The Collected Christian Essentials: Catechism E-Book

Peter J. Leithart

• Herausgeber: Lexham Press
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: Collected Christian Essentials
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 363

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

A life discipled by the catechism. The Collected Christian Essentials: Catechism is perfect for daily devotions, personal study, and prayer with others. - Let the catechism of the Ten Commandments, Apostles' Creed, and the Lord's Prayer guide your devotional life. - Experience a simple liturgy of morning and evening prayer. - Pray fresh prayers inspired by the catechism. - Read Scripture with the church year. - Understand the riches of the catechism with Peter J. Leithart, Ben Myers, and Wesley Hill. The catechism— the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, and the Lord's Prayer—has sustained and nurtured every generation of believers, directing their faith, hope, and love. It helps Christians read, pray, and live God's word. By giving Christians God's word to give back to him, it plants seeds of his word and cultivates them to full growth. The Collected Christian Essentials: Catechism brings the church's ancient catechism to a new generation. The twenty-four catechism prayers were written by the Right Reverend Joey Royal, Suffragan Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Arctic.

Leseprobe

“This is a brilliant and inspiring collection of studies by three of the leading theologians of our day. It should be on the bookshelf of all Christians.”

MatthewLeveringJames N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary

“These basic texts have been the essentials of theological education for centuries and every Christian should know them by heart. This volume makes it possible to carry them around in a user-friendly format that will be of immense help to busy people who need to be inspired again by the basic teachings of our faith.”

GeraldBrayresearch professor of divinity, Beeson Divinity School

“The three pillars of Christian teaching—Decalogue, Apostles’ Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer—have been the consistent basis of formation in the faith for 1500 years. They represent a foundation shared by Protestants and Catholics alike, built upon across continents and cultures. Lexham’s collection of three sterling presentations of each element mines a deep tradition and deploys the wisdom of three superb Christian teachers and scholars. They have offered the ‘faith once given’ for the people of today in a way that nourishes, illuminates, and challenges. Whether for personal or communal use, this inviting catechism is itself a gift of grace.”

EphraimRadnerprofessor of historical theology, Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto

The Collected Christian Essentials

Catechism

A Guide to the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer

Peter J. Leithart, BenMyers,and WesleyHill

General Editor, Todd R.Hains

Contents

A Life Discipled by the Catechism

An Introduction

An Order of Prayer

With Confession and Forgiveness

Bible References and History

Of the Order of Prayer

The Ten Commandments

Introduction

Father to Son

God spake all these words

Two Tables

Commandment I

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods before Me

Commandment II

Thou Shalt Not Make Thee Any Graven Image

Commandment III

Thou Shalt Not Take the Name of the Lord Thy God in Vain

Commandment IV

Remember the Sabbath Day

Commandment V

Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother

Commandment VI

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Commandment VII

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Commandment VIII

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Commandment IX

Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness

Commandment X

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Endnotes

For The TenCommandments

The Apostles’ Creed

Preface

Introduction

The Ancient Catechism

Article I

I

Believe

In God the Father

Almighty

Maker of heaven and earth

Article II

And in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit

Born of the Virgin Mary

Suffered

Under Pontius Pilate

Was Crucified

Died, and Was Buried

He Descended into Hell; on the Third Day He Rose Again from the Dead

He Ascended into Heaven and Is Seated at the Right Hand of the Father

He Will Come to Judge the Living and the Dead

Article III

I Believe in the Holy Spirit

The Holy Catholic Church

The Communion of Saints

The Forgiveness of Sins

The Resurrection of the Body

And the Life Everlasting

Amen

Endnotes

For The Apostles’Creed

The Lord’s Prayer

Introduction

“Your Father in Secret”

Invocation

Our Father in Heaven

Petition I

Hallowed Be Your Name

Petition II

Your Kingdom Come

Petition III

Your Will Be Done on Earth as in Heaven

Petition IV

Give Us Today Our Daily Bread

Petition V

Forgive Us Our Sins as We Forgive Those Who Sin against Us

Petition VI

Save Us from the Time of Trial

Petition VII

And Deliver Us from Evil

Doxology

For the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory Are Yours Now and Forever. Amen.

