Chapter III: Part 3

5. When we consider how wonderful this world is made, when we consider that everything that came from the hand of God was very good, that everything was made as it should be to serve its end, must we not say that God is a very wise God, being able to plan such a wonderful and good work? Yea, _our God is the all-wise God._ What He does is always good and wise, even if we do not understand it.--And remember, moreover, that God has created this beautiful world for us, His children. This great and wonderful earth is to be our dwelling-place; sun, moon, and the stars are to serve us. Is not our God a loving, a good, a merciful God? Truly, _"the Lord is good to all; and His tender mercies are over all His works."_ Ps. 145,9. _"God is Love."_ 1 John 4,8. In Him, our loving, merciful God, will we trust; He _will_ surely help us.

REMEMBER:--

1. _I myself must believe in God the Father Almighty. The faith of another cannot save me._

2. _In six days God created heaven and earth. He is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible. He has created, that is, made, all things out of nothing, by His word. This we believe because God Himself has revealed it unto us in Holy Scriptures._

3. _God, the Maker of heaven and earth, always has been and always will be. From everlasting to everlasting He is God. He is our almighty and all-wise Father, always loving, good, and merciful. In Him we can and will trust._

MEMORIZE:--

_In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth._ Gen. 1,1.

_Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God._ Heb. 11,3.

_From everlasting to everlasting Thou art God._ Ps. 90,2.

_With God nothing shall be impossible._ Luke 1,37.

_God is Love._ John 4,8.

QUESTIONS.

1. Why do we say in our Creed, _I_ believe? 2. In whom do we believe according to the First Article? 3. Why do we call God "the Father Almighty"? 4. How does our Catechism explain the words "Maker of heaven and earth"? 5. What are creatures? 6. In how many days did God create heaven and earth? 7. What does it mean when we say God _created_ them? 8. Why do we believe that God made everything out of nothing, merely by His word? 9. Recite Heb. 11,3. 10. How was everything when God had finished the work of creation? 11. What do we learn of God from Ps. 90,2? 12. Why is God called the almighty Father? 13. How does the creation show us that God is all-wise? 14. Which other qualities of God do we learn from His work of creation? 15. Why can and will we always trust in the almighty, all-wise, loving, and merciful God?

LESSON 15.

The First Article.

God Has Made Me And Still Preserves Me.

Which is the First Article of the Creed?

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

What does this mean?

_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._

1. God is the Maker of heaven and earth. I believe that God made all creatures, all things in heaven and earth. He also created _man._ About the creation of man we read in the Holy Scriptures: _"And God said, Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God, created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them; and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."_ Gen. 1,26-28. _"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."_ Gen. 2,7. There is a _great difference_ between the creation of man and the creation of all other visible things. God, so to say, took especial care about this last of all His wonderful works. He did not merely say: Let there be a man, but God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, as it were, _deliberated_ and _planned_ beforehand how to make man. God then formed man, that is, his body, _out of the dust of the ground,_ and _breathed the breath of life,_ his soul, into his nostrils, his nose, and so man became a living soul.--And what is more, God created man _in His own image, after His likeness._ As God is Lord and Master over all things and governs them, so He gave to man the power to govern all things on earth; He gave him _dominion_ over all the creatures on earth, to be Lord over this world. God made man in His own image. Adam and Eve were created _holy, without any blemish and sin._ They _knew_ and _loved God,_ their Creator, and lived according to His holy will. Truly, man is the _foremost of all of God's visible creatures._ God has made all men; therefore I confess, He made _me._

2. _"I believe,"_ I know it to be true from the Word of God, _"that God made me." He has made me by giving me body and soul._ True, God did not make me as He made Adam, by forming my body out of the dust and breathing the breath of life into my nostrils. He made me by giving me body and soul through my parents. Nevertheless it is true that God has made me, that my body and my soul are _the gift of God,_ my heavenly Father. I confess: _"The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life."_ Job 33,4.

3. How wonderfully did God make me! _"He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses."_ Consider how beautifully and wonderfully God made your body. He gave you _eyes_ and _ears._ You can _see_ and _hear;_ you can see all the great works of Go, the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the animals and plants, the mighty mountains and the vast seas. You can see your fellow-men, your friends and parents, and hear their voices, hear their words that instruct and console you. You ca read your Bible and hear the preaching of God's Word. He gave you not only eyes and ears, but _all the members of your body_--your mouth so that you are able to talk to your friends and parents and make known your needs and wishes; your feet and hands for your work.--We are wonderfully made. God has given you a _soul,_ and He has endowed it with _reason,_ and has given you _all your senses._ You are able to _think_ about the great work of God that surround you, to try to understand what they are and for what purpose God created them, You are able to understand all that God tells you in His Word about Himself, His will, and His grace, and thus to know Him. You are able to _feel_ His goodness, His fatherly love and mercy. Surely we must say: _"I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well."_ Ps. 139,14.

