Grace Free Lutheran Church Valley City, ND
We believe in...
Jesus
We believe Jesus Christ as true God stepped into human history as true man, died in our place, and rose again to accomplish forgiveness of sins and eternal life for those who believe in Him. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16
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The Bible
We believe God's Word is wholly without error and that the Holy Spirit works through it to convict people of sin, bring them to Christ, bestow saving faith, and change their lives. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness."
2 Timothy 3:16
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Building Families
We believe in God's design for the family: marriage is between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24) and God has given complementary roles to both the husband and the wife (Ephesians 5:22-33). We believe the mandate of teaching the Word of God to children is first to the parents (Deuteronomy 6:6,7) and second to the Church.
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Reaching Out
We believe Christians are called to be ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), to live godly and upright lives (I Timothy 4:7), and to share the Gospel with others. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"
Matthew 28:19
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Further Beliefs
Grace Free
The constitution of Grace Free Lutheran states our faith convictions this way:
"This congregation believes and confesses that the Holy Scriptures, the canonical books of the Old and New Testament, are the Word of God, revealed for the salvation of men, and therefore, in union with Baptism and the Lord's Supper, the only source and rule of faith, doctrine, and life in the congregation. . . . This congregation accepts and adheres to the Apostolic, the Nicene, and the Athanasian Creeds, and in addition thereto, the unaltered Augsburg Confession and Luther's Small Catechism. All preaching and teaching in the congregation shall conform herewith."
We believe that the Bible is the only source and standard for Christian faith and life; that it is verbally inspired by God; and that it is inerrant. For a further explanation of Biblical inerrancy read the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.
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Our Denomination
AFLC
The Statement of Faith of the AFLC, our larger church body, gives a fuller explanation of our articles of faith. You can read it here.
"Having a common purpose and seeking one goal, we join together as free congregations for Christian fellowship, mutual edification, the salvation of souls, and whatever work may be necessary that the Kingdom of God may come among us and our fellow men. No bonds of compulsion bind us, save those which the Holy Spirit lays upon us.
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No man fully understands the times and the situations in which he lives. At best we see through a glass darkly. Nevertheless, each Christian must decide in the light of God’s Word and the evidence which he has what course of action he should take and to what causes his life should be given. It is the same for the Christian congregations. Imperfect as it is, it must decide in what fellowship of other congregations it can best live out its purpose for being. Out of considerable soul-searching and prayer we have chosen to continue as Lutheran free churches..."