r sequence, commencing with the Ten Commandments, then shifting through the Apostles' Creed to the Lord's Prayer and the sacraments. The purpose of this sequence was to demonstrate the movement from the law to the gospel, from God's demand to the Word of promise and the new existence that Word develops. According to Luther's theological views, there are three things that must be understood by a Christian to be saved: (1) Know what should be done and what must be left undone; (2) When it is known what cannot be done by one's own power, it is necessary to know where to discover the means that will enable one to perform one's duty; and (3) One must understand how to seek and obtain that assistance.
The Large Catechism is not as popular these days as the Small Catechism. But when a person reads the Large Catechism, its - theological contents will be found to be quite contemporary, as are its insights on social problems.
The Small Catechism has an appeal and value far more significant to Protestants in these times. As James Arne Nestiagen states:
But the Small Catechism, with its gentleness and simple sophistication, has really stolen the hearts of Lutherans. Other confessions may be placed alongside it, constitutions and matters of church order may occasionally supersede it, and there may be some rare complaints about it, but the Small Catechism keeps popping up to close its gentle grip once again. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a cantata for it; some of the greatest thinkers in Germany and the Scandinavian countries memorized it as children; it came to North America in old trunks and eager immigrant heads . . . . Five centuries later, it is still the way to remember Luther's birthday--to remember him so that he can be forgotten, hidden behind the freedom-bestowing Word (Nestingen 49).
Luther desired that the catechism should be employed in church services as the foundation for sermons. T...