4. _"I believe that God has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them."_ Every Christian confesses: God, my Father, _preserves_ me, my life, my body and soul, all that I am. God has not made us and given us His great gifts and then left it to us how to preserve and keep them. This we could never do. He is not like a builder who, having finished a house, leaves it and lets others take care of it in the future. _"He is not far from every one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being."_ Acts 17, 27.28. He will preserve us, and He alone, our Almighty Father, can do it. He has preserved me until this day. The fact that I am still enjoying life, that I still have body and soul with all their precious gifts, that I still can see and hear and have the use of my members, that I still have the gift of reason and the use of my senses, all this is not my work, not due to my prudence, or the care of my parents, or the skill of a physician, _but it is God's work and gift alone. "He upholds all things by the word of His power."_ Heb. 1,3. And I believe that God, my Father, will also in future preserve me, His child, until the hour of death, and that He will then for Christ's sake take me up to heaven, body and soul, and there preserve me forever.

REMEMBER:--

1. _God has made you. He has given you your body and soul, eyes, ears, and all your members, your reason and all your senses. He is your almighty Father._

2. _God has preserved and still preserves you. That you are still living, that you have body and soul and the use of your reason and all your members, is God's free gift alone. God is your almighty Father._

3. _How precious are these gifts of God! Never forget how wonderfully you are made. God, your almighty Father, is also a very kind and loving Father._

MEMORIZE:--

_I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well._ Ps. 139,14.

_He is not far from every one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being._ Acts 17,27.28.

_He upholds all things by the word of His power._ Heb. 1,3.

QUESTIONS.

1. On which of the six days did God create man? 2. What is the difference between the creation of man and the creation of all other visible creatures? 3. What did God do before He created man? 4. Out of what did He form his body? 5. How did God create his soul? 6. What does it mean that God created man in His own image? 7. How were Adam and Eve after God had created them? 8. How did they show that they were holy and without sin? 9. How did God make _you?_ 10. Through whom did He give you body and soul? 11. Which gift did God bestow upon your body? 12. Why are eyes and ears and all members such wonderful gifts of God? 13. Which is God's greatest gift to your soul? 14. Why is reason His greatest gift? 15. What does God do for us in addition to having created us? 16. What does it mean that God preserves us? 17. Until what day did God preserve you? 18. How long will He preserve you? 19. What, therefore, is God to me because He made me and preserves me?

LESSON 16.

The First Article.

How My Heavenly Father Provides For Me And Guards My Life.

Which is the First Article of the Creed?

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

What does this mean?

_I believe that God has given me 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._

1. In the First Article of our Christian faith we say: _"I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth."_ This means, as we have learned: _I believe that God has made me and has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them._ God generally does not preserve us by His word and will alone, but through _earthly means._ In order to preserve our life and body, we must eat and drink, have clothing, house and home, etc. True, God could preserve us without these means. He is the Almighty. He has done so at times. He preserved Moses' life for forty days and nights without food and drink on Mount Sinai. Ex. 34,28. Jesus twice, as you know, fed several thousand people with a few loaves of bread and with a few fish. God can do so to-day, and He will do it if His children are in need of it. But generally it pleases God to preserve our body and life through outward means. _God preserves me by providing me with all that I need to support my body and life._

2. I need many things to support my body and life. Our Catechism names quite a number of them. In order to support our life, we must have _meat and drink._ We must have _clothing and shoes, house and home_ to protect our bodies from sunshine and rain. True, you have not everything that is named in our Catechism; but all these things are necessary to preserve our lives, and somebody must have them. The farmer must have _fields_ and _cattle_ to provide for his life and for the lives of many other people. _All my goods,_ all that I need and have, clothing and shoes, meat and drink house and home, father and mother, brothers and sisters, were given me _by God, my heavenly Father. "The eyes of all wait upon Thee, and Thou givest them their meat in due season Thou openest Thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing."_ Ps. 145,15.16.

