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Why
is the catechism important? Luther’s
Small Catechism is a series of questions and answers about the Bible’s most
important teachings. When they
are older, children should be allowed to decide for themselves whether they want
to learn to read or not. Would you
agree with that statement? Of course not! Children need to be equipped with the
proper tools to help them function in life. Imagine trying to get a job or
trying to pay the bills without being able to read, to write, or to do simple
math. It would be so difficult! We understand the importance of those
“fundamentals”—reading, writing, and arithmetic.
The very thought of waiting to teach reading until a child is old enough
to make the decision to do so is ludicrous. Reading is
very important. But faith is even
more important. Reading is of value to this life. But faith leads to eternal
life. That’s why the very thought of allowing a child to grow up without basic
spiritual instruction was ludicrous to Martin Luther. Luther took to
heart what the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy: “From infancy you have known the
holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in
Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). Luther understood that the faith which the
Holy Spirit creates in a child at Baptism must be nurtured with instruction in
God’s Word. And so Luther wrote
his Small Catechism. It was meant to be an instruction book that would help
parents— especially fathers—teach the Bible to their children. But what
is a catechism? A catechism is any book that uses a series of questions and
answers to teach a subject. Luther’s Small Catechism is a series of questions
and answers about the Bible’s most important teachings. Working through those
questions and answers with children enables us to teach them the fundamentals
about the Bible. These are the six main parts of the catechism: 1. The Ten
Commandments 2. The
Apostles’ Creed 3. The
Lord’s Prayer 4. Baptism 5. The
Ministry of the Keys 6. The
Lord’s Supper Why is it
so important that we teach these things to our children? Luther writes, “In
[the Catechism] the entire body of Christian doctrine, which every Christian
must know in order to be saved, is contained. . . . Therefore we should by all
means love and esteem the Catechism and diligently impress it upon youth” (What
Luther Says, p.124). Luther’s
Small Catechism is infinitely more important than any reading or math book. For
it teaches the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it is through the gospel that God
accomplishes that which he loves most—the salvation of souls! http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/wittenberg-boc.html#sc http://www.e-lcr.org/aboutluth.htm Luther’s
Small Catechism is infinitely more important than any reading or math book. For
it teaches the gospel of Jesus Christ. ©
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