A CATECHISM REVIEW

Go back to the basics and review the teachings of Luther’s Small Catechism. Excerpts taken from the 2017 version of the Small Catechism published by Northwestern Publishing House. Note: The numbers preceding the questions are the numbers listed in the print version (2017) of the catechism.

For further reading, check out James Borgwardt's series titled "Catechism truths from Matthew":

Article one: Apostles' Creed

Article two: The Ten Commandments

Article three: The Lord's Prayer

Article four: The keys and confession

Article five: The Lord's Supper

Article six: Baptism

Back to the basics: The Lord’s Prayer

September 3-9: Overview and the address of the Lord's Prayer

Address: Our Father in heaven.

239. What is prayer?

Psalm 19:14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 62:8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Psalm 73:25,26 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My ﬂesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 9:10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.

Psalm 121:2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Genesis 18:16-33 (Abraham spoke from his heart, pleading on behalf of Sodom.)

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Prayer is speaking to God from the heart as a natural response of faith and an expression of our trust in the power and love of God.

240. What has God revealed about himself that encourages us to come to him in prayer?

Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.”

Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”

Exodus 34:6,7 The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.

John 11:25,26 I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.

Romans 8:34 Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

In his Word, God has revealed that he is the almighty, eternal God whose love for us will never end. He has demonstrated the depth of his love by redeeming us from the power of sin and death and by forgiving our sins.

242. To whom only do we pray?

Psalm 65:2 You who answer prayer, to you all people will come.

Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.

1 John 5:20,21 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

Jeremiah 10:10 The LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King.

Revelation 22:8,9 When I had heard and seen [these things], I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”

Acts 14:8-18 (After healing a man who was lame, Paul and Barnabas had to restrain the people from honoring them as gods.)

A closer look

Some people pray to individuals who have died—individuals like Mary, other saints, or even family members—believing that those who are dead can do something about the challenges the living face on earth. God has never told us that those who have died can hear anything spoken to them by the living. Instead, God commands and invites us to go directly to him for all of our needs. When we place our conﬁdence in someone other than God, we sin against the First Commandment.

247. Why is it proper for us to call God our Father?

Malachi 2:10 Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us?

2 Corinthians 6:18 I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

Galatians 4:4,5 When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

Galatians 4:6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

Psalm 103:13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.

We call God our Father because he created us and adopted us into his family through Christ’s redemption. Our heavenly Father loves us and cares deeply for us.

249. What makes our heavenly Father diﬀerent from earthly fathers?

Genesis 17:1 I am God Almighty.

Deuteronomy 32:4 A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

Psalm 27:10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.

Hebrews 12:10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

252. What are we confessing when we acknowledge that our Father is in heaven?

Ephesians 4:6 . . . one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Isaiah 6 (When he commissioned Isaiah as his prophet, God gave Isaiah a glimpse of heaven. Isaiah saw the Lord seated on his throne, in power and glory. Isaiah witnessed the honor and glory the angels were attributing to God.)

Psalm 115:3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.

Haggai 2:8 “The silver is mine and the gold is mine,” declares the LORD Almighty.

Psalm 124:8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 139:7-10 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I ﬂee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Acts 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.

Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us . . .

From heaven, God reigns over all things in glory. By addressing our Father in heaven, we are confessing his greatness, power, and glory. Because he possesses all things, we are acknowledging that he is the one who can answer our prayers.

September 10-16: The first, second, and third petitions

First petition: Hallowed be your name.

Second petition: Your kingdom come.

Third petition: Your will be done on earth as in heaven.

253. What is God’s name?

Genesis 17:1 I am God Almighty.

Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.

Exodus 34:5-7 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD . . . “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

John 17:6,8 I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. For I gave them the words you gave me.

2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Psalm 9:10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

God’s name is his titles and everything else he has revealed about himself in his Word.

255. God’s name is holy in and of itself. When we pray “hallowed be your name,” we aren’t saying that we can change or add to the essence of his name. We are asking, rather, that God work in us so that we treat his name as special, that is, keep it holy in our lives. In what ways do we keep God’s name holy in our lives?

Jeremiah 23:28 Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully.

Deuteronomy 4:2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.

1 Chronicles 16:8 Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

2 Samuel 22:50 I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name.

Psalm 9:11 Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.

2 Timothy 4:1-5 (God urges us to be faithful in proclaiming his Word.)

We treat God’s name as special when we teach his Word faithfully.

Ezra 10:11 Now honor the LORD, the God of your ancestors, and do his will.

Ephesians 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

1 Corinthians 6:20 You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 3:3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Galatians 5:22,23 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Titus 2:14 [Jesus Christ] gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

We treat God’s name as special when we honor him with our good works.

258. As children of God, why are we eager to honor God’s name?

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

Matthew 16:26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

Romans 10:13 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 18:6 If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

259. What does God tell us about his kingdom?

Colossians 1:13,14 He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 3:15,16 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly.

Luke 17:20,21 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

God has given his name for our salvation. That truth is more important to us than anything else on earth. We will study and teach his Word faithfully so that God’s name will always be on us and so that others also come to his name. We will live our lives so that our actions don’t turn others away from God.

Romans 14:17 The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.”

John 18:36,37 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would ﬁght to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

The kingdom of God is Christ’s rule in our hearts through his Word.

260. How does God’s kingdom come to us?

Romans 14:9 Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

1 Corinthians 12:3 I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:5 God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 9:16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or eﬀort, but on God’s mercy.

Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.

Matthew 28:19,20 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Titus 2:14 [Jesus Christ] gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

God’s kingdom comes as the Holy Spirit works and strengthens faith in our hearts through the means of grace.

262. God’s kingdom already has a stronghold in Christian hearts. Why, then, do we continue to pray that God’s kingdom come?

1 Corinthians 10:12 If you think you are standing ﬁrm, be careful that you don’t fall!

2 Peter 3:17,18 Dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the law-less and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Mark 9:24 I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!

Ephesians 6:12 Our struggle is not against ﬂesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Romans 7:21,23 I ﬁnd this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. But I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.

We pray for God’s kingdom to come because another kingdom—that of the devil, the world, and our sinful ﬂesh—is trying to dislodge God’s throne from our hearts.

Matthew 28:19 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

John 10:16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one ﬂock and one shepherd.

We pray for God’s kingdom to come to those who are not yet part of the kingdom through faith.

264. What is God’s will?

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word.

Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Jeremiah 23:28 Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully.

2 Timothy 4:1-5 (God urges us to be faithful in proclaiming his Word.)

God’s will is that we hallow his name by faithfully teaching and preaching his Word.

