Encouragement to Use the Catechisms

"Martin Luther put together a Small Catechism and a Large Catechism for families to study God's Word and the Bible. I thought this was a good way to show the blessing of God's Word because when he wrote the smaller catechism book, not only was he able to teach young people about God’s Word, but other pastors and parents could teach their kids using his book too. For example, after he wrote the Small Catechism he would end up using it like a student himself for the rest of his life.

Also the Small Catechism was also a small outline of what the Bible says along with a Table of Duties. At the same time, the Small Catechism was nothing new but only what was faithful to Scripture and what God’s people believed and taught for centuries. What Luther meant by a Table of Duties was a guideline from the Bible for Christian people in varied circumstances.

The two catechisms he wrote are still used to this day to help young people, parents, and anyone else who would read it, understand further into the knowledge and understanding of the Bible and of the love of God. Therefore when people went to listen to Luther and other preachers, they could enjoy letting the light of their faith shine."

~ Anna Adams
Living Savior member

You can review and grow from using the Small and Large Catechisms through regular reading. The Large Catechism is sermonic in nature, giving explanations and clarifications on biblical teaching of each topic of the Small Catechism. So the Large Catechism is a wonderful resource for teens or adults or for parents hoping to explain and teach the Small Catechism to their children.

There are some apps out there for smartphones for the Catechisms or for the entire Book of Concord. You can also use a free translation of the Book of Concord at bookofconcord.org.