About Salvation

What we believe about Salvation

We believe that God offers the forgiveness of sins only in the Gospel, the good news that we are freed from the guilt, the punishment, and the power of sin.  Therefore we are saved eternally because of Christ’s keeping the Law and His suffering and death for us.  Scripture teaches that God has already declared believers to be righteous in Christ, not for the sake of their good works, but without the works of the Law.  We are saved by grace, for Christ’s sake.  He justifies us, that is, accounts us as righteous, when we believe, accept, and rely on, the fact that for Christ’s sake our sins are forgiven.

Saint Paul was inspired to write, “There is no difference; for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”  And Paul wrote, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law.”  Through this doctrine alone Christ is given the honor due Him, namely, that through His holy life and innocent suffering and death He is our Savior.  And through this doctrine alone can poor sinners have the abiding comfort that God is assuredly gracious to them.