They know they're not perfect, that they stumble and fall in their daily walk with God. But they also know that their forgiveness has been won and paid for by Jesus Christ and when they repent and seek forgiveness, God will forgive them because of Jesus. The Bible is God's Word, spoken through human writers. Sin is revolt against God in thought, word and deed. Every person is guilty of sin against God.
Sin also is the cause of the bad things people do to each other.
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. How Lutherans Got Started Lutherans take their name from Martin Luther. He was a German priest who sought to reform the Roman Catholic Church in the early 1500's and return the church to its Biblical foundation. Luther's writing, debating, preaching and teaching sparked the Protestant Reformation.