Evangelical Lutheran Synod
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod is a Protestant Christian denomination with its headquarters in Mankato, Minnesota. They claim to be a conservative confessional Lutheran body following the traditions of Martin Luther.
They were known as the Little Norwegian Synod when they started operating the Bethany Lutheran College located in Mankato, Minnesota in 1927. They established their own seminary in 1946 in Mankato, Minnesota and called it the Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary.
The authority of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod is advisory; all synod resolutions are either accepted or rejected by the local congregations.
History
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod was the Norwegian Synod organized in the Midwestern United States. It was formed in 1918 from smaller Norwegian Lutheran Churches who would not join the other Norwegian groups. They changed their name from The Norwegian Lutheran Church to the Evangelical Lutheran Synod in 1858.
They shared their fellowship and full communion with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in the 1850 and 1860. The Evangelical Lutheran Synod joined with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod to the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America in 1872.
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod broke fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical conference of North America and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. This break up was over doctrinal disagreements. They did maintain their fellowship with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
Belief
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod believes there is only one true God who is Triune, revealed in Scripture as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They believe there is only one Divine Essence; they believe there are three eternal Persons in that Essence. They believe the Holy Trinity cannot be fully understood; however, they accept it in humble faith. The Evangelical Lutheran Synod confesses the Athanasian Creed.
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod believe God reveals Himself to mankind through the Holy Scriptures, through creation and the human conscience. They believe the true way of salvation is revealed only through the Word of God, and they reject any other means of the way of salvation.
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod believe the Old and New Testaments in their original form as written by the prophets, evangelists, and apostles were given by inspiration of God. They believe the Holy Scriptures are without error in their teachings.
They reject the theories of evolution because they believe they lack sound scientific evidence. They believe the theories of evolution contradict the divinely inspired account of creation as it was given by Moses in the Old Testament.
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod believe in the fall of man and in order to rescue mankind, God the Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into the world. They believe Jesus is the Second Person of the Trinity and the true God and true man in one Person. They believe Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, and He is the only worlds Savior from sin, death, and the devil. They believe Jesus Christ was perfect in life and because of His innocent sufferings and death Jesus has redeemed the entire world.
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod believe God has instituted the means of Grace. God announces and bestows the forgiveness of sins and the blessings of life and salvation which the Holy Spirit works faith in the sinners to receive these blessings of Grace. They believe the means of Grace are His Word of the Gospel offering free salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, Holy Baptism offering a washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit and The Lord’s Supper offering the true body and blood of Christ. They believe it is the Word of god that connects the earthly elements and makes Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper effective through the forgiveness, life and salvation that are offered through the sacraments.
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod believe good works are necessary fruits of faith in the life of a Christian. They do not believe good works will earn one salvation, but good works will flow from the living faith in the hearts of those who have already been saved by the grace of God alone.
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod believe people can be called through the Gospel and enlightened, sanctified, and preserved in the true faithful, having from eternity been elected according to the unmerited love of God to being adopted as His children, and having been chosen in Christ. They reject the teaching that there is an eternal election to damnation and that the offer of salvation which God makes through the Gospel is not earnestly intended for all people. They believe in faith they are saved by the grace of God alone, and that those who are lost are lost because of their own unbelief and their hardness of heart.
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod believe there is one holy Christian church and it consists of all those who from their heart truly believe in Christ as Savior and Lord. They believe the Church is to be found where the Word of God and the Sacraments are being used. They do not believe the Church of Jesus Christ is to be equated with any particular denomination or church body, or with all Christian denominations and church bodies. The Evangelical Lutheran Synod believes at death the soul of the believer goes to Heaven and the soul of the unbeliever goes to Hell. They believe on the Last Day, Christ will visibly return to the world and will raise the bodies of all the dead, both the believers and unbelievers. They believe at that time their bodies and souls will be reunited, where the believers will enter into eternal life in the new heavens and the new earth. They believe the unbelievers will be cast forever into the fiery lake of fire.
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod reject all forms of millennialism and teach that Christ will reign visibly over an earthly kingdom for a thousand years before the Day of Resurrection and Judgment.
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “Evangelical Lutheran Synod:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Jan 2006.<https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2688,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2006, January) “Evangelical Lutheran Synod:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2688,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2006) “Evangelical Lutheran Synod:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (January), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2688, (accessed).
