Lutherans hold beliefs that are shared by many Christians:
God is three persons in one: the Father, who created and sustains the world; The Son, who lived as a human being, died, and rose from the dead; and the Holy Spirit who works God's will in the world.
The Bible is God's word, spoken through human writers.
Sin exists in every person. It is the cause of the bad things people do to each other.
Everyone will have an existence after death either in heaven or in hell - forever.
God has a plan to end the world, when He will judge everyone - both living and dead.
Lutherans proudly display the sign of the cross, a symbol used by all Christians. The cross symbolizes the terrible death that Jesus suffered as punishment for their sins. Some Lutherans prefer to use a cross that is empty - with no body on it. They see the empty cross as a symbol of Jesus' victory over sin and death.
