The Small Catechism – part 18
Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Exodus 20:1–6
Series: Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Click for a recording of today's lesson.
From the Confessions: The Small Catechism
The Ten Commandments presented as the head of the family should teach them in a simple way to his household.
The First Commandment
You shall have no other gods.
What does this mean?
Answer: We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.
Pulling It Together: The commandments begin with a brief foreword that is the condition for the words to follow. Why should we do and not do these certain things? What is the condition for our obedience? God said so. Frankly, we need no more reason than this one precedent: God is the one who makes the command. This is not dissimilar to what we heard from our parents, or what we may have said to our own children. When children begin to learn disobedience, they challenge authority, demanding, Why do I have to do that? The ready answer is, “Because I said so,” sometimes adding, “that’s why.” The Lord our God provides this information at the start. We do and do not do because God spoke all these words to us.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord God, for speaking these ten words that I may live as you will have me live. Amen.
Click here for resources to learn the Ten Commandments.
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Author
Rev. Dr. Mark E. Ryman has served as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, since 2021. Previously, Pastor Ryman served congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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