Coda

Praying the Lord’s Prayer with Rembrandt

Endnotes

For The Lord’sPrayer

Catechism Prayers

Or Collects

Daily Bible-Reading Plan

Or Lectionary

Permissions

A Life Discipled by the Catechism

An Introduction

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23:6

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ described his word as a seed. A gardener plants a small, unassuming seed in the earth, and he goes to sleep. When he awakes, “the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how” (Mark 4:27). The seed did its work without any direction or manipulation by the gardener. In the same way God’s word is planted in the human heart. We might not feel any different. We might not appear any different. And yet the seed of God’s word is doing its work. It sprouts up and grows a harvest of faith, hope, and love.

But what does this harvest of faith, hope, and love look like? The church has defined faith, hope, and love according to the Bible. Faith is defined by the Apostles’ Creed, hope by the Lord’s Prayer, and love by the Ten Commandments. These three together are known as the catechism.1 The catechism is filled with the seed of God’s word, which cultivates, catechizes, and interprets us.

The Word That CultivatesDisciples

Making disciples doesn’t mean manufacturing disciples; making disciples means cultivating disciples. It’s not efficient work. It’s not always straightforward work. And, as Jesus’ parable of the sower teaches, it isn’t our work. It belongs to God, and he’s entrusted this work to us by his word and Spirit.

It’s hard, faithful work. Patiently we establish a habit of reading and praying God’s word, for God’s word and prayer make all things holy (1 Tim 4:5). In happiness and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, in rest and in labor, we bring our questions and fears and joys to God’s word, and we seed our worries and woes, our thoughts and prayers with God’s word. And we wait, we sleep, we work. All the while, we keep bringing ourselves to God’s word. We don’t know how, but the seed of God’s word sprouts up and grows: “He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” (Ps 126:6).

The Word That CatechizesDisciples

The catechism is a word of God that helps us pray the word of God, read the word of God, and live the word of God. This book is meant to help you make disciples using the catechism, whether that means discipling yourself or discipling others. There are four parts to this book: an order of prayer (p. xvii), guides to each part of the catechism (pp. 1–363), individual prayers (or collects) based on each part of the catechism (p. 367), and a daily Bible-reading plan (or lectionary; p. 377). Each part will help you plant the seed of the catechism in your life—in thought, word, and deed.

The great catechists of the church promote a classical method of learning the catechism.2 First, learn the words of the catechism: memorize the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer. Second, learn what the words mean. Third, find new ways and words to state the content of the catechism. Fourth, do it all over again!

“Although I’m indeed an old doctor,” the great advocate of the catechism Martin Luther said, “I never move on from the childish doctrine of the Ten Commandments and the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. I still daily learn and pray them with my little Hans and my little Lena.”3 He had just as much to learn from the catechism as his children. There’s a lifetime of learning packed into the catechism.

The Word That InterpretsDisciples

The word of God interprets itself, the world, and us. It shows what we really look like, who we really are, and what we’ve really done. We are wounded people in need of healing. We are sinners in need of forgiveness. We are lost sheep in need of finding.

Thank God that the word of God does what it says. It confronts and comforts. It tears down and builds up. It kills and brings to life. It plants, sprouts, and grows an imperishable and eternal seed in us: Jesus, with all his gifts of forgiveness, salvation, and life everlasting. And God’s word never returns empty:

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

(Isa 55:10–11)

The Lord our God—maker of heaven and earth—has given the flowers of the field and the trees of the wood beauty. And yet their beauty does not last. “The grass withers, the flower fades” (Isa 40:7). But the seed of God’s word bears a crop that does not wither and fade. “The word of our God remains forever” (Isa 40:8).

1. Not to be confused with commentaries on the catechism—like Luther’s Small Catechism or the Heidelberg Catechism or the Catechism of the Catholic Church—all of which comment on the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer as well as the sacraments.

2. For example, see Martin Luther’s preface to the Small Catechism.

3. Martin Luther, “No. 81,” in vol. 1 of D. Martin Luthers Werke, kritische Gesamtausgabe: Tischreden (Hermann Böhlaus Nachfolger, 1912), 30.26–27, 31.1–2.

An Order of Prayer

With Confession and Forgiveness

Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls;

all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.

By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,

and at night his song is with me,

a prayer to the God of my life.

