The Small Catechism – part 70
Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Isaiah 58:6–7
Series: Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Click for a recording of today's lesson.
From the Confessions: The Small Catechism, The Fifth Commandment
You shall not kill.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God so that we do our neighbors no bodily harm nor cause them any suffering, but help and befriend them in every need.
Pulling It Together
The faith is not about religious practice alone; it is not even just about God. Our devotion to God is most keenly observed, not in our worship and service, as much as God cherishes these acts, but in the love of our neighbor. The greatest commandment joins the love of God and the love of neighbor, as if into a single command (Matthew 22:37–40). The two tablets, one about our relationship with God and the other about our relationships with our neighbors, is one Decalogue, one set of rules, one word. Any one commandment cannot be broken without breaking the others. In particular, one may not break any of the second tablet without breaking the first.
We are commanded to love our neighbor, to care for him as though our friend. We are to love him as if he were ourselves (Matthew 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8), even though he be an enemy (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27, 35). This sounds difficult, perhaps impossible. Indeed, as far as it depends upon you, I am sure that both tablets are not possible. However, the silver lining to the commandments is that they do not depend upon you. What is impossible for you, is more than possible for God — even through you (Mark 10:27; 14:36; Luke 1:37; 18:27).
Prayer: Open my heart to my neighbor, Lord, so that you are glorified by both of us. 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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