The other point of reference is page 89 of The Altar Guild Manual: Lutheran Service Book Edition, by Dr. Lee Maxwell that says: If any of the Lords body and blood remains, they can be disposed of in a number of ways. QUESTION: I understand many congregations are changing their Communion practice to include young children, and The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod is also in favor of communing children, so we have been informed by our pastor. QUESTION: One of your FAQ answers states that it is possible for one to lose his salvation. There is no church policy regarding the disposal of cremains. QUESTION: Would you explain the LCMS position on "predestined" in Romans 8 and Ephesians 1? Return to Heaven and Hell FAQs|Return to main menu. What responsibilities would the godparent be agreeing to? First, as you have implied in your letter, it seems important to note that while Baptism is God's gracious means of conveying to human beings His saving grace revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Savior, it is not the only means. Responses have been edited for publication. So go to him and ask him to explain further. Work while it is day before night comes when we cannot work, knowing God has given us a purpose and things to do for Him in this short life. And consider how God can turn the bad things into good for those who love God (Romans 8:28). Life Ministry The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod. In the Lutheran faith, many believers feel that when a person dies, his spirit leaves the body and goes to either heaven or hell. A pastor presides over the service and reads from the Lutheran Book of Worship or The Lutheran Hymnal of Lutheran . Second Corinthians 7:10 says that this kind of sorrow brings death. ", Some Christians teach, however, that the "rapture" will take place not on the last day but in connection with an "invisible" coming of Christ occurring before a seven-year period of "tribulation" on earth, allowing Christians to "escape" this tribulation and then later return to earth for a literal "1,000 year reign of Christ.". Lutherans also accept cremation, and you can have a traditional Lutheran funeral along with cremation. 10:14-17; Eph. Jesus uses similar language in referring to "the cup" (of wine) as "His blood." 2:7, 11, 20:14 and 21:4). QUESTION: Does The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod believe in the rapture? Could you please share the history of close[d] Communion? The Bible does not say that there are those who are chosen and that there are those who are not. It would be very irresponsible to let anyone and everyone receive Communion when they may very well be eating and drinking judgment on themselves. 28:19-20). Similarly, in 1 Cor. pp. (1 Cor. What Do Lutherans believe about death? I know God wishes everyone to be saved. 12:13). They also pray for them and in the case of children, help with their Christian upbringing, especially if they should lose their parents.". The sin against the Holy Spirit is the conscious, persistent, stubborn, unyielding refusal of someone who was at one time a believer to acknowledge his or her sin, be sorry for it, and desire God's forgiveness in Christ. The Elect: Whereas many Protestant denominations focus on the believer's decision to accept salvation from Jesus, Lutherans turn that around and focus on God choosing the believer. 6:4, We were buried therefore with him by [Greek: the instrumental dia] baptism). For Lutherans, Judgment Day is the day when Jesus will return to Earth, and everyone who hasn't died will go to heaven or hell. QUESTION: In Communion, do we commune with the sacrificed body and blood of Jesus, or do we commune with the resurrected body and blood of Jesus? My question is, where in the Bible does it ever talk about Jesus descending into hell? Accordingly, Scripture denies to man after the fall and before conversion freedom of will in spiritual matters, and Scripture asserts that conversion is accomplished entirely through the Holy Ghost by the Gospel. Then, being forgiven in Christ, we will be compelled by God's love to leave our sins and live as God wants us to live. Are they asleep until the end of the world? And that must be the purpose in your and your mother's case, although it may be a bitter pill to swallow. So how do Lutherans answer this question? His answer follows: Christ, the Savior of the world, answered the first question in this way: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16). But consider this. QUESTION: Being raised in the LCMS, I was surprised today when I was visiting an LCMS church that had a pamphlet explaining their beliefs about Communion. There is no sin in heaven, because it is the place where the sinless God dwells. 2:14, "Natural man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God.". 25:31-46, Rom. Because of such conscientious care in such instances, the Baptism of a child often provides a wonderful occasion for restoring an inactive Christian family to the life of faith or even to bring the Good News of Jesus and His salvation to a family. He did so throughout the entire Old Testament. ; originally published in St. Louis in 1864). 