LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 238

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THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS­­—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

A Theology and Philosophy of Lutheran Education

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

conception through natural death—as a precious gift, and that gift of life must be
respected and protected (Psalm 51:5; Psalm 139:13–17; Jer. 1:5). God creates every
human—no matter ethnicity, language, or nationality—and therefore condemns
racism or bigotry of any sort (Acts 10:34–35; Acts 17:26).
That which is rooted in God’s Word must be upheld and practiced in our schools
even when it does not resonate with wider cultural opinion. We abide by what
Scripture teaches—in our classroom instruction, student discipline, or personal counsel. However, Lutheran educators also understand that many within our
schools may not share the same beliefs about how God has made us biologically or
how he commands us to live sexually. We trust our administrators and instructors
to exercise responsible discretion in attending to these conflicts and addressing
them with sensitivity and patience. At the same time, we require a commitment to
biblical teachings concerning marriage and sexuality and also require our teachers
to support and be committed to the same. Only through “speaking the truth in
love” (Eph. 4:15) might our educators remain faithful to God’s Word and bring it
to their students (and their parents) in a way that contradicts unbiblical, immoral beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors condoned by the larger non-Christian culture
(and even many misled or erring Christians).

THE SECOND ARTICLE
Lutheran Education and Redemption
(or the Gospel of Jesus Christ)
How does the reality of sin inform Lutheran education?
Lutheran Christians believe that human beings were created in the image and
likeness of God, perfectly reflecting His righteousness as His good creation (Gen.
1:27). However, we also believe sin entered the world with the fall of Adam and Eve
in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). The entrance of sin has removed our original
purity, holiness, and godliness, and placed us under God’s judgment and wrath
(Rom. 5:12–21; 7:21–25). This sin has infected every human being at conception
(“original sin”).11 Sin has twisted our desires toward things God has prohibited or
things that are unhealthy for us spiritually or physically (“concupiscence”). Acting upon these desires, we believe, think, and do things contrary to God’s Word
(“actual sins”). All of these forms of sin—whether we know of them or not—are
against God’s will. Yet we believe that Jesus alone offers the forgiveness of sins to
those who believe in His Gospel.
This understanding of sin impacts our education in several ways. First, on an intellectual level, we believe that sin has led to the misunderstanding and misuse of
God’s creation (Rom. 1:18–32). We must correct that misunderstanding and misuse through our instruction. For instance, we are obligated to correct mistaken
theories and views often taught in classrooms that deny God’s creation or that
condone sexual sins. Second, on a personal level, we must instruct our students
about the nature of sin, its implications for their spiritual lives, its temporal consequences in their daily lives, and the need for repentance of those sins. Third, we
believe that we must also offer students grace for their sins by sharing with them
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we seek to model that grace in the care we offer
our students. That also means we do not withhold disciplinary action as a consequence for their disobedience (Heb. 12:9–11), yet we also give teachers discretion

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AC II.

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A Theology and Philosophy of Lutheran Education
to allow students to make mistakes, learn from their errors, and improve. Student
discipline is also a valuable opportunity to teach repentance and offer forgiveness.

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
according to God’s Law. Lutheran schools also maintain the distinction between
Law and Gospel when it comes to the discipline of students. Though there may be
consequences and punishments for misbehavior, these are also occasions for the
declaration of the forgiveness of sins in Christ.

What role does the Gospel play in Lutheran education?
Lutheran theology clearly distinguishes between the Law and the Gospel. Certain passages of Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments set forth the Law,
God’s requirements for our lives (or His “unchanging will”). These requirements
reflect the moral standards for how we are to live in accordance with how God
has made us and what He has told us to do, especially as we see this in the Ten
Commandments (Ex. 20:2–17). We believe that obedience to this Law will help to
protect us from temporal consequences and bring temporal blessings in this life,
that the preaching of this Law makes us aware of our sins against God and His
Word, and that this Law provides concrete guidance for how we should lead our
Christian lives. The teaching of the Law is distinct from the Gospel. The Gospel,
also found in both the Old and New Testaments, is the promise of the forgiveness
of sins on account of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection, which we receive by
faith alone. We unreservedly proclaim the forgiveness of sins for all who believe
in Jesus, that Jesus is the only hope and path for salvation, and that God brings
sinners to repentance and faith and forgives their sins through the preaching of
the Word—rightly divided between Law and Gospel—and administration of the
sacraments of Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
While we believe the Law provides shape and form to the moral life and should
govern our instruction and behavioral expectations in Lutheran schools, it cannot be an end in itself when dealing with fallen sinners. It must be accompanied
by a proclamation of the Gospel. Teaching the Law may provide clear moral expectations to students, but only the teaching of the Gospel (through which the
Holy Spirit gives and sustains faith) will lead to changed hearts, renewed lives, and
eternal salvation. Ultimately, all truly good works are fruits of the Spirit that arise
solely and freely from faith in the Gospel (Gal. 5:22–23) rather than from the fear
of the Law (Gal. 2:16), as the Lutheran Formula of Concord says.12 We desire that
all students in Lutheran schools hear the Gospel of what Christ has done for them,
believe in Jesus Christ, and receive Baptism for the forgiveness of their sins. We
do this in the confidence that, through faith in the Gospel, they will grow to have
the “mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16), conform themselves to God’s Word, and live

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Why do Lutheran schools teach theology and gather for worship?
Lutheran Christians do not provide a strictly secular or intellectual educational
experience, free from religious curriculum or practice. A central part of education
in a Lutheran institution is to provide for instruction in the Christian faith (“catechesis”), primarily from the Holy Scriptures and Luther’s Small Catechism. That
may come in the classroom, in the form of theology classes required for all students (Lutheran or not), as well as in teaching within other disciplines where the
faith of Lutheran teachers informs their instruction in the humanities or sciences.
There is no “religion-free” space in Lutheran schools. While theology is taught
unapologetically from a Lutheran perspective to students, Lutheran or not, that
faith should also come through in other areas of the curriculum.
Likewise, worship is essential to every Lutheran school (e.g., in regularly scheduled chapel services, classroom prayers or devotions, Scripture memorization, and
the like). Such worship opportunities allow Lutheran schools to share what makes
them most unique: the faith that they believe, teach, and confess. Lutherans do
not simply speak about their faith, they also sing about it, and they sing about it
in worship. We read Scripture, confidently pray according to our Lord’s promises,
sing hymns or psalms, and preach the Gospel in a way that children come to learn
and believe the truths of the Christian faith and commit them to the head and the
heart. The worship life of a Lutheran school enables students, faculty, and staff to
hear the Word as it is read, taught, proclaimed, prayed, or sung.

FC SD VI 5.

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2026 Convention Workbook

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