The Large Catechism – part 51
Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Romans 12:12–13
Series: Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
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From the Confessions: The Large Catechism, The Ten Commandments
The First Commandment
You shall have no other gods before me.
This should be said to ordinary persons, that they may note well and remember the meaning of this commandment: We are to trust in God alone, looking to him and expecting nothing but good from him, since he gives us body, life, food, drink, nourishment, health, protection, peace, and all the necessities of both temporal and eternal things. He also preserves us from evil, delivering and rescuing us. It is God alone, as has been amply said, from whom we receive all good, and by whom we are delivered from all evil. I think this is why, since ancient times, we Germans have called God, more elegantly and appropriately than any other language, by that name derived from the word “good,” as he is an eternal fountain from which flows abundantly nothing but what is good, and is considered good.
Pulling It Together:
Of course, the risk is that the First Commandment be turned into a business venture. If you just do this or that, it might be promoted, then God will give you whatever you desire. This does not expect from God all good, but instead, seeks to make him something he is not. God promises to care for our needs, as a good Father does, and even to deliver us from evil, as we often pray. But we would have him keep the evil from happening at all. We would have him do our bidding, those things that we want to be. If we carefully weigh the words, “to trust in God alone,” we would thank God that he is wiser than us. We would pray, “Thy will be done” in heaven and earth — and even in my life.
Prayer: Give me the courage and fortitude, Lord God, to trust in you alone. 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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