Psalm42:7–8

When we’ve run out of words—whether because of sorrow or happiness—God gives us his own words, because God’s word interprets us, our lives, our worries, and our joys. “The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Rom 8:26). And so, since ancient times, Christian worship has been defined as receiving God’s word and speaking God’s word back to him. This order and logic undergirds the Daily Office: the twin services of Morning and Evening Prayer (also called Matins and Vespers).

This Order of Prayer is a simplified version of the Daily Office. The English version of the Daily Office is mediated through the Book of Common Prayer. The sixteenth-century English Reformer Thomas Cranmer streamlined the eight prayer offices of the medieval church into two and rendered them in common English for common Christians.1 Thanks to Cranmer, all are now welcome to enjoy the hallowed tradition of praying psalms and verses.

This simplified Order of Prayer shows the basic structure and logic of the Daily Office. Once you’re used to this Order, you should be comfortable with any edition of the Book of Common Prayer (and there are many!) or any of the various traditional prayer offices. If you want to further explore the tradition of the Daily Office, there’s a list of prayer books and prayer book resources at the end of the notes section, “Bible References and History of the Order of Prayer,” below.

This order of prayer has five parts: (1) Invocation, (2) Confession and Forgiveness, (3) the Service of the Word, (4) Prayer and Thanksgiving, and (5) Benediction. These five parts invite us into God’s word, which brings God present with all his gifts of forgiveness, salvation, and life, and they send us out into the world with words of faith, hope, andlove.

Prayer begins with the Invocation, the speaking of God’s name, because God promises to be present in his name andword.

In Confession and Forgiveness, we tell the truth: we have fallen short of God’s law by sinning against him and our neighbors; and we hear God’s promise of forgiveness and the declaration of forgiveness.

In The Service of the Word,we hear God’s word. God’s word calls us to worship, instructs us, comforts us, and gives us hope; we respond in thanksgiving for God’s word with God’s word.

In Prayer and Thanksgiving, we ask our merciful God for his mercy; we confess who he is and what he has done and continues to do, and we pray as he taughtus.

In the Benediction, we praise and thank God, blessing those present with God’sname.

This order of prayer can be prayed individually; just read all the text as if you were reading a book. It can also be used by a group—with a leader speaking the plain text, and the group responding with the words in bold. The psalms and songs can be read in unison or in response—with a leader reading up to the asterisk and the group reading the line after theasterisk.

An Order ofPrayer

Invocation

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

who made heaven and earth. Psalm124:8

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”

and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Psalm32:5

Confession & Forgiveness

The Confession of Sin

Let us confess our sins to God:

Most merciful God,

we confess that we have sinned against you

in thought, word, and deed,

by what we have done,

and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart;

we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.

For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,

have mercy on us and forgive us;

that we may delight in your will,

and walk in your ways,

to the glory of your holy name.

Amen.

The Forgiveness of Sin

Almighty God have mercy on us,

forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ,

strengthen us in all goodness,

and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life.

Amen.

The Service of the Word

Psalm of Praise

O come, let us sing to the Lord;*

let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving*

and show ourselves glad in him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God*

and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are all the corners of the earth,*

and the strength of the hills is his also.

The sea is his, for he made it;*

and his hands prepared the dry land.

O come, let us worship and fall down*

and kneel before the Lord our maker.

For he is the Lord our God,*

and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Psalm95:1–7

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the HolySpirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.Amen.

Prayer for Hearing the Word

Blessed Lord, you have caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of your holy word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Reading of the Word

Here at least one Bible passage is read; see page 377 for a Bible-reading plan.

After apsalm:

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the HolySpirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.Amen.

After otherreadings:

The word of the Lord:

Thanks be toGod!

Response to the Word

In theMorning

Zechariah’s Song, or TheBenedictus

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *

he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty Savior, *

born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old *

that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers *

and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: *

to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

free to worship him without fear, *

holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; *

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

to give his people knowledge of salvation *

by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God *

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke1:68–79

In theEvening

Mary’s Song, or TheMagnificat

My soul magnifies the Lord, *

and my spirit rejoices in God mySavior.

For he has regarded *

the lowliness of his handmaiden.

For behold, from henceforth *

all generations will call me blessed.

For he who is mighty has done great things for me, *

and holy is his name.