3. God provides me with all that I need to support my life. God generally does it through _the work of our hands._ He can do it without our work, or labor, and at times has done so. Remember how God gave manna from heaven to the children of Israel when they were in the desert. Deut. 8,3.4. Remember how He fed His prophet Elijah during the famine by sending the ravens to bring him his daily bread. 1 Kings 17. God can do the same thing to-day, and He certainly will do so whenever His children are in need of it. _"Cast all your care upon Him; for He careth for you."_ 1 Pet. 5,7. As a rule, however, God wants us to work diligently and carefully to save what we earn. But still it is _God_ that provides for us. He gives us strength and health for our work. He blesses our labors. Without His blessing all our labor would be in vain. _"Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it."_ Ps. 127,1.

4. God provides me with all that I need for my life and body, and He does so _richly and daily._ God provides me _richly._ I have a rich Father. He is the Maker of heaven and earth. Everything belongs to Him. Out of His abundance He gives us richly all that we need, and often more than we need. He gives us daily, that is, He never tires of giving. Every morning He begins anew to bless us by giving us our daily bread.

5. One thing more is needed to preserve us. Our life and our body are in constant danger. But a child of God confesses: _"He defends me against all danger, and guard and protects me from all evil."_ Remember how He defended the children of Israel against their enemies, the Egyptians, at the Red Sea. Ex. 13.14. Remember how He guarded His Son, the Christ-child, whom King Herod sought to kill. Matt. 2,13-15. So God defends and guards all His children. _"There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling."_ Ps. 91,10. True, also children of God have to suffer, they have many troubles and misfortunes; but their Father protects them in all these troubles, so that nothing can really harm them, but that everything must work together for good to them. Joseph in Egypt had to suffer much that was meant to do him harm, being cast into prison; but God was with him and made everything turn out for his welfare. He himself said to his brothers: _"Ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive."_ Gen. 50,20.--In protecting His children from evil, God often uses His _angels,_ those holy spirits whom He has created, and whom He sends out to minister to His children. By an angel God protected Daniel in the den of the lions and the three men in the fiery furnace. He sends His angels to protect us from evil. _"He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."_ Ps. 91, 11.12.

REMEMBER:--

1. _God preserves you by providing you with all things that you need for your life and body. He does so richly and daily. Therefore trust in Him, your rich and merciful Father._

2. _God wants you to work diligently and earn your daily bread; He also wants you to be thrifty, saving, with what He has given you. But with all your working and saving you could never provide the necessary food and clothing without God's blessing. He alone provides for you._

3. _Trust in God! He will defend you against all danger and guard and protect you from all evil. He will send His angels so that no evil may harm you._

MEMORIZE:--

_The eyes of all wait upon Thee, and Thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest Thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing._ Ps. 145,15.16.

_Cast all your care upon Him, for He careth for you._ 1 Pet. 5,7.

_There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling._ Ps. 91,10.

_He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways._ Ps. 91, 11.

_Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass._ Ps. 37,5.

QUESTIONS.

1. How does God preserve you? 2. What must you do to preserve your life and body? 3. Where has God shown that He can preserve us without any means? 4. In what manner does God generally preserve us? 5. Which of the things that are needed to support our life and body does our Catechism mention? 6. Who gave me all the good things I have? 7. In what way does God generally provide us with the things necessary for our life? 8. When, for instance, did God show that He can provide for us without the labor of our hands? 9. What, however, is God's rule in this matter? 10. Can you show that God provides for us even though we work to earn our living? 11. How does God provide you with all that is needed for your life? 12. Why can He provide richly for His children? 13. What more does God do to preserve us? 14. Give examples of God's protecting care over His children. 15. What is our consolation when we have troubles and misfortunes? 16. Whom does God often send forth to protect His children? 17. What do we read Ps. 37,5?

LESSON 17.

The First Article.

God Has Made Me And Preserves Me Out Of Fatherly, Divine Goodness And Mercy.

Which is the First Article of the Creed?

_I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth._

What does this mean?

_I believe that God does all this out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without an merit or worthiness in me._

1. We have learned that God has _made_ me by giving me my body and soul, and that He still _preserves_ me by giving me richly and daily all that I need for life and body, by guarding and protecting me from all evil. Now we ask, _Why has God done all this for me?_ Our Catechism answers: He has done _"all this purely out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy."_ This answer is taken from the Word of God. _"The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works."_ Ps. 145,9.-- God is moved by His _goodness_ to bestow His manifold blessings on us. _Our God is good._ Ps. 118,1. He loves all His creatures, especially those whom in Holy Baptism and through faith in Jesus Christ He has accepted as His children. He wishes to make them happy here on earth and above all, eternally in heaven. He also loves you; therefore He has formed your body so beautifully and given you an immortal soul; therefore He provides you with all that is needed for your life and body, and does this richly and daily.

