The Lutheran faith defines a sacrament as being: “A sacred act instituted by God, in which God himself has joined his Word of promise to a visible element, and by which he offers , gives, and seals the forgiveness of sins earned by Christ. With this narrow description of a sacrament within the Lutheran Church, Dr. Martin Luther limited the number of sacraments from seven, as the Roman Catholic Church had taught, to two; The Lord's Supper and Holy Baptism. Luther placed a strong emphasis on reading the Bible and the two sacraments that the Lutheran tradition holds are both clearly present and strongly supported in the text of the Bible. The five additional Roman Catholic sacraments that Luther left out included: Confirmation, confession, marriage, holy orders, and anointing of the skin. Luther did not feel that these five "sacraments" were supported by the Bible and because the Bible was and still is the sacred word of God himself, Luther did not believe that these five additional sacraments were as important as holy baptism and the Lord's Supper. . In the Lutheran faith, the sacraments are seen as means of grace given to us by God, and together with the Word of God, they lay the foundation of the Lutheran religion. Because these two sacraments are a means of grace given to us by God, Lutherans believe that the Lord's Supper and holy baptism are "gifts" from God and that there is nothing we can do to receive this gift. It is in the grace of God that we sinners receive these gifts for our forgiveness, our resurrection from death, and the promise of eternal life. Through a called and ordained servant of God, a pastor, we receive this gift of Holy Baptism so that we may receive Christ and live middle of paper ......n to Lutheran Confessions. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Publishers. Luther, M. (1991). Luther's short catechism with explanation. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House. The Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.lcms.org/results.asp?q=baptismThe Use of the Means of Grace. (1997). [ELCA]. Retrieved from http://www.elca.org/Growing-In-Faith/Worship/Learning-Center/The-Use-of-the-Means-of-Grace.aspxInterviews: Costar, Lois. Interview, March 9, 2011 Omaha, NE (LCMS)Melang, Jim Pasteur associate. Interview, March 4, 2011. Sinai Lutheran Church (ELCA) Fremont, NEOlson, Lori. Interview, March 9, 2011 Granite Falls, MN (LCMS)Ostrom, Mike Pastor. Interview, March 3, 2011. Sinai Lutheran Church (ELCA) Fremont, NESchmitt, Thomas Pastor. Interview, March 3, 2011. Zion Lutheran Church (LCMS) Omaha, NE