Lutherans on Sin and Forgiveness....please help!

[Juliebug108]

So for the past several weeks, the pastoral staff at my LCMS church has been saying some things that I just do not agree with or believe. The pastors keep stating that “Our sins are hidden from God,” and that because of Christ’s sacrifice/death/resurrection “God no longer sees our sin.” They also have stated that “God sees us as His perfect and forgiven children, not as sinners.”
:dts:

I’ve really been struggling with this…so much so that it is playing a huge role in why I am researching the Catholic Church so much lately. As it turns out, my beliefs are much more in line with the CC than they are with the LCMS (or even ELCA).

I do not believe that ANYTHING is hidden from God, nor do I believe that “God no longer sees our sin.” This make absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. If this were the case, then why do Lutherans practice baptism, Holy Communion, and confession/absolution? This seems like a complete contradiction to me because if God no longer saw our sin (or if our sins were now “hidden” from God) then there would logically be no need for any of these sacraments.

I have been Lutheran my entire life (born and raised), and I have NEVER heard this before. I’m not even sure if these types of statements are in agreement with the official position of the LCMS. Can my fellow Lutherans please help me here? What are your thoughts about these types of statements??? Is this even Biblical?!?

Peace and blessings,
Julie

 

[CB_Catholic]

I am not Lutheran, but I have heard this idea preached in other non-Catholic churches. I remember it being stated that our sins are “covered” by the Blood of Jesus, so that God does not see them. The Catholic Church, however, teaches that our sins are cleansed
by the Blood of Jesus. God sees them.

Lutherans here can answer your question, but I don’t think it is an exclusively Lutheran concept, because it is taught in other denominations.

 

[seagal]

I’m not Lutheran either but have heard this expression before. Could it possibly mean that God still sees our sins but chooses to ignore them? For example, the story of the Prodigal son, when the son comes home the father is certainly aware of all the son’s sins but prepares a welcoming feast for him anyway. Maybe ignoring is another way of saying forgiving. Don’t know, just thinking out loud here.

 

[Oldtimer_7]

This sounds very metaphorical to me. We are reckoned as righteous, which is different from saying that we no longer have sin. In Greek, there are two terms that were translated as sin in English. One was paraptoma, which was a military term that meant missing the mark. The other was hamartia, which came from the theatre, and meant a fatal character flaw that led to the downfall of an otherwise noble character. My pastor refers to the difference as bid S sin and little s sin. A paraptoma is correctable. If I bear false witness against you, then all I have to do to stop sinning is to shut up. But why would I lie about you in the first place? This is the fatal character flaw. For us, this is the broken relationship with God. If that breach is repaired, then we will leave other sins behind. As broken men, we are unable to repair this break ourselves, but it is mended by Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

This is my take on it. Whether your pastor and staff are thinking along the same lines, I cannot tell. This is where dialog comes in. Go to your pastor and explain your concerns. If he is truly called, then it should open a conversation that is profitable to both of you. If he comes down on you for asking, then it is time to look elsewhere for spiritual nourishment. This does not mean necessarily that you leave your congregation, but that you relate to the pastor more as a worship leader and not as a pastor. Leaving your congregation is a more serious move. The average call of a Lutheran pastor is around 4.5 years, so this one may move along shortly. If all else fails, then shake the dust from your sandals.

God bless and good luck.

 

[catherinepink]

So for the past several weeks, the pastoral staff at my LCMS church has been saying some things that I just do not agree with or believe. The pastors keep stating that “Our sins are hidden from God,” and that because of Christ’s sacrifice/death/resurrection “God no longer sees our sin.” They also have stated that “God sees us as His perfect and forgiven children, not as sinners.”
:dts:

I’ve really been struggling with this…so much so that it is playing a huge role in why I am researching the Catholic Church so much lately. As it turns out, my beliefs are much more in line with the CC than they are with the LCMS (or even ELCA).