1 Timothy 2:3,4 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

John 6:40 My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

John 20:31 These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

1 Timothy 4:16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

God’s will is that as we teach and preach his Word, his kingdom will come and more souls will be saved for eternal life.

2 Peter 3:18 Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 6:11,12 Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good ﬁght of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

1 Timothy 4:8 Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

1 Thessalonians 4:1,3 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. It is God’s will that you should be sanctiﬁed: that you should avoid sexual immorality.

Colossians 1:9,10 We have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to ﬁll you with the knowledge of his will . . . so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.

God’s will is that through his Word, we will grow in faith to serve him and one another more and more.

Luke 10:38-42 (Jesus commended Mary for choosing to listen to his Word, the one thing that is needed.)

Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

Psalm 119:37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.

Psalm 122:1 I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”

1 Timothy 6:20 Guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge.

Matthew 13:44-46 (Jesus told two brief parables to emphasize that the kingdom of God is our greatest treasure.)

God’s will for us is that we recognize his Word and the kingdom that comes through his Word as our greatest treasures.

267. How is God’s will done for us as we experience the spiritual struggles of life on earth?

1 John 3:8 The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Romans 6:6 We know that our old self was cruciﬁed with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

God’s will is done when he defeats the evil plans of the devil, the world, and our sinful ﬂesh.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

1 Corinthians 1:8 [Our Lord] will also keep you ﬁrm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:4,5 . . . an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

1 Peter 5:10 The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suﬀered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, ﬁrm and steadfast.

Philippians 1:6 He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Connections

Satan and the world will always seek to oppose God’s will in the world. Christianity is openly ridiculed. Christians sometimes are openly persecuted and even killed. Sin is defended and promoted as if it were our right to do whatever we want. Christians can easily become discouraged. However, it is comforting to remember that when Jesus rose from the dead, he won the victory over Satan and the world. As long as the world exists, God’s will continues to be done. Read about the opposition Christianity faced shortly after Jesus ascended. The Christians in Jerusalem were persecuted to the point that they had to ﬂee to other cities and countries. Discover how God used that seeming victory of Satan to bring about great victories for the faith.

Acts 6:8-15; 7:51–8:8; 11:19-21

What blessings did God bring even as enemies were working so hard to hurt the church? We may not immediately see the blessings God is bringing during hard times, but we know his good and gracious will is getting done. Think of yourself suﬀering persecution in some way today. What blessings can God bring to you through that kind of suﬀering?

September 17-23: The fourth, fifth, and sixth petitions

Fourth petition: Give us today our daily bread.

Fifth petition: Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Sixth petition: Lead us not into temptation.

268. What is meant by daily bread?

Psalm 37:25,26 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.

Deuteronomy 10:18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

Psalm 145:15,16 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

Deuteronomy 8:18 Remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.

Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

Psalm 68:6 God sets the lonely in families.

Romans 13:1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

Leviticus 26:6 I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid.

Daily bread includes everything God gives for our bodily welfare.

269. For what purposes does God give us our daily bread?

Psalm 145:15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.

Philippians 4:19 My God will meet all your needs.

Acts 14:17 He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and ﬁlls your hearts with joy.

2 Corinthians 9:8,11 God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanks- giving to God.

1 Timothy 5:8 Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

James 2:15,16 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?

2 Corinthians 8:7 See that you also excel in this grace of giving.

Proverbs 3:9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the ﬁrstfruits of all your crops.

1 Corinthians 16:2 On the ﬁrst day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up.

Proverbs 14:31 Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

God gives us daily bread in order to provide for our physical needs and to provide us with a means to honor him and serve others.

273. What attitude does God want us to have regarding the way we use the physical blessings he has given to us?

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

Matthew 6:33,34 Seek ﬁrst his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

2 Corinthians 9:8 God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Luke 12:15-21 (Jesus warned against the desire to heap up blessings for our own pleasure rather than using our blessings to his glory and for the beneﬁt of his kingdom.)

1 Corinthians 4:2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

2 Corinthians 8:1-15 (The Macedonian churches considered it a great blessing to be able to give of their own blessings in order to help fellow Christians.)

2 Corinthians 9:7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Matthew 25:14-30 (Jesus told a parable about a king. Before leaving on an extended journey, the king entrusted his servants with bags of money, expecting them to put the money to good use while he was gone. Through the parable, Jesus teaches us to use what he has given us wisely and faithfully.)

Luke 16:9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

God wants us to be faithful managers of all the blessings he has given us, generously and cheerfully placing him ﬁrst in all we do.

274. What do we confess about ourselves when we pray the Fifth Petition?

Psalm 51:4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.

Romans 3:10,12 There is no one righteous, not even one. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.

Psalm 143:2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.

Genesis 32:10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant.

Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death.

Because we sin every day by our thoughts, words, and deeds, we don’t deserve to have God answering our prayers and giving us what we want or need. Instead, we deserve eternal punishment.

276. Why can we be conﬁdent that this petition will be granted?

Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Revelation 1:5 To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood . . .

Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Jeremiah 31:34 I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.

Matthew 9:2 Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.

Acts 10:43 Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Matthew 26:28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

God accomplished our forgiveness by sending his Son to take the guilt of our sins upon himself on a cross. He forgives us through his Word and through the Sacraments.

278. We treasure the forgiveness of sins. What are we eager to do when others sin against us?

Colossians 3:13 Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Matthew 18:21,22 “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Matthew 18:23-35 (Jesus used a parable to show that it is incomprehensible that we would refuse to forgive others if we have been forgiven all of our sins. See verses 32 and 33.) I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Luke 6:36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

280. What is temptation?

Genesis 3:1-13 (The devil tempted Adam and Eve to rebel against God.)

James 1:14,15 Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Galatians 1:6,7 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.

Temptations are the attempts of our spiritual enemies to lure us away from God and his truth.

281. Who are these spiritual enemies that attempt to lure us away from God?

Revelation 12:9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.

1 John 2:15,16 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the ﬂesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

2 Peter 2:18 They mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the ﬂesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.

Romans 7:18 I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

Mark 7:21,22 It is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.

283. Who is responsible when we give in to temptation?

James 1:13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.

James 1:14,15 Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

284. The Bible tells us that God never tempts anyone to sin. What, then, are we asking when we pray that our Father in heaven lead us not into temptation?

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the ﬂesh is weak.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

1 Peter 1:5 [You] through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Philippians 4:7 The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

In this petition we ask our Father in heaven to guard and keep us from temptation.

Luke 22:31,32 Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.

