Who was Martin Luther?

Martin Luther was a doctor of theology in the 16th century and arguably the main Reformer during the Reformation. His reform started with the simple question “how do I find a gracious God?” This question lead him to read the Holy Bible for the answers and realised that to find a gracious God, one must not go to the Law of God but one rely on the mercy of God. Luther soon found in the Bible that salvation is a free gift of God, won by Christ’s death on the cross.

What is the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod?

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) is the conservative wing of modern Lutheranism in America. It was started in Missouri, hence the name.

What do you mean by “grace”?

Biblically speaking, “grace” means “favour.” So when we talk about God’s grace we are talking about His favour. We are highly favoured by God according to His free gift of faith. This is found in His Gospel. Conversely, God’s Law is not gracious or favourable to us, only wrathful. But in the Gospel, we see that God loves us and makes us into His beloved children.

Is the Bible God’s Word?

Yes, the Bible is the Word of God. God has made it clear that His Word, the Bible, is God-breathed (or “inspired”) (II Timothy 3.16-17), that it shall never be broken (John 10.35), and that it is sufficient for creating and sustaining Christian faith and life (Colossians 1.25; I Peter 1.23).

What makes Lutherans different?

The most significant difference that makes Lutherans different is that we ever seek to distinguish Law and Gospel in our faith and life. We do this because we know how terrible and easy it is to confuse the two doctrines and that confusing them destroys true Christian faith.

Why do you worship the way you do?

St Mark’s worships as a traditional liturgical congregation. The reason is simple: its not about tradition for tradition’s sake but about doctrinal content. The historic liturgy uses doctrine in a worshipful way to bring one from being under wrath and the law into a state of grace and forgiveness.

What about “once saved, always saved”?

The Scriptures clearly teach that faith can be lost (Matthew 12.43-45; Hebrews 6.4-8; Matthew 13.20-22; I John 2.19). A loss of faith occurs when we carelessly follow our desires of the flesh (Romans 8.13), when we continue to live in the gross sins of the flesh (Galatians 5.19-21; I Corinthians 6.9-10), when we carelessly or wilfully neglect the hearing of the Gospel and the use of the Sacraments (I Corinthians 16.1-2; Romans 10.17; John 8.31), when we continue to indulge our evil imaginations and do not (with the help of the Spirit) strive against unclean desire (I John 3.3; Matthew 5.27; Ephesians 6.10-17), when we allow the love of pleasure, riches, material things of this world, fame, reputation, etc. to have priority in life (Matthew 13.22; Ephesians 5.5-6; I John 1.15-16; Matthew 6.24), when we do not adhere to the Word of God and pray diligently for divine help and protection against the temptations of the devil, the world, and the flesh (Matthew 26.41; Ephesians 6.10-18).

Scripture also teaches that forgiveness is also freely given in repentance and that faith can be restored (II Samuel 11.-12; Psalm 51; Proverbs 24.16; Matthew 26.69-75; John 21.15-17).

Is it wrong to smoke or drink?

There is nothing in God’s Holy Word which condemns smoking or drinking. Saying that one’s body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (cf. I Corinthians 6.19) and therefore one should not drink or smoke is a misuse of that passage (in reality, this passage is talking about sins obviously contrary to the Ten Commandments).

The Bible does talk against extremes, such as gluttony and drunkenness, it also talks of moderation (Philippians 4.5; cf. Proverbs 25.16, 27). So one can be acceptable to God and still smoke and drink in moderation.

Why do you baptise infants?

Christ’s Great Commission (Matthew 28.18-20) to baptise all nations. This includes all people, regardless of race, height, weight, gender, or age. St Paul was clear with his words to Timothy that in his infancy Timothy knew the Scriptures (II Timothy 3.15) which hints at the use of infant baptism in St Paul’s day (cf. Acts 2.38-39).

Baptising infants is pleasing to Jesus. The modern confusion about infant baptism is that both faith and baptism often are incorrectly seen as an act of ours when in reality both are an act of God on us. They both depends upon the power of God’s Word. Our faith does not make a baptism but our faith receives it. Baptism is not bound to our faith but to the Word of God (Galatians 3.27; Ephesians 5.26; Titus 3.5-7). We bring children to baptism with the purpose and hope that they may believe, and we pray God to grant them faith through baptism. We baptise them simply because Christ commanded it in Matthew 28.19. And we know that God nor His Word does not lie (Numbers 23.19; I Peter 1.25).

Why do you believe in the Trinity?

The reason we believe in the Trinity is that Bible clearly teaches that there is one God (Exodus 20.3 ;Deuteronomy 6.4) and it also clearly teaches that God is Father (Malachi 2.10), Son (John 20.28; I John 5.20), and Holy Spirit (Acts 5.3-4; I Corinthians 3.16; Psalm 139.7-10; see also Matthew 3.16-17; 28.19). This is why we see the angels crying “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Isaiah 6.3) to the one God in three Persons (see also Genesis 1.26; John 3.11 for references to God in His persons).

Why do you believe that Christ’s Body and Blood are truly present in the Lord’s Supper?

Simply put, because Christ said so. At the Last Supper Christ says “This is My body ... this is the blood of the new covenant” (Matthew 26.26-29; I Corinthians 11.23-27). We know that this is not symbolic or picture language because of the clear wording of Scripture that this is (cf. I Corinthians 11.25; Galatians 3.25; Hebrews 9.15-22).

Do you have activities for children?

Yes, we have many activities for children. Check out our Church Life page to find out more.

The Sacrament of the Altar is one of the most sacred aspects of the Christian faith and life. This Church throughout history has taken the words of St Paul in I Corinthians 11.27-34 seriously. In this passage, St Paul mentions that Holy Communion can be taken unworthily. This means that those who do not believe that Christ’s Body and Blood are truly present in the Bread and the Wine, those who are living in gross unrepentant sin, or those who partaken in non-Christian worship are asked not to partake until proper instruction can take place. The Church has established that those who wish to take Communion must first be properly taught the Christian faith. For children, this is called “confirmation” and for adults it is called “adult information.”

Sometimes you might hear this called “close communion” but the purpose behind for either phrase is the same.

Do you believe in books other than the Bible?

We believe that the Bible is the only rule and norm for our faith and life. We use other books for study but we do not consider any other book to be equal to the Bible. It is sufficient for proper Christian faith and life for all people for all time (II Timothy 3.15-17).

How do you compare to the LDS Church?

We are very different. Come and see. No strings attached.

What is “Confirmation”?

Confirmation is the process our teenaged children go through to become full members of congregation. During confirmation, they learn more in-depthly what it means to be a Lutheran.

How can I become a member of St Mark’s?

First, contact the pastor and visit our congregation on Sunday a few times. No strings attached. If you are still interested, St Mark’s offers Adult Information Classes weekly to bring new people into membership.

What is “The Book of Concord”?

The Book of Concord is a collection of writings Martin Luther and those in agreement with with him wrote to defend their position that “man is made righteous with God through faith alone” is indeed good biblical doctrine. It is not equal to the Word of God by any means but it is an excellent commentary on the Bible itself.