Luther's Little Instruction Book
(The Small Catechism of Martin Luther)
I. The Ten Commandments: The Simple Way a Father Should Present
Them to His Household
A. The First Commandment
You must not have other gods.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must fear, love, and trust God more than anything else.
B. The Second Commandment
You must not misuse your God's name.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must fear and love God, so that we will not use His name
to curse, swear, cast a spell, lie or deceive, but will use it to
call upon Him, pray to Him, praise Him and thank Him in all times
of trouble.
C. The Third Commandment
You must keep the Sabbath holy.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must fear and love God, so that we will not look down on
preaching or God's Word, but consider it holy, listen to it
willingly, and learn it.
D. The Fourth Commandment
You must honor your father and mother. [So that things will go
well for you and you will live long on earth].
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must fear and love God, so that we will neither look down
on our parents or superiors nor irritate them, but will honor
them, serve them, obey them, love them and value them.
E. The Fifth Commandment
You must not kill.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must fear and love God, so that we will neither harm nor
hurt our neighbor's body, but help him and care for him when he is
ill.
F. The Sixth Commandment
You must not commit adultery.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must fear and love God, so that our words and actions
will be clean and decent and so that everyone will love and honor
their spouses.
G. The Seventh Commandment
You must not steal.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must fear and love God, so that we will neither take our
neighbor's money or property, nor acquire it by fraud or by
selling him poorly made products, but will help him improve and
protect his property and career.
H. The Eighth Commandment
You must not tell lies about your neighbor.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must fear and love God, so that we will not deceive by
lying, betraying, slandering or ruining our neighbor's reputation,
but will defend him, say good things about him, and see the best
side of everything he does.
I. The Ninth Commandment
You must not desire your neighbor's house.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must fear and love God, so that we will not attempt to
trick our neighbor out of his inheritance or house, take it by
pretending to have a right to it, etc. but help him to keep &
improve it.
J. The Tenth Commandment
You must not desire your neighbor's wife, servant, maid, animals
or anything that belongs to him.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must fear and love God, so that we will not release his
cattle, take his employees from him or seduce his wife, but urge
they to stay and do what they ought to do.
K. The Conclusion to the Commandments
Q. What does God say to us about all these commandments?
A. This is what He says:
``I am the Lord Your God. I am a jealous God. I plague the
grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those who hate me with
their ancestor's sin. But I make whole those who love me for a
thousand generations.''
Q. What does it mean?
A. God threatens to punish everyone who breaks these commandments.
We should be afraid of His anger because of this and not violate
such commandments. But He promises grace and all good things to
those who keep such commandments. Because of this, we, too, should
love Him, trust Him, and willingly do what His commandments
require.
Part Two: The Creed
The Creed: The Simple Way a Father Should Present it to His Household
I. The First Article: On Creation
I believe in God the Almighty Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth.
Q. What does this mean?
A. I believe that God created me, along with all creatures. He gave to
me: body and soul, eyes, ears and all the other parts of my body,
my mind and all my senses and preserves them as well. He gives me
clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and land, wife and
children, fields, animals and all I own. Every day He abundantly
provides everything I need to nourish this body and life. He
protects me against all danger, shields and defends me from all
evil. He does all this because of His pure, fatherly and divine
goodness and His mercy, not because I've earned it or desrved it.
For all of this, I must thank Him, praise Him, serve Him and obey
Him. Yes, this is true!
II. The Second Article: On Redemption
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the
Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried, descended to Hell, on the third
day rose again from the dead, ascended to Heaven and sat down at the
right hand of God the Almighty Father. From there He will come to
judge the living and the dead.
Q. What does this mean?
A. I believe that Jesus Christ is truly God, born of the Father in
eternity and also truly man, born of the Virgin Mary. He is my
Lord! He redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, bought and won
me from all sins, death and the authority of the Devil. It did not
cost Him gold or silver, but His holy, precious blood, His innocent
body -- His death! Because of this, I am His very own, will live
under Him in His kingdom and serve Him righteously, innocently and
blessedly forever, just as He is risen from death, lives and reigns
forever. Yes, this is true.
III. The Third Article: On Becoming Holy
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the community
of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
and an everlasting life. Amen.
Q. What does this mean?
A. I believe that I cannot come to my Lord Jesus Christ by my own
intellegence or power. But the Holy Spirit call me by the Gospel,
enlightened me with His gifts, made me holy and kept me in the true
faith, just as He calls, gathers together, enlightens and makes holy
the whole Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus in the one, true
faith. In this Church, He generously forgives each day every sin
committed by me and by every believer. On the last day, He will raise
me and all the dead from the grave. He will give eternal life to me
and to all who believe in Christ. Yes, this is true!
Part Three: The Lord's Prayer
The Our Father
The Simple Way a Father Should Present it to His Household
I. Introduction
Our Father, Who is in Heaven.
Q. What does this mean?
A. In this introduction, God invites us to believe that He is our real
Father and we are His real children, so that we will pray with
trust and complete confidence, in the same way beloved children
approach their beloved Father with their requests.
II. The First Request
May Your name be holy.
Q. What does this mean?
A. Of course, God's name is holy in and of itself, but by this
request, we pray that He will make it holy among us, too.
Q. How does this take place?
A. When God's Word is taught clearly and purely, and when we live holy
lives as God's children based upon it. Help us, Heavenly Father,
to do this! But anyone who teaches and lives by something other
than God's Word defiles God's name among us. Protect us from this,
Heavenly Father!
III. The Second Request
Your Kingdom come.
Q. What does this mean?
A. Truly God's Kingdom comes by itself, without our prayer. But we
pray in this request that it come to us as well.
Q. How does this happen?
A. When the Heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that we
believe His holy Word by His grace and live godly lives here in
this age and there in eternal life.
IV. The Third Request
May Your will be accomplished, as it is Heaven, so may it be on Earth.
Q. What does this mean?
A. Truly, God's good and gracious will is accomplished without our