Ephesians 6:11,13,17 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

1 Corinthians 10:12,13 If you think you are standing ﬁrm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Hebrews 4:15 We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

Hebrews 2:18 Because he himself suﬀered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Hebrews 12:1,2 Let us throw oﬀ everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ﬁxing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

1 Corinthians 9:25-27 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not ﬁght like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualiﬁed for the prize.

With this petition we ask our Father in heaven to strengthen and preserve us when we face temptation so that we may overcome and win the victory.

September 24-30: The seventh petition and the doxology

Seventh petition: But deliver us from evil.

Doxology: For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

286. What is the cause of all evil in the world?

Genesis 3:16-19,24 (Pain and suﬀering, hurt relationships, diﬃcult working conditions, death, and loss of fellowship with God all came as the result of sin.)

Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death.

Matthew 15:19 Out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

288. In what ways does God answer our prayers to rescue us from evils that threaten our bodies and souls, properties and reputations?

Psalm 121:7,8 The LORD will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Psalm 91:9,10 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.

Our Father in heaven may keep evil from us.

Romans 8:28 We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

2 Corinthians 4:17 Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

Romans 5:3-5 We also glory in our suﬀerings, because we know that suﬀering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

2 Corinthians 1:3,4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

When our Father in heaven allows evil to touch our lives, he promises to work good through it.

Deuteronomy 8:5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.

Proverbs 3:12 The LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

Hebrews 12:6 The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.

2 Corinthians 7:9,10 Now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Our Father in heaven may use evil to discipline us or to lead us to repentance.

2 Corinthians 12:9 He said to me, “My grace is suﬃcient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Psalm 94:17-19 Unless the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.

1 Peter 5:10 The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suﬀered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, ﬁrm and steadfast.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

Matthew 10:24,25 The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

Matthew 5:11,12 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

When our Father in heaven allows evil to touch our lives, he strengthens us and encourages us so that we are able to bear the evil.

A closer look

Theology of the cross

If God is on the side of Christians, shouldn’t Christians have trouble-free lives? It can be tempting to wish for that—how wonderful it would be to have lives free from pain or sorrow, lives of glory!

We look forward to that kind of life in eternity. But life is diﬀerent here. Jesus has told us that as we follow him on this earth, we can expect to share in his cross. We can expect to have troubles and hardships even because we are Christians. So does that mean that God doesn’t love us? Not at all. Remember, God accomplished our salvation through the suffering of his Son. God has promised to bring blessing through our sufferings too.

God’s ultimate purpose for the crosses we endure in life is to turn us back to Christ’s cross and the promises of his unfailing love and sure deliverance. While we are here on earth, God strengthens us through the gospel. At life’s end, when our journey here is ﬁnished, God promises to take us from this world of sorrow and trouble to heaven.

290. What is our Christian response as we see the evil in the world?

Psalm 42:5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalm 85:8 I will listen to what God the LORD says; he promises peace to his people.

Psalm 73:25,26 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My ﬂesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Romans 8:18 I consider that our present suﬀerings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Psalm 146:3,5 Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God.

292. Why can we be conﬁdent that our Father in heaven will hear and answer our petitions?

Matthew 7:7,8 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will ﬁnd; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks ﬁnds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

John 14:13,14 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be gloriﬁed in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

1 John 5:14,15 This is the conﬁdence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

We are conﬁdent that he hears and answers our petitions because he promises to give us whatever we ask in Jesus’ name.

Matthew 19:26 With God all things are possible.

Matthew 8:27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Ephesians 3:20,21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Exodus 16 (The Lord miraculously provided manna and quail for the people to eat.)

Psalm 78:24 He rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven.

Psalm 29:2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

Psalm 18:3 I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.

Revelation 5:12 Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!

We can be conﬁdent that he hears and answers our petitions because he rules over everything, possesses all power, and is worthy of our glory and praise.

A closer look

Why do we say these words?

The words of the Doxology are a very appropriate ending to the Lord’s Prayer. They confess our conﬁdence in God, who answers our prayers. Similar words were spoken by David in 1 Chronicles 29:11, as he gave praise to God in prayer. There is some uncertainty as to whether Jesus himself included those words when teaching his disciples how to pray in Matthew 6. Whatever the case, many Christians for centuries have joyfully concluded the Lord’s Prayer with this conﬁdent confession of praise.

293. Why do we conclude our prayers with the word Amen?

James 1:6,7 When you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

2 Samuel 7:28 Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.

Nehemiah 8:6 Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

Psalm 62:8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Psalm 13:5 I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

Psalm 121:1,2 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 73:25,26 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My ﬂesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Amen means “Yes! It shall be so.” We use the word Amen because we are not doubting but ﬁrmly believing that our Father in heaven will hear and answer our prayers.

Back to the basics: The Ten Commandments

August 6-12: Introduction to the commandments

The Ten Commandments are a summary of God’s will for us in our lives. Many people think of the commandments as out-of-date rules that take away our freedom to do the things we want and should have the right to do. But the more we study the commandments, the more clearly we see that they are given to us to bless us. They remain important. We have every reason to want to learn what they mean, and we have every reason to obey them.

*Note: When God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai, he did not assign numbers to individual commandments. Luther chose to keep the numbering used by the ancient church and the church of his day. Others have numbered the commandments in a different way, keeping the number at ten but changing the way they are numbered.

God's will for our lives

20. To understand why the Ten Commandments are blessings for us, we first have to grasp the condition of our relationship with God. At birth what is wrong in our natural relationship with God?

Genesis 2:16,17; 3:6 (When Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they brought sin and death into the world.)

John 3:6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

Romans 5:12 Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.

Psalm 51:5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Adam and Eve sinned when they chose to disobey God. Their sin brought them guilt along with many other consequences, including death. Because “flesh gives birth to flesh” (John 3:6), their descendants have been born with that sin and, therefore, are guilty and subject to death. Psalm 51 makes it very clear that at the moment of conception in our mother’s womb, we each became guilty of sin. The consequences of sin were devastating for Adam and Eve. The consequences we inherit from them by birth are devastating to us also.

23. How do we come to the realization of our sin?

Romans 7:7 I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”

Romans 3:20 No one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

Some people try to avoid medical tests because they fear the results, but medical tests can uncover diseases that, without treatment, could kill us. God’s commandments uncover the truth about the evil thoughts and deeds that spring from our old Adam and earn death for us.

25. Who alone kept God’s law?

Romans 3:12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.

Hebrews 4:14,15 Since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

Hebrews 7:26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.

