The Small Catechism – part 85
Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Colossians 3:1–3
Series: Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
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From the Confessions: The Small Catechism, The Sixth Commandment
You shall not commit adultery.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God so that in matters of sex we are chaste and disciplined in our words and actions, and that husband and wife love and honor each other.
Pulling It Together: Paul teaches us to disregard the false teachers in our lives, those who would hold any religious thing, any material or earthly thing, over our heads. There are those who insist we must satisfy their particular religious rant in order to be a true Christian. Nonetheless, we must never let our focus go beyond Jesus. There are even those who claim we must perfectly keep the commandments, or else we are not filled with the Spirit. These only serve to sharpen our focus on religion and ourselves, our abilities to perform. Dead men do not perform. Their eyes are filled with deepest pitch. Those who have been given new life through faith in Christ, see brightest light, the Light who is Christ Jesus. Even when they fail to perform, try as they might, their sights are ever set on Christ — not just his commands but his forgiveness as well.
Prayer: Give me the courage and strength, Lord, to keep seeking you. 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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