To put it most simply, Cross of Christ is a congregation of Christians. Our teachings are the Bible's teachings - without addition, subtraction, or modification.
We're WELS Lutherans...
We're a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).
Wisconsin - because that's where the founders of our church body originally settled and where our church headquarters are located. We have congregations in almost every state and enjoy doctrinal fellowship with about thirty other denominations worldwide.
Evangelical - because we preach and teach the gospel (the good news) of Jesus. (Note that this isn't to be equated with modern evangelicalism.)
Lutheran - because we're neither Catholic nor mainstream Protestant, but hold to the teachings of the historic confessional Lutheran church, which sought to restore the teachings of the Bible to their rightful place - front and center - and to emphasize the biblical truths of "grace alone," "faith alone," Scripture alone," "Christ alone," and "glory to God alone."
Synod - because we're one of 1,300 congregations across the United States and Canada, who walk together united by a common faith in Christ's saving love.
We Believe, Teach, and Confess...
WELS has produced a document called "This We Believe" (click on the link to view). This document contains what the Bible teaches. And therefore we also believe, teach, and confess these biblical truths.
In summary:
The Bible & Creation
We believe that the Bible is verbally inspired, inerrant, and infallible - true in all that it says. It is word-for-word God's own words given through human authors. We understand that it contains different genres of literature - historical, prophetical, poetical, and apocalyptic. We reject the teaching that the Bible contains errors, falsehoods, or contradictions.
We believe that the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments are the fullness of God's revelation to mankind. We neither look for nor expect any additional inspired Scriptures.
We believe that the events of the Bible are historically accurate and true, even if they go beyond natural explanation. We believe that there was a real six-day (of 24 hours each) creation, a real garden, a real temptation and fall into sin, a real global flood, a real Jesus who performed real miracles, and a real bodily resurrection from the dead. We believe in a real heaven and a real hell.
God / Jesus
We believe that there is only one true God, the triune God, who is distinctly Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We reject the teaching that the three persons of the Trinity are simply different manners or modes of God expressing himself.
We believe that Jesus Christ is truly and fully God, existing from eternity as the Second Person of the Trinity, and truly and fully man, born into human history. He was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin named Mary.
Mankind & Sin
We believe that Adam and Eve were created in God's image - that is, perfect and holy. But ever since the fall into sin, the image of God has been lost, and all people are now born with the inherited sin and guilt of our first parents. As true God, Jesus is the only exception. This original or inherited sin is truly sin and truly condemns.
We believe that natural man is from birth dead in sin, blind to salvation, hostile to God, and unable to remedy the situation by his own efforts, thinking, or choosing. Natural man does not and cannot accept the gospel of salvation. Before coming to faith, his nature and thinking are "only evil, all the time." We reject the teaching that humans are morally good or even morally neutral at birth or that they have any innate capability of moral goodness.
We allow that people are able to perform acts of "civic righteousness," that is, outwardly good deeds in the eyes of society. However, it is only those works that are done as fruits of faith that are truly good and God-pleasing.
The Work of Jesus: Justification
We believe that Jesus fully paid for the sins of the whole world by his death on the cross, and that all people are objectively forgiven of sin. This teaching is called objective justification - that God has declared the world "not guilty" of sin on the basis of Jesus' sacrifice of himself on the cross - or universal atonement. We reject the teaching that Jesus is merely a great teacher or example to follow.
We believe that justification is forensic rather than sanitive. The Christian is "declared not guilty" by God for the sake of Christ, but he or she continues to remain both saint and sinner simultaneously (simul justus et peccator) throughout his or her lifetime.
The Work of the Holy Spirit: Conversion
We believe that the Holy Spirit brings individuals to faith and keeps them in the faith through the means of grace. This means is the gospel in God's word and sacraments. We reject that the Holy Spirit works faith outside of the gospel. We reject the teaching that faith is a human work.
We believe that God conveys his objective and unconditional forgiveness into human hearts through the God-given gift of faith. This teaching is called subjective justification.
Those who reject Jesus as the Savior forfeit the blessings of forgiveness, not because Jesus didn't fully atone for their sins, but because they've rejected him in their unbelief. Although we do believe in the universal atonement of Jesus, we do not believe in universalism - namely, that all people eventually end up in heaven.
We reject the teaching that once a person believes, he or she is unable to fall from faith.
The Sacraments: Holy Baptism & Holy Communion
We believe in two sacraments, commanded by Jesus Christ for his New Testament Church: Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. We reject the teaching that these are merely outward ordinances, signs, or memorials. They are truly means of God giving us his grace, and they truly convey forgiveness of sins, new life, and eternal salvation.
We believe that baptism is intended for all people of all ages, including infants. We believe that the water may be applied in any manner and in any amount.
We believe that a person who receives Holy Communion receives Jesus' true body and blood along with the bread and wine. We follow the biblical practice of instructing people prior to taking communion. We believe that those who commune together should be in full doctrinal fellowship. Therefore, we practice close communion, inviting our members and those of sister congregations in the WELS to join us at the communion table.
Death and the Last Day
We believe that when a person dies, his or her soul and body separate and the soul is immediately (and privately) judged and goes to its eternal destination - heaven or hell.
We believe that the soul does not "sleep" in the afterlife but is completely aware of its surroundings.
When Jesus returns on the last day, also called Judgment Day, he will physically raise the bodies of all people of all time, reunite them with their souls, and preside as the Judge of all. After announcing his (public) verdict, the bodies and souls of all go to (or return to, in the case of those who'd already died) their eternal destination.
We believe that Jesus came visibly the first time to save the world and that he will come just one more time - visible to all mankind - to judge all mankind and gather his people to himself and take them to heaven. We reject the popular teaching of the rapture - that Jesus will extract believers from this world prior to Judgment Day to spare them tribulation. We believe that the great tribulation spoken of in the Bible - as well as the work of the Antichrist - have been taking place all throughout the New Testament Era. We believe that the rapture will take place after the resurrection of all the dead and on the Last Day, as believers are "caught up" into the air with Jesus.
Teachings re: Sex, Marriage, and Gender
We believe in the biblical definition of marriage - the commitment of one man and one woman to live together until death parts them.
We believe that the only God-pleasing practice of sexual intimacy is within marriage.
We believe that God lovingly designed a grand total of two genders - male and female - and that the terms "biological sex" and "gender" are synonymous and interchangeable. In other words, boys/men are biological males and girls/women are biological females.
These things we believe, teach, and confess because they are clear doctrines of Holy Scripture.