An Explanation of Luthers Small Catechism | Page 6

Ans. We should so fear and
love God as not to curse, swear, conjure, lie, or deceive, by His Name,
but call upon Him in every time of need, and worship Him with prayer,
praise, and thanksgiving.

Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep
it holy.

[Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do
any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy
maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in
them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the
Sabbath day, and hallowed it.]

What is meant by this
Commandment?

Ans. We should so fear and love
God as not to despise His Word and the preaching of the Gospel, but
deem it holy, and willing to hear and learn it.

Honor thy father and thy
mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy
God giveth thee.

What is meant by this
Commandment?

Ans. We should so fear and love
God as not to despise nor displease our parents and superiors, but honor,
serve, obey, love, and esteem them.

Thou shalt not kill.

What is meant by this Commandment?

Ans. We should so fear and love God as not to do our
neighbor any bodily harm or injury, but rather assist and comfort him
in danger and want.

Thou shalt not commit
adultery.

What is meant by this Commandment?

Ans. We should so fear and love God as to be chaste and
pure in our words and deeds, each one also loving and honoring his
wife or her husband.

Thou shalt not steal.

What is meant by this Commandment?

Ans. We should so fear and love God as not to rob our
neighbor of his money or property, nor bring it into our possession by
unfair dealing or fraudulent means, but rather assist him to improve and
protect it.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

What is meant by this Commandment?

Ans. We should so fear and love God as not deceitfully to
belie, betray, slander, nor raise injurious reports against our neighbor,
but apologize for him, speak well of him, and put the most charitable
construction on all his actions.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's
house.

What is meant by this Commandment?

Ans. We should so fear and love God as not to desire by
craftiness to gain possession of our neighbor's inheritance or home, or
to obtain it under the pretext of a legal right, but be ready to assist and
serve him in the preservation of his own.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's
wife, nor his manservant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass,
nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

What is meant by this
Commandment?

Ans. We should so fear and love
God as not to alienate our neighbor's wife from him, entice away his
servants, nor let loose his cattle, but use our endeavors that they may
remain and discharge their duty to him.

What does God
declare concerning all these Commandments?

Ans. He says: I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting

the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth
generation of them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto thousands of
them that love Me and keep my commandments.

What is
meant by this declaration?

Ans. God threatens to
punish all those who transgress these commandments. We should,
therefore, dread His displeasure, and not act contrarily to these
commandments. But He promises grace and every blessing to all who
keep them. We should, therefore, love and trust in Him, and cheerfully
do what He has commanded us.

PART II.

In the plain form in which it is
to be taught by the head of a family.

FIRST
ARTICLE.—OF CREATION.

I believe in God the
Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

What is
meant by this Article?

Ans. I believe that God has
created me and all that exists; that He has given and still preserves to
me my body and soul with all my limbs and senses, my reason and all
the faculties of my mind, together with my raiment, food, home, and
family, and all my property; that He daily provides me abundantly with
all the necessaries of life, protects me from all danger, and preserves
me and guards me against all