Lessons in the Small Catechism of Dr. Martin Luther / For the Senior Department of Lutheran Sunday-Schools and for General Use

LESSON 1. The Catechism and the Bible.
1. The little book we have before us is called the Small Catechism. The word catechism means instruction. This little book gives us instruction in a brief and simple form, such as even a child can understand. It teaches us what every Christian, as a child of God, should believe, and how every Christian, as a child of God, should live.—This book is called the Small Catechism not only because it is a small book, but mainly because we have also a Large Catechism for older people.
2. The Small Catechism was written by Dr. Martin Luther, the great Reformer of the Church. Luther was born at Eisleben, a small town in Germany, November 10, 1483, and died at the same place, February 18, 1546. He published his Small Catechism in the year 1529, for the benefit of the common people and the children, who are most in need of such instruction.
3. Our Catechism is a small book, indeed, but it is a most precious little book. It does not contain Luther's thoughts and doctrines or those of any other wise and learned man; it contains God's own words revealed to us for our salvation. It does not teach us all the doctrines of God's Word, but those that every Christian must know in order to believe rightly, to lead a godly life, and when his last hour is come to depart in peace. Our Catechism teaches these doctrines in a short form, in plain and simple words.
4. Our Catechism teaches God's Word. How do we prove this? Luther has taken the contents of his Catechism from the Bible, and the Bible is the
Word of God.—The Word Bible means book. We call our Bible the book because it really is the Book of books, the book in comparison with which no other book is worthy to be called by that name, the most important and valuable book.—The Bible is also called the Scriptures, or Scripture, which means something written, a written word. The Bible was written by holy men of God. These holy men did not write the Bible of their own will. Holy men of God spake (and wrote) as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Pet. 1,21. God Himself moved His holy men to write the Bible.