2. God is moved by His _mercy_ to provide for me and protect me. _"His tender mercies are over all His works." Our God is a merciful God._ He knows that without Him, without His provident care, we are helpless, unable to support our life, not even for a single day. And He has compassion on us. He does not like to see His children in need and danger. His tender mercies are over you also; therefore He feeds and clothes you through your parents or friends; therefore He guards and protects you, His child.

3. His goodness and mercy is _fatherly_ goodness and mercy. He provides for me and protects me as a _father_ provides for his children and protects them. _"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him."_ Ps. 103,13. Not only in His Word does God assure us that He is our loving Father, but He daily proves it to us by the blessings He sends us. He has given me my beautiful body and a rational soul, that is, powers to think and understand; He daily provides for everything I need; He is at my side in every danger to defend me; from every evil that comes near me He protects me. Surely _God is my Father._--His goodness and mercy are a _divine_ goodness and mercy, such as only God has and can have, a _perfect_ and _never-failing_ goodness and mercy. My Father is the _Father Almighty,_ who daily will and can provide for and protect His children. _"His compassions fail not. They are new every morning."_ Lam. 3,22.--Therefore I confess: _I believe in God, my almighty Father,_ that is, I do not only know from the Word of God and from the blessings I am daily receiving from Him that the almighty God is my Father, but _with all my heart I trust in Him,_ I confide in Him, I rely on Him as on my true Father. When I am in need, I trust in Him, my Father; He will and can provide for me. When dangers surround me, I trust in Him, my Father; He will and can defend me. When evil seems to come near me, I trust in Him, my Father; He will and can protect me. _To believe in God the Father Almighty means to be fully assured that the almighty God is my Father, and with all my heart to trust in Him who is my Father for Jesus' sake._

4. Whatever God does for His children, He does _"purely_ out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy." His fatherly goodness and mercy-- nothing else--moves Him to show us goodness and mercy. He provides and protects me _"without any merit or worthiness in me."_ When a man performs some work for another man, he has done something for him and thereby earned, or _merited,_ payment for such service. We have not given anything to God, so that He would be in duty bound to reward us for it. We have not earned His fatherly love, nor can we ever do so.-- When a rich man bestows a free gift upon a poor man, this poor man has certainly not merited this gift, but he may be _worthy_ of the help. His worthiness may have moved the rich man to take pity on him. We are _not worthy_ of anything that God bestows upon us; we do not deserve His fatherly love and kindness. We have transgressed, and daily transgress, His holy commandments. We are sinners. We so often misuse God's kindness and His gifts. If God were to treat us according to our merits and worthiness, He would not be able to bless us, but he would have to punish and condemn us. In us God does not find anything that might move Him to love us and to care for us. It is _purely_ out of His fatherly, divine goodness and mercy that He loves me and provides for me, an unworthy sinner. We must confess with Jacob: _"I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which Thou hast showed unto Thy servant."_ Gen. 32,10.

REMEMBER:--

1. _In bestowing all His blessings on me God is moved only by His goodness and mercy, not by any merit or worthiness in me. All I am and all I have and receive is a free gift of His love and kindness._

2. _God's goodness and mercy are a fatherly and divine goodness and mercy. He daily shows that He is my Father indeed, who loves me and cares for me with a most perfect, never-failing, never-ceasing love._

3. _To believe in God the Father Almighty means to know and be assured from Scripture that the almighty God is my Father, and with all my heart to trust and confide in Him who is my Father for Christ's sake._

MEMORIZE:--

_The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works._ Ps. 145,9.

_Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him._ Ps. 103,13.

_I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which Thou hast showed unto Thy servant._ Gen. 32,10.

_I believe in God the Father Almighty, that is, I know and am assured that the almighty God is my Father; with all my heart, therefore, I trust and confide in Him who is my Father for Christ's sake._

QUESTIONS.

