This fall, I'm planning on adding a daily Small Catechism component to my blog. Each day, we will focus on one part of Luther's Small Catechism. I will include a brief Bible verse that helps explain what we believe based upon God's Word.
However, I also want to emphasize how our Christian faith is both a personal faith and a shared faith. So as part of those daily devotions, one day we will focus on what that particular teaching means for us as an individual, and then, the following day, we will see how it applies to us as we live our lives in a shared faith with other Christians.
Part of the reason I want to highlight this distinction is because it is very easy to focus on just one part of our faith life. Indeed, as North American Christians, we are influenced so much by our individualistic culture that we often fail to consider how our faith and life impacts other believers, or even how it impacts those who do not believe. So I hope to give a few thoughts each day about how we see these various parts of our faith life lived out, both personally and all together.
I realize you may wonder what I mean by this. Let's take, for example, the 6th Commandment (as the Small Catechism numbers them); You shall not commit adultery. Most of us would look at that commandment and see it as a very personal one. This is especially true in our culture which emphasizes that "I can do what I want with my own time, and it's none of your business." And yet, we cannot take a look at our society and culture without seeing the impact that unhindered sex has had on our morals and values.
So, for example, I might highlight ways that we can live out our faith by defending our Biblical view of sex. From a personal standpoint, it may mean that we control what our eyes see (from such things as TV, magazines, calendars, etc.) and be cautious about the type of language we use when we speak. But from a shared faith standpoint, we may also look at how we help encourage each other to live lives of purity, and how we can help one another withstand the onslaught of images that will daily tempt us to fall.
Our faith is personal, but it is also a shared faith, one that we have in common with many people. On top of that, how we live and what we believe has an impact even on those who do not share our faith. True, they may not agree with us a good portion of the time, but we still are encouraged to take our faith seriously enough that we not only focus on the personal, but on the shared aspect of our faith.
However, I also want to emphasize how our Christian faith is both a personal faith and a shared faith. So as part of those daily devotions, one day we will focus on what that particular teaching means for us as an individual, and then, the following day, we will see how it applies to us as we live our lives in a shared faith with other Christians.
Part of the reason I want to highlight this distinction is because it is very easy to focus on just one part of our faith life. Indeed, as North American Christians, we are influenced so much by our individualistic culture that we often fail to consider how our faith and life impacts other believers, or even how it impacts those who do not believe. So I hope to give a few thoughts each day about how we see these various parts of our faith life lived out, both personally and all together.
I realize you may wonder what I mean by this. Let's take, for example, the 6th Commandment (as the Small Catechism numbers them); You shall not commit adultery. Most of us would look at that commandment and see it as a very personal one. This is especially true in our culture which emphasizes that "I can do what I want with my own time, and it's none of your business." And yet, we cannot take a look at our society and culture without seeing the impact that unhindered sex has had on our morals and values.
So, for example, I might highlight ways that we can live out our faith by defending our Biblical view of sex. From a personal standpoint, it may mean that we control what our eyes see (from such things as TV, magazines, calendars, etc.) and be cautious about the type of language we use when we speak. But from a shared faith standpoint, we may also look at how we help encourage each other to live lives of purity, and how we can help one another withstand the onslaught of images that will daily tempt us to fall.
Our faith is personal, but it is also a shared faith, one that we have in common with many people. On top of that, how we live and what we believe has an impact even on those who do not share our faith. True, they may not agree with us a good portion of the time, but we still are encouraged to take our faith seriously enough that we not only focus on the personal, but on the shared aspect of our faith.
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