An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism Part 31

Rev. 14:13. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth; Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Rev. 21:4. These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them, white in the blood of the Lamb.

Therefore are they before the throne of G.o.d, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

READING.--The Rich Man and Lazarus, Luke 16:19-31.

CHAPTER x.x.xII.

THE CONCLUSION.

For Thine Is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

_What is meant by the word "Amen"_?

That I should be a.s.sured that such pet.i.tions are acceptable to our heavenly Father, and are heard by Him; for He Himself has commanded us to pray in this manner, and has promised that He will hear us. Amen, amen, that is, yea, yea, it shall be so.

In this Conclusion we give the reason why we address our prayer to our heavenly Father, and why we expect to be heard. It contains a Doxology, and an Amen.

THE DOXOLOGY.

FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM: Thou art King and Lord of all; [I Tim. 1:17]

from Thee ail gifts must come. [Jas. 1:17]

AND THE POWER: with Thee nothing is impossible; [Luke 1:37] Thou art able to do abundantly above all that we ask or think. [Eph. 3:20]

AND THE GLORY: Thou art G.o.d alone, [Isa. 46:4] infinite in holiness, power, and love; to Thy name alone be all praise. [Ps. 115:1]

FOR EVER AND EVER. The kingdoms of earth and their glory pa.s.s away; but Thy kingdom and power and glory endure for evermore. [Dan. 4:3, Ps.

145:11-13+]

THE AMEN.

AMEN means Verily. By adding it to our prayer we express our a.s.surance,

THAT SUCH PEt.i.tIONS ARE ACCEPTABLE TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER AND ARE HEARD BY HIM. The pet.i.tions for temporal and spiritual blessings which we here bring before Him are the very ones which He desires us to present. [I John 5:14]

FOR HE HIMSELF HAS TAUGHT US TO PRAY IN THIS MANNER, and to ask for these things,

AND HAS PROMISED THAT HE WILL HEAR US. [II Cor. 1:20] The promise is, that whatsoever we ask in Christ's name shall be given to us. [John 16:23] Hence we add at the end of our prayer: Amen, that is, it shall be so; G.o.d will answer our prayer. [Matt. 7:9-11]

QUESTIONS.--1. Why do we add the conclusion to the Lord's Prayer? 2.

What two parts does the conclusion contain? 3. What do we mean by saying, "Thine is the kingdom"? the power? the glory? forever? 4. What does Amen mean? 5. Why do we add it to our prayer? 6. Why are we sure that these pet.i.tions are acceptable to our heavenly Father? 7. What promise have we with respect to our prayers?

SCRIPTURE VERSE.--Ps. 145:13. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

READING.--Asking and Receiving, Luke 11:5-13.

CHAPTER x.x.xIII.

THE MEANS OF GRACE.

The spiritual blessings spoken of in the Creed and asked for in the Lord's Prayer are brought to us through the Means of Grace.

WHAT THEY ARE. The Means of Grace are: 1. The Word of G.o.d, 2. The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, 3. The Sacrament of the Altar. They are called the means of grace, because they are the means or vehicles through which G.o.d's grace comes to us. It is through the Word of G.o.d and the Sacraments that the Holy Spirit does His work in us.

THE WORD OF G.o.d.

THE CHIEF MEANS OF GRACE is the Word of G.o.d. [I Pet. 1:23] For through it the Holy Spirit "calls, enlightens, sanctifies, and preserves us in the true faith." Even in the Sacraments, the princ.i.p.al thing is the Word of G.o.d with its command and promise; and without the Word of G.o.d there would be no sacrament.

ITS POWER. The Holy Spirit is always in the Word, and gives it saving power. Through the Law and the Gospel which the Word contains, He brings to repentance and faith all those persons who do not wilfully resist His grace. [Heb. 4:12] Through it He not only tells us what to do, but gives us the power to obey. [Eph 2:4, 5] Because He is in the Word, "it is the power of G.o.d unto salvation to every one that believeth." [Rom 1:16]

(Compare what is said concerning the Bible in Chapter I., and concerning the Work of the Holy Spirit in Chapter XX.)

THE SACRAMENTS.

WHAT A SACRAMENT IS. A sacrament is a holy ordinance, inst.i.tuted by Christ, in which invisible heavenly gifts are bestowed upon us through the use of visible earthly elements.

HOW MANY THERE ARE. In the sense in which we use the word "Sacrament"

there are only two holy ordinances to which the name may be applied; namely, Baptism and the Lord's Supper. For these are the only two which possess the three essentials of a sacrament: 1. The Command of Christ; 2. The Use of Earthly Elements; 3. The Communication of a Heavenly Gift.[11]

[Footnote 11: The Roman Catholic Church teaches that there are seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Confession, the Lord's Supper, Ordination, Marriage, and Extreme Unction. But five of these lack one or more of the essentials of a sacrament enumerated above.]

OLD TESTAMENT TYPES. The rite of Circ.u.mcision, practised in Old Testament times, was a type of Baptism; and the Pa.s.sover was a type of the Lord's Supper.

THEIR PURPOSE. The sacraments have been given to us in order that they might bring a special comfort to our souls, in addition to the comfort which we find in G.o.d's Word. For the Grace of G.o.d which is offered to all men in the Word, is brought and sealed to each believer _individually_ in the sacraments. My baptism a.s.sures me that all the blessings of Christ's redemption are meant for _me_: and the Lord's Supper a.s.sures me that Christ's body and blood were given and shed for _me_ for the remission of _my_ sins.

FAITH NECESSARY. Without faith, no one can obtain any benefit from the sacraments. But he who believes receives the heavenly gifts offered in them, and has the blessed a.s.surance that he is a child of G.o.d and an heir of heaven.

QUESTIONS.--1. How are the spiritual blessings spoken of in the Creed and asked for in the Lord's Prayer brought to us? 2. What are the Means of Grace? 3. Why are they so called? 4. What is the chief means of grace? 5. Why does the Word of G.o.d possess saving power? 6. What is a Sacrament? 7. How many Sacraments are there? 8. What are the three essentials of a sacrament? 9. What is the purpose of the sacraments? 10.

Does every one who receives the sacraments derive a benefit from them?

SCULPTURE READING.--The Man Born Blind, John 9:1-7.

PART IV.