Making Good Use of the Ten Commandments
By Rev. Brian L. Kachelmeier
The primary purpose of the Ten Commandments is a theological purpose. The main purpose is to reveal your sin. In this way, the heart is prepared for the Gospel in which the individual is pointed to Jesus who was crucified for the sin of the world.
The Ten Commandments tell us what God expects from us to do and not to do. As we ponder them, we realize what we have done and not done. We have daily sinned much. The Ten Commandments teach us what sins to confess before God. They prepare us in order to understand our need for the Gospel.
The Gospel tells us who the Lord our God is. The Lord our God is the suffering Servant who was rejected and crucified for our sins. The Lord our God is Jesus. During this season of Lent, it would benefit us greatly if we were to focus upon the Ten Commandments. More than that, we should concentrate our efforts on learning, teaching, meditating, memorizing, doing, and confessing the Ten Commandments in our homes.
At the time of the Reformation, Luther had such an idea. They used the printing press to make up posters, so that families could learn the Ten Commandments and the other chief parts of the Christian Faith which includes the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Holy Baptism, Confession, and Holy Communion. The Ten Commandments teach what is required and forbidden for us as Christian. From our pondering of these commands, we learn what sins to confess before God. The Apostles’ Creed teaches us what God has done for us to provide for our physical and spiritual well being. From it we learn to trust in Jesus alone for our salvation from death and the devil. We learn that in Jesus there is forgiveness of our sins. The Lord’s Prayer teaches us how we are rightly to talk to our Father in Heaven. Because of Jesus we can boldly and confidently approach God as dear children go to their earthly fathers. For Jesus sake, we pray that God would not count our sins against us and give to us the things we ask for by His grace and mercy.
Martin Luther complied his ponders upon these chief articles of the Christian Faith in the Small Catechism. It would be good to learn, memorize, and ponder upon the rich words of the Small Catechism. Therefore, during this season of Lent, I would encourage you as a household to work on the memorization of God’s Word and its meaning as found in the Small Catechism. Begin with the Ten Commandments as you prepare for the celebration of Easter. Use the Small Catechism to help you in your devotional time to grow in your faith in Him. Click here for a copy of the Small Catechism.
