St. James Lutheran Church of Columbus, Ohio - Making an impact on our community through the Word of God.

We've all struggled to make sense of the world around us. In times of confusion and conflict, we often find ourselves caught up in the mixed signals. Most people fight for spiritual clarity in their lives. We at St. James Lutheran church believe that this clarity comes soley through a relationship with God. We're people like you who have realized the need for the freedom that comes from understanding why we're on this earth, how we got here, and where we're going when this life is over.

People worship many things. Beauty. Wealth. Power. Respect. These are common focus points in our lives but they never seem to have the staying power one would expect from "the best in life." Once you die, these things are gone forever. So what DOES last beyond death?

Love lasts forever.

God is the perfect, all-knowing being who originally created humanity as a perfect creation. He made us to love us and to give us the ability to freely love him in return. Free will was a big part of our relationship with God; after all, aside from in science fiction, a robot can't love its master.

Humans were given free will to choose to obey God as a child obeys its father, but we blew it. Our ancestors disobeyed God's simple rules and as a result, ruined the perfect, loving relationship we had with Him. Humanity was hopelessly lost, condemned to an eternity of hell and suffering, completely removed from God, who created us!

Why would a God who loves us put us in Hell?

God is perfect and just. His judgement is absolute because he is absolute. He can't tolerate evil because it is against his perfect nature. The good news is that something drastic was done by God to restore the relationship between us as He originally intended. He offered us a substitute for us in our pitiful condition so that we can get back to him where we belong. He doesn't want our fallen nature to cause us to be lost forever.

God loves us so much that he sacrificed his only son Jesus Christ to take the fall in our place. Jesus allowed himself to be punished instead of us- in this way he paid ALL of the price of the wrongs we've done in our lives! Through Christ's death we are offered lives as new people, clean of the garbage and evil that comes with this world, ready for a relationship with God... a relationship that lasts FOREVER!

Great news- God, through Jesus Christ, has done everything already! The only thing left for us to do is accept this fact and trust in Christ as a replacement for us in the big picture of God's need for perfection. The realization that we can't be perfect in God's eyes, that we're helpless without Christ's intervention- THAT is the true saving faith and a major step in your walk with God. Trusting in Christ's saving power makes one a Christian, and the power of the new relationship with God is truly a life-changing thing. No amount of money or effort can buy the relationship with God back. But the blood of Christ can, and has! It's God's gift to us as his beloved creation.

God calls us to walk with him but we, as humans, don't want to listen! Nobody likes to admit that they're wrong or incapable of handling things on their own, but the evidence of our fallen human nature is there. Look inside yourself- Is something missing in your life? Unsatisfied with the things you own and the things you do? Struggling with family life, work, or school, and feel helpless, tossed by the waves in a sea of social confusion? Often we're too blind to our own state to even notice. This is human nature and God knows what's best for us so he reaches out to you. God is the only means to happiness. He's reliable and he's always listening. He's a constant voice calling to you, always ready to listen to your prayers, speaking to you through the pages of the Bible. Come visit us at St. James Lutheran Church and learn more about finding your purpose in this life- and the next.

What exactly is prayer?

Prayer is conversation between you and God, conversation which you begin by respectfully speaking to God silently or out loud. It can be made anytime, anywhere! The Bible contains a great deal of information on prayer. Prayer is important for Christians as it gives us a direct link to God. Jesus even taught his followers how to pray!

I'm a pretty decent person. Isn't that enough?

The Bible is God's complete and only written message to us. It serves as the Christian "guidebook for life and death." Originally transcribed into Hebrew and Greek thousands of years ago, it comes in many translations. There are many websites which feature these translations (including English!) for free. Check it out!

So truly accepting and trusting in the fact that Jesus Christ paid the price for my debt to God makes me a Christian. What would make me a "Lutheran?"

In 1517 a devout German Catholic monk by the name of Martin Luther issued a list of 95 points of concern with the religious practices and beliefs of the church. These "95 Theses" became the flint which sparked the global Reformation, a revolution which swept the world of ritualistic, exclusive church practices and paved the way for people like ourselves to know God's love directly and personally through Jesus Christ. This massive cleansing of the church resulted in many people who protested the Catholic Church (known as "Protestants") splitting away from the church and forming their own congregations all over the world. The Lutheran church stems from the German Protestants and may be found in cities all over the world. Anyone who believes the fundamental principles of Christianity as detailed here can become members of St. James Lutheran Church. Of course, anyone regardless of their status can visit our church, attend service, and ask questions!

I would like to visit you at St. James and learn more about who God really is! How?

We'd love to have you attend a weekly service, whether you're Christian or curious. Get directions here. All are welcome! Contact us today if you'd like to learn more about God's plan for your life, we'll be happy to answer questions and share the experience of learning with you. We hope to hear from you today!

Click here to learn more about what we believe. Thank you for reading; we'd love to meet you this Sunday.