1. Who has made you and still preserves you? 2. What moves God to do this? 3. Whom among His creatures does God especially love? 4. How does He show His goodness and love toward His children? 5. What furthermore moves God to care for His children? 6. What does it mean that God is merciful? 7. How are His goodness and mercy called in our Catechism? 8. What do we read Ps. 103,13? 9. How does God daily show His fatherly goodness toward you? 10. How are His goodness and mercy furthermore called in our Catechism? 11. Why is His goodness called a divine goodness? 12. What do we therefore confess because God daily shows us His fatherly love and mercy? 13. What does this mean, "I believe in God the Father Almighty"? 14. Why may and should we trust and confide in God as in our Father? 15. What does not move God to love us and provide for us? 16. Why do we not merit God's love and kindness? 17. Why are we not worthy of His goodness and mercy? 18. What have we sinners merited? 19. Recite what Jacob said to the Lord. Gen. 32,10.

LESSON 18.

The First Article.

For His Goodness And Mercy I Will Thank And Praise My Father, And Serve And Obey Him.

Which is the First Article?

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

What does this mean?

_I believe that for all this it is my duty to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true._

1. Great are the blessings which we daily receive from our heavenly Father. It is He who preserves our bodies and souls. It is He who provides us with all that we need for our lives, and who defends us against all danger and guards and protects us from all evil. And He does all this without any merit or worthiness in me, moved purely by His fatherly, divine goodness and mercy. When we consider all this love and kindness, we ask, _What, then, is our duty toward our Father in heaven? "What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?"_ Ps. 116,12. Our Catechism answers: _"For all which it is my duty to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him."_

2. For all His benefits we should, and, most certainly, every child of God gladly will, _thank_ our Father. When somebody has shown us a kindness and given us valuable gifts, we certainly thank him. How we do look down with contempt upon an ungrateful person! If we give thanks to our human benefactors, how much more should we thank God, our greatest Benefactor, from whom we receive every good and perfect gift! It is _God's will_ that we thank Him. _"O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good, because His mercy endureth forever."_ Ps. 118,1. Remember how well pleased our Lord was with the _grateful Samaritan_ who alone of the ten came back to thank Him for the gift of his health. Luke 17, 17-19. To be able to thank God we must _believe in our hearts_ that everything that we are, have and enjoy is God's gracious gift. Yet many do not admit this. They boast that they themselves provide for their life by their daily work, that they themselves defend their bodies and souls from danger and evil, and so they do not consider it their duty to thank the Lord. We are assured that all we have is a free gift of God, and therefore we must and will thank Him in all our prayers. Do not forget to do this, especially in your morning and evening prayers, as well as before and after meals. (See the prayers in your Catechism.)

3. _We should praise God, our Father._ With glad and rejoicing hearts we will _tell_ others, our fellow-men, of the great and wondrous things the Lord has done for us. We will _make know_ to them what a mighty and wise as well as gracious, merciful, and loving Father our God is, and thus _glorify_ His name in the world, also in the presence of _unbelievers. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits!"_ Ps. 103,2. "To God, the Father of all love, the God of earth and heaven, the mighty God who reigns above, be praise and glory given! With healing balm my soul He fills and every pain and sorrow stills: To God all praise and glory!"

4. _It is our duty to serve the Lord._ God, it is true, is not in need of our poor services, for it is He who gives us day by day everything we have. But He has told us in His Word that what we do to our brethren for His sake _we have done unto Him._ Matt. 25,40. _In serving our brethren we serve God._ We serve Him by not using the gifts we receive from Him merely for our own benefit, much less for sinful purposes, in the service of sin and Satan, but _by using them to help our neighbor in distress._ We serve Him by using our worldly goods _to further our Father's kingdom here on earth, by laboring and giving for His Church, for Foreign and Home Missions, and for all purposes pleasing to God._ In this manner our whole life will be a service and a thank-offering to God, our gracious Father. "O grant that I may through Thy grace use all my powers to show Thy praise, and serve and help my neighbor."

5. _Finally, it is my duty to obey Him, my Father._ I know that God is my Father, and I am His child. How can a child show his love and his gratitude toward his father better _than by obeying him?_ So will I render my thanks unto my heavenly Father by cheerfully and willingly obeying Him and by doing according to His commandments. Above all, I will, according to His First Commandment, _love Him and trust in Him,_ my Father, in every need and danger, firmly believing that He will never leave nor forsake me.

