THE HANDBOOK: BASICS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
The Handbook: Basics of Christian Faith is a simple and accessible guide designed for use by families and individuals at home. Drawing on Martin Luther’s Small Catechism from 1529, The Handbook has been updated with contemporary language to meet the needs of 21st-century Christians, equipping everyday believers to better understand and live out their faith.
PART ONE:
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
A simple way in which the head of the household should teach them to the household.
The First Commandment
You will not have any other gods.
What does this mean?
We will fear, love and trust in God above all things so that we do not place our identity, security, and meaning anywhere other than in God, such as the false gods of possessions, wealth, vocation, political affiliation, or earthly relationships, but instead, receive our true identity, security, and meaning from God.
The Second Commandment
You will not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
What does this mean?
We will fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear false oaths, practice magic, lie, or deceive using God’s name, but instead, use God’s name in every time of need to call on, pray to, praise, and give thanks.
The Third Commandment
You will observe the day of rest to keep it holy.
What does this mean?
We will fear and love God so that we do not despise God’s Word or hearing and learning it, and so that we do not neglect our mental and physical health or relationships with God and one another, but instead, receive God’s gift of rest with gratitude, keep God’s Word holy, and gladly hear and learn it so that we are reminded that our true identity, security, and meaning is received from God. (Mark 2:27, Matthew 11:28)
The Fourth Commandment
Honor your father and your mother.
What does this mean?
We will fear and love God so that we do not hate or anger our parents and others in authority, but instead, honor, serve, obey, love, and appreciate them.
The Fifth Commandment
You will not murder.
What does this mean?
We will fear and love God so that we do not cause hurt or bodily harm to our neighbor, but instead, help and support them in all of life’s needs.
The Sixth Commandment
You will not commit adultery.
What does this mean?
We will fear and love God so that we lead sexually pure and decent lives in what we say and do, and each of us loves and honors his wife or her husband.
The Seventh Commandment
You will not steal.
What does this mean?
We will fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any way that is dishonest, but instead, help them to improve and protect their possessions and income.
The Eighth Commandment
You will not give false testimony against your neighbor.
What does this mean?
We will fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray or slander them, gossip about them, or destroy their reputation, but instead, defend them, speak well of them, and give them the benefit of the doubt by putting the best construction on everything that they do.
The Ninth Commandment
You will not covet your neighbor’s house.
What does this mean?
We will fear and love God so that we do not scheme to get our neighbor’s inheritance or property, or try to get it for ourselves in a way that only appears to be right—even if it is legal—but instead, be satisfied with what God has given us, and be of help and service to our neighbor in keeping what is theirs.
The Tenth Commandment
You will not covet your neighbor’s spouse, employees, cars, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.*
What does this mean?
We will fear and love God so that we do not entice, force, or steal away our neighbor’s spouse, workers, or possessions, or turn them against him, but instead, urge them to stay and fulfill their responsibility to our neighbors.
The Close of the Commandments
What does God say about all these commandments?
He says, “I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Ex. 20:5–6, ESV)
What does this mean?
God wants us to trust in Him above all things so that our deepest and strongest relationship is with Him. We trust God by keeping His Commandments, and when we go our own way, God has arranged it so that the consequences of our actions will have a negative impact on ourselves and others. When we violate his Commandments, we will find ourselves in bondage to our sins, to futility, and to Satan. However, when we align our way of life with these guidelines, God promises grace and every blessing. We will find that our love and trust for God will grow stronger, we will delight in doing his will, and we will be a blessing to others.
* Exodus 20:17 states, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” (ESV)
PART TWO:
THE CREED
A simple way in which the head of the household should teach this to the household.
The First Article: Creation
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
What does this mean?
I believe that God has created me and everything that exists. God has provided me with my body and soul, my eyes, ears, and all my limbs, as well as my reason and all my senses, and God continues to take care of them.
God also provides clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, spouse and children, land, animals, vehicles, and all I have. Daily and abundantly, God also provides everything I need to feed and support this body and life. God protects me against all danger and guards and keeps me from all evil.
All of this is done purely out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit, accomplishment, or worthiness in me. For all of this, my response to God is to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him. This is most certainly true.
The Second Article: 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. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
What does this mean?
I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity,* and also true human being, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord. He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned human creature, purchased and freed me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with dollars and cents, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death. Jesus Christ has done all this so that I may belong to Him and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in eternal righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and rules forever and ever. This is most certainly true.
The Third Article: Sanctification
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
What does this mean?
I believe that I cannot by my own understanding or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him, but instead, the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel,** enlightened me with His gifts, made me holy, and kept me in the true faith, just as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church, the Holy Spirit daily and abundantly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day, the Holy Spirit will raise me and all the dead and will give eternal life to me and all who believe in Christ. This is most certainly true.