8:7) and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost" (1 Cor. Likewise, faith does not ask if good works are to be done, but before one can ask, faith has already done them and is constantly active" (Formula of Concord, SD, IV, 10-11). There are numerous Bible passages that make the same point and use the same language (e.g., Matt. 28:20), the church baptizes infants only where there is the assurance that parents or spiritual guardians will nurture the faith of the one baptized through continued teaching of God's Word. I have sins that I commit over and over again, not like I did before I was saved, but I still commit them. 1. What is the LCMS position on early Communion? Those who have been cleansed in the blood of the Lamb have been cleansed forever. Perhaps no other question has been given more attention in our Synod, especially in the last 25 years, than the question of Communion practice. If God already predetermined who was saved, what is the point of witnessing? 1:16-17; 10:17) and the Lord's Supper (Matt. And I can see nothing wrong in this. We must always turn to God in His Word and prayer for answers, never away from Him. Regarding heaven and "degrees of glory" the Commission says: "Eternal life is pictured in the Scriptures as a state of never-ending "blessedness." Those who are concerned about this possibility are certainly free to make use of the individual cup option, which is available in nearly all congregations today. The answer to the second part of this question is no, we cannot feel assured that we have done or are doing enough good works, since we do not know how many God has set for us to do. It says that "those who have done good" (and only those who believe in Jesus alone for salvation are able to "do good" in God's sight) "will enter eternal life.". We have no evidence that an increasing number of congregations have adopted, or are considering the adoption of, the practice of early Communion in recent years. The Lutheran position forces one to come to this conclusion of two ways to be saved, although both are by faith alone, just two different means. If God has prepared in advance the works we are to do, He cannot be indifferent to any of our good works. In Acts 10:44ff they believed and as a result were saved, filled with the Holy Spirit and therefore baptized. 2:3-4). 17:3). ANSWER: It would be good for you to talk to the pastor to determine just what he said and meant. God is, rather, continually creating, calling into being each moment of each day. In all three Gospel accounts the term blaspheme is used to describe this sin against the Holy Spirit. 28:18-20), or it will die. Some will wonder: how do Christians justify . 2:1); that "the carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. ANSWER: In his book What's the Answer? parallels in Mark and Luke). Scripture teaches us to repent of our sins to be truly sorry for them and trust in Christ for forgiveness, every time we sin. The best way is to consume the remaining elements, since the Lord said, Take and eat Take and drink, and did not provide for anything that was left over. Contributions received and accepted by the LCMS are deemed to be in agreement with this statement. The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod practices close[d] Communion for two main reasons. 4:5). Their beliefs surrounding death and the afterlife and indeed one of the reasons for the Church's founding: German Martin Luther rejected the Catholic teaching that life with God is achieved by good deeds and faith. ANSWER: Let me first of all refer you to a couple of resources that set forth the position of the Synod on Election and objective or "universal" justification. ANSWER: The Lutheran Cyclopedia (Erwin L. Lueker, editor; Concordia Publishing House, 1975) contains the following helpful summary of the Lutheran understanding of what Scripture teaches regarding the freedom of the will: The scriptural doctrine of the freedom of the human will is closely connected with the doctrine of original sin (see Sin, Original). ANSWER: Infants are included in all nations" who are to be baptized (Matt. Return to Creeds FAQs|Return to main menu. 3:26-27; Rom. 5:25-26; 1 Cor. King David is not merely talking about the state death; he is speaking about the joys of heaven. Whenever we sin, we know (as John says) that "if we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just and will forgive our sins" for the sake of Jesus our Savior (1 John 1:9). It is a wonderful gift of a loving and gracious God. For Lutherans, " the Ethiopian Church conferred legitimacy on Luther's emerging Protestant vision of a church outside the authority of the Roman Catholic papacy" as it was "an ancient church with direct ties to the apostles." 10. What are the prescribed means for the disposal of the consecrated wine and wafers? Afterlife and Salvation. This warning follows the Pharisees accusation that Jesus was in collusion with Satan upon hearing of Jesus healing of the dumb demoniac (Matt. Baptism, we believe, is one of the miraculous means of grace (together with God's written and spoken Word) through which God creates the gift of faith in a person's heart. The question and answer reads as follows: "7. Rev. It does not have an answer for all . Behind all this is the all-encompassing Gospel pronouncement that God was in Christ, reconciling the world [including the little children] unto Himself (2 Cor. Scripture also gives witness to God punishing the wicked (Proverbs) and punishing individuals and even whole nations for evil (Egyptians, Israel for their wickedness and idolatry, etc.). Usage: Congregational use of FAQs does not require permission of The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod. God's command to baptize (Matt. Just as the good angels are fixed in their sinless state now, so also we shall be. We do not play around with this. Or should he bother with it only because a large enough absence of