Beliefs
Our Beliefs
In short, we believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His 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 into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven; and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit; the Holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.
God
God the Father maker of heaven and earth and the first person of the Trinity yet equal to Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus
Jesus is the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary and the second person of the Trinity. He is friend to sinners, taking our punishment and shame, doing what we could not do for ourselves conquering sin, death and the grave by the way of the cross.
The Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity and the least understood. He is our Comforter, Counselor, and Intercessor. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit the fruit of his occupancy in our being is evident through the gifts of the Holy Spirit which include love, joy, peace, forbearance, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
Salvation
An extraordinary gift. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved and this is by grace not by works. Because of God's grace and mercy we do not receive the eternal damnation which we deserve and we receive the gift of eternal life which we do not deserve.
Baptism
Jesus commands Baptism and the Holy Scriptures tells us that water is to be used together with God’s Word, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We practice sprinkling of water rather than immersion which can be done at any time, in any place and in almost any circumstance.
Communion
The Lord’s Supper is a celebration! As members of the Lutheran Church -Missouri Synod, we believe that Christ’s body and blood are actually present in the bread and wine. By participating in this Sacrament, we are confessing that we trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, repent of our sins, ask God’s forgiveness, and believe we receive forgiveness through the body and the blood. We also promise to amend our sinful lives and agree with the teachings of the LC-MS.
The Bible
We believe that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. God inspired the writers of the Bible to write His words and they are valuable to our everyday life, rewarding relationships and problem solving.
St. Martin's is a Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) congregation.