An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism Part 29

_Contentment_. True thankfulness implies contentment with those gifts which G.o.d sees fit to bestow upon us. [Heb. 13:5+, 1 Tim. 6:6-8+] We must not murmur because He does not include in our daily bread some things which we desire to have; nor dare we permit the withholding of those things to prevent us from being truly thankful for the many benefits which G.o.d does bestow upon us.

QUESTIONS.--1. What do we acknowledge and for what do we pray in this pet.i.tion? 2. Why do we pray G.o.d to "give"? 3. Why do we pray, "give _us_"? 4. Why do we pray "this day"? 5. Why do we say _our_ daily bread?

6. What does daily bread include? 7. How much must G.o.d give us in order to answer this prayer for daily bread? 8. Why does G.o.d give, even to the wicked? 9. What should we bear in mind with respect to all our blessings? 10. How should we receive our daily bread? 11. How should we express our grat.i.tude? 12. What is to be said about contentment?

SCRIPTURE VERSES.--Matt. 6:34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Eph. 5:20. Giving thanks always for all things unto G.o.d and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb. 13:5. Let your conversation be without covetousness: and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

1 Tim. 6:6-8. But G.o.dliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.

READING.--The Feeding of the Five Thousand, John 6:1-13.

CHAPTER XXIX.

THE FIFTH PEt.i.tION.

And forgive us our trespa.s.ses as we forgive those who trespa.s.s against us.

_What is meant by this Pet.i.tion?_

We pray in this pet.i.tion that our heavenly Father would not regard our sins, nor deny us our requests on account of them; for we are not worthy of anything for which we pray, and have not merited it; but that He would grant us all things through grace, although we daily commit much sin and deserve chastis.e.m.e.nt alone. We will, therefore, on our part both heartily forgive and also readily do good to those who may injure or offend us.

In this Pet.i.tion we acknowledge our sinfulness, pray for forgiveness, and promise to forgive our fellow-men.

The word "And" connects this pet.i.tion very closely with the preceding one. The daily forgiveness of our sins is as necessary for our souls as our daily bread is for our bodies.

AND FORGIVE US OUR TRESPa.s.sES.

These words are at once a Confession of Sin, and a Prayer for Pardon.

1. _A Confession._ The praying of this pet.i.tion presupposes a penitent state of heart. If we are not truly penitent, this pet.i.tion is a mockery on our lips. We have need to confess our guilt, because

WE DAILY COMMIT MUCH SIN. [I John 4:8] If we are true Christians, we do not sin wilfully and intentionally. But with our best efforts, we still sin much through weakness, [Rom. 7:19] not only by commission, but still more by omission. Not a day pa.s.ses by, in which we do not transgress G.o.d's law by thoughts and words and deeds. We often do the wrong and omit doing the right without even knowing that we have done so. [Ps.

19:12]

AND DESERVE CHASTIs.e.m.e.nT (Punishment) ALONE. Our sins make us guilty and deserving of punishment, even though they be sins of weakness. We must not excuse or extenuate them. G.o.d never excuses any one. But if we penitently confess our sins, He will forgive us for Jesus' sake. [Ps.

32:5+, I John 1:9]

2. _A Prayer for Pardon._ As in the fourth pet.i.tion we daily pray "Give," so in this fifth pet.i.tion we daily pray "Forgive." Since Jesus has taught us to pray thus, and we pray as G.o.d's children, this pet.i.tion presupposes that we pray in faith. We pray as those who believe that G.o.d will be gracious and merciful to us for Jesus' sake.

WE PRAY IN THIS PEt.i.tION THAT OUR HEAVENLY FATHER WOULD NOT REGARD OUR SINS, [Ps. 25:7, Ps. 51:9] but would look upon the righteousness which Jesus has acquired for us "with His holy and precious blood and His innocent sufferings and death." [1 John 1:7]

NOR DENY US OUR REQUESTS ON ACCOUNT OF THEM. If G.o.d should regard our sins, He would send only punishment upon us, [Ps. 130:3+, Ps.143:2] and not give us any of those benefits for which we ask in our prayer.