good works would suggest his faith might be too weak for salvation? It is impossible, therefore, for a confessing Christian to fall into this state unknowingly or unwillingly, and any confessing Christian who is sincerely concerned about the possibility of having committed this "sin" clearly has not committed it, because one of the necessary signs of being in this state of non-repentance and unbelief is having no real concern or remorse about being in this condition. The Scriptures teach, of course, that there is only one Baptism (Eph. It was also suggested that hell is not eternal. Tertullian held that in the case of little children, baptism ought to be delayed until they know how to ask for salvation (On Baptism, ch. The Didache requires the administrant of Baptism to pour water three times on the head (7:3). Faith, big or small, strong or weak, as long as it trusts in Jesus' merits, will SAVE. All of these practices should be understood properly. They see Baptism as something we do (e.g., a public profession of faith, etc.) QUESTION: Why do Lutherans baptize infants? Could a person commit this sin and not know about it? Lutherans commonly believe that after death a person either spends everlasting life with God in Heaven or without God in Hell. And also, when the Bible talks about how worldly sorrow brings death but godly sorrow brings repentance and life, how do I know which one I have? 4. My first thought is that one cannot. sey unser Gast; Come, Lord Jesus, be our Guest, und segne, was du bescheret hast. ANSWER: The consent of one or both parents (or guardians) is required in Lutheran practice prior to baptizing an infant. Here's from the ELCA website: ELCA Lutherans confess the New Testament proclamation of "the resurrection of the dead (The Nicene Creed), or "the resurrection of the body (The Apostles Creed). The earliest known printing of the text is in a Moravian hymnal, Etwas vom Liede Mosis, des Knechts Gottes, und dem Liede des Lammes, das ist: Alt- und neuer Brder-Gesang (London, 1753). Read Hebrews 12. Can I get sick from using the Common Cup? If a contributor cannot be contacted, the LCMS will use the gift to meet a similar pressing need that most closely matches the contributor's original intent. For this reason, many Lutherans choose to be buried after they die. The Synod itself adopted a resolution in 1971 that basically left up to individual congregations the decision as to what practice they may want to follow. Upon death, Lutherans believe a person goes straight to heaven or hell. Is it being sorry for your sins and confessing them to God, or does it mean to stop committing a certain sin? 3:7-8). The doctrine of Election is summarized in the Synod's A Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod. Yes, the Christian should bother whether he is doing Christ's good works, even though he is saved by faith alone. 9:6; Matt. ANSWER: The official position of The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod is that not only are members of other Lutheran churches with whom we are in altar and pulpit fellowship invited to commune with us, but also that in certain extraordinary cases of pastoral care and in emergencies members of churches not in fellowship with us may be given Communion. Return to Heaven and Hell FAQS|Return to main menu. Since such is the case with the former Worldwide Church of God, it would be necessary for one to be re-baptized. What do we believe as Lutherans? However, one cannot come into God's grace by himself, but by the Holy Spirit "leading" him unto salvation. I know the Word and the promises of the Gospel are our rock, but how do we distinguish between real faith and mere intellectual assent? QUESTION: Recently, both my sister and father have died (separately). This same Apostle, who regarded himself as among God's elect, wrote to the Corinthians, "For necessity is laid upon me. King David confesses, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Ps. Such views conflict with the Lutheran position on what the Scriptures and the Lutheran confessional writings teach concerning the coming of Christ and the end of the world. Lutherans believe that God is Creator of the universe. QUESTION: I recently attended a Bible study in which we discussed the fate of those who never had the chance to hear about God. You may wish to read an article by David W. Loy titled,Come, Lord Jesus, that was published in the 2011 June/July edition of The Lutheran Witness. QUESTION: Why do bad things happen to good people? QUESTION: What happens when we die? Because of this, we believe that Baptism is one of the miraculous means of grace (another is Gods Word as it is written or spoken), through which God creates and/or strengthens the gift of faith in a persons heart (see Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21; Gal. What remains in the chalice, however, should either be consumer or poured into the piscine or onto the ground, since there may be crumbs or other foreign matter in it. Return to The Lord's Supper FAQs|Return to main menu. And in the New Testament, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. As the Supplementary Volume of The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible correctly notes, It is unlikely that in Jerusalem, Samaria, Damascus, Philippi, Corinth, Rome, or Asia Minor enough water was always available for a full bath (87). Life Library Death. Specifically with respect to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Creed states of Him that He is God (and man): "God of the substance of the Father." Good