans in Hovland have had an unmistakable message to proclaim: God has claimed you, and all of creation, through the saving work of Christ. There is nothing you can do to merit this gift. It is entirely the work of God in you. Trinity stands firmly in this five-century-old Reformation tradition.Today, we are a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), which is a confessional church, meaning that we hold to the historic creeds of the church—the 4th century Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed
Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
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 true man.
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;
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,*
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
*Or, “who proceeds from the Father.” The phrase “and the Son” is a later addition to the creed
. In these creeds, faith in a triune God—three persons—is articulated as the foundation of the church—a church that is “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.” We believe that the church is the body of Christ in the world (1 Corinthians 12) and through her, God is bringing about a New Creation, working to establish a reign of peace, justice, and healing to the nations (Isaiah 11:1-9). Indeed, we are the very hands and feet of God’s saving work in the world, marked by the cross of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit, as we “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
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 true man.
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;
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,*
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
*Or, “who proceeds from the Father.” The phrase “and the Son” is a later addition to the creed
