Currently at Atonement we are in the middle of our sermon series on the Small Catechism. We are “going back to the basics” to remind ourselves that the parts of the Small Catechism—the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Baptism, Confession, and the Lord’s Supper, tell the story of who God is, who we are, and how he relates to us.
The question I want to consider in this month’s article is, “How can I use the Small Catechism in my daily life?” To answer this question, let us look briefly at Luther’s arrangement of the first three parts of his Catechism: the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer.
The word, “catechism” simply means ‘instruction’ or ‘teaching.’ There were others throughout the history of the Christian Church leading up to Martin Luther who put together catechisms to teach and instruct the members of the Church in the basics of the Christian Faith. Almost all of the catechisms throughout church history contained instruction on the Ten Commandments, the Creeds, and the Lord’s Prayer. However, Luther’s arrangement was unique. He was one of the very first to put the Ten Commandments first. When asked why he arranged the Small Catechism the way he did he gave this helpful comparison to a sick man in need of medicine:
The question I want to consider in this month’s article is, “How can I use the Small Catechism in my daily life?” To answer this question, let us look briefly at Luther’s arrangement of the first three parts of his Catechism: the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer.
The word, “catechism” simply means ‘instruction’ or ‘teaching.’ There were others throughout the history of the Christian Church leading up to Martin Luther who put together catechisms to teach and instruct the members of the Church in the basics of the Christian Faith. Almost all of the catechisms throughout church history contained instruction on the Ten Commandments, the Creeds, and the Lord’s Prayer. However, Luther’s arrangement was unique. He was one of the very first to put the Ten Commandments first. When asked why he arranged the Small Catechism the way he did he gave this helpful comparison to a sick man in need of medicine:
“In this respect, he is like a sick man. A man who is sick needs first to know what his illness is and what he can and cannot do. Then he needs to know where the medicine is that can help him live the life of a well man. Third, he must desire this medicine and look for it until he finds it or have it brought to him. Thus the commandments teach a man to recognize his sickness so that he may know and understand what he can and cannot do, what he ought to do and ought not to do. In this way he comes to recognize that he is an evil and sinful man. After this, the creed shows and teaches him where he can find the medicine or the remedy that he needs, that is, the grace which will help him become a righteous man so that he may keep the commandments and which shows him God and the righteousness which he reveals and offers to us in Christ. Thirdly, the Lord’s Prayer teaches him how he should desire, get, and appropriate this grace for himself, namely through regular, humble, consoling prayer . . . These are the three chief things in all Scriptures.” [1]
In other words, the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer tell the story of salvation in a very simple and clear way. So let us revisit our question: “How can I use the Small Catechism in my daily life?”
One way is to continually “go back to the basics” and study these chief teachings of Scripture and the whole Christian Faith. Have a copy of the Small Catechism in your home and review it often on your own and with your family. We can grow and mature in our Christian Faith and the conviction of the truth and meaning God’s promises for our lives by being a lifelong student of the Small Catechism.
Another way to use the Small Catechism in your daily life is to use it to share the Gospel. You can use Luther’s arrangement of the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer as a simple way to help others see their sin-sickness and how it has separated them from God, their Creator. You can use the Creed and Luther’s meaning of it to share God’s medicine of grace in Christ with others and how God delivers that grace personally to sinful individuals through his Holy Spirit. You can show them how to pray continually for this medicine of grace and immortality through the Lord’s Prayer. When the “basic” teachings of the Christian faith and a clear meaning and explanation of them are on our minds and in our hearts then often it will be reflected in our actions, our thoughts, and our words.
In Christ,
Pastor Josh
[1] Arand, Charles P, That I May Be His Own: An Overview of Luther’s Catechisms (St. Louis: CPH, 2000), 130-131 (emphasis, mine).
One way is to continually “go back to the basics” and study these chief teachings of Scripture and the whole Christian Faith. Have a copy of the Small Catechism in your home and review it often on your own and with your family. We can grow and mature in our Christian Faith and the conviction of the truth and meaning God’s promises for our lives by being a lifelong student of the Small Catechism.
Another way to use the Small Catechism in your daily life is to use it to share the Gospel. You can use Luther’s arrangement of the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer as a simple way to help others see their sin-sickness and how it has separated them from God, their Creator. You can use the Creed and Luther’s meaning of it to share God’s medicine of grace in Christ with others and how God delivers that grace personally to sinful individuals through his Holy Spirit. You can show them how to pray continually for this medicine of grace and immortality through the Lord’s Prayer. When the “basic” teachings of the Christian faith and a clear meaning and explanation of them are on our minds and in our hearts then often it will be reflected in our actions, our thoughts, and our words.
In Christ,
Pastor Josh
[1] Arand, Charles P, That I May Be His Own: An Overview of Luther’s Catechisms (St. Louis: CPH, 2000), 130-131 (emphasis, mine).
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