St. Paul Lutheran Church and School

The Luther Rose
In 1530, Martin Luther described the
rose to a friend. He said that the
black cross on a red heart reminds
us that the crucified Christ saves
us. The cross humiliates us and
causes us pain, but also brings us
righteousness and life when, in our
hearts, we believe in the crucified
Savior. The heart is in the center of
a white rose, to show that faith
brings joy, comfort, blessedness
and peace beyond that of the world.
The background of the rose is sky
blue to show that this joy in the
Spirit and in faith is the beginning
of the heavenly joy to come. It is
surrounded by a golden ring, to
signify that the bliss of heaven is
endless and lasts forever, and is
more precious than all other joys
and treasures.

Overview
With the universal Christian Church, The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God: the Father,
creator of all that exists; Jesus Christ, the Son, who became human to
suffer and die for the sins of all human beings and to rise to life again in
the ultimate victory over death and Satan; and the Holy Spirit, who
creates faith through God's Word and Sacraments. The three persons of
the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God.

Being "Lutheran," our congregations accept and teach Bible-based
teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian
Church in the 16th century. The teaching of Luther and the reformers can
be summarized in three short phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture
alone.

Grace alone
God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel
against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love
the unlovable and save the ungodly.

Faith alone
By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time,
Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those
who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life that it offers.
God creates faith in Christ and gives people forgiveness through Him.