And his mercy is on those who fear him *

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm. *

He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones *

and has exalted the humble and meek.

He has filled the hungry with good things, *

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy, *

as he promised to our fathers, Abraham and his seed forever.

Luke1:46–55

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the HolySpirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.Amen.

The Apostles’ Creed

God has made us his people through our baptism into Christ. Living together in trust and hope, we confess ourfaith:

I believe in God the Fatheralmighty,

maker of heaven andearth,

and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, ourLord:

who was conceived by the HolySpirit,

born of the VirginMary,

suffered under PontiusPilate,

was crucified, died, and wasburied.

He descended intohell.

On the third day he rose again from thedead.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of theFather.

He will come again to judge the living and thedead.

I believe in the HolySpirit,

the holy catholicchurch,

the communion ofsaints,

the forgiveness ofsins,

the resurrection of thebody,

and the lifeeverlasting.

Amen.

hell: Some English versions of the Apostles’ Creed translate this line, “He descended to thedead.”

catholic church: The phrase “catholic church” means all Christians throughout time and space who confess the Christianfaith.

Prayer & Thanksgiving

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, have mercy onus.

Lord, have mercy on us. Matthew 9:27; Psalm123:3

The Lord’s Prayer

Lord, remember us in your kingdom, and teach us to pray: Luke 24:42; Luke11:1

Our Father who art inheaven,

hallowed be thyname,

thy kingdomcome,

thy will bedone

on earth as it is inheaven;

give us this day our dailybread;

and forgive us ourtrespasses

as we forgive those who trespass againstus;

and lead us not intotemptation,

but deliver us from evil. Matthew6:9–13

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever andever.

Amen.

The Petitions

O Lord, show us your steadfast love,

and grant us your salvation. Psalm85:7

Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,

and let your saints shout for joy. Psalm132:9

O Lord, save your people,

and bless your heritage! Psalm28:9

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm51:10

Hear my prayer, O Lord;

let my cry come to you! Psalm102:1

Prayers of the Heart

God is our loving Father. He wants to hear our questions, fears, and joys. Here we offer prayers and thanksgivings for others and ourselves.

After eachprayer:

Thy will be done:

on earth as it is inheaven.

Prayer for the Day

Pray at least one of the following prayers. One person or all in unison maypray.

Prayer for Anytime

Almighty God, only you can order our unruly wills and desires. Grant to your people that we may love what you command and desire what you promise, that among the many changes and chances of this world our hearts may be fixed where true joys are found; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Prayer for the Morning

Our heavenly Father, we give you thanks through your dear Son Jesus Christ that you have kept us this night from all harm and danger. We ask you to keep us this day also, from all sin and evil, that all our thoughts, words, and deeds may please you. Into your hands we commend ourselves, our bodies and souls, and all things. Let your holy angels be with us, that the evil foe may have no power over us.

Amen.

Prayer for the Evening

Our heavenly Father, we give you thanks through your dear Son Jesus Christ that you have graciously kept us this day. We ask you to forgive us all our sins and the wrongs that we have done and to graciously keep us this night. Into your hands we commend ourselves, our bodies and souls, and all things. Let your holy angels be with us, that the evil foe may have no power over us.

Amen.

Benediction

Let us bless the Lord. Psalm103:1

Thanks be toGod.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. 2 Corinthians13:14

Amen.

1. The Use of Sarum—the order of services at the Salisbury Cathedral—is surprisingly ecumenical. This Roman Catholic rite structures Anglican rites, and it is approved for use among the Eastern Orthodox. When American Lutherans began to worship in English, they blended elements of Sarum from the Book of Common Prayer with a slightly different continental tradition (for example, compare the collects, or prayers, of the day during the season of Advent).

Bible References and History

Of the Order of Prayer

Invocation:  Jesus promises to be present in his name and word, and so prayer begins by speaking God’s name (Matt 18:20; 28:20; John 14:27).

The Confession of Sin: When we confess our sins, we admit that we fall short of the life God describes in the Ten Commandments. We sin against God (the commandments of the first table), and we sin against our neighbor (the commandments of the second table). We sin in what we think, say, and do. In Jesus—who made heaven and earth—our sins are forgiven. By his Spirit we delight in his will and walk in his word. This text is the result of the Joint Liturgical Group in 1968.

