Luther’s Large Catechism

Christian, What Do You Believe? Part 2

In Psalm 127:3-5, the psalmist writes,

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.

Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

And in 2 Samuel 22:35 (or Psalm 18:34) David writes of God, “He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”

And in Exodus 15:3, Moses writes, “The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.”

And in Genesis 22:15-18, we read, “ And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

There are some principles within these verses that we have forgotten as a society. Foremost, children are a blessing. They are not to be despised. They are not to be grumbled about. They are not to be murdered. They are a heritage from God. An inheritance. A possession. They will not only grow up to carry on your lineage, but they grow up bearing the image of God. Some men look at them only as a mere mouth to feed, or a back to clothe. They think of them as expenditures or liabilities. However, when the Bible tells us that children are like arrows in the hand of a mighty warrior, it conveys not only the value of the children themselves, but the stature of their father. 

A mighty warrior is trained in the art of war. He knows the value of each arrow. He knows when to draw, and when to stay his hand. And when he draws, he knows how to release, so that his aim is not in vain. This is one characteristic of God that David conveys to us - that men whose hands were not capable of grappling in war, or whose arms were too weak or incompetent to master the weapons of war, God puts through training so as to strengthen them in their weakness, and make them ready for action. And God, being a man of war, trains fathers to be men of war, so they can train their children to be men of war. And how does God train us? Through the instruction of His Word, the Bible. What is the purpose of this instruction? “…For teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Now we know from Paul in his letter to the Ephesian church that the war we wage is not against flesh and blood, “but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) Jesus tells us something about the relationship between his church and those enemies in Matthew 16:16-18. In Caesarea Phillippi, at Mount Hermon, Simon makes the declaration, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him,   “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” In other words, not only would Christ fulfill the promise to Abraham, and possess the gate of his enemy, Satan, but God’s children, the Church, would possess those gates as well. The gates of Hell will not withstand the Church, and the Lord’s children will not be put to shame.

You may be thinking to yourself, “Seth, I thought we would be covering Luther’s Large Catechism today.” And you would be right! But in order to appreciate Luther’s perspective on the necessity of the catechism, you need to understand God’s perspective on training up children in the way that they should go. They need to be trained by steadfast fathers and mothers, and that training needs to be reinforced by faithful preachers. This means that the hypocritical oath of, “Do as I say, not as I do,” has no place in the vernacular of a parent. Instead, they must be stalwart and disciplined. Like James exhorts,

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” (James 1:22-25 ESV)

With this in mind, knowing that God calls us to make our houses to be places of training in the truth about God, we finally come to Luther’s Large Catechism. And if you’ll permit me - you really have no choice - I’ll also speak briefly of his Small Catechism. The Large Catechism (published 1529) he wrote mainly towards pastors and fathers. It is thus dubbed “large” because it contains lengthy exposition of each subject in an effort to provide adequate instruction to those who would seek to give adequate instruction.

All selections from both the Large and Small Catechism in this post have been taken directly from www.bookofconcord.org. I’ll post some links to further resources at the end of this post and in the podcast description.

Now, when I began to formulate this series, I didn’t even consider Luther’s catechism until I heard a quote from it. After reading his introduction and preface to his work, the contents struck me as profoundly alien to the way we think about training ourselves and our children in the things of God. However, the issues that he was addressing are entirely native to our way of life. The opening paragraphs start out thus:

“1 We have no slight reasons for treating the Catechism so constantly [in sermons] and for both desiring and beseeching others to teach it, since we see to our sorrow that many pastors and preachers are very negligent in this, and slight both their office and this teaching; some from great and high art (giving their mind, as they imagine, to much higher matters], but others from sheer laziness and care for their paunches, assuming no other relation to this business than if they were pastors and preachers, for their bellies’ sake, and had nothing to do but, to [spend and] consume their emoluments as long as they live, as they have been accustomed to do under the Papacy.

2 And although they have now everything that they are to preach and teach placed before them so abundantly, clearly, and easily, in so many [excellent and] helpful books…yet they are not so godly and honest as to buy these books, or even when they have them, to look at them or read them. Alas! they are altogether shameful gluttons and servants of their own bellies who ought to be more properly swineherds and dog-tenders than care-takers of souls and pastors.”

Luther was always so soft spoken.

Remember, he was writing this to a people that were coming out of the Holy Roman church. He wanted people to have the scriptures, and to know them, and to live by them. It was of paramount importance for these people to be daily in the Word of God. While I can’t dedicate all of this post to reading the introduction, Luther hits some home runs here that I think are worth mentioning starting in paragraph 10:

“10 Besides, it is an exceedingly effectual help against the devil, the world, and the flesh and all evil thoughts to be occupied with the Word of God, and to speak of it, and meditate upon it, so that the First Psalm declares those blessed who meditate upon the Law of God day and night. Undoubtedly, you will not start a stronger incense or other fumigation against the devil than by being engaged upon God’s commandments and words, and speaking, singing, or thinking of them. For this is indeed the true holy water and holy sign from which he flees, and by which he may be driven away.

