Discovery 101 Session 2: January 15 th, 2012 Who are you?! Who am I?! LUTHERANISM What We re Going To Do Accomplish 3 Basic Objectives 1) Establish Community 2) Learn Mission 3) Intentional Application 1
Quick Trip down Memory Lane Summarize in your own words 3 Points from last Sunday Our Closing Challenge Point # 1: In Your Own Words Deeper Community 2
Deeper Community Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls fll down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9 10, 12 (NIV) Point # 2 In Your Own Words Point # 2: We covered 3 basic areas Who is God? What is the Bible? What the Creeds are. 3
Point # 2 In Your Own Words God is (Genesis 1 3) The Bible is (2 Timothy 3:16) Creator, Trinitarian, Savior & Sustainer Given BY GOD to man; God breathed Trustworthy, passed down as most reliable & accurate copy of original writings How reliable? Manuscript Evidence for Ancient Writings Author Witt Written Earliest tcopy Time Span #Mss. 1) Caesar 100 44 B.C. 900 A.D. 1,000 yrs 10 2) Plato 427 347 B.C. 900 A.D. 1,200 yrs 7 3) Thucydides 460 400 B.C. 900 A.D. 1,300 yrs 8 4) Tacitus 100 A.D. 1100 A.D. 1,000 yrs 20 5) Suetonius 75 160 A.D. 950 A.D. 800 yrs 8 6) Homer 900 B.C. 400 B.C. 500 yrs 643 7) N.T 40 100 A.D. 125 A.D. 25 50 yrs 24,000 4
Point # 2 In Your Own Words The Creeds John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name. We believe that Jesus reigns! Summary of our faith like Deuteronomy 6:5 & Matthew 22:34 40 Point # 3 Our Closing Challenge LOVE & OBEY by Getting in God s Word with other believers!!! This is how we ESTABLISH Deeper Community 5
What We re Going To Cover 1) God & The Bible 2) Lutheranism 3) Law 4) Gospel 5) Sacraments 6) Church Roots & Purpose 7) The Next Step Our New Life Who are you?! Lutheranism Who am I?! YOUR theological ancestry in 30 seconds or less! 6
Brief History of Denominations Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your Name the Name You gave me so that t they may be one as we are one My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth. Jesus prayer in John 17:11b & 15 17 (NIV) Brief History of Denominations Early Church (i.e. Book of Acts) started approx. 27 A.D. AD to 35 A.D. AD 313 A.D. Emperor Constantine legalizes Christian worship in Roman Empire Roman Catholic Church The Great Schism began in 5 th Century AD & finalized in 1054 AD RC & Greek Orthodox 7
Lutheranism Initially Religious Movement WITHIN RC Church rooted in the problem that came from the church straying from reliance on the Bible. p. 176 Kinnaman Are we saved by grace from God or by what we do? Is the Bible held up as the (sole) Authority? What do the Sacraments mean? p. 178 8
Lutheranism Confessions A Lutheran is a person who believes, teaches and confesses the truths of God s Word as they are summarized & confessed in the Book of Concord. p. 179 Kinnaman Connection between Bible & the Lutheran Confessions: The Lutheran confessions urge us to believe the Scriptures, for they will not lie to you and cannot be false & deceitful. p. 181 Lutheranism Confessions Main Point of Lutheran Confessions: Sincere concern about false, misleading teachings, which, unfortunately, even to this very day, obscure the glory & merit of Jesus Christ zealous concern about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. p. 181 Kinnaman 9
Different Lutherans Biggest issue that plagued & divided American Lutherans in 20 th Century was/is issue of theological liberalism & biblical inerrancy Theological Liberalism view Bible as inspired by God but historically conditioned and imperfect Evangelical Lutheran Church of America holds this theological position Different Lutherans On the other side of the issue Lutheran Church Missouri Synod & Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod View Bible as incapable of error (infallible) and free from error (inerrant), because very words & phrases of Scripture were inspired i d( (and GIVEN) by God the Holy Spirit. Consequently, the Word of God does not lie. 10
Different Lutherans Conservative Lutherans remained committed to historic i position of Lutheranism about Bible s reliability and truthfulness others, were open to new interpretive methods such as historical criticism *Last 3 slides hold summaries found in Kinnaman on page 193 Closing Challenge John 20:31 believe it LOVE & OBEY Deuteronomy 6:4 9 teach it EQUIP Col. 3:16 17 & Mt. 28:16 20 live IN it SHARE 11
Closing Challenge Love & Obey = first step Equip ourselves & the world = second step to becoming A World Changer 12