"If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32).
As Lutherans, we don't have Rome or St. Peter's. We don't have icons, as beautiful as they may be. We don't have The Purpose Driven Life.
What we have, however, is the Small Catechism, and we wouldn't trade it for the world! Put together by Martin Luther, it's a simple-but-rich, second-to-none summary of God's Word. The whole Bible in just a few pages. Deeply spiritual and very practical at the same time.
It has six parts: The Ten Commandments, The Creed, The Lord's Prayer, The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, Confession, and The Sacrament of the Altar.
My new Illinois license plate reads, "LSC 6." It stands for "Luther's Small Catechism has 6 parts."
Six parts but one heart. And that heart is found in these words, considered one of the most perfect sentences outside of the Bible:
"I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, 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, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity."
The one who knows this, knows the Truth.
We thank God for the Small Catechism - and the chance to learn, love, and live His whole and holy Word!
