The Ten Commandments
The Faith
The Our Father
The Sacrament of Holy Baptism
The Office of the Keys
Confession
The Sacrament of the Altar
NOTE: Brackets indicate material not present in the German text of the Christian Book of Concord (Dresden, 1580).
The First Commandment
You should have no other gods.
What is this? Answer:
We should fear, love, and trust God above all things.
The Second Commandment
You should not misuse the name of your God.
What is this? Answer:
We should fear and love God so that by His name we may not curse, swear, practice magic, lie, or deceive, but call on it in every need, pray, praise, and give thanks.
The Third Commandment
You should sanctify the festival day.
What is this? Answer:
We should fear and love God so that we may not despise preaching and His word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.
The Fourth Commandment
You should honor your father and your mother, so that it may go well for you and you may live long on the earth.
What is this? Answer:
We should fear and love God so that we may neither despise nor anger our parents and masters, but hold them in honor, serve and be loyal to them, and have love and esteem for them.
The Fifth Commandment
You should not murder.
What is this? Answer:
We should fear and love God so that we may cause no hurt or harm to our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every bodily need.
The Sixth Commandment
You should not commit adultery.
What is this? Answer:
We should fear and love God so that we may lead a chaste and decent life in words and deeds, and each one love and honor his spouse.
The Seventh Commandment
You should not steal.
What is this? Answer:
We should fear and love God so that we may not take our neighbor's money or goods, nor obtain them with false merchandise or trading, but help him to improve and protect his goods and livelihood.
The Eighth Commandment
You should not speak false testimony against your neighbor.
What is this? Answer:
We should fear and love God so that we may not deceitfully lie about, betray, slander, or give a bad reputation to our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him, and make the best of everything.
The Ninth Commandment
You should not covet your neighbor's house.
What is this? Answer:
We should fear and love God so that we may not with craftiness make an attempt on our neighbor's inheritance or house, nor obtain it with a show of right, but support and be of service to him in keeping it.
The Tenth Commandment
You should not covet your neighbor's wife, manservant, maidservant, livestock, or whatever is his.
What is this? Answer:
We should fear and love God so that we may not estrange, force, or seduce away from our neighbor his wife, dependents, or livestock, but urge them to stay and do what they ought to do.
[The Close of the Commandments]
What then does God say about all these commandments? Answer:
He says the following: "I, the Lord your God, am a zealous God, who inflicts the sins of the fathers on the children until the third and fourth generation with regard to those who hate Me, but I will do good in a thousand generations for those who love Me and maintain My commandments."
What is this? Answer:
God threatens to punish all who transgress these commandments. Therefore we should fear His wrath and not act contrary to such commandments. But He promises grace and every good thing to all who maintain such commandments. Therefore we should also love and trust Him, and gladly act according to His commandments.
The First Article: Concerning Creation
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
What is this? Answer:
I believe that God has created me together with all creatures, that He has given me and still preserves my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all limbs, reason and all senses, and also richly and daily provides clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and yard, wife and children, fields, livestock, and all goods, along with every necessity and nourishment for this body and life; that He guards against all danger, and protects and shields from all evil; and all this purely out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit and worthiness of mine, for all of which I ought to thank and praise Him, and serve and be loyal to Him. This is most certainly true.
The Second Article: Concerning Redemption
And in Jesus Christ, His only-begotten 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; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is sitting on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from where He will come to judge the living and the dead.
What is this? Answer:
I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, born of the Father in eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned man, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, in order that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in eternal righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, and lives and reigns in eternity. This is most certainly true.
The Third Article: Concerning Sanctification
I believe in the Holy Spirit; one holy Christian Church, the community of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the flesh; and eternal life. Amen.
What is this? Answer:
I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him, but the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and preserved me in the right faith, just as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole of Christianity on earth, and preserves it with Jesus Christ in the one right faith, in which Christianity He daily and richly forgives all sins for me and all believers, and on the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me together with all believers in Christ eternal life. This is most certainly true.
[The Introduction]
Our Father, You who are in heaven.
What is this? Answer:
God would hereby entice us, so that we should believe that He is our rightful Father and we are His rightful children, in order that we may confidently and with all assurance petition Him as dear children petition their dear father.
The First Petition
May Your name be sanctified.
What is this? Answer:
God's name is of course holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may become holy among us also.