6. _"This is most certainly true."_ With these words we conclude our First Article. These words are the explanation of the word _Amen_ which we find at the end of our Creed. _Amen_ means: "This is most certainly true." We declare it to be most certainly true what we have confessed and what we believe. It is most certainly true that God has made me and still preserves me. It is most certainly true that God has given me my body and soul, that He provides for me and defends, guards, and protects me. It is most certainly true that He has done all this purely out of His fatherly, divine goodness and mercy. It is most certainly true that God is my almighty Father whom I, His child, am in duty bound to thank and praise, to serve and obey. _From God's Word we know that all this is most certainly true._

REMEMBER:--

1. _God is our heavenly Father, our greatest Benefactor; therefore we should thank and praise, serve and obey Him. Let us never forget all His benefits._

2. _We thank God when we believe and acknowledge it to be true that all we have is the gift of God's goodness and mercy, given us without any merit or worthiness in us.--We praise Him when we glorify Him and His gracious deeds also before our fellow-men._

3. _We serve our heavenly Father by devoting all the powers of body and soul, all of which are His gifts, not to the service of sin and Satan, but to the service of our fellow-men and of the Church of God.--We obey Him by fulfilling His will, by keeping His commandments, especially by loving Him and trusting in Him._

MEMORIZE:--

_What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?_ Ps. 116,12.

_O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; because His mercy endureth forever._ Ps. 118,1.

_Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits!_ Ps. 103,2.

QUESTIONS.

1. Which are the great blessings we receive from God, according to the First Article? 2. What do we ask when we consider these blessings? 3. How is this expressed in Ps. 116,12? 4. How does our Catechism answer this question? 5. Why is it our duty to thank God? 6. How can you prove from Scripture that God is pleased with our gratitude? 7. What must we admit in our hearts in order really to thank God? 8. Most men do not admit this; what do they believe regarding their worldly goods? 9. At what time especially should we thank God for His benefits? 10. What does it mean to praise God? 11. Before whom also should we glorify Him? 12. Recite Ps. 103,2. 13. What, in addition, is our duty towards God? 14. How can we serve our Father? 15. How do you know that you are serving God by serving your neighbor? 16. What should I also do to serve God? 17. What finally, is our duty towards our Father in heaven? 18. When do we obey Him? 19. How should we obey Him, according to the First Commandment? 20. What do we express in the last words of the First Article? 21. How do we know that everything we have confessed in this article is most certainly true?

LESSON 19.

The First Article.

Review Lesson.

1. We have begun to study the Three Articles of our Creed. These articles contain all that we believe and confess regarding God and His works, all that He has done and Will do for us, His children. Where did God reveal Himself and His works to us? What do we call all the doctrines of Scripture that teach us who God is and what He has done for us? What is the meaning of the word _Gospel?_ There are two chief doctrines in the Bible. What are they called? What does the Law tell us? What are the good tidings brought to us in the Gospel?

2. We confess in the First Article that God is the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. God is the Maker of heaven and earth. What do we call this great work of God? What is the meaning of the word create? What do we call all the things that God has made? What does it mean to say: God created all things _by His word?_ In how many days did God create this world, heaven and earth?--When we thoughtfully consider this great work of God, His creation, we can learn from it how wonderful our God is. What does creation teach us about God? When we say, God is almighty, what does that mean? How does creation teach us that God is an all-wise God? How does creation show us God's great love and kindness toward His creatures? How were all creatures when God had made them?

3. God is the Maker of heaven and earth, He created all things. Therefore He also created man. How did God create the first man? Man is the foremost of all the visible creatures. How do we prove this? In whose image did God make our first parents? In what respect did God make man in His image? How were our first parents when God had made them? Whom did they know and love? How did they live?--God made all men; whom, therefore, did He also make? What did God give me in making me? It is true that God did not make me in the same manner as He made our first parents. Through whom did He give me my body and soul?--Consider how wonderfully God has made you. Why did God give you eyes and ears? What can you do because God endowed your soul with reason? All this proves that we are God's foremost creatures.--God has made you, but what do we furthermore confess? What does this statement mean: God preserves me? What do we read Heb. 1,3? In whom do we all live and move and have our being?

4. We confess in the First Article that our heavenly Father has made me and all creatures, that He has given me my body with all its members, my soul, my reason and all my senses, and that He still preserves me, so that in Him we live and move, and have our being. How does God preserve me? from whom do we receive all things to support our body and life? Recite Ps. 145,15.16. In what manner does God, as a rule, provide us with all the things that we need to support our body and soul? Why is it that we, nevertheless, must say that God provides for us? What must God also do to preserve my body and life? Whom does God often use to protect His children from danger and evil?

