Luther's Small Catechism

The grace of God is his undeserved love that is rooted in his very nature as the God of love, which is self-giving and sacrificial.

where should we go in the catechism where is the grace of god articulated in the small catechism and i would say that there is no part of the small catechism where God's grace is not found.

So we might take a little bit longer introduction to where is the grace of God found in the catechism and looking at the catechism for this Sunday than we usually do.

But I'm gonna walk us through the catechism, six chief parts, daily prayers, table of duties, even Christian questions and their answers.

And the activities of those offices described in the table of duties are governed by the grace of God.

A husband loves his wife and is not harsh with her.

because jesus loves him and is not harsh with him so every aspect of the table of duties rests upon the grace of god it's the grace of god that helps give us understanding of our offices okay finally then the christian questions with their answers we could look at a number of the answers but we'll go to question 18. i go to the sacrament i may learn to believe that christ out of great love died for my sin and also learn from him to love god and my neighbor the sacrament of the altar is a gift of god's grace that's made clear in the passage on the sacrament of the altar and then throughout the christian questions and their answers so i'm hopeful that just kind of surveying the small catechism like this with scratching the surface in all six chief parts in the daily prayers and christian questions and answers the table of duties scratching the surface of how the grace of god is the underlayment for all of that all of christian doctrine all of christian life it can really open our understanding so we see the forest and don't lose the forest for the sake of one individual tree.

But having said that, each tree of the forest, so to speak, is rooted and anchored in the grace of God in Christ Jesus, our Savior, who redeemed us with his holy, precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death.

Baptism imparts forgiveness for all of the sin of your life.

It's one of the most incredibly profound statements of Luther's small catechism, is if it were a typical medieval Roman book, it would have said, what did baptism work? Baptism worked forgiveness of sins.

It delivered from death and the devil, and it gave eternal salvation.

It would have gone like that.

This podcast is about my family's journey of becoming Lutheran, and that starts with my daughter.

When me and my wife were pregnant, that's where Luther's small catechism led me in the direction of of the small c catholic church and the sacramental nature i was going through and getting my biblical studies degree i had a good catholic man ed in my life who was reading all my papers and helping me and i had the small catechism i was doing research on the trinity i was doing a lot of self-exploration and when me and my wife got pregnant the question was how do i raise a child What does it mean to be a father? So I was led to baptize my daughter.

One of the greatest decisions ever.

I remember when I told Ed, I'm kicking my daughter in the covenant.

But when I was reading the New Testament, I was convinced of baptism.

And that was the one thing from my Protestant American background that...

I could never reconcile up until Luther's small catechism was the way they looked at baptism.

Because to me, baptism is just ordinary water, God's triune name.

So let me just remind our listeners, and then I'll make a few comments along the way, of the Office of the Keys and Confession.

The Small Catechism asks the question, what is the Office of the Keys? The Office of the Keys is that special authority which Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent.

So the Office of the Keys, the loosing key is the forgiveness of sins that's spoken to repentant sinners.

The binding key is the withholding of forgiveness to the impenitent.

If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." Again, that, that's explicating the public responsibility that ministers have to withhold forgiveness from the impenitent in the prayerful hope that they will repent, and then to forgive the sins of every repentant sinner.

I will make a distinction when we get there in the Gospel about the difference between forgiveness of sins that is for... forgiveness of sins that the minister speaks in his office, and the application of law and gospel with what the Christian, as Christian, is simply called to live in, namely the forgiveness of sins all the time.

Now, the final question under the Office of the Keys that the Small Catechism asks is, what do you believe according to these words? And I want us to pay attention to that when we talk about Joseph and how he speaks the Lord's forgiveness to his brothers.

So the Catechism says, "I believe that when the called ministers of Christ deal with us by His divine command, in particular when they exclude openly unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation and absolve those who repent of their sins and want to do better, this is just as valid and certain even in heaven as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself." So this kind of language from the Small Catechism indicates that what the liturgy says is indeed true.

2.

Catechism Another treasure which God gave to Christianity through Luther is the small catechism.

In order to inform himself on the condition of the churches and schools, Luther had early urged the elector to order a general visitation of the churches.

This visitation was held with loving heart but with open eyes from 1527 to 1529.

Yet all are called Christians, have been baptized, and enjoy the use of the sacraments, although they know neither the Lord's Prayer nor the Creed, nor the ten commandments and live like the poor brutes and irrational swine the following example illustrates how patiently luther instructed such people when at one time he examining the poor peasants on the christian creed one of them who had recited the first article being asked the meaning of almighty answered i don't know Luther then said, You are right, my dear man.

I and all the doctors do not know what God's power and omnipotence is, but only believe that God is your dear and faithful Father who will, can, and knows how to help you and your wife and children in every need.

Such misery induced Luther in 1529 to write the small catechism for the instruction of poor Christendom.

he himself saying the deplorable destitution which i recently observed during a visitation of the churches has impelled and constrained me to prepare this catechism or christian doctrine in such a small and simple form a learned doctor writes of this excellent little book the small catechism is the true layman bible which comprises the whole contents of christian doctrine which every christian must know for his salvation of all books in the world perhaps no other can be found that teaches the whole counsel of god for our salvation in such brief form and in such clear and pointed language a true popular book it has cultivated the right understanding of the gospel among the common people and unto this day proved of inestimable blessing very early luther already could boast of the fruits of his work in the following year he wrote to the elector how gracious is the merciful god in granting such power and fruit to his word in your country you have in your country the very best and most able pastors and preachers such as you can find in no other country of the world who live so faithfully, piously, and peaceably.

2.

Catechism Another treasure which God gave to Christianity through Luther is the small catechism.

In order to inform himself on the condition of the churches and schools, Luther had early urged the elector to order a general visitation of the churches.

This visitation was held with loving heart but with open eyes from 1527 to 1529.

He prayed this prayer over and over again every night, hoping that one time it would be sincere enough that it would be for real this time.

Can you imagine that sort of despair you live with? He said, until a friend handed him a small catechism.

And he said, he read it and he said, this.

This, this is the truth.

service.

Well, you know, I've suggested many times, I think the place to start is just, will you please use Luther's small catechism? to instruct young and old in your congregation as a regular feature of your instruction.

That's really kind of the least you could do if you call yourselves Lutheran.

If they don't want to use it, the question naturally comes up, why not? Have you found something better? something better than a document of our own Lutheran confessions that was written expressly for the instruction of young and old, that came highly recommended by Luther himself, that has historically been the foundational document of instructing people in the Christian faith for not only Lutherans, but other confessions of faith as well.

What have you found that's better? Please show it to me.

And how is it better specifically than Luther's small catechism? But I think you make a good suggestion.

which is, and oh, and by the way, if we are all really agreed on doctrine, you should have no problem with this whatsoever.

Because all we're talking about is doctrine.

this is the becoming lutheran podcast i had one of the proud dad moments yesterday so it's the beginning of the school year for my daughter and son and my daughter was tasked she's in second grade now the filling a little brown bag with four things that represent her And yesterday when she got home, what normally happens, my wife brings them home and I take their lunch pails and I clean them out and then I grab their homework and set it out and go through their backpack.

And when I went through her backpack, I pull out the small catechism.

And I'm like, Marilyn, did you bring this as your four things? Because the day before she told me she brought the Bible.

And what a proud moment.

She brought her small catechism to show the class.

I'm like, did anyone say anything? And she said, no, they weren't allowed to talk.

And I just said, I'm proud of you.

And I left it there.