I do not believe that ANYTHING is hidden from God, nor do I believe that “God no longer sees our sin.” This make absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. If this were the case, then why do Lutherans practice baptism, Holy Communion, and confession/absolution? This seems like a complete contradiction to me because if God no longer saw our sin (or if our sins were now “hidden” from God) then there would logically be no need for any of these sacraments.

I have been Lutheran my entire life (born and raised), and I have NEVER heard this before. I’m not even sure if these types of statements are in agreement with the official position of the LCMS. Can my fellow Lutherans please help me here? What are your thoughts about these types of statements??? Is this even Biblical?!?

Peace and blessings,
Julie

 

[catherinepink]

catherinepink:
Our sins are no longer seen by God, because Christ’s righteousness has been credited to us, so when God looks at those of us who have accepted His son,He sees,the righteousness of Christ, because we have been washed in His blood, and the slate has been wiped clean.We no longer have any sin,past, present, nor future, and .because we no longer have any sin whatsoever does not give us a license to willfully sin, because willfully sinning after you know the truth has consequences,and you will be given over to that sin, and it will destroy you, because there is no more sacrifice for you.

I hope that this has helped.

 

[Spirit_Filled]

1 John 2:12
I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Luke 6:35-38;42
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” … How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

When we are in Christ, that is, when we repent of our old sinful life and believe in Christ, we are a new creation, and our old sins are truly forgiven! We are washed in the blood of the Lamb!
But, we must not just be those that say that they believe, we must be those that LIVE as they believe!!!
We must forgive others, we must love others, we must stop with the petty grudges and hatred of other people!!

If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
(1 John 4:20)

Yes, the real problem is that so many want forgiveness simply because they went and confessed some sins to a guy in a box, but they refuse to unconditionally love their neighbor.

Jesus taught this:
Mark 12: 28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Jesus called these “commandments” because the first one covers the first part of the ten commandments, which are all about GOD, and the second part of the ten Commandments are all about our neighbor.

Jesus wasn’t just speaking to pass the time or to hear Himself speak, but He spoke something that we ALL need desperately to hear!!!

If you continue through this life with malice and hatred toward others, and im talking about the little nit-picking stuff that gets into the heart, like prejudices, and hatred toward politicians and hatred toward the next door neighbor that you cant stand, or that family member that you wont speak with because they somehow “wronged” you… then how do you suppose that The Father in heaven will ever forgive you?

 

[Dave_Noonan]

So for the past several weeks, the pastoral staff at my LCMS church has been saying some things that I just do not agree with or believe. The pastors keep stating that “Our sins are hidden from God,” and that because of Christ’s sacrifice/death/resurrection “God no longer sees our sin.” They also have stated that “God sees us as His perfect and forgiven children, not as sinners.”
:dts:

I’ve really been struggling with this…so much so that it is playing a huge role in why I am researching the Catholic Church so much lately. As it turns out, my beliefs are much more in line with the CC than they are with the LCMS (or even ELCA).

I do not believe that ANYTHING is hidden from God, nor do I believe that “God no longer sees our sin.” This make absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. If this were the case, then why do Lutherans practice baptism, Holy Communion, and confession/absolution? This seems like a complete contradiction to me because if God no longer saw our sin (or if our sins were now “hidden” from God) then there would logically be no need for any of these sacraments.

I have been Lutheran my entire life (born and raised), and I have NEVER heard this before. I’m not even sure if these types of statements are in agreement with the official position of the LCMS. Can my fellow Lutherans please help me here? What are your thoughts about these types of statements??? Is this even Biblical?!?

Peace and blessings,
Julie

Hopefully some Lutherans will chime in. This seems like a basic question on the nature of justification

Luther conceived of Christians as “saint and sinner at the same time” (simul iustus et peccator) but that solely through justification and Christ’s work on the cross (and not via some delusion on the part of God), Christians are declared “not guilty.” If God no longer “saw sin,” then there would be no need for confession and absolution, as you point out.

