what do Lutherans believe about sacraments?

The classical Protestant churches (i.e., Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed) have accepted only two sacraments—i.e., baptism and the Eucharist, though Luther allowed that penance was a valid part of sacramental theology

Lutherans believe that there are two sacraments, baptism and holy communion. Lutherans believe that to be a sacrament that there are elements (water, bread or wine) and the Word. We believe that in the sacraments we experience God and God is doing something for us, not us doing something for God. That is why Lutherans baptize infants. God can do a work in a baby as easiliy as an adult.

A sacramenet can be identified in three ways:

1. Jesus commands it

In Matthew 28: 19-20 Jesus commands us to baptize people

In Matthew 26: 26-29 Jesus commands us to celebrate the Lord's Supper

2. An earthly element is used

For baptism, water is used

For communion, bread and wine are used

3. At the same time it is a heavenly gift (means of grace)

The physical elemts help us to visualize and personalize God's promises

No, the Catholic Church isn't the only church that believes this. The Catholic Church must be the only substantial church that believes especially in transubstantiation, yet even the Catholic Church does no longer require this particular perception, for it to contemplate a church's Eucharist valid (the eastern Orthodox don't think in transubstantiation yet are considered valid by using Catholics). The eastern Orthodox, Assyrian, and varnish national Catholic church homes all have confidence that Jesus is incredibly present, and the Catholic Church acknowledges their apostolic succession as valid. some Anglicans have confidence that Jesus is incredibly present, however the Catholic Church does no longer recognize their apostolic succession. regardless of if their succession have been regularly valid, super numbers of Anglican monks have been "ordained" by using lady "bishops," so there are super issues for apostolic succession in Anglicanism. Lutherans have confidence that Jesus is incredibly present; yet in assessment to Catholics, we have confidence that the authority to rejoice the Eucharist is contained interior the words of Jesus Himself and such authority exists everywhere His be conscious is validly taught. Apostolic succession, for Lutherans, is a human enterprise which will arguably be of fee. It has has been retained interior the Swedish church, yet in accordance to Catholics, the Council of Trent invalidated this succession (and the Swedish church additionally has the female ordination situation). one extra word: somebody mentioned Lutherans have confidence in consubstantiation. that's no longer real. Consubstantiation is the thought the bread and wine are mixed including Jesus' physique and blood; and that i do no longer understand of any modern church that believes this. there's a brilliant style of bewilderment approximately this: some non-Lutherans accused us of believing it, and a few ill-reported Lutherans heard the accusation and concept it to be real. now you will detect poorly researched Lutheran internet web pages and literature that use this be conscious, however the authors does no longer use it in the event that they knew what it incredibly meant.

They believe that they are effectual for salvation. In other words, they believe that you are regenerated (or are "saved")when you get baptized - infant or not. They don't believe that the bread is Christ's body until it is blessed.