26. Why is it important to us that Jesus kept the law for us?

Galatians 4:4,5 When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

30. Some people think of the commandments as rules that take all the fun out of life. In Genesis 3:1-6, we see how Satan deceived Eve into thinking that disobeying God would bring happiness. The results of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, however, were misery, slavery to sin, and ultimately death. These things are always the results of sin. Obedience to God’s commands, on the other hand, does bring blessings. What blessings are ours as we obey his laws?

Psalm 19:7,8,11 The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Psalm 119:14,35,45 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

Matthew 5:3-10 (In this section of blessings, Jesus teaches that obedience to God’s will is the way of true happiness.)

Connections

Sometimes unpleasant experiences are actually blessings. Even pain can be a good thing. Pain can be the signal that tells us something serious is happening inside of us so that we get help from the doctor. Pain can also cause us to pull away from something that is hot and could burn us and do permanent damage. God might also use pain to lead us to his Word for hope and comfort. The result is a stronger faith.

The experience of looking into God’s law is not always pleasant. Sometimes it is downright painful. God’s law shows us that we fall short of what he wants us to be. It reveals the painful truth that we are sinners who deserve God’s everlasting punishment. As unpleasant and painful as those truths are, they are blessings because they show us that we need a Savior. God shows us our sins and what we deserve because of them, but then he graciously points us to the forgiveness we have in our Savior.

August 13-19: Commandments 1-3

Honor God above all else: The First Commandment

With the First Commandment, God plainly teaches us that we should have no gods other than him, the only true God. As Christians, we may think that it will be easy to keep this commandment. After all, we believe in the true God who tells us about himself in the Bible. But as we study this commandment, we will see that we often break this commandment by honoring other gods. We often place more importance on something or someone other than God, making that something or someone our god. We need God’s strong reminder to fear, love, and trust the true God above all things.

32. The greatest blessing we have, our most prized treasure, is to know the true God. Why is it so important for us to know the true God?

John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

1 Peter 3:12 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

John 16:23 Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Psalm 67:1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us.

Psalm 145:15,16 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

35. We understand what the words love and trust mean. However, when we speak of loving and trusting God, those words take on special signiﬁcance. To love God means to treasure him and his Word above everything else. To trust him is to be conﬁdent that his Word is true and that he always provides everything we need, keeps us safe, and gives us everything he has promised. Unfortunately, our actions often reveal that the sinful nature lives within us and leads us to love and trust in other gods instead of in the true God. What are some of the ways that we may be guilty of sinning against God by breaking this commandment?

Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Psalm 62:10 Though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

Proverbs 11:28 Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.

Matthew 10:37 Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Our material possessions, our families, and our friends are all blessings from God. We thank him for them. But when they become too important to us, they begin to take God’s place in our hearts; they become our idols. We love them more than we love God.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

Jeremiah 17:5 This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere ﬂesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD.”

God has blessed us so we can learn many things. We know more about this complex world than previous generations did. We develop medicines and invent technology that can do amazing things. But if we trust our human knowledge so much that we believe we do not need God’s care, love, and forgiveness, we make gods of our understanding, knowledge, and technology.

John 5:23 Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

1 John 2:22,23 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

Many people claim to believe in the God of the Bible but don’t believe that Jesus is true God. They really believe in a god created by human imagination. In reality, they are following an idol.

Use God's name properly: The Second Commandment

39. We are very blessed that God has revealed his name to us. His name is so important that God gave a commandment to warn us against misusing it. Why did God reveal his name to us?

Romans 10:13 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a fortiﬁed tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

Psalm 9:10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 54:6 I will praise your name, LORD, for it is good.

Psalm 50:15 Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.

Psalm 20:1 May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

Psalm 22:22 I will declare your name to my people.

God’s name is very important to us. Through it, God calls us to be saved. He protects those who believe in his name. He reveals his name to us so that we might trust in his power and pray to him in every need. He teaches us his name so that we might praise him and tell others of the great things he has done.

With all of these blessings coming to us through his name, one might think that we would always honor his name and treat it with the highest respect. However, our sinful nature opposes God and leads us to misuse God’s name—the very thing God forbids in the Second Commandment.

41. We often sin by the things we do, but we also sin when we don’t do the things we should. When we do what God forbids (commit sinful acts), we call those sins of commission. When we fail to do what God commands, we call those sins of omission. How do we sometimes dishonor God’s name by our failure to use it?

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray continually.

James 4:2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and ﬁght. You do not have because you do not ask God.

Isaiah 43:21 . . . the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.

Psalm 105:1 Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Ephesians 5:4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

Hear and learn God's Word: The Third Commandment

45. Why aren’t we required to observe the Sabbath Day in the way the Old Testament people were?

Colossians 2:13,14,16,17 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your ﬂesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Matthew 11:28,29 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will ﬁnd rest for your souls.

Jesus fulﬁlled the Sabbath. The Old Testament day of rest was a shadow of the perfect rest for our souls given to us through the Savior.

46. What does the Third Commandment then mean for us in the New Testament?

Romans 10:17 Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

Luke 10:16 Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.

John 8:47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.

Colossians 3:16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Acts 17:10-12 (The Bereans were eager to hear God’s Word, and they studied it diligently.)

God’s Word brings rest to our troubled hearts and lives through its comforting message of forgiveness. In the Third Commandment, God warns us not to despise his Word but, rather, to consider it sacred and hear it and study it gladly.

August 20-26: Commandments 4-7

Honor and obey God's representatives: The Fourth Commandment

The ﬁrst three commandments speak of our personal relationship with God. The Fourth Commandment begins a new focus: our relationships with one another. Each of the remaining commandments addresses a speciﬁc aspect of our relationships with others. In the Fourth Commandment, God directs our attitudes and actions toward those in authority. The authorities we are most familiar with are our parents, but, for our own good, God also has placed representatives over us in the government and the church.

52. How does God bless us through those he has placed over us?

Representatives in the home

1 Timothy 5:8 Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Proverbs 1:1,3,8 The proverbs of Solomon son of David . . . for receiving instruction in prudent behavior. Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

Deuteronomy 11:18,19 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your fore- heads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Representatives in the church

Hebrews 13:7,17 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. They keep watch over you as those who must give an account.

1 Timothy 4:16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Representatives in the government

Romans 13:1,3,6 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities. . . . For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.

1 Peter 2:13,14 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

56. God’s representatives are charged with disciplining us when we do wrong. Why can we consider such discipline to be a blessing for us?

Proverbs 19:18 Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death.

