The Small Catechism - part 131
Scripture Text: 1 Peter 3:18-19
It is a mystery to me why people want to get rid of the word "hell" in the Apostles' Creed. Are they afraid Christ Jesus cannot handle the place of the damned?
from January 13, 2015
Scripture Text: John 19:38–42
From the Confessions: “And Buried." The way you know a person is really dead, is if he ends up getting buried. Jesus died. That is why they buried him.
The Small Catechism – part 130
Scripture Text: Matthew 16:21
In order to emphasize the fact of Jesus’ death, the creed states that he was buried. Burial is necessary for those who are truly human and have died. In other words, Jesus was not an apparition; he was a man who had actually died.
The Small Catechism – part 129
Scripture Text: John 19:30
Did Jesus really die? If he is God, can God die? Some say that he did not actually die. It is called the “swoon theory,” meaning Jesus only fainted on the cross, was presumed dead, then carried off to his grave.
The Small Catechism – part 128
Scripture Text: Philippians 2:5–7
Why did God come to earth in human flesh? Why lower himself to such a level (if it really is such a low level)? God did so because love made him do it.
The Small Catechism – part 127
Scripture Text: Luke 23:22–24
Jesus, innocent man and holy God, was condemned to suffer the cruelest death the Romans had at their disposal. He would be crucified. His crucifixion was mere expedience in Pilate’s mind.
“Conceived by the Holy Spirit”
Scripture Text: John 6:54–63
Even in the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary we see that human works had no play. Mary did nothing. Joseph surely did nothing. The poor man was very likely stunned at the news...
The Small Catechism – part 126
Scripture Text: Luke 1:35
Jesus was born of the virgin named Mary but he was conceived by God. The Holy Spirit was the fathering agent, therefore the holy child was of two natures: divine and human. Jesus was born in “the likeness of men," that is, he is similar to a man.
The Small Catechism – part 125
Scripture Text: Romans 10:9
We moderns, especially in Western cultures, tend to speak of the heart as being an emotional vessel. In the consideration of the ancient Hebrews, the heart was the seat of thought and will, as well as emotion.
The Small Catechism – part 124
Scripture Text: Philippians 2:9–11
As Jesus is master over life and death, so he is Lord of all things in life and death. He is God over all creation: in heaven, on earth, and even under the earth.
The Small Catechism – part 123
Scripture Text: John 20:28–29
Thomas, the perennial doubter, at seeing his crucified rabbi alive and standing before him, confessed what John had related at the beginning of his Gospel.
The Small Catechism – part 122
Scripture Text: Romans 8:32
As Abraham did not spare his own Son when God commanded it of him, God did not spare his own Son when his will demanded it of himself. Through this precious, only Son, he has redeemed the creation he loves.
The Small Catechism – part 121
Scripture Text: John 1:14
Just as God settled among his people in the Old Testament, God now “tabernacles” among those who believe. He does so through his Son, Christ Jesus, who is the exact image of God.
The Small Catechism – part 120
Scripture Text: Isaiah 61:1
Sometimes the Old Testament speaks of the king as an anointed one, a person on whom God’s blessing rests. A priest would pour a flask of oil over the king’s head as a symbol that God had anointed him king.
The Small Catechism – part 119
Scripture Text: Matthew 1:21
The name “Jesus” is the Greek form of the Hebrew “Joshua” (which later morphed into “Jeshua”) which means “the Lord saves.”
The Small Catechism – part 118
Scripture Text: John 18:37–38
“This is most certainly true!” declares Luther. “What is truth?” responds Pilate. The Truth was standing right in front of him, and he dismissed him as though truth were too difficult to nail down.
The Small Catechism – part 117
Scripture Text: Psalm 90:1–2
God has given us all we need for life. More than that, he has made himself our home. Paul puts it this way: “In him we live and move and have our being.”
The Small Catechism – part 116
Scripture Text: Genesis 1:1
We confess that God is the creator of it all. In the beginning, he made the skies and the land, the heavens and the earth, and by this we mean to say, the universe—everything.
The Small Catechism – part 115
Scripture Text: Psalm 115:3
When we confess that God is almighty, we are saying something more than that he is strong. This confession also declares that what is impossible with people is possible with God.
The Small Catechism – part 114
Scripture Text: Matthew 6:9
We believe in God as our Father. He is a good Father, having provided all we need in this life. But he is more than a dispenser of goods.
The Small Catechism – part 113
Scripture Text: Isaiah 44:6
When we say that we believe in God, we mean the Lord God named by God’s Redeemer in Matthew 28:19. Jesus gave the “name” of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Small Catechism – part 112
Scripture Text: Mark 9:24
The English word “creed” comes from the Latin credo, which means, “I believe.” A creed is a statement of what one gives credence to, finds credible.
The Small Catechism – part 110
Scripture Text: 1 Timothy 4:8
Pointing toward my stomach, the doctor said that I needed to lose my little friend. I asked, “What, about 20 pounds.” She dryly replied, “More like 30 to 40.”
The Small Catechism – part 109
Scripture Text: Philippians 3:12–14
This may not be that hard to imagine. Think of the family dinner table with parents and children gathered for the evening meal. Now picture the children glued to their phones.
The Small Catechism – part 107
Scripture Text: Proverbs 20:9
It does not matter how hard you try to be good; you are a sinner. You were born in sin, and as long as you are in this body, you will be a sinner; and you will sin.
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