How is this done? Answer:
When the word of God is taught clearly and purely, and we as the children of God also live in a holy manner according to it. To this end, help us, dear Father in heaven! But whoever teaches and lives otherwise than God's word teaches profanes the name of God among us. From this protect us, dear heavenly Father!
The Second Petition
May Your kingdom come.
What is this? Answer:
The kingdom of God comes indeed without our prayer, of itself, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.
How is this done? Answer:
When the heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that through His grace we may believe His holy word and live in a godly manner, here in time and there in eternity.
The Third Petition
May Your will also be done on earth as in heaven.
What is this? Answer:
God's good, gracious will is done indeed without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also.
How is this done? Answer:
When God breaks and hinders every evil counsel and will, which would not let us sanctify God's name and let His kingdom come, such as the will of the devil, the world, and our flesh. But He strengthens and keeps us steadfast in His word and faith until our end. This is His gracious, good will.
The Fourth Petition
Give us today our daily bread.
What is this? Answer:
God gives daily bread indeed without our prayer, even to all evil men, but we pray in this petition that He would lead us to know it, and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
What is meant by daily bread? Answer:
Everything which pertains to bodily nourishment and necessity, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, yard, fields, livestock, money, goods, a pious spouse, pious children, pious dependants, pious and faithful supervisors, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.
The Fifth Petition
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
What is this? Answer:
We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins and would not on their account deny such petitions, for we are worthy of nothing for which we pray, neither have we merited it; but that He would grant them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and indeed merit only punishment. So we will of course in return also heartily forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.
The Sixth Petition
And lead us not into temptation.
What is this? Answer:
God of course tempts no one, but we pray in this petition that God would protect and preserve us, in order that the devil, the world, and our flesh may neither deceive nor mislead us into misbelief, despair, and other great shame and vice; and if we are attacked by them, that still we may finally overcome and gain the victory.
The Seventh Petition
But deliver us from evil.
What is this? Answer:
We pray in this petition, as in a summary, that the Father in heaven would deliver us from every kind of evil of body and soul, goods and honor, and at last, when our final hour comes, grant us a blessed end, and by grace take us from this valley of tears to Himself in heaven.
[The Close of the Lord's Prayer]
[For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.] Amen.
What is this? Answer:
That I should be certain that such petitions are accepted and heard by the Father in heaven, for He Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised that He will hear us. "Amen, amen," that is, "Yes, yes, it should be done in this way."
First
What is baptism? Answer:
Baptism is not only plain water, but it is the water included in God's command and connected with God's word.
Which then is such a word of God? Answer:
Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew, "Go out into all the world, teach all the nations, and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
Second
What does baptism give or profit? Answer:
It works forgiveness of sins, redeems from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.
Which are such words and promises of God? Answer:
Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Mark, "The one who believes and is baptized will be saved, but the one who does not believe will be condemned."
Third
How can water do such great things? Answer:
By no means does the water do them, but the word of God which is with and next to the water, and the faith which trusts such word of God in the water. For without the word of God the water is plain water and no baptism. But with the word of God it is a baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul says to Titus in the third chapter, "through the washing of rebirth and the renewal of the Holy Spirit, which He has richly poured out over us through Jesus Christ our Savior, in order that, having been justified through His grace, we may be heirs of eternal life in agreement with the hope. This is indeed most certainly true."
Fourth
What does such water baptism signify? Answer:
It signifies that the old Adam in us through daily contrition and repentance should drown and die with all sins and evil desires, and in return, a new man daily come forth and arise, who will live before God in righteousness and purity forever.
Where is this written? Answer:
St. Paul says in the sixth chapter of Romans, "We were buried together with Christ through baptism into death so that, just as Christ was awakened from the dead through the glory of the Father, in this way we also should walk in a new life."
NOTE: Part V is not included in the Book of Concord; some editions of the Small Catechism place this material after article VII (The Sacrament of the Altar).
What is the office of the keys? Answer:
The office of the keys is the extraordinary church power which Christ has given to His church on earth, to forgive sins for repentant sinners, but to retain sins for the unrepentant as long as they do not repent.