1 Samuel 3:11-14; 1 Samuel 4:10,11 (Eli didn’t discipline his sons. As a result, they died young, having fallen away from God.)

Matthew 18:15 If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.

A closer look

We often think of discipline as something that hurts us or takes away something good. Perhaps we remember the discipline of our parents. God has given parents the duty to discipline their children, but parents are not to abuse their children. Christian discipline in the home is ideally done in love to correct and train. Though discipline is generally unpleasant at the time, it is important training for life.

Discipline is not limited to the home and children. The government must also oppose bad behavior. This means police and judges correct or punish crime and disobedience to the law. At work, we have supervisors who also must discipline and train. In the church, leaders must oppose and discipline those who teach and act contrary to God’s Word.

Protect God's gift of life: The Fifth Commandment

61. Who alone has the right to end a person’s life?

Psalm 31:15 My times are in [God’s] hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.

Deuteronomy 32:39 See now that I myself am he! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life.

Romans 13:4 The one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

God alone has the right to end a person’s life, but he delegates that right also to his representatives in government. A person serving under the authority of the government as God’s representative—a government oﬃcial, a soldier, or a police oﬃcer—may carry out capital punishment, take life in a war, or take life in order to protect the lives of others.

Connections

Most people would acknowledge that the Fifth Commandment is correct. It is wrong to murder. However, our sinful nature bristles at the suggestion that our thoughts and words can make us guilty of breaking this commandment. But if we hate someone, we wish harm for that person. We may be pleased if the person were dead. Thoughts of hatred are murderous thoughts. Read the story of Cain and Abel, and see how sinful thoughts lead to sinful actions.

Genesis 4:1-16 Genesis 4 tells the account of how Cain killed his brother Abel. Cain obviously was guilty of murder. But hatred was there even before he committed the murder. Explain the image of “sin is crouching at your door” (Genesis 4:7). First John 3:15 shows us that Cain was guilty of murder even before his brother was dead.

What passage or example from the Bible can help you when you are tempted to hate someone or to hurt another person?

Luther

Therefore, [here is] the entire sum of what it means not to murder. . . . In the ﬁrst place, we must harm no one, either with our hand or by deed. We must not use our tongue to instigate or counsel harm. We must neither use nor agree to use any means or methods by which another person may be injured. Finally, the heart must not be ill disposed toward anyone or wish another person ill in anger and hatred. . . . Second, a person who does evil to his neighbor is not the only one guilty under this commandment. It also applies to anyone who can do his neighbor good, prevent or resist evil, defend, and save his neighbor so that no bodily harm or hurt happened to him—yet does not do this [James 2:15-16]. If, therefore, you send away someone who is naked when you could clothe him, you have caused him to freeze to death. If you see someone suﬀer hunger and do not give him food, you have caused him to starve. (Large Catechism, I, par. 188,189)

The Ten Commandments Are the Law (Stanzas 6,11,12)

“You shall not murder, hurt, nor hate;

Your anger dare not dominate.

Be kind and patient; help, defend,

And treat your foe as your friend.”

Have mercy, Lord!

God gave these laws to show therein,

O child of man, your life of sin,

And help you rightly to perceive

How unto God you should live.

Have mercy, Lord!

Our works cannot salvation gain;

They merit only endless pain.

Forgive us, Lord! To Christ we ﬂy,

Our mediator on high.

Have mercy, Lord!

Honor God's gift of marriage: The Sixth Commandment

67. Marriage is a special relationship because of the many unique blessings God gives through it. What blessings does God intend to give through marriage?

Genesis 2:18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Genesis 2:24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one ﬂesh.

1 Corinthians 7:2-4,9 Since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. The husband should fulﬁll his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Song of Solomon 1:15,16; Song of Solomon 4:1-7; Song of Solomon 5:10-16 (Describes the physical attraction between a husband and wife. It is natural, beautiful, and pleasing.)

Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; ﬁll the earth and subdue it.”

Psalm 127:3 Children are a heritage from the LORD, oﬀspring a reward from him.

1 Samuel 1:1-20 (For years, Hannah wanted a child and had endured the sadness of having no children. Then God blessed her with a son.)

Through marriage, God blesses a husband and wife with companionship, the opportunity to express love in a very special and intimate way in their sexual relationship, and the possibility of children.

69. The Sixth Commandment speaks to all: young and old, male and female, married and unmarried. As we study how God established marriage, what do we learn about the blessing of the sexual relationship?

Genesis 2:24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one ﬂesh.

God connects the sexual blessings of marriage to the leaving of a person’s father and mother and uniting with a spouse—a permanent marriage relationship. If a couple has not publicly declared the promise to establish a permanent marriage, the blessing of the sexual relationship is not to be enjoyed.

70. God designed the sexual relationship to be a blessing of marriage. In what way, then, do some who are not yet married sin against the Sixth Commandment?

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 It is God’s will that you should be sanctiﬁed: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God.

Genesis 39:6-12 (Potiphar’s wife tried to entice Joseph into a sexual relationship with her, but he refused. He acknowledged that it would be wicked—a sin against God.)

The unmarried sin when they enjoy blessings designed only for marriage. Living arrangements that involve enjoyment of the blessings of marriage without the commitment of marriage are contrary to God’s will.

Use possessions as God's gifts: The Seventh Commandment

80. Our money and possessions are blessings that we can use in many ways. For what purposes does God give these blessings?

1 Timothy 5:8 Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1 John 3:17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?

Romans 13:6,7 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

1 Corinthians 16:2 On the ﬁrst day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

2 Corinthians 9:7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Mark 12:41-44 (A widow gave all she had.)

81. Because of our sinful nature, we aren’t content with the abundant blessings God gives to us. Our lack of contentment leads us to sin against this commandment. What are some ways people sin against God in the way they use the gifts that he gives?

Luke 15:11-20 (The lost son wasted his possessions by sinful selfish living.)

Luke 10:30-37 (Several men beat and robbed a traveler.)

Leviticus 19:35 Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity.

Proverbs 11:1 The LORD detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights ﬁnd favor with him.

Proverbs 22:16,22 One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty. Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court.

Psalm 37:21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously.

1 Corinthians 6:8 You yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters.

1 Timothy 6:9,10 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

James 5:4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your ﬁelds are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

Malachi 3:8 Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, “How are we robbing you?” In tithes and oﬀerings.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 Even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

James 2:15,16 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?

August 27-September 2: Commandments 8-10 & conclusion

Defend and protect the reputation of others: The Eighth Commandment

85. When God forbids false testimony, he reminds us that anything that hurts a person’s good name is sin. How does the Eighth Commandment serve as a mirror, showing us that we also sin against God when we fail to respect our neighbor’s good name?