Also, in the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church concluded that there was a consensus on basic truths of the doctrine of justification between Lutherans and Catholics. So I’m not sure that you’re necessarily going to find different ideas in the Catholic Church, but I’m sure someone will weigh in on that as well.

 

[Erich]

Jesus’ death and resurrection is like “money in the bank” – but we have to apply it to our debts.

Justification can be viewed as “paying off the debt.”

Sanctification follows, and is the process itself, lasting a lifetime (or more) of becoming more holy, more mature, more spiritually perfect. “Nothing imperfect enters Heaven.” “Become perfect as your Heavenly Father is Perfect.”

Salvation is the goal, the end result… and comes from knowing and doing.

 

[JonNC]

So for the past several weeks, the pastoral staff at my LCMS church has been saying some things that I just do not agree with or believe. The pastors keep stating that “Our sins are hidden from God,” and that because of Christ’s sacrifice/death/resurrection “God no longer sees our sin.” They also have stated that “God sees us as His perfect and forgiven children, not as sinners.”
:dts:

I’ve really been struggling with this…so much so that it is playing a huge role in why I am researching the Catholic Church so much lately. As it turns out, my beliefs are much more in line with the CC than they are with the LCMS (or even ELCA).

I do not believe that ANYTHING is hidden from God, nor do I believe that “God no longer sees our sin.” This make absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. If this were the case, then why do Lutherans practice baptism, Holy Communion, and confession/absolution? This seems like a complete contradiction to me because if God no longer saw our sin (or if our sins were now “hidden” from God) then there would logically be no need for any of these sacraments.

I have been Lutheran my entire life (born and raised), and I have NEVER heard this before. I’m not even sure if these types of statements are in agreement with the official position of the LCMS. Can my fellow Lutherans please help me here? What are your thoughts about these types of statements??? Is this even Biblical?!?

Peace and blessings,
Julie

Julie,
I think oldtimer has spoken well of what is meant by “hidden”. We are reckoned righteous in God’s eyes for Christ’s sake.
There is also the understanding that when we sin, we must return to Christ through repentence and confession. Under confession, our absolution is assured not by our actions, but for Christ’s sake, but we still must repent. the Augsburg Confession says:

Of Repentance they teach that for those who have fallen after Baptism there is remission of sins whenever they are converted 2] and that the Church ought to impart absolution to those thus returning to repentance. Now, repentance consists properly of these 3] two parts: One is contrition, that is, 4] terrors smiting the conscience through the knowledge of sin; the other is faith, which is born of 5] the Gospel, or of absolution, and believes that for Christ’s sake, sins are forgiven, comforts 6] the conscience, and delivers it from terrors. Then good works are bound follow, which are the fruits of repentance.

This is how we are reckoned as righteous, and that reckoning is not God blindly ingoring our sin, but absolving it for Christ’s sake, when we come to repentence.

Jon

 

[Erich]

Also, in the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church concluded that there was a consensus on basic truths of the doctrine of justification between Lutherans and Catholics. So I’m not sure that you’re necessarily going to find different ideas in the Catholic Church, but I’m sure someone will weigh in on that as well.

The Vatican’s response to the JDDJ states,

The “Joint Declaration of the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation on the Doctrine of Justification” represents a significant progress in mutual understanding and in the coming together in dialogue of the parties concerned; it shows that there are many points of convergence between the Catholic position and the Lutheran position on a question that has been for centuries so controversial. It can certainly be affirmed that a high degree of agreement has been reached, as regards both the approach to the question and the judgement it merits (1). It is rightly stated that there is “a consensus in basic truths of the doctrine of justification” (2).

   The Catholic Church is, however, of the opinion that we cannot yet speak       of a consensus such as would eliminate every difference between Catholics       and Lutherans in the understanding of justification. The Joint Declaration       itself refers to certain of these differences. On some points the       positions are, in fact, still divergent. So, on the basis of the agreement       already reached on many aspects, the Catholic Church intends to contribute       towards overcoming the divergencies that still exist by suggesting, below,       in order of importance, a list of points that constitute still an obstacle       to agreement between the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation       on all the fundamental truths concerning justification. ...

