In the Bible, God tells us that, due to the Fall of Adam and Eve, humanity is trapped in sin. We have no ability on our own to rid ourselves of sin and its consequences. However, out of His mercy and love, God the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, to live and die for us. Through His holy life and death, Jesus accomplished what we never could – the forgiveness of sins. On that basis, we are justified. The Lord gives us this precious gift of grace by creating faith in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Now, when God sees you, He sees His dear, forgiven child.
Here at King of Grace and Trinity, we share the Good News of the Gospel, which is the power of God unto Salvation! We are a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) in fellowship with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Please feel free to ask us any questions you might have when you join us for worship at 9:00 AM in Waukon or 11:00 AM in Calmar on Sundays, or by contacting our church and speaking with our Pastor.
For a more thorough explanation of what our churches teach, please see our Synod’s statement: We Believe, Teach, and Confess. Below, you will find a summary of the historic Christian faith that we confess, founded on Jesus the Chief Cornerstone, who is the same “yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
We believe there is one God, the Triune God.
The Triune God is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—one God in three Persons (“triune” means “three-in-one”). God has always existed, and He created all things out of nothing by His powerful Word.
We believe we are sinners.
When the first man and woman sinned, their sin changed everything in God’s perfect creation. Sin brought pain and death. All people inherit this sin, which means they deserve to be punished eternally by the holy God.
We believe Jesus came to save sinners.
Because God still loved humankind, the Father sent His only-begotten Son to take on human flesh in the Virgin Mary’s womb. He had to become a man, so He could live a holy life in the place of all people and suffer and die for their sins. He was named “Jesus,” which means “the LORD saves.”
We believe Jesus still comes to us now.
Forty days after His resurrection from the dead, Jesus went up into heaven where He rules over all things. He is no longer visibly present on earth, but He is still present with His believers. He brings them His blessings of forgiveness, life, and salvation through His Word and Sacraments.
We believe Jesus will come again on the last day.
Jesus will return visibly on the last day to judge all people, both the living and the dead. All who believe in Him will be glorified and brought to heaven, while all who reject Him in this life will be condemned to hell.
We believe the Bible is God’s Word.
All of our beliefs come from the Bible. The Holy Spirit moved certain men of God to write down His Word. The Bible is unlike any other religious book. It is the only one which teaches that salvation comes by the grace of God and not by our efforts.