What does this mean?
Answer: We should fear, love, and trust in God
above all things.
What does this mean?
Answer: We should fear and love God that we may
not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but call
upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.
What does this mean?
Answer: We should fear and love God that we may
not despise the preaching of His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear
and learn it.
What does this mean?
Answer: We should fear and love God that we may
not despise our parents and masters nor provoke them to anger, but give
them honor, serve and obey them, and hold them in love and esteem.
What does this mean?
Answer: We should fear and love God that we may
not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and befriend him in
every bodily need.
What does this mean?
Answer: We should fear and love God that we may
lead a chaste and decent life in word and deed and each love and honor
his spouse.
What does this mean?
Answer: We should fear and love God that we may
not take our neighbor's money or goods, nor get them by false ware or dealing,
but help him to improve and protect his property and business.
What does this mean?
Answer: We should fear and love God that we may
not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, nor defame our neighbor, but defend
him, speak well of him , and put the best construction on everything.
What does this mean?
Answer: We should fear and love God that we may
not craftily seek to get our neighbor's inheritance or house, nor obtain
it by show of right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it.
What does this mean?
Answer: We should fear and love God that we may
not estrange, force, or entice away from our neighbor his wife, servants,
or cattle, but urge them to stay and do their duty.
What does God say of all of these commandments?
Answer: He says thus: I, the Lord, thy God, am
a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto
the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing mercy
unto thousands of them that love me and keep My Commandments.
What does this mean?
Answer: God threatens to punish all that transgress these
Commandments. Therefore we should fear His wrath and not act contrary
to them. But He promises grace and every blessing to all who take these
commandments seriously, and look to Christ for mercy and forgiveness.
What does this mean?
Answer: I believe that God has made me and all
creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my
members, my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them; also clothing
and shoes, meat and drink, house and home, wife and children, fields, cattle,
and all my goods; that He richly and daily provides me with all that I
need to support this body and life; that He defends me against all danger
and guards and protects me from all evil; and all this purely out of fatherly
divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all
which it is my duty to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him. This
is most certainly true.
What does this mean?
Answer: 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 lose and condemned creature, 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, even as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to
all eternity. This is most certainly true.
What does this mean?
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
Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified
and kept me in the one true faith; even as he calls, gathers, enlightens,
and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus
Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He daily and richly
forgives all sins to me and all believers, and will at the Last Day raise
up me and all the dead, and give unto me and all believers in Christ eternal
life. This is most certainly true.
What does this mean?
Answer: God would by these words tenderly invite
us to believe that He is our true Father, and that we are His true children,
so that we may with all boldness and confidence ask Him as dear children
ask their dear father.
What does this mean?
Answer: God's name is indeed holy in itself; but
we pray in this petition that it may be holy among us also.
How is this done?
Answer: When the Word of God is taught in it's
truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead a holy life
according to it. This grant us, dear Father in heaven. But he that teaches
and lives otherwise than God's Word teaches, profanes the name of God among
us. From this preserve us heavenly father.
What does this mean?
Answer: The kingdom of God comes indeed without
our prayer, of itself; but we pray in this petition that it may come unto
us also.
How is this done?
Answer: When our heavenly Father gives us His
Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead a godly
life, here in time and hereafter in eternity.
What does this mean?
Answer: The good and gracious will of God 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
council and will which would not let us hallow God's name nor let His kingdom
come, such as the will of the devil the world and our flesh; but strengthens
and preserves us steadfast in His Word and faith unto our end. This is
His gracious and good will.
What does this mean?
Answer: God gives daily bread indeed without our
prayer, also to all the wicked, 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 that belongs to the support
and wants of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home,
field, cattle, money, goods, a pious spouse, pious children, pious servants,
pious and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health,
discipline, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.
What does this mean?
Answer: We pray in this petition that our Father
in heaven would not look upon our sins, nor on their account deny our prayer;
for we are worthy of none of the things for which we pray, neither have
we deserved them; but that He would grant them all to us by grace; for
we daily sin much and indeed deserve nothing but punishment. So will
we also heartily forgive, and readily do good to, those who sin against
us.
What does this mean?
Answer: God indeed tempts no one; but we pray
in this petition that God would guard and keep us, so that the devil, the
world, and our flesh may not deceive us nor seduce us into misbelief, despair,
and other great shame and vice; and though we be assailed by them, that
still we may finally overcome and obtain victory.
What does this mean?
Answer: We pray in this petition, as the sum of
all, that our Father in heaven would deliver us from every evil of body
and soul, property and honor, and finally, when our last hour has come,
grant us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this vale of tears
to Himself in heaven.
What is meant by the word "Amen"?
Answer: That I should be certain that these petitions
are acceptable to our Father in heaven, and are heard by Him; for He Himself
has commanded us so to pray, and has promised to hear us. Amen, Amen,
that is , Yea, yea, it shall be so.