 

[pablope]

So for the past several weeks, the pastoral staff at my LCMS church has been saying some things that I just do not agree with or believe. The pastors keep stating that “Our sins are hidden from God,” and that because of Christ’s sacrifice/death/resurrection “God no longer sees our sin.” They also have stated that “God sees us as His perfect and forgiven children, not as sinners.”
:dts:

I have been Lutheran my entire life (born and raised), and I have NEVER heard this before. I’m not even sure if these types of statements are in agreement with the official position of the LCMS. Can my fellow Lutherans please help me here? What are your thoughts about these types of statements??? Is this even Biblical?!?

Peace and blessings,
Julie

Julie…here is some reading material for you…hopefully it will help in your research and understanding…

chnetwork.org/journals/justification/onesavingaction.html

 

[Juliebug108]

Julie…here is some reading material for you…hopefully it will help in your research and understanding…

chnetwork.org/journals/justification/onesavingaction.html

Very interesting. I really agreed with this:

In Matthew 7.21 Jesus says, “Not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my father in heaven.” Later in Matthew 25 Jesus tells the parable of the sheep and the goats, in which those who act out their faith through charitable works are welcomed into heaven while those who only gave lip service to their faith are rejected. In the stories of the wise and foolish builders, the Good Samaritan, and the different talents, the faithful ones always perform positive faith-full actions while the unfaithful do nothing—even though with their lips they say they believe.

We accept His saving work through faith in Him, and can only take the step of faith through God’s Grace which empowers us. But our good works are worth something because it is through them that our faith is worked out in our lives and in our world. Our faith is vital because through our works our faith lives, so St. Paul put it this way—“work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

Grace gives us the power to both have faith and put the faith into action. But if the faith is never put into action it remains…undeveloped. The good works that we do are the way that the faith comes alive in us. It is the way that our imperfections are worked through. The good works of worship, prayer and Christian action are the means by which Christ comes alive in us and by which we become fit for heaven.

I agreed with pretty much everything that website said. Thanks for sharing When I read Jesus’ words in the gospels, I am always struck by his demand for repentance and demand for doing good. He again and again says that it isn’t enough to just believe…“sin no more.” Turn away from sin, repent, do good/do the Father’s will, spread the gospel, etc… - those are pretty much the take-away messages that I get from Jesus’ teaching.

Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Jesus talk about hell more than any other individual in the Bible? He taught us that we need to take the narrow path, take up our cross, lose our life for Him, love our neighbor as our self. I mean Jesus had a lot to say about how we needed to be living our lives. That’s not the message I would expect from Him if He weren’t going to be paying attention to how we live our lives prior to His second coming. I do believe that our faith in Him saves us, but I think there is so much more to that. The scriptures have never given me the message that God isn’t going to see my sins after Christ died and rose.

Anywho, thanks again for the link.

Peace and blessings,
Julie

 

[Juliebug108]

This is how we are reckoned as righteous, and that reckoning is not God blindly ignoring our sin, but absolving it for Christ’s sake, when we come to repentance.

Right, our forgiveness is dependent upon genuine repentance as a fruit of true faith…which would mean that there is a condition to that forgiveness…which means that God very much sees our sins. Thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut.

When we are in Christ, that is, when we repent of our old sinful life and believe in Christ, we are a new creation, and our old sins are truly forgiven! We are washed in the blood of the Lamb!
But, we must not just be those that say that they believe, we must be those that LIVE as they believe!!!
We must forgive others, we must love others, we must stop with the petty grudges and hatred of other people!!

If you continue through this life with malice and hatred toward others, and im talking about the little nit-picking stuff that gets into the heart, like prejudices, and hatred toward politicians and hatred toward the next door neighbor that you cant stand, or that family member that you wont speak with because they somehow “wronged” you… then how do you suppose that The Father in heaven will ever forgive you?