Psalm of Praise:  God’s word calls us to worship, for faith comes through hearing (Rom 10:17). At least since the sixth century, Christians have read Psalm 95 for a call to worship. The psalm may be read responsively or in unison.

Almost all prayerbooks today omit verses 8–11 (some require them to be read during Lent). In 1789 the American Book of Common Prayer omitted these verses of law and judgment and replaced them with Psalm 96:9, 13.

Prayer for Hearing the Word:  This prayer is based on Romans 15:4 as given in William Tyndale’s 1534 translation: “Whatsoever thynges are wrytten afore tyme are wrytten for oure learnynge that we thorow pacience and comforte of the scripture myght have hope.” The sixteenth-century English Reformer Thomas Cranmer composed this prayer as the Collect for the Second Sunday in Advent. It was first printed in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. Every Sunday and feast day has a collect of the day, which is a prayer that goes with the assigned readings of the day.

Reading of the Word:   There are two general approaches to selecting the readings. The first is the continuous reading of a book of the Bible. For example, a chapter of a Gospel is read until the Gospel is finished; then a new book is selected to read through. The second is a Bible-reading plan or lectionary. For example, there is a Bible-reading plan on page 377 in this book.

Response to the Word:  The reading of God’s word ends with a response. Zechariah’s Song, traditionally known as The Bene­dictus from its opening phrase in Latin, is a fitting response in the morning; Mary’s Song, traditionally known as The Magnificat, in the evening. Both songs summarize the story and gift of God’s word and work for his people. The song may be read responsively or in unison.

The Apostles’ Creed:  According to ancient tradition, the apostles, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, drafted the Apostles’ Creed on the day of Pentecost. It expands the succinct biblical logic and confession of the trinitarian formula used in baptism: in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The Apostles’ Creed as worded today dates to the fourth century, though its basic form dates as early as the second century.

Prayer and Thanksgiving:  The church adapted the cry of beggars in the ancient world—have mercy on us! (Matt 9:27)—as a prayer to the Lord our God who made heaven and earth and who fills the hungry with good things. This cry is called the Kyrie Eleison (“Lord, have mercy”). It begins our prayers and thanksgivings: we confess who God is and what he has done and continues to do, and we pray as he taught us.

The Lord’s Prayer:  This is the traditional English wording of the Lord’s Prayer. It is taken from the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, which used William Tyndale’s translation of Matthew 6:9–13.

The Petitions:  God’s word, especially in the Psalms, provides a pattern for our prayers. These verses and responses are adapted from the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. The petitions ask God to sanctify our lives, the church, the world, and those in need with his word and prayer.

The 1549 petitions include a beautiful sixth-century antiphon called Da pacem: “Give peace in our time, O Lord; * Because there is none other that fighteth for us, but only thou, O God.” This has been omitted in favor of explicit Scripture.

Prayer for Anytime:  This prayer directs us to find certainty in God’s word. It uses Psalm 119 (especially verses 47, 81–82) and Matthew 6:19–21. Dating to the eighth-century Gelasian Sacramentary (an ancient collection of liturgical texts), this collect was typically prayed on the Fourth Sunday after Easter. The 1662 Book of Common Prayer changed the opening line from “whiche doest make the myndes of all faythfull men to be of one wil” to “who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men.” This change was suggested because of disagreements between the Anglican and Puritan factions of the Church of England; they were not of one will. The 1979 Book of Common Prayer moved this collect to the Fifth Sunday in Lent; the 2019 Book of Common Prayer followed suit.

Prayers for the Day:  These prayers beautifully weave together themes from the Psalms: God’s gracious providence, protection, and might in our lives. They use Psalm 31:5, Psalm 91:11, and Psalm 41:11 (see also Psalm 121). This version is taken from Martin Luther’s Small Catechism of 1529. (Luther used the first-person singular; here it’s pluralized for use with others.) It has roots in the eighth ­century—possibly even back to the fourth century. The Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent has a similar sense, and it was used for daily prayer in the middle ages. The 1979 Book of Common Prayer moved it to the Third Sunday in Lent; the 2019 Book of Common Prayer moved it back to the Second Sunday in Lent.

Benediction:  The order of prayer ends with praising and thanking God, and then blessing those present with God’s name.

