An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism · Martin Luther
II. WHAT IS COMMANDED.
We should give God the highest place in our hearts, and "fear, love and trust in. Him above all things." [Matt. 4:10+] 1. WE SHOULD FEAR GOD ABOVE ALL THINGS. We should be more afraid of His anger than of anything else in the whole world. [Gen. 39:9+, Ps. 33:8, 9.] Rather than disobey Him, we should be willing to suffer ridicule, persecution, loss of money, property, position, or friends, and even death itself. [Matt. 10:28+, Acts 5:29] _Why_. We should fear God above all things, 1. Because He is omniscient, and we cannot hide anything from Him, not even our thoughts. [Ps. 139:1, 2+] 2. Because He is holy, and hates everything that is evil. [Lev. 19:2] 3. Because He is just, and will punish every sin. [Ps. 5:4] _How_. As Christians, our fear of God should be a child-like and not a slavish fear. Child-like fear is fear mingled with love. We should refrain from evil not simply from fear of punishment, but from fear of offending the God whom we love. [Rom. 8:15+] "Slavish fear Is afraid God will come; child-like fear is afraid He will go away." 2. WE SHOULD LOVE GOD ABOVE ALL THINGS, "with all our heart, and with all our mind and with all our soul." [Matt. 22:37] Our first aim and our highest delight should always be to do God's will. [I John 5:3+] We should be far more anxious to please Him than to please ourselves or any of our fellow-men. We should love Him far more than we love any one else [Matt. 10:37+] (parents, brothers, sisters, friends, etc.), or any earthly objects [I John 2:15+] (money, pleasure, business and the like).
We have all broken this first commandment; for we have not always and everywhere feared, loved and trusted in God above all things. QUESTIONS--1. Why is this the Great Commandment? 2. Why does the explanation of all the other commandments begin with the words, "We should so fear and love God"? 3. What does this first commandment forbid? 4. What does it command? 5. What two kinds of Idolatry are there? 6. Mention some forms of open idolatry. 7. Mention some forms of secret idolatry. 8. What does it mean to fear God above all things? 9. Why should we fear him? 10. How should we fear Him? l1. What does it mean to love God above all things? 12. Why should we love God above all things? 13. How should we show our love to God? 14. What does it mean to trust in God above all things? 15. Why should we trust in God above all things? 16. How should we show our trust in God? 17. Have we kept this commandment? * * * * * SCRIPTURE VERSES.--Prov. 3:5, 6. Trust In the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. Acts 5:29. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. Matt. 10:28, And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matt. 10:37. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 1 John 2:15. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Matt. 6:24. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matt. 4:10. Thou shall worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Gen. 38:9. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? Ps. 139:1, 2. O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and my uprising, thou understandest my thoughts afar off. Rom. 8:15. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. I John 5:3. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. Ps. 73:25, 28. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
I John 4:19. We love him, because he first loved us. I John 4:9. In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. I John 4:20. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? I Pet. 5:7. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Ps. 37:5. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. READING.--The Golden Calf, Exod. 32; or, The Golden Image, Dan. 3. ILLUSTRATIONS.--_Secret_ Idolatry: Goliath, I Sam. 17:41 _seq_; Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. 4:25 _seq_.; Herod, Acts 12:21-23; The Rich Young Ruler, Matt. 19:16-22; The Rich Fool, Luke 12:15-21. _Slavish Fear_: Adam, Gen. 3:10-11. _Child-like Fear_: Joseph, Gen. 39:9. _Love to God_: Abraham, Gen. 22:1-14; Peter and John, Acts 4:19, 20; Jesus, John 4:34. _Trust in God_: David Fighting Goliath, I Sam. 17. Daniel in the Lion's Den, Dan. 6.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.