* According to Mueller, “The Father is the source of the other two persons of the Trinity. He was not created by anyone, nor is he begotten by anyone. The Father is the origin. The Son owes his existence to the Father. He was not created by anyone, including the Father, yet he is eternally begotten by the Father. We beget things that are of the same nature as ourselves; we make things that do not share our nature. So a human being can beget human children, but make things that are not human. Saying that the Father begets the Son means, in part, that the Son is true God and not part of creation. His existence derives from the Father, and he is of the same substance as the Father. Yet since the triune God is eternal, this all happens without reference to time.” Steven P. Mueller, ed., Called to Believe, Teach, and Confess: An Introduction to Doctrinal Theology, vol. 3, Called by the Gospel (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2005), 86.
** The Gospel is the good news that God has fulfilled His promise to reconcile us into a right relationship with Himself and the world, not through anything that we have done, but through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who will one day return to restore all of creation from the consequences of sin.
PART THREE:
THE LORD’S PRAYER
A simple way in which the head of the household should teach this to the household.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
The Introduction
Our Father who art in heaven.
What does this mean?
With these words, God lovingly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that we may boldly ask Him with complete confidence, just as loving children ask their loving father.
The First Petition*
Hallowed be Thy name.
What does this mean?
It is completely true that the name of God is holy in itself, but we ask in this prayer that God’s name may be honored as holy among us also.
How is God’s name honored as holy?
God’s name is honored as holy when the Word of God is taught clearly, truthfully, and purely, and we, as God’s children, also live holy lives according to God’s Word. Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven! On the other hand, anyone who teaches or lives in any way other than what the Word of God teaches, misuses and abuses the name of God among us. Protect us from this, Heavenly Father!
The Second Petition
Thy kingdom come.
What does this mean?
It is completely true that the kingdom of God comes on its own without our prayer, but we ask in this prayer that it may also come to us.
How does the kingdom of God come?
The kingdom of God comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His Holy Word and live godly [righteous] lives here in time and ultimately in eternity.
The Third Petition
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
What does this mean?
It is completely true that the good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we ask in this prayer that it may also be done in and among us.
How is God’s will done?
God’s will is done when God breaks and prevents every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature, which do not want us to honor God’s name as holy and would like to prevent the coming of the kingdom of God. God’s will is also done when He strengthens and keeps us firmly in His Word and in faith until we die. This is God’s good and gracious will.
The Fourth Petition
Give us this day our daily bread.
What does this mean?
It is completely true that God gives daily bread to everyone without our prayer—even to all evil people! But we ask in this prayer that God would help us to recognize what our daily bread is and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
What is meant by daily bread?
Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the nourishment, support, and needs of our bodies. This includes, but is not limited to, food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, cars, money, property, a devoted husband or wife, devoted children, devoted workers, devoted and faithful authorities, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.
The Fifth Petition
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
What does this mean?
We ask in this prayer that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, nor deny our prayer because of them. We are not worthy of the things that we pray for, and we do not deserve them. Instead, we ask that God would give them all to us by grace,** because we sin many times every day, and we do not deserve anything but punishment. This is why we also want to sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.
The Sixth Petition
And lead us not into temptation.
What does this mean?
God does not tempt anyone! We ask in this prayer that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Even though we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.
The Seventh Petition
But deliver us from evil.
What does this mean?
In summary, we ask in this prayer, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every kind of evil—in body and soul, possessions and reputation—and finally, when the hour of our death arrives, give us a blessed end, and take us by grace from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.
The Conclusion
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
What does this mean?
This means that I should be confident that these prayers are pleasing to our Father in heaven, and that these prayers are heard by Him, because God Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised to hear us. Amen, amen means “yes, yes, it shall be so.”
* A petition is a request or prayer.
** Grace is a free gift, that you don’t deserve, that you don’t have to do anything to get, and as soon as you have to do something to get it, it is no longer grace.
PART FOUR:
THE SACRAMENT* OF HOLY BAPTISM
A simple way in which the head of the household should teach this to the household.
First
What is Baptism?
Baptism is not just plain water, but instead, it is the water included in God’s command and connected with God’s Word.
Which is that Word of God?
Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19, ESV)
Second
What gifts or benefits does Baptism give?
It brings about forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to everyone who believes it as the words and promises of God declare.
Which are these words and promises of God?
Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Mark: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16, ESV)
Third
How can water do such great things?
Certainly, the water does not do it, but the Word of God, which is in and with the water does these things, and faith which trusts this Word of God in the water. For without the Word of God the water is plain water and not a Baptism. But with the Word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a life-giving water, filled with grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul says in Titus, chapter three: “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified** by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.” (Titus 3:5–8, NIV)
Fourth
What is the significance of such a baptism with water?
