CHRISTIAN QUESTIONS

For those who are about to partake of the Lord’s Supper

1. Do you believe that you are a sinner?
Yes, I believe that I am a sinner.
2. How do you know this?
I know this from the Ten Commandments, which I have not kept.
3. Are you sorry for your sins?
Yes, I am sorry that I have sinned against God.
4. What have you deserved to receive from God because of your sins?
I have deserved His anger and displeasure, temporal death, and eternal damnation.
5. Do you also hope to be saved?
Yes, this is my hope.
6. Whom do you then trust?
I trust in my dear Lord, Jesus Christ.
7. Who is Christ?
Christ is God’s Son, true God and man.
8. How many gods are there?
There is only one God, but three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
9. What has Christ done for you that you trust in Him?
He shed His blood for me and died for me on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins.
10. Did the Father also die for you?
No, the Father is God only, as is the Holy Spirit; but the Son is true God and true man; He shed His blood and died for me.
11. How do you know this?
I know this from the holy Gospel and from the words of the Sacrament and by His body and blood which are given me as a pledge in the Sacrament.
12. What are those words?
Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread; and, when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying, “Take, eat. This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way He took the cup, after supper, gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you. This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

13. Do you believe, then, that the true body and blood of Christ are in the Sacramen
Yes, I believe this.
14. What leads you to believe this?
I am moved to believe this from the word of Christ: “Take, eat, this is My body…drink of it, all of you, this is My blood.”
15. What should we do when we eat His body and drink His blood and in this way receive His pledge?
We should proclaim and remember the shedding of His blood and His death, just as He taught us, “Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
16. Why should we proclaim and remember His death?
We should do this so that we learn: (1) to believe that no creature could possibly do enough to pay for our sins – only Christ, true God and true man, could – (2) to be frightened by our sins and consider them to be great indeed; and (3) to find joy and comfort in Him, knowing that we are saved through this same faith.
17. What caused Jesus to die and do what was needed to pay for our sin
Jesus did all this because of His great love for the Father and each one of us, as the Scriptures teach: John 15:13; Romans 5:8; Galatians 2:20.
18. Finally, why do you want to go to the Sacrament?
From this I learn to believe that Christ died for my sin out of His great love for me. I also learn from Him to love God and my neighbor.
19. What should warn and move a Christian to receive the Sacrament frequently?
As far as God is concerned, a Christian should be moved by the command and promise of Christ, the Lord. As far as he himself is concerned, he should be moved by the trouble that lies heavily upon him – the very reason the command, encouragement, and promise were given.
20. But what should a person do when he or she feels no need and has no hunger and thirst for the Sacrament?
No better advice can be given to such a person than for him to put his hand on his body and feel whether he still has flesh and blood and believe what the Scriptures say about this: Galatians 5:17, 19-21; Romans 7:18.

Next, he should look around to see whether he is still in the world and remember that there will be no lack of sin and trouble, as the Scriptures say: John 15, 16; 1 John 2:15,16; 5:19.

Finally, he will certainly have the devil to contend with, who with his lies and murder day and night allows him no inner or outer peace, as the Scriptures picture him: John 8:44; Ephesians 6:10-12; 1 Peter 5:8,9; 2 Timothy 2:26.

21. But what should you do if you are sick and unable to come to the Lord’s Supper?
Then I should ask the pastor to come to me, pray with me, and administer the Sacrament to me privately.
22. When is the proper time to do this?
I should ask the pastor, not only when death is near, but early enough, before all physical and mental powers are gone.
23. Why should you do this?
I should do this to receive the assurance in the Sacrament of the body and blood that my sins are forgiven, and that salvation is mine.

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version