5. God has done great things for me. He has made me, He has given me my body and soul. He still preserves me by providing daily and richly all that I need for my life and body, by guarding and protecting me from all evil. What moves God to give me all these great benefits? Recite Ps. 145,9. What does that mean: God is good to all His creatures? Whom especially does God love? What does that mean: God is merciful? How are God's goodness and mercy called in our Catechism? Why is His goodness called a fatherly goodness? Why is it called a _divine_ goodness? Why do we say that it is _purely_ fatherly and divine goodness that moves God? What have we merited by our conduct toward God? Why are we unworthy of all the benefits of God? What must we confess with Jacob? Gen. 32,10. What do we say by confessing: "I believe in God the Father Almighty"?

6. Great are the blessings which we have received, and daily are receiving, from our heavenly Father. And He gives all His blessings out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. What, therefore, is our duty over against God? We should, in the first place, thank our Father. What do we think of an ungrateful person? What do we read Ps. 118,1? With whom was our Lord well pleased? Why are so many men not thankful to God? When only shall we be truly thankful? --In the second place, we should praise our Father. What does it mean to praise God? Before whom also should we glorify God?--In the third place, we should serve God in order to show Him our gratitude. How can we serve God although He is not in need of our services? How ought we to use all the gifts of God in order to serve Him?--Lastly, we should obey our Father. When do we obey Him? Which commandment, especially, should we keep? What does this commandment require of us? Why do we close the First Article with the words: "This is most certainly true"?

We all believe in one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Present Helper in all need, Praised by all the heavenly host, By whose mighty power alone All is made and wrought and done.

LESSON 20.

The Second Article: Of Redemption.

I Believe That My Lord Jesus Christ Is True God.

Which is the Second Article?

_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord._

What does this mean?

_I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, ... is my Lord._

1. _"I believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord"_ thus the Second Article of our Creed begins. Every true Christian, every child of God, confesses: I believe in my Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord. We do not only believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, but likewise in our Lord Jesus Christ. You know what it means to believe in Jesus Christ. It means, I know and am assured by God's Word that Jesus Christ is my Lord, and with all my heart I trust and confide in Him as in my Lord. Our Catechism teaches us _two things_ about our Lord Jesus Christ: 1. _who our Lord Jesus Christ is,_ and 2. _what He has done for me to become my Lord._

2. _Who is our Lord Jesus Christ?_ We confess _"I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son,"_ that is, God the Father's only Son. Many are called, and in truth are, God's children. _"Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."_ Gal. 3,26. All who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ are sons and daughters of God. How, then, can we say that Jesus Christ is God's only Son? Our Catechism says: _"I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, is my Lord."_ All those who believe in Christ are God's children; God has _adopted_ them as His children for Christ's sake. Christ, however, is God's _own Son, begotten, born of the Father from eternity._ Before God created heaven and earth, Christ was God's Son, begotten of the Father. God Himself says to this His only Son: _"Thou art My Son; this day_ [that is, from eternity] _have I begotten Thee."_ Ps. 2,7. _"God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."_ John 3,16. Christ is God's Son, begotten of the Father from eternity, and it is for this reason, too, that in the First Article we call God the _Father._ He is the Father of His own only Son, through whom He is also our Father.

3. Whoever is born of human parents is a true man; he has a human body and a human soul. Our Lord Jesus Christ is born of the Father from eternity, and therefore _He is true God._ We confess that we believe in Jesus Christ, true God. He is true God in the same sense as the Father is true God. _Together with the Father He is the one true God._ He himself has said: _"He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father."_ John 14,9. _"I and My Father are one."_ John 10,30 The Father is the _almighty_ God; likewise the Son, our Lord, is the _almighty_ God. _"All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth."_ Matt. 28,18. God the Father is always with us wherever we are; likewise the Son, our Lord, is with us always. _"Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."_ Matt. 28,20. God the Father has created all things; likewise the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. _"All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made."_ John 1,3. He tells us that we should _honor_ Him as we honor the Father. _"All men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father."_ John 5,23. He tells us that we should believe in Him as we believe in the Father. _"Ye believe in God, believe also in Me."_ John 14,1.

4. Jesus Christ is true God from eternity. When our Lord was dwelling here on earth among men, He _showed_ that He was true God. His apostle John tells us: _"We_ [the apostles] _beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father."_ John 1,14. With His almighty word He healed the sick, He made the blind to see, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, He brought the dead to life again: the daughter of Jairus, the son of the widow in Nain, and Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha. Remember how the winds and the sea obeyed Him, how He stilled the storm and walked on the sea as on dry land, how He changed water into wine.