Right…so again, God is paying attention to how we live our lives…He sees our sin. It’s not “hidden” from Him.

Our sins are no longer seen by God, because Christ’s righteousness has been credited to us, so when God looks at those of us who have accepted His son,He sees,the righteousness of Christ, because we have been washed in His blood, and the slate has been wiped clean.We no longer have any sin,past, present, nor future, and .because we no longer have any sin whatsoever does not give us a license to willfully sin, because willfully sinning after you know the truth has consequences,and you will be given over to that sin, and it will destroy you, because there is no more sacrifice for you.

I hope that this has helped.

The points I underlined seemed to be in direct contradiction with each other. If we don’t have any sin past, present, or future…then why would we need to repent? Would willfully sinning even exist if all our sins past, present, and future are non-existent? How can there be consequences for sins when they no longer exist? That doesn’t make any sense. I don’t mean to be rude, but this is exactly what bothers me about what my pastors are saying.

Thanks for all the responses everyone! This is just an issue where I’m going to have to politely disagree with my pastors, I suppose.

Peace and blessings,
Julie

 

[JonNC]

The Vatican’s response to the JDDJ states,

Hi Erich,
The Vatican’s statement makes clear that, while there is significant growth in our coming to convergence on just how a person is justified, we still have much to do. I give thanks for the progess so far, and pray for continued guidance from the Holy Spirit. Thanks for posting this.

Jon

 

[pablope]

Very interesting. I really agreed with this:

I agreed with pretty much everything that website said. Thanks for sharing When I read Jesus’ words in the gospels, I am always struck by his demand for repentance and demand for doing good. He again and again says that it isn’t enough to just believe…“sin no more.” Turn away from sin, repent, do good/do the Father’s will, spread the gospel, etc… - those are pretty much the take-away messages that I get from Jesus’ teaching.

Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Jesus talk about hell more than any other individual in the Bible? He taught us that we need to take the narrow path, take up our cross, lose our life for Him, love our neighbor as our self. I mean Jesus had a lot to say about how we needed to be living our lives. That’s not the message I would expect from Him if He weren’t going to be paying attention to how we live our lives prior to His second coming. I do believe that our faith in Him saves us, but I think there is so much more to that.

Anywho, thanks again for the link.

Peace and blessings,
Julie

Hi, Julie…I am glad you liked that site. I always refer to it too.

Yes, Jesus main message was repent, repent, and renew one’s life, and sin no more and love God and your neighbor and do the Father’s will.

And with God’s grace…

.Grace gives us the power to both have faith and put the faith into action. But if the faith is never put into action it remains…undeveloped. The good works that we do are the way that the faith comes alive in us. It is the way that our imperfections are worked through. The good works of worship, prayer and Christian action are the means by which Christ comes alive in us and by which we become fit for heaven.

By doing good works, doing our regular prayers and confession of our sins, we grow in our state of grace…from the** purgative, to the illuminative and to the unitive state of grace.
**

Here is a link to the states of grace explained in more detail:

catholicity.com/encyclopedia/u/unitive,purgative,illuminative.html

The scriptures have never given me the message that God isn’t going to see my sins after Christ died and rose.

I do not know if it is in that site or in another, where the “covering of sins” was discussed. I will try to look for it and share it with you.

 

[fms]

1Jn4:1My dear friends, not every spirit is to be trusted, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets are at large in the world.

Julie, thanks be to God that you were disturbed by the things you heard from your LCMS Church.

Please see the biblical quotations below:

Is1:18 ‘Come, let us talk this over,’ says Yahweh. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Is43:25 I, I it is who blot out your acts of revolt for my own sake and shall not call your sins to mind.

