These are my

Beliefs

What does this mean?
What a Lutheran believes

No one sin can ever be cured by our own acts. Our acts are worthless when we think we are earning our salvation. Many verses in the bible, including several letters from the disciples,
describe how we can’t earn faith. Faith is a fragile thing, and we can’t ever let go of it.
Faith the size of a mustard seed can let you walk on water.

 When we think sin leads our lives, we find guilt in our hearts, whilst God finds perfection.

Section one:

SIN

Sin is an illusion, one that can hide its identity by brainwashing our minds into thinking only pleasure will come of our actions. This is wrong. Sin is overcome before it hits you. Well, you still sin, but, before the guilt reaches the deepest depths of your heart, you know that you are forgiven by Jesus Christ the savior who “for our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again  in accordance with the Scriptures.” (Quoted from the Nicene Creed)

Today many denominations teach that we are saved not by our actions, but by the faith the Holy Spirit gave to us when we were baptized. I am Lutheran, and I believe this very intently.
Below are some of the main things I disagree with in other denominations: (As for sin, it is explained with bits and pieces in other sections)

“Once saved always saved”
The Baptists have always believed that “Once you are saved, you are always saved”.
I do not believe this, but it has a fairly good alibi. Their alibi that this is true comes straight from the bible:

Hosea 2:10 So now I will expose her lewdness before the eyes of her lovers; no one will take her out of my hands.

Psalm 31:5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD , the God of truth.

Another thing they believe is that you earn faith! Here is how they think this is true:
Joshua 24:14 "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD .”
This is just one of many verses that the Baptists think prove their theory.
Here are a few that prove it wrong:
MAT 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. MAT 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, MAT 28:20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. "
MAR 16:16 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
Basically, this means that anyone who uses their faith given to them at baptism by the Holy Spirit is saved, proving the “earn your salvation” theory wrong.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 ”But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.”
This here states that the Holy Spirit (saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit) And the faith that the Spirit gives you is what saves you.

Martin Luther once proved how the Catholics had turned God’s house into a bank, collecting money so people could get out of purgatory.
These verses show that God does not agree with what they did, and how he grieves over it.

Mark 11:17 And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: " 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'[ 11:17 Isaiah 56:7] ? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'[ 11:17 Jer. 7:11] "

Matthew 21:13 "It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be called a house of prayer,'[ 21:13 Isaiah 56:7] but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'[ 21:13 Jer. 7:11] "
Below is a very small section of Martin Luther’s definition of faith:
            Faith is not what some people think it is. Their human dream
       is a delusion. Because they observe that faith is not followed by
       good works or a better life, they fall into error, even though they
       speak and hear much about faith. ``Faith is not enough,'' they
       say, ``You must do good works, you must be pious to be saved.''
       They think that, when you hear the gospel, you start working,
       creating by your own strength a thankful heart which says, ``I
       believe.'' That is what they think true faith is. But, because
       this is a human idea, a dream, the heart never learns anything
       from it, so it does nothing and reform doesn't come from this
       `faith,' either.

            Instead, faith is God's work in us, that changes us and gives
       new birth from God. (John 1:13). It kills the Old Adam and makes us
       completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits,
       our thoughts and all our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with
       it. Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this
       faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn't
       stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone
       asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without
       ceasing.  Anyone who does not do good works in this manner is an
       unbeliever.  He stumbles around and looks for faith and good
       works, even though he does not know what faith or good works are.
       Yet he gossips and chatters about faith and good works with many
       words.

This is an excellent piece of writing that clearly tells how faith is not earned, but is given to us in Holy Baptism by the Holy Spirit.

The Sacraments:

In the Lutheran denomination we believe in the two sacraments;
The sacrament of Holy Baptism, and The Sacrament of the Alter (The Lord’s Supper)

HOLY BAPTISM
We Lutherans believe in infant baptism. We do allow adult baptism, but if a baby is born into the church, it is most likely true that he/she was baptized as an infant.
Writings from www.lutherproductions.com :
Lutheran: Lutherans retained infant baptism but altered their understanding of its nature. Luther and other conservative Protestant reformers also quietly abandoned the notion that unbaptized infants are condemned without, they hoped, diminishing the importance of baptism. The Lutheran view of baptism is summarized in a listing of its benefits in Luther's Small Catechism: "In Baptism God forgives sin, delivers from death and the devil, and gives everlasting salvation to all who believe what he has promised." Lutherans maintained that baptism, functioning as a promise, simply bestowed these gifts. At the same time, the Lutherans insisted that these gifts can only be received by saving faith. Thus Luther typically argued that infants are capable of faith and that the presence of faith is a condition of effective baptism.

THE LORD’S SUPPER
“Do this in remembrance of me”
Jesus Christ said that on the night before he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, whom was paid silver coins to turn over Jesus for crucifixion. The body and blood of Christ, given in the form of wine and unleavened bread (manna) was given to the disciples that night, and from thence on, Christian churches do this every Sunday. (Most churches do, Lutheran Missouri Synod does at least) When the wine and bread enter the mouth and body, they become consecrated or Holy.
This means the become the body and blood of our lord, Jesus Christ.
The Lutheran denomination calls this “The Lord’s Supper”. The Catholics call it “Mass”.
Another name for it in the Lutheran denomination is “The Sacrament of the Alter”, the second sacrament of the church.

The creeds:
The Nicene, Apostles, and the Anathasian Creed

Nicene:

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. AMEN.

The Apostles Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,     the Creator of heaven and earth,     and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of 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,     whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy *catholic church,     the communion of saints,     the forgiveness of sins,     the resurrection of the body,     and life everlasting.
Amen.
Anathasian Creed:
Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith except every one does keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
And the catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is all one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate, and the Holy Ghost uncreate. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three Eternals, but one Eternal. As there are not three Uncreated nor three Incomprehensible, but one Uncreated and one Incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Ghost almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords, but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, So are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say, There be three Gods, or three Lords.
The Father is made of none: neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son: neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before or after other; none is greater or less than another; But the whole three Persons are coeternal together, and coequal: so that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped. He, therefore, that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe faithfully the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is, that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man of the substance of His mother, born in the world; Perfect God and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood; Who, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two, but one Christ: One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking the manhood into God; One altogether; not by confusion of Substance, but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead; He ascended into heaven; He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty; from whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, and shall give an account of their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire.
This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.
The Anathasian Creed is mainly used for Catholic purposes, and is not recited in my Lutheran church. We only recite the Nicene and the Apostles- During different times of the church year we switch off. At the moment, on the second Sunday of Easter, we are reciting the Nicene creed.
These are my beliefs of the Christian religion. I hope those who read this come to believe this also.