Need Help learning about being a Luthern

[Jules73]

Hi, I'm a mom of 2 girls (age 5 and 4) and am considering sending them to the Lutheran School near our home. We are practicing Catholic and I'm not sure the difference between Lutherans and Catholics. I'm trying to get some idea of the questions we may run into later in grade school. I'm asking for any help you can give.

God Bless!

[seajoy]

Hi, I'm a mom of 2 girls (age 5 and 4) and am considering sending them to the Lutheran School near our home. We are practicing Catholic and I'm not sure the difference between Lutherans and Catholics. I'm trying to get some idea of the questions we may run into later in grade school. I'm asking for any help you can give.

God Bless!
How wonderful that you are thinking about sending your children to parochial school. Good to ask questions as well.

Something that your kids would learn a lot about is the bible. I went to lutheran schools from K-8th grade. Doctrine is very important to lutherans, and we study scripture a lot in school.

A question that may be asked of you is "how do you think you get to heaven?" This is very important in our church. You would be guided to trust in Jesus for your salvation, and not rely on good works.

You will get many answers to your question here. We will all have differing ideas of what you may or may not hear. Please visit the principal, or pastor of the lutheran church/school. You will find out so much, and they will very eager to speak with you.

By the way, we do teach reading, writing, math etc....Both of my children are teachers in the lutheran church, and their training is fantastic in all aspects of education.

God's blessings to you, as well!

[ctay]

It would be a good idea to talk to both the Principal and the Pastor. There is a Lutheran school about 25 miles from that has grades, K-6. Whatever spots aren't taken up by members of the church, there is a big waiting line outside the school starting way early in the morning from people in the community wanting to send their kids there. I think that speaks pretty well for that school

[Jabronie]

I think that there are three big differences between Catholics and Lutherans. Everything else is minor and springs off of these three. Lutherans, please correct me if I misrepresent your positions here.

1. The definition of the Church - To Catholics, the Church is a teaching organization, established by Jesus to ensure His word is properly taught through the generations. All baptized Christians are members of the Church, but the hierarchy of the Church is the infallible teacher. To Lutherans, the Church is the invisible body of all believers, and the Bible not the Church is the teacher.

2. Sola Scriptura - Meaning "Bible Alone" as your sole authority of Christian doctrine. Catholic teaching is that the Bible is the product of Sacred Tradition (the "teaching" of the Church.) Catholics do not accept Luther's doctrine of Sola Scriptura. We believe that authority comes from both scripture and traditions.
Lutherans believe that authority comes only from scripture, but they do not reject tradition as long as the tradition does not contradict their interpretation of holy scripture.

3. Sola Fide - Meaning "Faith Alone" as your means of salvation. Both Catholics and Lutherans believe you are saved by "grace alone." Catholics believe that the saving grace comes through faith and works (behavior, sacraments, etc.) Lutherans believe that you receive God's saving grace through faith alone, not works. Catholics (and I think Lutherans) believe that you can lose your saving grace by willfully breaking God's laws or as I like to call it, by sinning.

I don't think it would be right to debate anything in this thread, but feel free to PM me if you'd like to know some of the "why's" of Catholicism.

[ricg]

I think that there are three big differences between Catholics and Lutherans. Everything else is minor and springs off of these three. Lutherans, please correct me if I misrepresent your positions here.

1. The definition of the Church - To Catholics, the Church is a teaching organization, established by Jesus to ensure His word is properly taught through the generations. All baptized Christians are members of the Church, but the hierarchy of the Church is the infallible teacher. To Lutherans, the Church is the invisible body of all believers, and the Bible not the Church is the teacher.

You are correct that to Lutherans the Church is, strictly speaking, simply the assembly of all believers. It is said to be invisible in the sense that we humans have no means of looking into the hearts of others to determine whether they are believers. We do, however, recognize, that she functions to testify to and teach the world about God's relevation and, in particular, His plan of salvation, and in this respect, of course, we say that the Church must be very visible. The Bible is regarded as the final authority on what the Church may teach, publicly proclaim and require of its members. It is, of course, also useful for teaching. We would agree that the Church is the teacher and say that the Bible is the ultimate source of the teachings.