11 Now, for this reason alone you ought gladly to read, speak, think and treat of these things, if you had no other profit and fruit from them than that by doing so you can drive away the devil and evil thoughts. For he cannot hear or endure God’s Word; and God’s Word is not like some other silly prattle, as that about Dietrich of Berne, etc., but as St. Paul says, Rom. 1:16, the power of God. Yea, indeed, the power of God which gives the devil burning pain, and strengthens, comforts, and helps us beyond measure.

12 And what need is there of many words? If I were to recount all the profit and fruit which God’s Word produces, whence would I get enough paper and time? The devil is called the master of a thousand arts. But what shall we call God’s Word, which drives away and brings to naught this master of a thousand arts with all his arts and power? It must indeed be the master of more than a hundred thousand arts.

13 And shall we frivolously despise such power, profit, strength, and fruit-we, especially, who claim to be pastors and preachers? If so, we should not only have nothing given us to eat, but be driven out, being baited with dogs, and pelted with dung, because we not only need all this every day as we need our daily bread, but must also daily use it against the daily and unabated attacks and lurking of the devil, the master of a thousand arts.

14 And if this were not sufficient to admonish us to read the Catechism daily, yet we should feel sufficiently constrained by the command of God alone, who solemnly enjoins in Deut. 6:6ff that we should always meditate upon His precepts, sitting, walking, standing, lying down, and rising, and have them before our eyes and in our hands as a constant mark and sign. Doubtless He did not so solemnly require and enjoin this without a purpose; but because He knows our danger and need, as well as the constant and furious assaults and temptations of devils, He wishes to warn, equip, and preserve us against them, as with a good armor against their fiery darts and with good medicine against their evil infection and suggestion.

15 Oh, what mad, senseless fools are we that, while we must ever live and dwell among such mighty enemies as the devils are, we nevertheless despise our weapons and defense, and are too lazy to look at or think of them!”

Luther goes on in his shorter preface to lay out the structure for his catechism, as well as his expectations for its use by fathers. On a regular basis, the members of the household were to memorize and recite the Ten Commandments, the Apostles Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer. Once these were memorized and understood, they were to go on learning about baptism and communion. And fathers were to be the ones teaching.

“15 These are the most necessary parts which one should first learn to repeat word for word,16 and which our children should be accustomed to recite daily when they arise in the morning, when they sit down to their meals, and when they retire at night; and until they repeat them, they should be given neither food nor drink.17 Likewise every head of a household is obliged to do the same with respect to his domestics, man-servants and maid-servants, and not to keep them in his house if they do not know these things and are unwilling to learn them.18 For a person who is so rude and unruly as to be unwilling to learn these things is not to be tolerated; for in these three parts everything that we have in the Scriptures is comprehended in short, plain, and simple terms.”

As I mentioned before, the Large Catechism is geared more towards pastors and the head of the household. Luther’s exposition on the first commandment alone is masterful, and re-calibrated my soul as I had drifted off into thinking more about money recently than about God. Here’s the passage that plucked my heart:

"4 Therefore it is the intent of this commandment to require true faith and trust of the heart which settles upon the only true God, and clings to Him alone. That is as much as to say: “See to it that you let Me alone be your God, and never seek another,” i.e.: Whatever you lack of good things, expect it of Me, and look to Me for it, and whenever you suffer misfortune and distress, creep and cling to Me. I, yes, I, will give you enough and help you out of every need; only let not your heart cleave to or rest in any other.5 This I must unfold somewhat more plainly, that it may be understood and perceived by ordinary examples of the contrary. Many a one thinks that he has God and everything in abundance when he has money and, possessions; he trusts in them and boasts of them with such firmness and assurance as to care for no one.6 Lo, such a man also has a god, Mammon by name, i.e., money and possessions, on which he sets all his heart, and which is also the most common idol on earth.7 He who has money and possessions feels secure, and is joyful and undismayed as though he were sitting in the midst of Paradise.8 On the other hand, he who has none doubts and is despondent, as though he knew of no God.

9 For very few are to be found who are of good cheer, and who neither mourn nor complain if they have not Mammon. This [care and desire for money] sticks and clings to our nature, even to the grave.”

And in his treatment of the 4th Commandment, which in this catechism is, “Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother,” he completely allays my personal fears about being unable to put away riches for my children, and turns my attention to my primary duty, to raise them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Which, consequently, was exactly how my father and mother operated, since my father was a preacher who trusted God daily for every physical and spiritual need for his family. He still does. Luther puts it this way:

"172 For if we wish to have excellent and apt persons both for civil and ecclesiastical government, we must spare no diligence, time, or cost in teaching and educating our children, that they may serve God and the world,173 and we must not think only how we may amass money and possessions for them. For God can indeed without us support and make them rich, as He daily does. But for this purpose He has given us children, and issued this command that we should train and govern them according to His will, else He would have no need of father and mother. Let every one know, therefore, that it is his duty, on peril of losing the divine favor, to bring up his children above all things in the fear and knowledge of God, and if they are talented, have them learn and study something,174 that they may be employed for whatever need there is [to have them instructed and trained in a liberal education, that men may be able to have their aid in government and in whatever is necessary].175 If that were done, God would also richly bless us and give us grace to train men by whom land and people might be improved, and likewise well-educated citizens, chaste and domestic wives, who afterwards would rear godly children and servants.”