It signifies that the old creature*** in us with all sins and evil desires should be drowned and die by daily remorse and repentance, and that a new person should daily come forth and rise up to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.
Where is this written?
St. Paul writes in Romans chapter six: “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Rom. 6:4, NIV)
* A Sacrament is (1) a sacred act that is (2) instituted by God which (3) has the promise of God’s grace and (4) is connected to a tangible element, such as water, bread, and wine.
** To be justified is to be “JUST-as-IF-I’DE” never sinned. Justification is when God declares a sinner to be righteous through Jesus Christ. Justification is passively received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
*** Originally, “Old Adam.” This refers to our sinful nature that every human creature is born with.
PART FIVE:
CONFESSION & FORGIVENESS
How Christians should be taught to confess.
What is Confession?
Confession has two parts. First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the confessor* (another believer) as if we are hearing the words, “I forgive you,” spoken by God Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven.
What sins should we confess?
Before God we should acknowledge our guilt for all sins, even those sins we are not aware of, just like we do in the Lord’s Prayer. However, before the confessor (believer we are confessing to), we should confess only those sins which we know and trouble us in our hearts.
Which are these?
Reflect on your life according to the Ten Commandments: Are you a father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife, or worker? Have you been disobedient, unfaithful, or lazy? Have you been hot-tempered, rude, or quarrelsome? Have you hurt someone with your words or deeds [actions]? Have you stolen, neglected, wasted, or injured anything?
Three Types of Confession
1. Corporate (Community) Confession
Corporate Confession is a time of confession which occurs during a public worship service. Typically, a congregation (community of believers) will pray a prepared prayer of confession in unison and the pastor will absolve (forgive) the sins of the congregation in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
2. Private Confession
Private Confession occurs when an individual baptized believer repents and confesses their sins to a pastor in a private setting. The pastor will then absolve (forgive) the sins of the individual in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The individual can be confident that sins which are confessed will remain private because pastors have taken a vow to never divulge the sins confessed to them.
3. Confession to a Fellow Christian
Christ has given the authority to forgive sins to all believers (John 20:22-23). Confession to a fellow Christian occurs when a baptized believer repents and confesses their sins to a fellow brother or sister in Christ, who then absolves (forgives) them of their sins. This type of confession most often occurs when there has been conflict between two Christians.
A Simple Confession Among Christians
A simple way to confess and forgive sins in everyday relationships where you live, work, learn, and play.
Confession
The believer who has sinned against or wronged another confesses by saying:
I am sorry for… (state how you have wronged the other person).
Forgiveness
The believer who has heard the confession then forgives the sin by saying:
I forgive you as Christ has forgiven me.
* A “confessor” is a fellow Christian, who hears the confession of another believer. A confessor is often a pastor but can also be any Christian.
PART SIX:
THE SACRAMENT* OF HOLY COMMUNION
A simple way in which the head of the household should teach this to the household.
What is the Sacrament of the Altar [Holy Communion]?
It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink.
Where is this written?
The holy Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and St. Paul write:
Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”
In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new covenant** in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
What is the benefit of this eating and drinking?
These words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” show us that the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us in the Sacrament through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.
How can bodily [physical] eating and drinking do such great things?
Certainly, eating and drinking do not do these things, but instead, the words written here: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” These words, along with the physical eating and drinking, are the essential thing in the Sacrament. Whoever believes these words has exactly what they declare: “forgiveness of sins.”
Who receives this sacrament worthily?
Fasting and bodily preparation are certainly fine outward training. But it is a person who has faith in these words: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” who is truly worthy and well prepared. But anyone who does not believe these words or doubts them is unworthy and unprepared, because the words “for you” require hearts that truly believe.
Should I Receive Holly Communion?
According to 1 Cor. 11:27-30, anyone who takes Communion in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgement on themselves. As such, only those who can answer yes to these questions should receive communion:
Are you baptized into the family of God?
Do you believe that you are a sinner?
Are you sorry for your sin?
Do you believe that Jesus died and shed His blood for the forgiveness of your sin?
Do you believe that Christ’s body and blood are truly present in this meal?
Anyone who can answer yes to these five questions is welcome to take part in this meal. Anyone who does not believe this should not participate in this meal.
* A Sacrament is (1) a sacred act that is (2) instituted by God which (3) has the promise of God’s grace and (4) is connected to a tangible element, such as water, bread, and wine.
** Promise.
WORKS CITED
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®
Luther, Martin, Luther’s Small Catechism copyright © 1986 Concordia Publishing House.
Luther, Martin, Luther’s Small Catechism, from Robert Kolb, Timothy J. Wengert, and Charles P. Arand, The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2000),
Mueller, Steven P., ed., Called to Believe, Teach, and Confess: An Introduction to Doctrinal Theology, vol. 3, Called by the Gospel (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2005), 86.