The principal difference in this area between Lutherans and Roman Catholics is that Lutherans do not recognize the infallibility of Church. Quite to contrary, Lutherans insist that her fallibility requires that she faithfully adhere to the Scriptures in formulating public doctrine, since they rather than the Church are the only reliable source of the apostles' teaching.

2. Sola Scriptura - Meaning "Bible Alone" as your sole authority of Christian doctrine. Catholic teaching is that the Bible is the product of Sacred Tradition (the "teaching" of the Church.) Catholics do not accept Luther's doctrine of Sola Scriptura. We believe that authority comes from both scripture and traditions.
Lutherans believe that authority comes only from scripture, but they do not reject tradition as long as the tradition does not contradict their interpretation of holy scripture.

As stated above, Lutherans see the Bible the final authority for teaching. Other authorities may aid in our understanding of the Bible and are certainly not rejected out of hand, but Lutherans believe the Church may not teach extra-Scriptural traditions as essential for salvation, because only the Scriptures are deemed sufficiently reliable as to what the prophets and apostles taught.

3. Sola Fide - Meaning "Faith Alone" as your means of salvation. Both Catholics and Lutherans believe you are saved by "grace alone." Catholics believe that the saving grace comes through faith and works (behavior, sacraments, etc.) Lutherans believe that you receive God's saving grace through faith alone, not works. Catholics (and I think Lutherans) believe that you can lose your saving grace by willfully breaking God's laws or as I like to call it, by sinning.

This third point is the most important difference. Lutherans and Roman Catholics have different understandings of God's grace. As your formulation demonstrates, you believe that grace is something that "comes through faith and works." If it is necessary to perform works to receive "grace," then, in Lutheran understanding, "grace" is not grace, because for the Lutheran, the whole idea and definition of grace is something unearned, a gift. Further, "saving grace," i.e., the gift of salvation, is not something that's even earn-able by us, as we understand Scripture. The stain of sin, which corrupts every human (Jesus excepted), cannot be removed by human works or faith, but only by the blood of Jesus, which won forgiveness. God imparts forgiveness, won by Jesus on the cross, freely (=grace), albeit by special means, using the Church as His instrument: by preaching of the Gospel to believing hearts, and through the sacraments (baptism and the Lord's Supper), and we who receive His forgiveness, receive it by faith alone, i.e., by trusting that He (and He alone) has satisfied our debt of sin. Moreover, such trust is not in any way a "work." Rather, it, too, is a gift from God, so that our role in salvation is entirely passive.

Lutherans agree with Roman Catholics that works are required of Christians. We disagree, however, that such works are a cause of salvation. Rather, they are a product of it. After conversion, the Holy Spirit sanctifies the believer unto good works, which follow in the same way as healthy trees bear good fruit.

I should also note that Lutherans do not see sacraments as works of the recipient of sacramental grace, but rather as works of God delivered through His Church.

As to your final point, to be precise, we speak of losing faith rather than grace. It is possible for a Christian to lose faith and thus be cut off from God's grace (attitude of forgiveness) by failing to rely on it, but God and His grace are constant. While rejection of faith is, of course, itself a sin, we would not generalize what occurs in such a case as being the result of particular sins, though stubborn persistance in sinful activity undoubtedly often plays a role. Individual sins, however, are forgiven those who rely on forgiveness won on the cross. That is, in a nutshell, theologia crucis.

[KagomeShuko]

For Jabronie,

You've got good answers - however, Lutherans believe we ALL sin - ALL THE TIME - known and unknown. . .lying, cheating, hurting (physically and emotionally), etc. - Yet, God's grace is what saves us - so we are simultaneously saints and sinners.

We do speak of losing faith, and a person has to REALLY reject that grace, the Holy Spirit, etc. - It is the Holy Spirit that allows us to believe. . .none of it is our doing. . .and that faith will produce good works.

To paraphrase - "I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hear my voice and opens the door, I will come in."

Jesus and the Holy Spirit are ALWAYS there. When a person wants the truth, they'll hear that "knock." It's not anything that they do at all.

Stein Auf!
Bridget

[The Princess Bride]

Glad I read this thread! It answered a lot of questions I had myself.

My boyfriend is Lutheran and I am Non-denom. and about the only thing we dont see eye-to-eye on is praying in tongues.