All our beliefs at St. Paul Lutheran Church and Preschool in Caledonia, MI come directly from God's Word, the Holy Bible. 

  • The Bible is God's inspired, infallible Word.
  • In the Bible, God is revealed as Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  • God created the world and all that exists. 
  • Man is born with original sin and cannot save himself. 
  • We needs God law to remind us of our sin and move us to repent. 
  • Jesus Christ, true God and true man, born of the virgin Mary, died on the cross for all sins, and rose bodily on the third day. 
  • When a person receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, they will want to live according to the will of Christ by: putting Christ first in their life, worshiping on a regular basis, studying God's Word regularly, using the Sacraments frequently, giving faithfully to the work of Christ's church, seeking ways to serve Him through ministry to others, and telling others of His wondrous love.
  • Salvation through the forgiveness of sins comes only through faith in Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior. 
  • God's Holy Spirit works on the hearts of His people through Word and Sacrament to create, strength, and guide our faith. 
  • God expects all Christians to be baptized, including infants. 
  • Baptism makes you a member of Christ's body, the church. 
  • The body and blood of Christ are really present in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper for the forgiveness of sins. Only those who share this belief should commune with us. 
  • God strengthens our faith and love through the Lord's Supper. 
  • God answers the prayers of believers. 
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​The basic summary of the Christian faith is found in the Three Ecumenical Creeds.  Ecumenical means that these creeds are universally held by all who call themselves Christians.  A creed is a statement of what someone believes.  As Lutherans, we confess that we are a part of the Church that has existed since the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.  Therefore we confess what the Church of the ages has confessed and summarized in the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creeds.  These creeds date back to the first centuries after Jesus' resurrection and ascension.  At least one of these creeds are used in every service, connecting us with the whole Church, past and present.

The Apostles' Creed is the most basic of the three.  It is not named the Apostles' Creed because they wrote it, but because it clearly summarizes what they taught, which is what Jesus taught them. 

THE APOSTLES' CREED
I 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 at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I 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. Amen.

                                   What is a Lutheran?                                      

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​A Lutheran is a Christian who holds everything in the Bible to be true.  Because it is the very Word of God, it cannot lie.  That means that when God says the world was made in six 24-hour days, He is telling the truth.  It means that when He says He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to bear our sin and be our Savior, it is the truth.  When He tells us that we are saved by His grace, through faith and not works, it is the truth.  A Lutheran believes the Word of God and has it as the only source for faith and belief.

Lutherans are named after the 16th century monk, Martin Luther, who challenged the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church and led the Reformation of the Christian Church, restoring the authority of the Word of God over the traditions of man. The Book of Concord is the full collection of the beliefs of the Lutheran Church.  It contains all of the original documents written by the Lutherans to confess their beliefs and to condemn the errors which had been taught in the Church. 
 The plain teachings of the Bible have been condensed into Luther's Small Catechism, a basic primer on the faith.  The Small Catechism explains the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, the Office of the Keys (Confession and Absolution), and the Sacrament of the Altar.  Thanks to our friends at Concordia Publishing House, the full text of the Small Catechism is available online free.  
For more basic information about Lutherans, visit the Beliefs and Practice  page from The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.