Sources for the Order of Prayer

The Gelasian Sacramentary: Liber Sacramentorum Romanae Ecclesiae, ed. H. A. Wilson (Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1894).

Breviarium ad usum insignis ecclesiae Sarum, 4 vols., eds. Francis Procter and Christopher Wordsworth (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1879–1886).

Martin Luther, Der Kleine Katechismus, in Die Bekenntnisschriften der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Kirche, ed. Irene Dingel (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2014), 852–910.

The Book of Common Prayer: The Texts of 1549, 1559, and 1662, ed. Brian Cummings (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011).

The 1662 Book of Common Prayer: International Edition, eds. Samuel L. Bray and Drew Nathaniel Keane (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2021).

Church Book for the Use of Evangelical Lutheran Congregations (Philadelphia: Lutheran Book Store, 1868).

Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church (Philadelphia: The Board of Publication of the United Lutheran Church in America, 1918).

The Book of Common Prayer 1928 (New York: Church Pension Fund).

The Lutheran Hymnal (St. Louis: Concordia, 1941).

Service Book and Hymnal (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1958).

Lutheran Book of Worship (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1978).

The Book of Common Prayer 1979 (New York: Church Publishing).

Lutheran Service Book (St. Louis: Concordia, 2005).

The Book of Common Prayer 2019 (Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press).

Prayer Book Resources

Marion J. Hatchett, Commentary on the American Prayer Book (San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1995).

Carl Schalk, Living the Liturgy: A Guide to the Lutheran Order of the Divine Service (St. Louis: Concordia, 2022).

The Ten Commandments

Peter J.Leithart

And God spake all these words, saying,

I I am THE LORD THY GOD, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

II Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I THE LORD THY GOD am a jealous God.

III Thou shalt not take the name of THE LORD THY GOD in vain; for THE LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

IV Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of THE LORD THY GOD.

V Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which THE LORD THY GOD giveth thee.

VI Thou shalt not kill.

VII Thou shalt not commit adultery.

VIII Thou shalt not steal.

IX Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

X Thou shalt not covet.

Commandment

Lutheran + Catholic

Reformed

ORThodox

I

No other gods, no images

No other gods

I am Yahweh; no other gods

II

Don’t take Name in vain

No images

No images

III

Remember Sabbath

Don’t take Name in vain

Don’t take Name in vain

IV

Honor father and mother

Remember Sabbath

Remember Sabbath

V

Do not kill

Honor father and mother

Honor father and mother

VI

Do not commit adultery

Do not kill

Do not kill

VII

Do not steal

Do not commit adultery

Do not commit adultery

VIII

Do not bear false witness

Do not steal

Do not steal

IX

Do not covet house

Do not bear false witness

Do not bear false witness

X

Do not covet wife, etc.

Do not covet

Do not covet

Introduction

Father to Son

God spoke the Ten Commandments to Israel at Sinai. Are they for us? Are they for us Christians who are not Jews, or should Christians live by a “New Testament ethic”? Are they for us Germans or Japanese or Nigerians or Peruvians or Americans? Are they only for Israel or for the nations?

The church has always taken the Decalogue, with modifications, as God’s word to Christians.1 New Testament writers quote it, church fathers appeal to it, Thomas Aquinas comments on it, Reformation catechisms and confessions teach it, prayer books incorporate it into our worship, and church architects carve it on our walls. Christian rulers like Alfred the Great made the Decalogue the basis of civil law.

Has the church been right? Or is this an unfortunate old covenant residue that needs to be purged from the church?

Read in canonical context, the Decalogue presents itself as a Christian text. To see how, we need to examine the text carefully.

Scripture doesn’t use the phrase “Ten Commandments.” Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 record Yahweh’s “Ten Words” (Exod 34:28; Deut 4:13). These texts contain imperatives, but, like the rest of Torah, they include declarations, warnings, promises. That multiplicity of speech acts is better captured by the phrase “Ten Words” or “Decalogue,” which I use throughout this book.

Israel has been in the wilderness for three months when they arrive at Sinai (Exod 19:1). Behind them are the ruins of Egypt, blighted by plagues. They’ve passed through the sea, received manna and water, grumbled and rebelled. Now the God who revealed his Name to Moses at Sinai (Exod 3:1–12) unveils himself to Israel.

