Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions

Scripture Text: Philippians 2:3–4

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From the Word: 3 Do nothing through selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility, consider others more significant than yourselves. 4 Each should look not only to his own things, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3–4) 

From the Confessions: The Small Catechism 

The Ninth Commandment

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.

What does this mean?

We should fear and love God so that we do not plot to take our neighbors’ possessions, inheritance, or home, or obtain them through deceptive means, but assist and serve our neighbors in keeping what is theirs.

Pulling It Together: If we trust God, we are able to be interested in more than ourselves. God will take care of us, so we are freed up to take care of others. In the most basic sense, if parents only cared for themselves, who would look after the children? Parents pay attention to the needs of their children because they have set aside their own wishes. If a mother or father only looks to selfish desires, the child is abandoned. This basic understanding may be applied to one’s neighbor, the people at church, at work. What are their interests and needs? Do you know?

Prayer: Open my eyes, Lord, and my heart. Amen.

Click here for resources to learn the Ten Commandments.

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The Spiritual Realms is a nine-session Bible Study series on Heaven and Hell and places beyond this world. Specifically, the study looks at the many “place names” that are found throughout Scripture, referring to spiritual realms of existence that underlie and comprise the universe God created. This Bible Study series is a challenging one, in that it explores realities of existence beyond what we know and experience everyday.

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