If you are an adult looking for spiritual edification, I highly recommend listening through or reading through the Large catechism. Luther may have a reputation as a heavy-handed and harsh critic in his letters, but undergirding his Biblical expositions in this work are grace and kindness. He is stern in his convictions, but quite disarming and exceptionally edifying. He possesses a mastery of the Scriptures not seen in many pulpits today.

Now, for a glimpse into the Small Catechism (also published 1529). Luther, never at a loss for words gives the reasoning for this catechism in his opening paragraph of the preface.

“02 The deplorable, miserable condition which I discovered lately when I, too, was a visitor, has forced and urged me to prepare [publish] this Catechism, or Christian doctrine, in this small, plain, simple form. Mercy! Good God! what manifold misery I beheld! The common people, especially in the villages, have no knowledge whatever of Christian doctrine, and, alas! many pastors are altogether incapable and incompetent to teach [so much so, that one is ashamed to speak of it]. Nevertheless, all maintain that they are Christians, have been baptized and receive the [common] holy Sacraments. Yet they [do not understand and] cannot [even] recite either the Lord’s Prayer, or the Creed, or the Ten Commandments; they live like dumb brutes and irrational hogs; and yet, now that the Gospel has come, they have nicely learned to abuse all liberty like experts.”

Apparently, the spiritual conditions in 1500s Germany were not dissimilar to 21st century America - which I find to be encouraging! Nothing the Holy Spirit can’t fix with some true gospel and sound doctrine. 

One big difference between the Small and Large Catechisms is that the small catechism is designed in more of a Q&A fashion. Even though it was still created for the purpose of pastors educating laity, it would make a great teaching tool for parents with older kids and teens. For example, when it comes to the second commandment, the catechism reads like this:

“03 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain.

04 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.”

Now, I do need to throw in a caution. Luther’s treatment of the 10 commandments combines what we would call the first and second commandments as one, then splits the tenth commandment into two. This may cause some confusion when teaching your kids from the Heidelberg and Westminster catechisms. Whatever you decide to do while teaching, be consistent. Even Martin Luther puts it this way,

“05 In the first place, let the preacher above all be careful to avoid many kinds of or various texts and forms of the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, the Sacraments, etc., but choose one form to which he adheres, and which he inculcates all the time, year after year.”

Another cool aspect of this catechism is that The Apostles Creed is separated into three articles with short explanations as to the meaning and weight behind each statement. Here is just the first article:

“01 Of Creation.

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

02 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 limbs, my reason, and all my senses, and still preserves them; in addition thereto, clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and homestead, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He provides me richly and daily with all that I need to support this body and life, protects me from all danger, and guards me and preserves me from all evil; and all this out of pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all which I owe it to Him to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him. This is most certainly true.”

Personally, I find this layout to be incredibly helpful and informative especially for parents just starting out in this endeavor. Children are sponges and soak up this kind of teaching so readily. And when you teach them the Word of God, you are giving them what Christ gave us - the words of eternal life.

If you are a parent looking for ways to teach your children about God, my first advice would be to pray about it. Don’t just rush into the Small Catechism because of a blog post or podcast. But look into these things. Talk and pray with your spouse. Consider your children and their abilities, and pray some more. Our family has gone through several iterations of teaching time through the years. My first attempt ended in a fiery crash because I didn’t pray to God or think about how to teach my family. Now, my wife and I discuss often the spiritual needs of our family, and ask God to teach us what we need to do. We’ve begun to see more and more fruit come from the decisions we’ve made. So, pray with your spouse about what is best for your family. And don’t forget to have fun. 

On that note, I leave you with Luther’s closing words to his teaching on the 2nd Commandment.

"75 Behold, thus we might train our youth, in a childlike way and playfully in the fear and honor of God, so that the First and Second Commandments might be well observed and in constant practise, Then some good might take root, spring up and bear fruit, and men grow up whom76 an entire land might relish and enjoy. Moreover, this would be the true way to bring up children well as long as they can become trained with kindness and delight. For what must be enforced with rods and blows only will not develop into a good breed, and at best they will remain godly under such treatment no longer than while the rod is upon their back.77 But this [manner of training] so spreads its roots in the heart that they fear God more than rods and clubs. This I say with such simplicity for the sake of the young, that it may penetrate their minds. For since we are preaching to children, we must also prattle with them. Thus we have prevented the abuse and have taught the right use of the divine name, which should consist not only in words, but also in practise and life, so that we may know that God is well pleased with this, and will as richly reward it as He will terribly punish the abuse.”

Semper reformanda, y’all! 

Additional Resources:

The Book of ConcordLuther’s Large Catechism on LibriVoxLuther’s Large Catechism on YouTube