The Ten Commandments

We have started to wrestle with The Ten Commandments. Below to get your thinking started I have posted The Ten Commandments and Martin Luther's explanation of it found in Luther's Small Catechism. We will write more in the coming weeks about our journey with these 10 laws.     THE FIRST COMMANDMENT You shall have no other gods. What does this mean for us? We are to fear, love, and trust God above anything else. THE SECOND COMMANDMENTYou shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. What does this mean for us? We are to fear and love God so that we do not use his name superstitiously, or use it to curse, swear, lie, or deceive, but call on him in prayer, praise and thanksgiving. THE THIRD COMMANDMENT Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.What does this mean for us? We are to fear and love God so that we do not neglect his Word and the preaching of it, but regard it as holy and gladly hear and learn it. THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT Honor your father and your mother. What does this mean for us? We are to fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and others in authority, but respect, obey, love and serve them. THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT You shall not kill. What does this mean for us? We are to fear and love God so that we do not hurt our neighbor in any way, but help him in all his physical needs.

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT You shall not commit adultery. What does this mean for us? We are to fear, love, and trust God so that in matters of sex our words and conduct are pure and honorable, and husband and wife love and respect each other. THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT You shall not steal. What does this mean for us? We are to fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor's money or property, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his property and means of making a living. THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. What does this mean for us? We are to fear and love God so that we do not betray, slander, or lie about our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain his actions in the kindest way. THE NINTH COMMANDMENT You shall not covet your neighbor's house. What does this mean for us? We are to fear and love God so that we do not desire to get our neighbor's possessions by scheming, or by pretending to have a right to them, but always help him keep what is his. THE TENTH COMMANDMENT You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his cattle, or anything that is your neighbor's. What does this mean for us? We are to fear and love God so that we do not tempt or coax away from our neighbor his wife or his workers, but encourage them to remain loyal.

Saved By Grace!

We spent October learning about Martin Luther and the Reformation. Martin Luther was the "Father" of the Protestant Reformation-a catholic monk and scholar he was concerned with some of the teachings of the Catholic church at the time. Particularly, he was very concerned that The Church was selling indulgences, or selling God's forgiveness and mercy. You could go to heaven...for a cost. Luther felt this was contrary to what he read in Scripture. He stood by his conviction that "It is by Grace we have been saved through faith and faith is a gift from God.". Lutheran got himself excommunicated from The Church and people started to follow him and his theology and hundreds of years later here we are as The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. For more info check this page out: Martin Luther.

What is Grace? How does your family practice this radical thing called Grace? If we don't earn salvation (because it is a gift from God) then how do we live a life of gratitude to God for doing so much for us?