Leviticus 19:16 Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the LORD.

Proverbs 19:5 A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free.

Colossians 3:9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken oﬀ your old self with its practices.

We sin by lying to or about someone. This includes everything from lying in our daily conversations to lying as a witness in court (perjury).

Proverbs 11:9 With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape.

Proverbs 16:28 A perverse person stirs up conﬂict, and a gossip separates close friends.

Proverbs 17:19 Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin.

2 Samuel 15:1-6 (Absalom said bad things about his father in order to give David a bad name and turn people against him.)

1 Timothy 5:13 They get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to.

We sin by spreading gossip or by saying anything that will give a person a bad name.

Proverbs 11:13 A gossip betrays a conﬁdence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.

Proverbs 25:9 If you take your neighbor to court, do not betray another’s conﬁdence.

We sin when we betray a person’s conﬁdence (reveal private information that could hurt the person).

Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conﬂict in the community.

We sin against the Eighth Commandment when we use our words to cause pain or trouble for others.

88. Though our sinful nature is hostile toward God, Jesus kept this commandment and all others perfectly in our place. Because of his love for us, we want our words to others and about others to honor God. How does the Eighth Commandment guide us in the way we speak about others?

Ephesians 4:15 Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore each of you must put oﬀ falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

1 Peter 3:8-10 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.”

Proverbs 31:8,9 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

1 Corinthians 13:5-7 [Love] does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Matthew 26:6-13 (Jesus defended Mary and modeled what it means to take someone’s words and actions in the kindest possible way.)

Keep the desires of the heart pure: The Ninth and Tenth Commandments

Many sins we commit can be seen or heard by others: a child hits his brother or we speak an angry word. But sin is not always so obvious. We can oﬀend our perfect God simply with our thoughts. Consider God’s warnings in the Ninth and Tenth Commandments. Both commandments warn us that sin starts with the thoughts and desires in our hearts. God knows what we think, but he also forgives us fully so that we can turn away from sin and live as his children.

92. By giving two commands that address coveting, God impresses upon us that even if we haven’t actually stolen something, a sinful desire to have something that is not ours is wrong. How do the Ninth and Tenth Commandments serve as a mirror, unmasking the sin of coveting within our hearts?

Romans 7:7,8 I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity aﬀorded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.

James 4:1,2 What causes ﬁghts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and ﬁght. You do not have because you do not ask God.

1 Timothy 6:9,10 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Mark 7:21,22 It is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.

These commandments convict us, exposing our sinful desires to have things God has not given to us.

93. Coveting is a sin. We want something that is not his will to give us. Coveting also leads to many other sins. How might coveting lead to other sins?

James 1:14,15 Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

1 Timothy 6:10 The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Deuteronomy 27:17 “Cursed is anyone who moves their neighbor’s boundary stone.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

James 5:5,6 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.

2 Samuel 11:1-17 (David’s sin of coveting Uriah’s wife led to sins of adultery and murder.)

95. Contentment is the opposite of coveting. Why can we say that contentment is a gift from God?

Psalm 145:15,16 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

Ecclesiastes 2:24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and ﬁnd satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God.

1 Timothy 6:6,7 Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

Proverbs 3:5,6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Psalm 37:25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

Contentment comes with the realization that we can trust God to give us the things we need.

The conclusion

103. What does God threaten will happen to all who break his commandments?

Genesis 3:16-19 (God told Adam and Eve that the consequences of sin which they brought upon themselves and all humankind would be felt in their work, their relationships, and all of life—even in giving birth to children.)

Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

Isaiah 57:21 “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

John 16:33 In this world you will have trouble.

1 Kings 17:1; 1 Kings 18:16-18 (God subjected the people of Israel to a severe famine because they followed Ahab in worshipping Baal.)

God threatens all who disobey his commandments with his wrath (anger) and with trouble.

Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death.

Matthew 25:41,46 Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal ﬁre prepared for the devil and his angels.” Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

God threatens all who disobey his commandments with death and eternal punishment.

107. What is God emphasizing by promising to bless those who fear him and obey his commandments?

Deuteronomy 5:9,10 I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God . . . showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Deuteronomy 5:29 Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!

God’s pledge to keep the covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments shows us how seriously he takes obedience.

110. Though we fail in our attempts to keep God’s commandments perfectly, why can we be conﬁdent that we are saved?

John 3:16 God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 3:28 We maintain that a person is justiﬁed by faith apart from the works of the law.

Colossians 1:13,14 He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

1 Timothy 2:6 [He] gave himself as a ransom for all people.

Back to the basics: The Apostles’ Creed

July 1-8: Overview

The Ten Commandments summarize God’s law—his commands for all people. The Apostles’ Creed summarizes the gospel, the good news of what the triune God has done and continues to do for us.

In the Apostles’ Creed, we confess the gospel truths in three sections, each section highlighting the work of one of the three persons of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each section of the creed is called an article. Each article tells us what one of the divine persons has done and is continuing to do for us.

A closer look

A creed is a statement that expresses what people believe and teach. The Apostles’ Creed wasn’t written by the apostles, but it is a statement that expresses the truths taught by the apostles. It can be traced back to the third century.

Two other Christian creeds have played an important part in the history of the Christian church. When false teachings arose within the Christian church, God’s people needed to confess the truth and avoid the errors. The Nicene Creed (adopted in A.D. 325, see p. 15) and the Athanasian Creed (written about A.D. 500) were written to defend the truth of what the Bible teaches about God.

Most of our worship services include the confession of one of these creeds as an expression of our faith.

The triune God

118. Christians worship the triune God. What do we mean when we say that God is triune?

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

1 Corinthians 8:4 So then, about eating food sacriﬁced to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.”

John 10:30 I and the Father are one.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.”

Matthew 3:16,17 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Matthew 28:19 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

John 15:26 When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.

1 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

A closer look

The word triune comes from two Latin words: tria, meaning “three,” and unus, meaning “one.” When we say that God is triune, we mean that he is three persons yet one God (Trinity). The word trinity is not found in the Bible, but it helps us describe what God tells us about himself.

119. Because of our limited understanding, the truth of the Trinity— three persons in one God—is impossible for us to grasp or explain. Though we can’t comprehend this great truth, why do we believe that God is triune?

John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Isaiah 55:9 As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Jeremiah 10:7 Who should not fear you, King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise leaders of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you.

