A Dwelling Place for God
Core Beliefs
"The Foundation of a Loving Community of Faith"
As Lutheran Christians our faith is based solely on the Word of God, in the person of Jesus and in the written Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. The historic Creeds provide us with a normative understanding of the Trinity and the nature of Christ. The Lutheran Confessions represent a true interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. This constitutes the theological foundation of our church.
But even with this weighty theological foundation in place, how many members of Bethel can clearly articulate the essential content of their faith? It is sometimes easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees and forget who we are and what we believe. In the midst of all the biblical principles and messages we have heard over the years, it can be difficult for us to sort out the essential truths that shape our identity and purpose. In a culture filled with so many conflicting and confusing messages, and at a time when the existence of any truth at all is being challenged, it is crucial that we have a common understanding of the most important stones in our foundation of faith. These stones are our Core Beliefs.
The Core Beliefs are not everything that we believe, nor are they in any way a new theology. They are simply a way of highlighting the timeless biblical teachings that are most significant in our foundation of faith. We do not create these beliefs; rather the truth of these beliefs is what created us in the first place. The Core Beliefs are foundational because our very identity and existence is based upon them and everything else we have discussed in this booklet grows out of these simple, but central truths. In identifying these Core Beliefs, we are encouraging every member of Bethel to understand these basic teachings, to use them as a foundation for their own faith life, to recognized them as the basis for our life together in community, and to be prepared to articulate them to those who are seeking faith.
As a community of faith based solely on the truth of God's Word, articulated by the Ecumenical Creeds and the Lutheran Confessions, we lift up the following Core Beliefs:- God - God is the One who created us to enjoy an intimate relationship of love and joy with him forever in the magnificence of his perfect creation.
- Sin - Sin is the destructive power of evil unleashed by our disobedience that has broken our relationship with God and ruined the perfection of God's creation.
- Jesus - Jesus is God who came into our broken world as a human being to restore our relationship of love with him and redeem all of creation by the power of his death and resurrection.
- The Holy Spirit - The Holy Spirit is God living presence inside of us who empowers us to follow the example of Jesus, binds us together in community, and guides us in fulfilling his purpose in creation.
- The Church - The Church is the community of Jesus' disciples, nourished by Word and Sacrament, called to be a light to the world, through whom God is accomplishing the redemption of humanity.
- Our Destiny - Our Destiny is to be gathered together into God's restored Kingdom, along with all who have died in Christ, to celebrate his glory and enjoy his goodness forever.
Reflection Questions
| 1. | What have been the anchoring beliefs that have sustained you? |
| 2. | If you were asked by an unchurched friend to explain what you believe, would you feel prepared to give an adequate answer? |
| 3. | Do you think these Core Beliefs adequately express the essentials of our Christian faith? Would you add anything else? Explain. |
| 4. | If every member at Bethel was able to understand, incorporate, and articulate these Core Beliefs, how do you think it would affect our ministry? |