Where is this written? Answer:
The holy evangelist John writes the following in the twentieth chapter: "The Lord Jesus breathed on His disciples and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. For whomever you remit sins, they are remitted for them, and for whomever you retain them, they are retained for them.' "
What do you believe by these words? Answer:
I believe that when the called ministers of Christ deal with us by His divine command, especially when they exclude manifest and unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation, and on the other hand absolve those who regret their sins and are willing to improve, this is as powerful and certain, even in heaven, as though our dear Lord Christ dealt with us Himself.
What is confession? Answer:
Confession embraces two parts: the one is that a person confesses sins; the other is that a person receives absolution or forgiveness from the confessor, as from God Himself, and has no doubt about it, but firmly believes that sins are thereby forgiven before God in heaven.
What sins should a person confess? Answer:
Before God a person should plead guilty of all sins, even of those which we do not perceive, as we do in the Our Father, but before the confessor we should confess only the sins which we know and feel in our hearts.
Which are these? Answer:
Here consider your station according to the Ten Commandments: whether you are a father, mother, son, daughter, master, mistress, or servant; whether you have been disloyal, unfaithful, or lazy; whether you have with words or deeds caused anyone to suffer; whether you have stolen, been negligent, wasted, or done other harm.
NOTE: The remainder of part VI is included in the Book of Concord, but is omitted by other editions of the Small Catechism.
"Dear sir, set forth for me a brief form for confessing." Answer:
You should speak to the confessor as follows: "Reverend and dear sir, I petition you to hear my confession and speak forgiveness to me for God's sake."
"Proceed!"
"I, a poor sinner, confess before God that I am guilty of all sins. In particular I confess before you that I am a manservant, a maidservant, etc., but unfortunately I serve my master unfaithfully, for in this and that I have not done what they told me. I have angered them and caused them to curse; I have been negligent and permitted harm to be done. I have also been shameful in words and deeds; I have quarreled with my equals; I have grumbled against my mistress and cursed, etc. For all this I am sorrowful, and I petition for grace; I want to improve."
A master or mistress may say the following:
"In particular I confess before you that I have not faithfully nurtured my children, dependents, and wife to the glory of God. I have cursed; I have given a bad example with undisciplined words and deeds; I have done my neighbor harm and spoken evil of him; I have sold at too high a price and given false and incomplete merchandise," and whatever else he has done against the commandments of God and his station, etc.
But if anyone does not find himself burdened with such or greater sins, he should not worry, nor search for or invent further sins and thereby make a torture out of confession. Instead, recount one or two which you know, as follows: "In particular I confess that I once cursed; in addition, I was once unpleasant with words; I have once been negligent in this or that, etc." Let this be enough.
But if you know of none at all (which is indeed not very likely), then mention none in particular, but receive forgiveness based on the general confession which you make before God in the presence of the confessor.
Then the confessor should say:
"God be gracious to you and strengthen your faith! Amen."
Furthermore:
"Do you also believe that my forgiveness is God's forgiveness?" Answer:
"Yes, dear sir."
Then let him say:
"As you believe, so let it be done for you. And by the order of our Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Depart in peace."
But those who have great burdens of conscience, or are depressed and under attack, a father confessor will know well how to comfort and encourage to faith with more texts. This should only be a general form of confession for the unlearned.
What is the sacrament of the altar? Answer:
It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself.
Where is this written? Answer:
The holy evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as well as St. Paul, write as follows: "Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night on which He was betrayed, took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples and said, `Take, eat! This is My body, which is given for you. Do this as My memorial!' In the same way He also took the cup after the supper, gave thanks, and gave it to them and said, `Take and drink from it, all of you! This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, as My memorial!' "
What then is the benefit of such eating and drinking? Answer:
That is shown us by these words, "given for you" and "shed for the forgiveness of sins," namely, that in the sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given to us through such words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.
How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things? Answer:
To be sure, eating and drinking does not do them, but the words which appear here, "given for you" and "shed for the forgiveness of sins," which words exist, alongside the bodily eating and drinking, as the chief ingredient in the sacrament. Whoever believes the same words also has what they say and declare, namely, the forgiveness of sins.
Who then receives such a sacrament worthily? Answer:
Fasting and preparing oneself bodily is indeed a fine outward discipline, but he is truly worthy and well qualified who has faith in these words, "given for you" and "shed for the forgiveness of sins." But whoever does not believe these words or doubts is unworthy and unqualified, for the words "for you" require nothing but believing hearts.
