What Lutherans Believe about Salvation

What do Lutherans believe about salvation? That question is answered here. Like and subscribe for other videos like this.

[drb]

This video right here made me dive DEEP into Lutheranism. Ultimately I was baptized into my local Lutheran congregation.

[SibleySteve]

Awesome video. As a former Baptist seminarian now attending Lutheran, I love this video as it hits on all the fine points. As Heiser puts it, faith is not an incantation as if to magically say the right words to control God, rather it is trusting loyalty. Incantational conversion theology turns faith into a human activity instead of a belief. The older I get the more I appreciate John 3:16. Just believe.

[paulsir]

Because I was an apostate who ended up at a Lutheran Church, i am grateful for this view. However, i choose to live my life like I lost it to be safe. Because He did so much for me.

[villarrealmarta]

I’m Lutheran and Christian at the same time. I agree with most of the teachings Luther taught. The objective story of the scriptures I love and that was how I was taught to know God. Through the salvation history of the scriptures. I was guided through them from Luther’s understanding of the scriptures but not through being taught doctrine, while at the same time indirectly learning the doctrine through turning the pages of scriptures history and watching what God has done for me. This for me has been most beneficial. I am thankful for God’s work done in and through Martin Luther my friend in Christ. Thank you my dear brother in Christ for teaching God’s truth.

[Walkeraish]

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast

[Selahsmum]

With respect, brother, I have to disagree with you here. I was not baptised, was not raised in the faith, but had a 100% come to jesus 180 turn around at age 22 when Jesus removed the scales from my eyes and the ice from my heart. I wasnt baptised for 2 years after that bec I moved around a bunch and didnt get settled at a church for a while, but I KNOW that I was saved that entire time. When you go from absolute unbelief to absolute, assured belief, there is just an experience that you cant deny and theres no explanation for it other than salvation. I believe my baptism was important for sure, and I believe people who say they are Christians but feel no need to be baptized need to examine their heart, but I would say based on Gods word and my own personal life-altering experience that salvation comes by faith alone, and that baptism was something I did to declare, affirm, and strengthen my faith. Love your videos! God bless you! ❤❤

[DJ-iliv]

Thank you. I appreciated this - the “Objective” part of the talk very enlightening to me.

[kelliewonderly]

As a Lutheran I say I was given the gift of salvation at baptism and I accepted that gift during catechism and professed it at confirmation. So thank you for this video, you out it so well.

[ChaplainPeter]

Pastor Cooper, I had a powerful conversion experience that has never left me 50 yrs. later. Conversion, or being born again is by the Holy Spirit. When I first got saved I went to a church that was Hyper Dispensational and did not believe in water baptism. 25 yrs. later while I was baptizing new converts, I asked another man who also was baptizing to baptize me. In my born again experience, from the time I believed to today, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt my sins were forgiven and I belonged to Christ. I always had certainty of my salvation before I was ever baptized. The Lord wants us to be baptized unless we end up as the thief on the cross, who had no time to be baptized but went with the Lord to paradise.
The Lord bless you, thank you for your many teachings, His servant, Peter.

[thenopasslook]

Thanks for these Lutheran videos. They’re helpful for people like me who know of Martin Luther but don’t know that much about Lutheranism.

[Edward-ngoo]

With respect to the Lutheran belief that the means of grace (baptism and the Word) always impart grace, by which is meant that the Holy Spirit is always ready and willing to give everyone the faith to trust in Christ for their salvation, but that the Holy Spirit can be resisted, I have to say that this wasn't Luther's position.

In Luther's Large Catechism he writes of infant baptism: “We bring the child in the conviction and hope that it believes, and we pray that God may grant it faith” which shows that Luther held that it was a decision made by God whether a child in baptism was given the Holy Spirit to believe. This is also obviously the meaning when he wrote a few paragraphs before: “That the Baptism of infants is pleasing to Christ is sufficiently proved from His own work, namely, that God sanctifies many of them who have been thus baptised, and has given them the Holy Ghost”. Here again there's no talk of infants not resisting the Holy Spirit to account for why they have the Holy Spirit, but rather the onus is on God who decides to give them the Holy Spirit in contrast to others whom he doesn't give the Holy Spirit to.

