THE SIMPLIFIED CATECHISM. Sandra Greenfield and Ardis Koeller Illustration by Bruce Bond

Transcription

1 THE SIMPLIFIED CATECHISM Sandra Greenfield and Ardis Koeller Illustration by Bruce Bond

2 Third printing, 2016 Second printing, 2009 Second edition, 1999 Prepared for the Special Education Services Committee of the WELS Commission on Special Ministries. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise except for brief quotations in reviews, without prior permission from the publisher. Northwestern Publishing House 1250 N. 113th St., Milwaukee, WI by Northwestern Publishing House. Published 1987 Printed in the United States of America ISBN

3 Contents Preface... 3 Introduction... 5 The Ten Commandments... 7 The Apostles Creed The First Article The Second Article The Third Article The Lord s Prayer The Sacraments Baptism The Lord s Supper Confession... 85

4 Preface

5 Jesus hugged the children as he wrapped his arms around them and blessed them. He touched them because he loved them. Children and adults with cognitive disabilities and low vocabulary levels need to feel the hug of Jesus too. He loves them no less than others. The WELS Commission on Special Ministries and Northwestern Publishing House designed this simplified version of Luther s Small Catechism for su ch precious souls. The catechism s specific objective is to prepare students for communicant membership in the Christian congregation. Yet it has a more fundamental objective too. We prepared this edition with the hope that the students will learn the boundless love of Jesus through it and sense the Savior s gentle touch in its words and pictures. We wanted the pictures and the text to work together in sharing the gospel. We hope they communicate the love of Jesus and help teachers explain God s wonderful truth. We offer this publication with the prayer that those who use it will gain a deeper faith in Jesus and a fuller understanding of his love for all humanity. John A. Braun Editor 3

6 Introduction

7 1. What is the Bible? The Bible is God s Word. 2. Who wrote the Bible? All the words in the Bible are God s words. Men wrote down the words that God told them. 3. What does the Bible tell us about sin? The Bible says that all people are sinners. We sin when we do not do what God says. God gave us ten rules to tell us what he wants us to do and what he does not want us to do. The rules are called the Ten Commandments. We all sin against God, and the payment for sin is death. 4. What good news does the Bible tell us? The Bible tells us God loved us so much that he sent Jesus to pay for our sins. Jesus kept God s commandments for us. Jesus paid for our sins when he died on the cross. Those who believe in Jesus will go to heaven. 5

8 The Ten Commandments

9 What does God say about the commandments? God says that we all sin. No one keeps all the commandments. God promises to bless people who love him and keep his commandments. This Means God wants us to know that he hates sin. The Ten Commandments show us our sin. All people sin. We all need Jesus to save us from sin. People who don t believe in Jesus will go to hell. God forgives and blesses people who believe. He does this because Jesus paid for our sins. God promises to help us love and obey him. The Ten Commandments tell us what God wants us to do and what God does not want us to do. We show love for God when we obey his commandments God s Word Romans 3:23. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6:23. The wages of sin is death. John 3:16. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Lessons 1-9 7

10 The First Commandment

11 Love God most of all. This Means Have no other gods. God wants us to love him more than anyone or anything. God s Word 1 John 4:19. We love [God] because he first loved us. 1 John 5:3. This is love for God: to obey his commands. God s Story Daniel 6:1-23. Daniel loves God most of all. Lesson 1 Bible Story 1 9