1 Corinthians 2:13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.

1 John 5:20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

God is so much greater than our ability to understand, but the Holy Spirit reveals the truth to us. Because God’s Word tells us that there are three persons yet one God, we believe that it is true.

121. Why is it so important that we teach the doctrine of the Trinity?

John 3:16 God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Psalm 49:7,8 No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough.

John 5:23 All may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Salvation is found in only one place. Whoever wishes to be saved must confess the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—as the only true God.

Connections

Luther

"How can we, miserable, poor mortals comprehend this mystery? We do not know the how of our own speaking, laughing, or sleeping, although we daily perform and experience these natural functions. And yet we want to speak of God and the conditions existing within his divine Being. We want to do so without the Word of God, solely according to our own mind. Is it not blindness above all blindness for a man who cannot explain the most insigniﬁcant functions he daily observes in his own body to presume to know what is beyond and above all reason and of which no one except God alone can speak, and to have the audacity to state so rashly and bluntly that Christ is not God?" (What Luther Says, Ewald M. Plass, p. 1388, par. 4466)

July 9-15: The First Article

I believe in God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

122. Why do we believers label the ﬁrst person of the triune God “the Father”?

Malachi 2:10 Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another?

Matthew 3:17 A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

John 20:17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Galatians 4:4,5 When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

Galatians 3:26 In Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.

123. How did God show his almighty power in the creation of the world?

Genesis 1:1–2:3 (God created everything in heaven and on earth out of nothing.)

Psalm 33:6,9 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood ﬁrm.

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

125. Why don’t we accept human theories about the origin of the world and the origin of people?

2 Peter 3:5 They deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.

1 Timothy 6:20,21 Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.

Job 38 and Job 39 (God reminded Job that no humans witnessed the creation or can claim to be instrumental in preserving the creation.)

Hebrews 3:4 Every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Revelation 4:11 You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.

Matthew 19:4 (Jesus presented the biblical account of the creation as fact.)

Acts 4:24; 14:15-17; 17:22-31 (The apostles spoke of the creation of the world by God.)

The certainty that God created the entire world in six days and that humans occupy a special place and purpose in the creation is based on faith in God’s message to us in the Bible. We don’t accept human theories because they are human attempts to explain what no one has witnessed and what we can know only by faith.

130. What are all the things God does to provide for his creation?

Psalm 36:6,7 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 147:8,9 He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.

Psalm 147:4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.

Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.

Matthew 6:25-34 (Jesus assures us that we have no need to worry, because God provides our food and clothing.)

Psalm 37:25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

Psalm 50:15 Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.

Psalm 103:2,3 Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his beneﬁts— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.

Psalm 121:3 He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber.

Psalm 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

134. What does God tell us about angels?

Genesis 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

Hebrews 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Psalm 103:20 Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.

Daniel 7:10 A river of ﬁre was ﬂowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.

Psalm 91:11,12 He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Matthew 18:10 See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

Angels are powerful spirit beings who were created sometime during the six days of creation. They are holy. There are many of them. They serve God and watch over us.

143. What has our heavenly Father done to rescue us from the devil’s evil plan?

1 John 3:8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

Genesis 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your oﬀspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.

John 3:16 God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:18,19 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justiﬁcation and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

July 16-22: The Second Article

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

145. How do we know Jesus Christ is true God?

Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Luke 2:11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

Romans 9:5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

John 20:26-28 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your ﬁnger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

John 3:16 God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is God and often uses divine names for Jesus. These divine names aren’t simply titles of honor. They tell us who Jesus is.

Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me . . . And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Omnipotent, Omnipresent)

John 1:1,2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. (Eternal)

John 1:43-51 (Jesus knew all about Nathanael without being told.) (Omniscient)

John 21:17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” (Omniscient)

John 4:1-26 (Jesus knew all about the life of the Samaritan woman.) (Omniscient)

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Unchangeable)

Jesus has the characteristics of God.

John 2:1-11 (Jesus performed his ﬁrst miracle, turning water into wine.)

Matthew 8:23-27 (Jesus calmed the storm.)

Mark 5:1-20 (Jesus freed a man who was possessed by demons.)

John 11:38-44 (Jesus raised Lazarus.)

Romans 1:4 [He] through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

Matthew 9:6 “I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”

Jesus does things only God can do.

John 5:22,23 The Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

Hebrews 1:6 When God brings his ﬁrstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

Philippians 2:10 At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

Revelation 5:13 I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

Jesus is worshiped as God. We are commanded to honor and worship him as well.

147. How did God’s Son become man?

Luke 1:26-38 (Jesus’ birth is announced.)

Matthew 1:20 After he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

Matthew 1:22,23 All this took place to fulﬁll what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

148. Why is it necessary for our salvation that Jesus is true God and true man?

Galatians 4:4,5 When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

Romans 5:19 Just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

It was necessary for Jesus to be both God and man so that he could be subject to God’s law and keep all the commandments perfectly in the place of all humanity. This is called Christ’s active obedience.

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Hebrews 2:14 Since the children have ﬂesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.

Psalm 49:7,8 No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough.

Mark 10:45 The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Romans 3:23,24 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justiﬁed freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”

2 Timothy 1:10 [Grace] has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

It was necessary for Jesus to be both God and man so that he could die and so that his death could count for everyone, as a ransom for us from death. This is called Christ’s passive obedience.

152. How did Jesus serve as prophet while he was on earth?

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.

Matthew 17:5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

Luke 8:1 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him.

Mark 1:38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”

John 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

155. How did Christ serve as high Priest while he was on earth?

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Ephesians 5:2 Walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant oﬀering and sacriﬁce to God.

Hebrews 7:26,27 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to oﬀer sacriﬁces day after day, ﬁrst for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacriﬁced for their sins once for all when he oﬀered himself.

2 Corinthians 5:19 God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

158. How did Christ serve as King while he was on earth?

Hebrews 2:14 Since the children have ﬂesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.

1 Corinthians 15:56,57 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:20 You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Jesus conquered sin, death, and the devil and gave us the victory.

July 23-29: The Second Article (continued)

A closer look

Ransom: A ransom is a payment given to free someone who is held captive. We sometimes hear the term when a person is being held hostage. His captors want something given to them in exchange for releasing the hostage, a ransom.

Jesus paid the ransom price necessary to free us from captivity to sin, death, and the devil.

We call Christ’s work of ransoming all people from slavery to sin, death, and the devil redemption.

163. A ransom is often paid with money. However, gold or silver could not cover the cost to ransom our souls. What ransom price did Jesus need to pay for our redemption?

