Catechesis – Page 5 – What Does This Mean?

What’s a Creed, Anyway?

Encore Post: We say creeds together every time we worship together. We study them in confirmation and memorize two of them. They contain the basic teachings of Scripture that all Christians believe. Even Protestant churches that reject formal creeds cheerfully confess what they confess. But what are they, anyway?

The word creed comes from the Latin word credo which means “I believe.” they are statements of what we know about God, especially the gospel. In one sense, they are salvation history — a statement of how God saved us and where we fit in his plan. They are short and sweet — something we can take with us forever.

While the Apostles did not write the creeds, the words and phrases reflect how the Bible proclaims the Gospel. When new Christians were taught the faith in the early Church, their teachers had them memorize short sentences and phrases that summed what they believed. When they were baptized, they would recite them. Some of these are in the Bible. Here are a few:

Hear, O Israel…” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)
“There is one God… one Lord…” (1 Corinthians 8:6)
“Christ died for our sins…” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)
“Jesus Christ is Lord…” (1 Corinthians 12:3), (Philippians 2:11)

Over three hundred years, these statements grew in size. Christians began to use the same words. In the 4th Century, they developed into the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. They became ways in which all Christians knew Jesus’ story and where they fit in it. When we recite the Creed, it reminds us who we are and whose we are.

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God the Jealous God

Encore Post: In our tour of the Ten Commandments, we learned that God wants more than just a casual keeping of his law. He wants our heart and soul to match our behavior. “Love your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5) Of course, we know that we cannot keep the law perfectly in this life and God knows it, too. Jesus died to pay the price for our disobedience and earned us the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. So, why should we try at all to be good?

The reason is that sin has its consequences in this world as well as the next. When Adam and Eve sinned, sinned multiplied and became a part of the lives of everyone of their children. It brought with it death, sickness, disaster, grief and pain. It destroyed the close relationship between people and between people and God. Since we were made to share our lives with God and each other, it harmed the very purpose for which we exist. It sin that God sent his Son to save us from, not to be a fire insurance policy against hell.

God describes the relationship he has with his people as a marriage. Sin amounts to being unfaithful with other gods, dividing our love for him by giving ourselves to others. So it is that God warns us in the First Commandment that he is a jealous God and there are consequences when we are unfaithful to him. (Exodus 20:5-6) God that the death of Jesus breaks the power of sin and death in our lives. With prayer and the help of other Christians, we can fight back against these sins and sometimes even be free of them.

After all, God’s warning comes with a promise. It is not only sins that travel from generation to generation, but blessings as well. With the help of the Holy Spirit, when we establish habits of doing good — attending worship faithfully, praying with our children, reading God’s word to them and caring for others, these, too, will be a part of their inheritance.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Concordia Theological Seminary

Fort Wayne, Indiana

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The Problem is in the Heart

Encore Post: To a serious believer, the Ten Commandments seem simple enough. Believe in God and don’t frequent idols — check. Don’t swear — check. Go to church every week, sometimes more — check. Love mom and dad — check. Never killed anyone, never took anything that doesn’t belong to you, never stepped out on your spouse, don’t lie — check on all counts. And then comes coveting… How do you deal with thoughts and feelings?

As we have considered the other commandments, we’ve learned they are not so simple. Still, they seem doable. The Ninth and Tenth Commandments point out the real problem. Our Old Adam and Old Eve want everything for themselves. Everyone at work gets a raise and yours is quite generous. But you know your teammate got more. So you’re jealous.

King David had everything, including many beautiful wives. Yet one look at someone else’s wife — and he took a bath. Committed adultery, lied about it and arranged the murder of her husband. Later he put his finger on the problem. He was sinful from birth — sinful since he was conceived. (Psalm 51:1-5) Jesus summed it up when he said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” (Matthew 15:19-20)

Let’s face it. We cannot do this alone. Instead, we can turn to the one tempted in every way that we are, except he didn’t sin. (Hebrews 4:15) His suffering and death breaks the power of sin in our lives. When we remember our baptisms, we remember that the Old Adam and Eve were drowned there. We can confess our sin to him, be forgiven and face our fight with the flesh. We also have those in this fight with us — our brothers and sister in Christ. Together we can resist whatever comes to our minds — and hearts.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Concordia Theological Seminary

Fort Wayne, Indiana

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Speak up for others

Encore Post: It all began with a lie. “You shall not die, but you will be like God…” (Genesis 3:4-5) Since then, falsehood has been the go-to sin — the way we try to wiggle out of tough spots. Sometimes it works — for awhile. The trouble with lies is that they multiply like rabbits and it is hard to keep them all straight. A variety of this strategy is to try to build yourself up by tearing others down. It is why it is the staple of garden variety gossip — and political campaigns. It is also when someone is in competition with us that we assume the worst of others — and spread it. The problem is, of course, such lies destroy reputations and lives. It is why God forbids lying about others. But you know all that. It is the common theme of preachers when they take up this commandment.