God speaks on the third day of the month (Exod 19:16). Yahweh2 descends with a trumpet blast that summons Israel to assembly. From a fiery cloud, he speaks the Ten Words.

He’s spoken ten words before. Ten times Genesis 1 repeats, “And God spoke.” At Sinai, God again speaks ten words that, if guarded and obeyed, will form Israel into a new creation. These ten new-creative words present the form of new creation.3

Yahweh has spoken on the third day before too. On the original third day, in the seventh of ten creation words, Yahweh called the land to bring forth grass with seed and trees with fruit (Gen 1:11). Speaking from Sinai, he reminds Israel that he brought them from the land of Egypt (Exod 20:2). Israel later commemorates Sinai at Pentecost, a feast of firstfruits. At Sinai, Israel is the firstfruits, a people of grain and fruit, the first to rise from the land. God speaks so that the vine brought from Egypt (Ps 80; Isa 5) will become fruitful. He speaks in anticipation of Jesus’ third day, when the risen Lord becomes firstborn from the dead.4

The speaker identifies himself as “Yahweh,” who is “thy God.” At the burning bush (Exod 3), he calls himself “I am who I am.” The Hebrew verbs can be translated with any tense: “I will be who I will be; I am who I will be; I will be who I was.”5 The context clarifies. Yahweh sees Israel’s affliction and hears their cries. He comes to deliver from slavery. “Yahweh” is the God who will be everything Israel needs and do everything Israel needs done. Everything he is, Yahweh is for Israel. “Yahweh” is Israel’s God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who makes and keeps promises to his people. He is Yahweh “thy God.”

To whom is Yahweh speaking? The answer isn’t as simple as it seems. When Israel arrives at Sinai, Yahweh designates Moses as his spokesman. After the Ten Words, Moses ascends into the cloud to receive the Lord’s word (20:21–22). But Moses is at the foot of Sinai when God speaks the Ten Words (19:25; 20:1). After six speeches to Moses (19:3, 9, 10, 20, 21, 24), God speaks a seventh time to all Israel (cf. 20:18). The Ten Words alone are unmediated, spoken to firstfruits sprung up from Egypt.

But there’s a grammatical puzzle. Yahweh speaks to all Israel, but the verbs are in the masculine singular of the second person. The kjv gets it right: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”; “Thou shalt not kill”; “Thou shalt not steal.”6 It sounds as if God is speaking to an individual man: “You, man, I brought you out of slavery. You, man, don’t worship idols, kill, steal, commit adultery, or covet.”

Perhaps the grammar indicates that every individual must obey. Perhaps God addresses Israelite men in particular. Men labor and rule a house, so they have authority to give rest on the Sabbath. Israelite men are forbidden to desire their neighbor’s wife.

I think something else is going on. We may ask, Who was delivered from the house of bondage? Israel, of course, but Israel as son of Yahweh (see Exod 4:23). Yahweh’s “family” tie to Israel provides a legal basis for his demand to Pharaoh: “Israel is my son. You have no right to enslave my son. Let my son go.” When Pharaoh refuses, Yahweh cuts off negotiations and takes up the role of a kinsman redeemer, rescuing his son with a mighty hand and outstretched arm. Yahweh’s justice is precise: Pharaoh seized Yahweh’s firstborn; at Passover, Yahweh takes Pharaoh’s.

God gave his first command to Adam, his first son.7 At Sinai, he speaks to his son, the new Adam. The Ten Words are imperatives, but not merely imperatives. When Father Yahweh speaks to son Israel, he discloses his likes and dislikes. The Ten Words are “a personal declaration”8 that reveals Yahweh’s character. Like Proverbs, they’re a Father-son talk. The ten new-creative words are designed to form Israel into an image of his Father.

The Decalogue is about Israel’s mission. When Israel obeys the Ten Words, his common life becomes a living, filial icon of the heavenly Father among the nations of earth. Hearing the voice from Sinai, Israel takes up Adam’s vocation of imitating and imaging his Father.

Many complain about the negativity of the Ten Words. There are two positive commandments—remember the Sabbath day, honor your father and mother. Mostly, it’s one “Don’t” after another.9 God says he brought Israel from slavery, but it may seem he just imposed a different slavery.