works, which are seen, give evidence of faith, which is unseen.". Do these phrases diminish the Holiness of the Three in One? Parents and sponsors then have the privilege and responsibility of nurturing the baptized child in God's love and in His Word so that he or she may know and continue to enjoy the wonderful blessings of Baptism throughout his or her life. 6:4; Col. 2:11-12; 1 Cor. Lutherans have understood the Bible to teach that Christ went to hell to declare His triumph as God's Messiah over death and the power of the devil. In fact, taken as a whole, the evidence suggests otherwise. Occasionally, we may receive more in contributions for a particular purpose than can be wisely applied to it in the foreseeable future or the purpose may cease to be feasible. The departed souls remain in heaven or hell until the Day of Judgment, when they shall be reunited with their own bodies (Matt. The answer is that Lutherans do not try to answer it because (we believe) the Bible itself does not provide an answer to this question that is comprehensible to human reason. The 58 million Lutherans in the world worship in hundreds of languages. Paul clearly says here that we all "partake" of "BREAD" when we receive the Lord's Suppereven as we also partake of and "participate in" the true body of Christ. Can non-LCMS individuals serve as sponsors? Whoever dies in the Lord is blessed "from henceforth" (Rev. But we do know God is all forgiving and that he died for all of our sins. (In this connection you may wish to review the following comments on Rom. So "real" is this participation in Christ's body and blood, in fact, that (according to Paul) those who partake of the bread and wine "in an unworthy manner" are actually guilty of "profaning the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Cor. Pastors and congregations of the Synod (regardless of the size or circumstances of the latter) are expected to honor and uphold the official position and practice of the Synod on "close[d] Communion," which includes the possibility and even necessity of communing non-LCMS individuals in special situations of pastoral care. ANSWER: The statements of the Creed read as follows: "At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies and will give an account of their own works. 26:41; 1 Cor. The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 15:26, 55-57; Rev. While stopping short of saying on the basis of clear scriptural directions in this area "Thus saith the Lord," the Commission argues that the principal concern must be to preserve the uniqueness of the pastoral office as it relates to the role of women in the church. Others have established a basin and drain-piscina-specifically for disposal for the wine. For as many of you who have been baptized have put on Christ. Baptism through the Word creates the faith necessary to receive salvation for infants. A lot more good has happened to people who love God in Jesus than bad. Genuine faith is a faith that shows itself in good works. If this seems paradoxical to human reason, then (Lutherans say) this is only because the teaching of Scripture itself on this issue (as on many other issues) appears paradoxical to human reason. 3:15; Gal. 9. But the Bible also uses the work of repentance in a broader sense to include faith in Jesus our Savior. It was a self-centered remorse and despair that wrongly concluded that all was lost in this life, that there was no hope, that there was nothing God could do. At death, the body and the soul separate (Ecclesiastes 12:7). To understand this proclamation, we turn not only to Jesus' promise of new life after death, but also to St. Paul who speaks of the resurrection as our . ANSWER: The conceptual framework for the Left Behind series is the so-called "rapture," which is a central aspect of dispensational pre-millennial views of the end times. Old things have passed away, the new has come (Rev. He is the same Christ, and when he gave us the Sacrament, as the Lutheran Confessions affirm, "he was speaking of his true, essential body, which he gave into death for us, and of his true, essential blood, which was poured out for us on the tree of the cross for the forgiveness of sins" (Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration VII, 49). The Bible tells us that such faith comes by hearing (Rom. For children of unbelievers we do not venture to hold out such hope. 11) are also means of grace. Because the Bible teaches that this Sacrament may also be spiritually harmful if misused, and that participation in the Lord's Supper is an act of confession of faith, the LCMS ordinarily communes only those who have been instructed in the teachings of our church and who have confessed their faith in these teachings. The Bible says that repentance is a pre-requisite for faith. QUESTION: In our Bible study today, we discussed if there are degrees or levels in heaven and hell. QUESTION: I am a member of an LCMS church. Which is it? Can a person use wheat and gluten free Communion wafers as an option? ANSWER: In its report on Theology and Practice of the Lord's Supper, the Synod's Commission on Theology and Church Relations includes the following question and answer: Does it matter whether a congregation uses individual glasses or the common cup to distribute the consecrated wine? And if they do only speak of babies who do not have the capacity to believe, why don't these verses say so. If a Christian knows he is saved by knowing that he has faith, should he bother with the question whether he is practicing Christ's teachings, given that faith alone is sufficient for salvation? 