Martin Luther sees something more in this commandment. It is God’s call to speak up for others — especially those who cannot speak for themselves. So, when when the opportunity comes, we should speak well of others. We should praise people publicly when they do well, help others to see their good side and when we hear someone criticized, defend them. This is especially true if they are weak, defenseless, not present to defend themselves or are in danger. This can be challenging when the person is a friend or loved one, but difficult if they are opposed to us or even an enemy. We may discover that they are not as bad as we think.

Every day we fail to do this. Yet there is forgiveness for us. Jesus suffered the insults and lies of others — even his friends. These lies resulted in his crucifixion. He knew this would happen, yet he willingly suffered that we might be saved. Because he died and rose again, God now sees only the best in us — that we do good because we love him and that we are holy for Jesus’ sake. He now gives us the ability to see the good in others, to pray for them and defend them.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Concordia Theological Seminary

Fort Wayne, Indiana

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Beg, Borrow and Steal

Encore Post: Advertisements are all around us. They call to us: “you can have that bright, shiny, car. If you act now, you can get it for hardly any money at all…” “Buy a lottery ticket and you will win millions of dollars.” The temptation to win something for nothing, to take a shortcut to get what you desire is strong in us. What we may not realize is that at the bottom of it all is taking something that is not given to us or earned by us. In fact, you could see the first sin as theft — taking the one fruit God did not give.

Stealing is obvious when someone breaks into your house and takes your T.V., when they drive off in your car or hold up a grocery store. Less obvious, but just as real, is when someone steals your identity, charges you way more than an item is worth or sells you a property they know will need major repairs. What is less obvious is how each of us steals. We rob people not only when take something, but when we do not give others what we owe them. When someone pays us, we owe them our best work. When we do not help them to protect their possessions and improve their business, they are poorer for it. Even when we sue someone for damages and are awarded more than we need to recover from the harm done to us is a form of theft.

Thank God that he is merciful even to thieves. Jesus forgave the thief on the cross and died for his robbery and ours. Not only that, but in Jesus God gives us everything we need — life, salvation and faith to be generous to those in need. With the strength he gives, we can resist the temptation to steal and become, like him, people who give.

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

God’s Good Gift of Marriage

Encore Post: “It is not good,” God said, “that man be alone. I will make a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18) Formed from the rib of Adam, God presented Eve to man. “At last bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh!” replied Adam. … “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh,” Moses concludes his account of the first marriage. (Genesis 2:23-24)

God’s gift was very good. Marriage is the closest picture we have of the nature of God. In it, there are two persons, yet one flesh. It is a reflection of the relationship between Christ and his bride, the church. It is the foundation on which God builds families, where children can be raised in love and security. It is sealed with God’s gift of sexual intimacy. God thinks so highly of marriage that he makes it a part of the ten commandments. That is why he limits sexual activity to marriage.

In our culture, which makes sexual freedom into a god, it can be more challenging than ever to keep this commandment. Everywhere are sexual images, pornography, temptation to all manner of sexual encounters. Jesus makes it no easier when he tells us that even to look at someone not your spouse with desire for her is to break this commandment. (Matthew 5:27-28)

Thank God we have resources that can help us resist these temptations. Marriage itself helps by providing the place for these feelings to be expressed. We also have each other. All of us have these temptations and we can urge each other to be faithful. When we see a friend tempted, we can plead with them and remind them of the consequences of such sin. And when we do fall into sin, we know that Jesus died to forgive our sins and is with us always to help us resist it.

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Being for Life and not Death

Encore Post: On the surface, “you will not murder” seems easy enough to keep. In spite of what the TV and the Internet like to make us believe, very few people outside the military ever actually kill another person. Most policemen on the job do not draw their weapons even once in their careers. It should be easy to check this one off, we are tempted to think.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us there is a lot more to this command than that. Murder begins in our hearts when we become angry with someone and wish harm to them. (Matthew 5:21-26) hatred has a way of spilling over into action when we give it room to fester.