5. _Our Lord Jesus Christ is true God, the only-begotten Son of the Father._ His disciples confessed it time and again. Simon Peter confessed regarding the Lord: _"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."_ Matt. 16,16. Thomas said to Him, _"My Lord and my God."_ John 20,28. And Jesus was well pleased with their confessions and accepted them. _"This_ [our dear Lord] _is the true God and eternal life," is what John the Apostle tells of Him._ 1 John 5,20. And St. Paul writes: _"Who_ [Christ] _is over all, God blessed forever."_ Rom. 9,5. _From our Bible, from the Word of God,_ we know it to be most certainly true that our Lord is true God, begotten of the Father from eternity.

6. Never forget that our dear Lord, together with the Father, is the one true God. _Therefore I believe in Him and trust in Him with all my heart._ In every need and trouble, in every danger, I lift up my hands to my Lord and God and _pray_ to Him. He will not forsake me, for He is _"Jesus Christ, the same yesterday to-day and forever."_ Heb. 13,8.

REMEMBER:--

1. _Our Lord Jesus Christ is the only Son of God the Father, His own Son, begotten of the Father from eternity._

2. _Our Lord Jesus Christ is true God, with God the Father the one true God in whom we believe, and to whom we pray._

3. _This we know and believe because God Himself has revealed it to us in His holy Word. Our confession is and always will be: "I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son." I believe that Jesus Christ is true God, begotten of the Father from eternity._

MEMORIZE:--

_This is the true God and eternal life._ 1 John 5,20.

_Who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen._ Rom. 9,5.

_Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God._ John 20,28.

_For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life._ John 3,16.

_All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth._ Matt. 28,18.

_Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world._ Matt. 28,20.

QUESTIONS.

1. What does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord? 2. What two things does our Catechism teach us about our Lord Jesus Christ? 3. Whose only Son is Jesus Christ? 4. Who also are God's children? 5. Why is Jesus called God's _only_ Son? 6. Where in the Bible is Christ called the only-begotten Son of God? John 3,16. 7. Christ is the own, the only-begotten Son of God; what must He therefore be? 8. What is Christ together with the Father? 9. Where does our Lord Himself say so? 10. Where does our Lord say that He is almighty? 11. Where does He promise that He will always be with us? 12. What great work of God the Father is also done by the Son? 13. How should we honor the Son? 14. How did Christ show, when He was dwelling visibly on earth, that He is true God? 15. What did Peter confess of the Lord? 16. What did Thomas say to Him? 17. What does the Apostle John write about the Lord? 18. What does St. Paul write? 19. How do we know that it is most certainly true that Christ is true God? 20. What must our confession regarding Christ always be?

LESSON 21.

The Second Article.

I Believe That My Lord Is True God And True Man.

Which is the Second Article?

_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried._

What does this mean?

_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._

1. We confess that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God, begotten of the Father from eternity and therefore true God. We also confess _that He is born of the Virgin Mary and therefore is a true man,_ with a human soul and a human body. Holy Scripture expressly calls our Lord a man. _"There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."_ 1 Tim. 2,5. Our Lord is indeed true man. While He was visibly dwelling here on earth, He lived as a man among men. He was born in Bethlehem as a little child. In the house of His mother and His foster-father Joseph He grew up like other children. He became hungry and thirsty, He ate and drank, He grew tired and slept, and lastly, He died.

2. Christ, our Lord, is _true_ man, man in the true sense of the word. He is our Brother. But there is _one great difference_ between Him and all other men. We confess in the Second Article that He was _conceived by the Holy Ghost._ Though our Lord was born of a human mother, He did not have a human father. He was conceived by the power of God the Holy Ghost without sin. _"The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee_ [the Virgin Mary], _and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."_ Luke 1,35. Christ, our Lord, was born _holy, without sin,_ and during His life He never committed any sin, but always fulfilled the will of God, His Father.

3. Christ, our Lord, is true God and true man. There are not two Christs, one who is God, and another who is man, but _only one Christ, who is God and man at the same time, God and man in one person, the God-man._ He is _Emmanuel,_ that is, God with us, God in our flesh and blood. Matt. 1,23. How this is possible we cannot understand, but we firmly believe it because God Himself has revealed it to us in His Word. The Son of God, the true God, became a true man, born of a woman. _"The Word_ [the Son of God] _was made flesh_ [man], _and dwelt among us."_ John 1,14.