Welcome back to our blog! Today we will be covering the second part of our series on “Chief Articles of the Faith” and will take a look at the first article of the Apostles Creed along with Martin Luther’s explanation of it as found in the Small Catechism.

“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.”

What does this mean?

Luther answers, “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.

He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.

He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from evil.

All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.

This is most certainly true.

When we as Christians say, “We believe in God,” we do not just mean, “we believe God exists.” While that is certainly true we are also confessing that He is our creator and sustainer through whom we receive all good things. Without His constant care for us we would immediately perish. These words teach us that our relationship to God is one in which He gives us his good and bountiful gifts. The essence of the Christian faith thus lies in God’s giving and our receiving. This will play out more fully in the second article of the creed which we will cover on November 21.

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