Martin Luther sees in this command every place God forbids us to harm our neighbors in any way. It also calls on us to help anyone who is hurting, in danger, weak, hungry or ill. God, the Author of Life, wants us to be for life, too. When we do not come to the aid of others, we kill them, even if it is only in a small way. Jesus even promises to remember on the last day when we do not care for them. What we do or do not do to the least important of our neighbors, he will count as having been done to him. (Matthew 25:31-46)

In our modern culture, it is ever more challenging to defend life, protect the weak and care for those who suffer. Mothers are taught it is their right to kill babies in the womb if they do not want to raise them. Doctors urge patients and their families to put to death those who suffer greatly. In some cases, governments take these decisions out of the hands of family and kill patients they find too expensive to treat. Rightly so, Christians come to the defense of the weak and defenseless.

Because God in Christ died so that we might rise again, we seek not to harm others, but to help them as he helped us.

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

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To Live Well, Honor Your Parents

Encore Post: The Fourth Commandment is different. This commandment is positive. It urges us to honor our father and mother rather than the “nots” of most of the commandments. It comes with a promise — that you will live a long life. It is the first commandment that even non-believers can keep and their lives will be better in this world. It is the first of the Words to explain what it means to love your neighbor — to do to others what you want them to do to you.

So, why is honoring our father and mother the first commandment about loving our neighbors? Of all of the vocations (callings) that God gives to us, parenting is the most basic. We are not all blessed with children, professions, businesses or crafts, but everyone of us has one father and one mother. A parent is for us a mask that God wears to care for us in this world. When the evil of this world deprives us of a loving father and mother, adoptive father and mother, a step father or mother or a foster father and mother, life is profoundly more difficult and troubled. When a father and mother serve God by caring for their children, providing for their needs, disciplining them and loving them, their children have the best chance of living a happy and productive life. When we love them, thank them, care for them in old age and illness, we encourage them to serve faithfully. Most of all, we set an example for those we care for.

Martin Luther also saw in fathers and mothers a model for all people God calls to care for us. Employers, rulers, pastors, teachers, first responders, husbands and others are called to lay down their lives for those in their care. We benefit from their leadership and protection. When we honor them, we honor God who called them. We, in our turn, then serve those in our care, as Christ loved us and gave his life so we can live. When we honor all our leaders, we live longer, simpler and happier lives in the balance.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Concordia Theological Seminary

Fort Wayne, Indiana

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The Sabbath Rest

Encore Post: The Sabbath rest is ancient. God himself rested on the seventh day, just after he created the world in six days. When God gave his law to his people the command to rest on the seventh day made the top ten. God knew that working without rest would damage his creatures. So he built it in — rest every night and the seventh day. It provided time for his people to worship and to meditate on his word.

Yet for Christians the day they worship — and rest — is a matter of freedom. It belongs to the civil law, the law for the nation of Israel. It is not a part of the moral law, the law for all people. We know this because Jesus called himself “the Lord of the Sabbath” and St. Paul describes that freedom in Romans and Colossians. Still the church chose from the beginning to rest every Sunday, the first day of the week, to remember the Resurrection of Jesus.

While Christians should worship God every and any day, resting on Sunday brings with it the opportunity to hear God’s word preached, to receive his gifts of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to meet with each other and pray for each other and to study the Word of God. It not so much that we have to go to church than that we get to go to church. At many times and in many places that freedom does not exist.

So we honor Sundays and Holy Days. We use the opportunity to receive the forgiveness of sins and bread for our daily lives. We rejoice to honor our Lord Jesus, who died for us, rested in the tomb three days and rose again, so that we might rest with him forever.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Concordia Theological Seminary

Fort Wayne, Indiana

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The Two Greatest Commandments

Encore Post: Because God loved us before he made the world (Ephesians 1:3-4), we love God and want to keep his commandments. But where do we start? The Rabbis count 613 commands in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible, written by Moses) alone! While they kept track of each one in great detail and invented traditions to be sure and keep them, they found it helpful to ask each Rabbi for his opinion. “Which commandment is the greatest of them all?” became a common question for disciples to ask their teacher. So it is not a surprise that people discussed with Jesus this question several times. (Matthew 22:36, Mark 12:28, Luke 10:25-28)

Jesus taught that two commandments summarize the whole of God’s Law — “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:45 ESV) and “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) In a sense, the second of the two commandments is contained in the first. Every command in the whole of the Scripture will be kept if you love God with your whole heart.

As sinners, we cannot do this perfectly, of course. But because God loved us first, sending Jesus to die so that we might be forgiven. By his Holy Spirit God has created faith in our hearts, so that we can truly love him. So, then, because God loves us, we also love our neighbor as ourselves and in the same way that we have been loved by God. (1 John 4:7-12)

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Concordia Theological Seminary

Fort Wayne, Indiana

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