Similarly with respect to the Word Luther wrote in The Bondage of the Will: “But the ungodly does not come even when he hears the Word, unless the Father draws and teaches him inwardly, which He does by pouring out the Spirit. There is then another "drawing" than the one that takes place outwardly; for then Christ is set forth by the light of the Spirit, so that a man is rapt away to Christ with the sweetest rapture, and rather yields passively, to God's speaking, teaching, and drawing than seeks and runs himself.” (page 286, Vol 33, Luther's Works). This again shows that Luther held that the Holy Spirit isn't tied to the Word so that all who hear it are capable of being converted as long as they don't resist, as Lutherans believe. Rather the Holy Spirit is only given to those whom God wills to regenerate, and that if He has decided to regenerate them then it happens irresistibly.

I believe that Luther's position is the true Scriptural one and the Lutheran one is unscriptural.

Also Luther's position is the teaching of the Augsburg Confession, Article V:

“To obtain such faith God instituted the office of the ministry, that is, provided the Gospel and the sacraments. Through these, as through means, he gives the Holy Spirit, who works faith, when and where he pleases, in those who hear the Gospel.” (Tappert)

If the Augsburg Confession’s teaching agreed with the Lutheran Formula of Concord's teaching the Augsburg Confession wouldn't say that God “works faith when and where he pleases” but rather God works faith in those who don't resist him, and that he would be pleased to be able to work faith in everyone.

So I think  many Lutherans are probably deceived into thinking they have true saving faith because they have been baptised when in reality they’ve never been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and only imagine that they have true faith. If they live their lives no different to unbelievers and indulge in sinful behaviour then their baptism isn't going to save them no matter how much they think it is.

[bryantrelfa]

IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO REVIEW THIS VIDEO.

[mikedsjr]

If a Lutheran, catholic and a Baptist were at a homeless shelter feeding the poor and someone asked the Baptist “what must I do to be saved?”, would you be offended if they said, “believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and ask forgiveness for your sins”?

[theadventurousprogrammer]

You have no idea (you actually probably do because you go through the same thing as me being a Lutheran) how much I appreciate these videos. I get into a few arguments with friends and they don't get where I am coming from when I point back to baptism for salvation.. Even though that's clearly stated in the bible. Can you do a video on why Christ was baptized. If there is one thing that stumps me it's that part when it comes to these arguments. Thank you, and may God keep you in the faith.

[Blaisesongs]

This was a wonderful and yet simply reminder. Thank you so much!

[Leo-edhv]

Sorry to say, baptism is not what saves, it's a personal relationship with Jesus through faith that saves.

[cjcRacing]

Hi, Jordan

Will you please supply scriptures for your stance on baptism being the way we receive the gift personally? I think of Ephesians 2:8: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." I also think of the thief on the cross. He is clearly in heaven now without doing any sacraments or being baptized.

We receive salvation by believing in Christ and accepting the gift in our heart, not by an outside source or through some act of obedience. However, Baptism is the first act of obedience. I could have misunderstood you and I apologize if I did. I just want some clarity. Thanks!

[jonwatson]

Some of y'all in the comments aren't listening...clearly you need to study Lutheranism more.

[Andrewski]

Once again, great video! Very clear and concise. I would love to get my hands on a thoroughly Biblical work on this very topic, maybe something with proof texts. I like the Scripture on screen too like the baptism video. Keep up the good work! Several of these videos of late have been very timely as well. Thanks for being used of the Lord. Blessings!

[josephmccracken]

But salvation is not just given. The only way to get salvation is to give your life to christ christ confess of all your sins and ask him to forgive you and will but you must live the way he wants you to live