Jn1:29 The next day, he saw Jesus coming towards him and said, 'Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

Heb10:12-17 He, on the other hand, has offered one single sacrifice for sins, and then taken his seat for ever, at the right hand of God,
where he is now waiting till his enemies are made his footstool.
By virtue of that one single offering, he has achieved the eternal perfection of all who are sanctified.
The Holy Spirit attests this to us, for after saying:
No, this is the covenant I will make with them, when those days have come. the Lord says: In their minds I will plant my Laws writing them on their hearts,
and I shall never more call their sins to mind, or their offences.

From the Apostles’ Creed:

I believe in the forgiveness of sins.

It seems to me that when one says one’s sins are covered, it is much like the dirt swept under a rug. You may not see it but it is still there. The Word from God is very different. With true forgiveness, the sins are actually washed away, taken away, and the one who was once a sinner becomes a new creation (with a new clean heart and spirit) in the likeness of God’s own Son so that God loves in us what he sees and loves in Christ, his Son, the Beloved.

Jn8:24 I have told you already: You will die in your sins. Yes, if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.

The greatest tragedy that will befall any man or woman.

The Lord speaks of people speaking/acting from the abundance of their hearts. The people from the LCMS may actually be speaking from the reality in their lives. They have separated themselves from the True Church and no longer have the sacraments that actually effect what they say they do. Thus the bread and wine for them is a symbol while for us (and it really is) it is the body and blood of the Lord.
For them to say their sins are covered is, without them realizing, confessing the truth in their lives as they do not have the sacraments for the forgiveness of sins (with the exceptions of baptism).

 

[Zooey]

fms:

It seems to me that when one says one’s sins are covered, it is much like the dirt swept under a rug. You may not see it but it is still there. The Word from God is very different. With true forgiveness, the sins are actually washed away, taken away, and the one who was once a sinner becomes a new creation (with a new clean heart and spirit) in the likeness of God’s own Son so that God loves in us what he sees and loves in Christ, his Son, the Beloved.

 

[theonetruth]

So for the past several weeks, the pastoral staff at my LCMS church has been saying some things that I just do not agree with or believe. The pastors keep stating that “Our sins are hidden from God,” and that because of Christ’s sacrifice/death/resurrection “God no longer sees our sin.” They also have stated that “God sees us as His perfect and forgiven children, not as sinners.”
:dts:

I’ve really been struggling with this…so much so that it is playing a huge role in why I am researching the Catholic Church so much lately. As it turns out, my beliefs are much more in line with the CC than they are with the LCMS (or even ELCA).

I do not believe that ANYTHING is hidden from God, nor do I believe that “God no longer sees our sin.” This make absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. If this were the case, then why do Lutherans practice baptism, Holy Communion, and confession/absolution? This seems like a complete contradiction to me because if God no longer saw our sin (or if our sins were now “hidden” from God) then there would logically be no need for any of these sacraments.

I have been Lutheran my entire life (born and raised), and I have NEVER heard this before. I’m not even sure if these types of statements are in agreement with the official position of the LCMS. Can my fellow Lutherans please help me here? What are your thoughts about these types of statements??? Is this even Biblical?!?

Peace and blessings,
Julie

God probably wouldn’t care what you were doing even if ‘he’ was real.

 

[Juliebug108]

They have separated themselves from the True Church and no longer have the sacraments that actually effect what they say they do. **Thus the bread and wine for them is a symbol while for us (and it really is) it is the body and blood of the Lord. **
For them to say their sins are covered is, without them realizing, confessing the truth in their lives as they do not have the sacraments for the forgiveness of sins (with the exceptions of baptism).

Hi fms,

You provided some interesting scripture for me to absorb, so thank you. One correction though…the Lutheran church does teach and believe that the bread and wine are the body and blood of our Lord. We believe that Jesus’ body is present in, with, and under the bread, and that Jesus’ blood is present in, with, and under the wine. The differences between Lutheran Eucharist and Catholic Eucharist primarily boil down to an issue of semantics. Lutherans do not believe that the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist is merely symbolic…it ISour Savior’s body and blood, given for the forgiveness of our sins.

Peace and blessings,
Julie