What We Believe

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church teaches the historic Christian faith. We teach the whole of God's inspired, inerrant Word, without exception. We reject the notion that we are free to “pick and choose” what we like from the Bible and to discard what we find to be unpleasant.

The three ecumenical creeds, the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed were developed by the ancient church as clear summaries of the Christian faith. These creeds, which you can read here, summarize our beliefs today.

As a confessional Lutheran church, we subscribe without reservation to the entirety of The Book of Concord, a collection of 16th century Lutheran statements of faith, as a correct explanation of the Word of God.

Gloria Dei is a member congregation of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. As such, we subscribe to the teachings of our church body, which is summarized in This We Believe.

The following bullet points provide a simple summary of what we believe and teach at Gloria Dei:

  • We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, his unchanging and unerring message to all people of all times.

  • We believe that there is only one true God. He has revealed himself as “Triune,” that is, three in one – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

  • We believe that God created people holy and without sin. The first human beings, by their own decision and actions, brought sin into the world and the whole human race.

  • We believe that sin is in all people by nature and that sin reveals itself in every violation of God’s commands in our thoughts, words, and actions.

  • We believe that sin deserves God’s judgment of death and damnation in hell, an eternal, agonizing separation from God and his blessings.

  • We believe that God so loved the world that he sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to redeem the people of the world from sin.

  • We believe that Jesus paid for the sins of all people when he suffered the punishment God demanded for sin by his death on the cross. For Jesus' sake, God has forgiven all the sins of the entire world.

  • We believe that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the certain proof that God has accepted his Son’s sacrifice for sin of all people. Because he lives, we know that we will live with him forever in eternal life.

  • We believe that through faith alone in the atoning work of Christ do we receive God's blessing of forgiveness which he has accomplished for all people. Through this saving faith, we become heirs of the sure hope of heaven.

  • We believe that only the Holy Spirit can work that saving faith in people’s hearts. To accomplish that work he limits himself to his means of grace, the gospel in God’s Word and the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

  • We believe that, while we are still on this earth, we will want to show our love for Jesus who first loved us and gave his life for us. Good works not only serve those around us, but ultimately give thanks to God who has redeemed us from sin, death, and the power of the devil.

  • We believe that, at our death, we will inherit the wonderful glories of everlasting life with Christ in heaven, where there will be eternal joy and bliss, and no more pain or sorrow.

Gloria Dei is a  member congregation of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.