Matthew 20:28 The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Isaiah 53:5 He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

1 Peter 1:18,19 You know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.

Revelation 1:5,6 . . . from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the ﬁrstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

Christ suﬀered and died as the ransom payment for our redemption (“with his holy, precious blood and with his innocent suﬀering and death”).

168. When we speak of Christ’s humiliation, we aren’t using the word as we commonly do, as if someone has done something embarrassing or worthy of shame. What do we mean when we speak of Christ’s humiliation?

Philippians 2:6-8 [Christ Jesus,] who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

2 Corinthians 8:9 You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

Jesus’ life and work, from the time of his conception, were very diﬀerent from what we would expect for the Son of God. He chose not to make full use of his divine powers. Instead, he voluntarily submitted to a very humble and lowly life that ended with death on a cross.

171. What do we mean when we speak of Christ’s exaltation?

John 17:5 Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Philippians 2:9,10 God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

Hebrews 2:9 We do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suﬀered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

After Christ’s work as our Redeemer was accomplished, he once again made full use of his divine power and glory.

173. His exaltation reminds us of the precious promises that Jesus made and fulﬁlled. What does the truth of Jesus’ exaltation mean for us?

Resurrection

Romans 4:25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justiﬁcation.

1 Corinthians 15:17 If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

John 14:19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

1 Corinthians 15:22,23 As in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the ﬁrstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

Christ’s resurrection assures us that he is the Son of God, that our redemption is complete, and that we too will rise from the dead.

Descent into hell

1 Peter 3:18,19 He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits.

Colossians 2:15 Having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Matthew 28:18 All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Christ’s descent into hell assures us that he conquered Satan.

Ascension

John 14:2,3 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

1 John 2:1,2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacriﬁce for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 Timothy 2:5 There is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.

When Jesus’ work on earth was done, it was time for him to return to his Father. Jesus’ ascension assures us that he is preparing an eternal home for us. His ascension comforts us with the knowledge that he is pleading our cases before the Father.

Sitting at the right hand of God

Ephesians 1:19-22 His incomparably great power for us who believe . .. is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.

Romans 8:28 We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

We are comforted that Christ is seated at the right hand of God because it assures us that Christ is ruling all things for our good.

Christ’s return in judgment

Luke 21:27,28 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Matthew 25:31-34 When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”

Romans 8:1 There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

We look forward to Christ’s return on the Last Day. Because he will judge us on the basis of his perfect life and innocent death, we will be welcomed into our eternal home to enjoy the glory of heaven.

July 30-August 5: The Third Article

I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy Christian church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

A closer look

Decision theology

Can people decide, by the power of their own wills, to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?

Unfortunately, many today speak about faith in Christ as a personal decision. They believe that people must ultimately decide whether or not to accept what God has to say and whether or not to invite Jesus into their hearts.

The Bible doesn’t teach this. Rather, it teaches that we are all by nature spiritually dead. Our human wills, in any spiritual sense, are also dead.

What is dead can’t contribute toward becoming spiritually alive. Those who view faith as something brought about by a human decision are placing conﬁdence for salvation in something other than God. Such mis- placed conﬁdence opens the door to uncertainty and doubt, leaving them to wonder if they truly believe or if they are sincere. We place our trust in God, who alone has the power to work the miracle of faith through the gospel.

189. In what diﬀerent ways does the Bible describe the miracle the holy Spirit works when he calls us to faith?

Conversion

Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.

Jeremiah 31:18 I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning: “You disciplined me like an unruly calf, and I have been disciplined. Restore me, and I will return, because you are the LORD my God.”

Psalm 51:13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.

Acts 11:21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

1 Peter 2:25 “You were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Acts 15:3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad.

Conversion is turning from unbelief to faith in God.

Rebirth

1 Peter 1:3,23 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

Titus 3:5 He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

John 3:3,6 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” Flesh gives birth to ﬂesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

Rebirth is being born again spiritually.

Quickening

Ephesians 2:4,5 Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Colossians 2:13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your ﬂesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.

Quickening is being made alive spiritually.

192. The Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts doesn’t stop after he creates our faith. What ongoing work does the Holy Spirit do after our conversions?

1 Thessalonians 2:13 We also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.

Isaiah 41:10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Ephesians 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.

Philippians 1:6 . . . being conﬁdent of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 1:5 [You] through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 5:10 The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suﬀered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, ﬁrm and steadfast.

After the Holy Spirit sanctiﬁes us at our conversions by setting us apart from the unbelieving world, he then continues to sanctify us by setting us apart more and more from sinful behaviors. He does this by strengthening our faith.

205. What is the holy Christian church?

Ephesians 2:19-22 You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Acts 5:14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.

Acts 2:46,47 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

The holy Christian church includes all people everywhere who believe in Christ Jesus as their Savior.

213. How do we express the bond of fellowship with others who faithfully teach God’s Word?

Hebrews 10:25 . . . not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Romans 1:11,12 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

Ephesians 4:11-16 (God works through his servants so that we grow in strength and in unity with one another.)

We join in fellowship as we worship and study God’s Word together so that together we grow stronger in our faith.

1 Corinthians 10:17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.

Acts 1:14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

1 Timothy 2:1-4,8 (Paul encourages Christians throughout the world to join with one another to oﬀer all kinds of prayers.)

We join in fellowship as we pray together, go to the Lord’s Supper together, and preach and teach the gospel together.

John 21:15 When they had ﬁnished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Psalm 78:4-7 We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

Joel 1:3 Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation.

Proverbs 22:6 Start children oﬀ on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Christians join in fellowship as they work together to teach God’s Word to their children.

We support parents in the teaching of their children in the home, and we also join with other Christians who faithfully hold to God’s Word to provide Christian training in a variety of school settings.

Acts 13, Acts 14 especially Acts 13:1-3 (A congregation of believers, guided by the Holy Spirit, sent Paul and Barnabas out to preach and teach the message of the gospel to others throughout the world. Acts 13 and 14 oﬀer a record of Paul’s ﬁrst missionary journey.)

Matthew 28:19 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 4:14-16 (The Philippians helped support Paul so he could devote his time to preaching the Word.)

We join in fellowship as we send out and support missionaries throughout the world.

229. What does the Bible tell us about heaven, the ﬁnal home of believers?

John 11:25,26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

1 Corinthians 2:9 However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—the things God has prepared for those who love him.

Revelation 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Revelation 21:3,4 I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 7:15-17 Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

Hebrews 4:9,10 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.

Colossians 3:4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Revelation 21:22-26 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.