4:3). Infants can have faith. Do we have to try to amend our life in order to be saved? Lutherans teach that, at death, the souls of Christians are immediately taken into the presence of Jesus, where they await the second coming of Jesus on the last day. At its 2007 convention the LCMS once again reaffirmed its official practice of close[d] Communion by adopting a resolution (Res. Noted church reformers Martin Luther, left, and William Tyndale understood . 3. Are their bodies asleep, but their souls with God? How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!". QUESTION: Wouldn't it be possible to contract a virus via an infected person who has drunk of the Communion cup prior to you? Thus, Lutheran theologians have always considered Jesus' descent into hell to be the first of Christ's works of "exaltation" mentioned in the Creed rather than part of his work of . Assuming, therefore, that you have already received a proper Christian Baptism, there would be no need for you or your wife to be re-baptized, although completion of some form of instruction classes or membership classes is normally required of non-Lutherans who wish to become communicant members of LCMS congregations. It attributes the authorship of "Komm, Herr Jesu!" Is faith later taken care of when the child is confirmed? Today is the 4th Sunday of Easter. Faith can also be created in a person's heart by the power of the Holy Spirit working through God's (written or spoken) Word. We all commit all kinds of sins daily, for which we have to daily repent. Parental authority must be respected and a child should not be baptized against the clear objection of parents or guardians. In the 1,500 years from the time of Christ to the Protestant Reformation, the only notable church father who expressed opposition to infant Baptism was Tertullian (160-215 AD). 11:27). Lutherans believe in life after death. It's a sinful world. Being saved does not depend on how hard we try to amend our sinful life, but as Paul said to the jailer in Philippi when he asked what he should do to be saved: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved you and your household.". 2003 2010 The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod. ANSWER: In his book What's the Answer? 1:23-24), while the souls of unbelievers at death are consigned to "the prison" of everlasting judgment in hell (1 Peter 3:19-20; Acts 1:25). I mention this article because in the introductory section of it, Dr. Scharlemann reviews history of its inclusion in the creeds of the church. 3:26-27), gives us the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5-6), saves us (1 Peter 3:21), buries us and raises us up with Christ as new creatures (Rom. There is not a single passage in Scripture which instructs us not to baptize for reasons of age, race, or gender. (Jesus told His disciples in Luke 24:47 that repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations.). The LCMS entrusts to individual pastors and congregations the responsibility of making decisions about finding ways to involve such people in the baptismal service (e.g., sometimes they are asked to serve as witnesses to the baptism). Are there degrees or levels in heaven or hell? The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) opposes physician-assisted suicide and other efforts by medical professionals to speed a patient's death. ANSWER: On the basis of the evidence provided in the New Testament, it is not possible to prove that the term baptize always refers to immersion, nor that the Baptisms mentioned were all done by immersion implying (in the view of some) that only Baptisms done by immersion can be considered valid. 3:23; Rom. Depending on the situation, therefore, Lutherans baptize people of all ages from infancy to adulthood. 31:18). Your congregation may want to consider purchasing The Altar Guild Manual as it covers a variety of altar guild functions that include displaying, cleaning and storing paraments and linens appropriately; caring for sacramental vessels and vestments; preparing for and cleaning up after worship services; ordering supplies and more. Forever eliminated is the possibility of falling away from God. Though such people have not heard the Gospel, they are without excuse (Rom. Everything Lutherans believe comes from the Bible, God's message of love and hope for all people. We Confess. He would also be able to share more specific information about the form of the baptismal service used in his congregation and the precise wording of the vows that sponsors or godparents are asked to take. Lutherans affirm, with Scripture, that whoever is saved is saved by God's grace alone, a grace so sure that it excludes all human "action" and "choice" but rather rests on the foundation of God's action in Christ and his "choice" (predestination) from before the beginning of time. We see this in Ephesians, where Paul begins by praising God for His election (the purest of Gospel and only meant for our comfort; Eph. Godly sorrow leads to life and salvation because it includes faith in Jesus Christ. Consider this Word to be the answer to your next two questions: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph. Unlike the Roman Catholic . Whats the LCMS view on the Left Behind series of book? I repented at 5, so it can be early, but not in someone's arms. Perhaps you are very familiar with the Large Catechism's treatment of Baptism, but we mention it here because Luther's treatise on infant baptism in this section is extremely useful.