According to Scripture, Torah is the “perfect law of liberty” (Jas 1:25; 2:12). A community dominated by disrespect for parents, workaholism, violence, envy, theft, and lies isn’t free. Besides, absolute freedom is impossible. In the world God made, the world that actually exists, things aren’t free to do or be anything they please. They’re free when they become what they are. An acorn is free to become an oak, not an elephant. The Ten Words guide Israel to grow up to be what he is, the son who rules in his Father’s house (see Gal 4:1–7).

Israel cannot listen to the Lord’s voice. He asks Yahweh to speak through Moses (Exod 20:18–21). At Sinai, the son’s heart is too hardened to hear his Father. But Israel isn’t left hopeless. Yahweh will have a son who conforms to the Ten Words. The Father does have such a Son, the eternal Son who became Israel to be and do what Israel failed to be and do.

The Ten Words are a character portrait of Jesus, the Son of God.10 The Ten Words lay out the path of imitatio Dei because they lay the path of the imitatio Christi. As Israel kept the commandments, Augustine wrote, “the life of that people foretold and foreshadowed Christ.”11 As Irenaeus said, Christ fulfills the law that he spoke from Sinai.12 The law exposes our sin, restrains the unruly, provides a guide to life. But Jesus is the heart and soul of the Decalogue. The first use of the law is the christological.

Many centuries after Sinai, God returned in the third month, in rushing wind and fire, to pour out his Spirit. At that completed Pentecost, the Spirit began to write “not on stone but on the heart” (see 2 Cor 3:3).13 He forms a new Israel, a company of sons who share Jesus’ Spirit of sonship. By that Spirit, the Father fulfills his ten new-creative words inus.

Is the Decalogue for us? We might as well ask, Is Jesus for us?

1. See Christopher R. Seitz, “The Ten Commandments: Positive and Natural Law and the Covenants Old and New—Christian Use of the Decalogue and Moral Law,” in I Am the Lord Your God: Christian Reflections on the Ten Commandments, ed. Carl E. Braaten and Christopher R. Seitz(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 18–38.

2. “Yahweh” transliterates God’s name, which is also represented by YHWH. It’s often rendered as LORD or Lord. Since it’s a personal name, not a title, I have chosen to transliterate it.

God spake all these words

Almighty God, only you can order our unruly wills and desires. Grant to your people that we may love what you command and desire what you promise, that among the many changes and chances of this world our hearts may be fixed where true joys are found; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Two Tables

We know there are TenWords. Yahweh wrote them with his finger on two tablets of stone (Exod 31:18; 34:1). But the church has never agreed on how to count to ten.

The Bible doesn’t give a decisive answer. There are twelve negative imperatives in Exodus 20:1–17,14 and one of the ten (“Honor thy father and mother”) doesn’t include any negatives. To make ten, Augustine combined the prohibition of images with the prohibition of idolatry and argued there were two commandments against coveting.15 Origen separated the prohibition of false gods from the command against images and counted only one command against coveting.16 Roman Catholics and Lutherans follow Augustine; Reformed churches follow Origen (see pages 14–15). I follow the Reformed numbering, with an Orthodox modification: Yahweh’s declaration “I am Yahweh your God” is part of the First Word, not a “preface” (as in Westminster Larger Catechism, q. 101).17

To make matters more confusing, we’re never told what was on each of the two stone tablets. Following Augustine, Caesarius of Arles said the first tablet contained three commandments; the second, seven.18 Origen and others divided the commandments into four and six. Perhaps all Ten Words were on both tablets, a double witness to Yahweh’s covenant with Israel.19

We can sort through some of these debates by paying close attention to the text of Exodus 20. Whatever the two tablets contained, literarily the Ten Words aren’t divided as 3 + 7 or 4 + 6, but in half, 5 + 5.20

Each of the first five has an explanation attached to it. Exodus 20:2 grounds the first word (v. 3): Because Yahweh brought Israel from Egypt, Israel should have no other gods. The next four also contain explanations: Don’t bow to images, because God is jealous; don’t bear the name lightly, because Yahweh punishes; keep Sabbath, because Yahweh kept Sabbath; honor father and mother to prolong your days. By contrast, none of commandments 6–10 is explained.