FOR WE ARE NOT WORTHY OF ANYTHING FOR WHICH WE PRAY, HAVE NOT MERITED IT. Nothing which we have done or are able to do can make amends for our sins, or earn any blessing from G.o.d. [Dan. 9:18, Luke 15:18-19+] We therefore pray THAT HE WOULD GRANT US ALL THINGS THROUGH GRACE alone for Jesus' sake,

AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPa.s.s AGAINST US.

3. _A Promise to Forgive our Fellow-men._ G.o.d's mercy to us must move as to be merciful to others. [Eph. 3:32] If it does not, G.o.d will withdraw His mercy from us, [Matt. 6:14, 15+] as the master withdrew his from the unmerciful servant in the parable. [Matt. 18:32-35] Forgiving others is not a merit which ent.i.tles us to receive G.o.d's forgiveness. It follows as a result of G.o.d's mercy to us. Because G.o.d so mercifully forgives us for Jesus' sake, we promise that

WE WILL, THEREFORE, ON OUR PART, BOTH HEARTILY FORGIVE AND ALSO READILY DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO MAY INJURE OR OFFEND US. No matter how greatly others may have sinned against us, we have sinned much more against G.o.d.

If He is willing to forgive us our great debt, we should be willing to forgive our fellow-men their lesser debt. If we refuse to forgive others, G.o.d will lay our own sins to our charge, and punish us.

QUESTIONS.--1. What three things do we do in this pet.i.tion? 2. What is to be said about the close connection between this pet.i.tion and the preceding one? 3. What does this pet.i.tion presuppose? 4. Why do we need to confess our guilt to G.o.d? 5. Is sin ever excusable? 6. Why does this pet.i.tion presuppose faith? 7. What do we pray G.o.d to do with our sins?

8. If G.o.d regarded our sins, how would He treat our requests? 9. Why do we promise to forgive others? 10. Why must we be willing to forgive them?

SCRIPTURE VERSES.--Ps. 32:5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.

Ps. 130:3. If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

Luke 15:18, 19. I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

Matt. 6:14, 15. For if ye forgive men their trespa.s.ses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespa.s.ses, neither will your Father forgive your trespa.s.ses.

READING.-The Unmerciful Servant, Matt. 18:23-35.

CHAPTER x.x.x.

THE SIXTH PEt.i.tION.

And lead us not into temptation.

_What is meant by this Pet.i.tion?_

G.o.d, indeed, tempts no one to sin; but we pray in this pet.i.tion that G.o.d would so guard and preserve us, that the devil, the world, and our own flesh may not deceive us, nor lead us into error and unbelief, despair, and other great and shameful sins; and that, though we may be thus tempted, we may nevertheless finally prevail and gain the victory.

As children of G.o.d we must not only seek forgiveness for past sins, but be anxious to avoid sin in the future. We therefore pray that, as far as is possible according to His gracious will, G.o.d would keep us from being tempted, and would give us strength to overcome when we are tempted.

If we are in earnest in praying this Pet.i.tion, we will not run into temptation ourselves, [Matt. 4:7] nor lead others into it.

HOW WE ARE TEMPTED.

G.o.d INDEED TEMPTS NO ONE TO SIN: for He wishes us to do good, and not evil. But He leads us into circ.u.mstances in which we are _tried_, and must decide for or against Him, for good or for evil. This is the sense in which the Bible speaks of G.o.d as tempting persons. [Gen. 22:1] He tries or tests us. Remembering that we are weak, we pray in this pet.i.tion that G.o.d would spare us such trials as much as is possible according to His will, and strengthen us in them, that we may be faithful.

_The Devil, the World, and our own Flesh tempt us to Sin_. These are the great enemies of our souls, who will lead us to destruction if we do not earnestly resist them and repel their temptations.

WHAT WE PRAY.

1. _That we may not be Deceived or Misled by these Enemies_.