English

  Question 194. What do we pray for in the fifth petition? Answer. The fifth petition is, And forgive us, as we forgive our debtors. Here we first acknowledge that all of us are guilty of original and actual sin, and are debtors to God's justice. Acknowledging that neither we nor any other creature can at all repay that debt, we pray for ourselves and others, that God, by his free grace, through the obedience and atonement of Christ, understood and applied only by faith, would free us from the guilt and punishment of sin, accept us in his Beloved, and continue to bestow upon us his favor and grace. By that grace, we pray that he would forgive us our daily failings, and give us more assurance of pardon, and fill us with peace and joy. For when we have the evidence of the forgiveness of others' sins in our hearts, we are bold to ask, and encouraged to expect. "Forgive us our sins (opheilemi), as we forgive   those who sin (opheilema) against us." The Greek word ap...

  Question 193. What do we pray for in the fourth petition? Answer. The fourth petition is, Give us this day our daily bread. In this petition we acknowledge that by Adam's original sin and our own sins we have lost the right to all the blessings that come in this life, and therefore deserve to be deprived of them from God, and that they should become a curse to us when we use them; that we have no merit in them, nor can we obtain them by our own efforts, but only unlawfully desire and desire to obtain them. We pray for ourselves and others, that they and we may use lawful means, and daily wait upon the providence of God, and receive a considerable portion of the free gift, which is most agreeable to our Father in heaven; that we may be restrained from all that would hinder us from living in peace in this world, while we continue to receive it in a holy and good use. “ Give us this day our daily bread. ” This means asking for the bread of life in the kingdom of God so that the...

  Question 192. What do we pray for in the third petition? Answer. The third petition is, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This petition first acknowledges that all of us are utterly unable and unwilling to do God's will, and that we are all rebellious against His Word, murmuring and complaining against His providence, and wholly disposed to follow the will of the flesh and the devil. We pray that God, by His Holy Spirit, would remove from us all our folly, weakness, wickedness, and wickedness, and that by His grace we might know, do, and submit to His will in all things, with humility, joy, fidelity, diligence, zeal, sincerity, and steadfastness, as the angels do in heaven. "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." What Jesus tells us through the Lord's Prayer is not about what to pray for in the world. Although we are on this earth now, what we should pray for from our Father in heaven is to "pray that God will fulfill what he has planne...

  Question 191. What do we pray for in the second petition? Answer. In the second petition, Thy kingdom come, acknowledging that we and all mankind are by nature under the dominion of sin and Satan, we pray that the kingdom of sin and Satan may be destroyed, that the gospel may be spread throughout the world, that the Jews may be called, and that the full number of the Gentiles may come in. We pray that the church may be equipped with all the ministers of the word and ordinances, purified from corruption, praised and supported by worldly rulers, and that the ordinances of Christ may be purely enforced. We pray that those who are still in sin may be repented, that those who have already repented may be corrected and comforted, that faith may grow, and that Christ may reign in our hearts in this world and come again so that we may reign with Him. We also pray that God may establish the kingdom of power and work according to His good pleasure throughout the world to accomplish this ...

  Question 190. What do we pray for in the first petition? Answer. In the first petition, Hallowed be thy name, we acknowledge the utter inability and unworthiness of all men to honor God rightly, and we pray that God would enable us and others by his grace to understand, know, and highly esteem him, and his offices, attributes, ordinances, word, works, and whatever else he is pleased to make known to us; that we might glorify him in word and deed; that he would prevent and remove atheism, ignorance, idolatry, blasphemy, and whatsoever is profane to him; and that by his providence he would direct and dispose all things to his own glory. Jesus said, "Our Father in heaven (Uranus), hallowed be your name." Uranus (English heavens) means the kingdom of God in the heart. When used in the plural, it means the kingdom of God of the saints. In the hearts of disciples or saints who have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, there is a temple built in heaven, and God is in it. I...

  Question 189. What does the preface to the Lord's Prayer teach? Answer. The preface to the Lord's Prayer, which says, Our Father which art in heaven, teaches that when we pray, we are to approach God with confidence in his fatherly goodness, and in the benefit which we receive; that we are to love him with reverence and a childlike attitude, and with a right understanding of his sovereign power, majesty, and gracious condescension; and likewise when we pray with or for others. Jesus said, “ Our Father in heaven. ” This means that God is in heaven, and the one praying is on earth. This means that God and I are not one. That is why people on earth pray to God in heaven. This means the same thing as God putting Israel in Egypt. Those who pray are those who have left God and are trapped in the world. In John 17:11, Jesus prayed, "I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you. Holy Father, keep in your name those whom you have given me, tha...

  Question 188. How many parts does the Lord's Prayer have? Answer. The Lord's Prayer has three parts: the introduction, the petition, and the conclusion. The Lord's Prayer has seven parts. Jesus speaks about God's name, about God's kingdom, about the will of heaven, about heavenly food, about forgiveness of sins, about the temptation of the world's evil, and about the kingdom, power, and glory.  

  Question 187. How should the Lord's Prayer be used? Answer. The Lord's Prayer is not only a standard by which we should make other prayers, but it is also to be used as a prayer, and it must be done with other graces, such as understanding, faith, and piety, which are necessary for the proper performance of the duty of prayer. Through the Lord's Prayer, we must realize the purpose and meaning of the prayer that the saints must pray. The prayer that Jesus taught us is an example, and if we use it as a prayer, it becomes a ritual in itself. Therefore, the saints must pray while thinking about God's will through the Lord's Prayer. Matthew 6:9-13. “ Then pray this way: ‘ Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive those who debt us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power, and...

  Question 186. What rule has God given for our direction in the duty of prayer?   Answer. The whole Word of God is used as a rule of direction in the duty of prayer, but the special rule of guidance is the form of prayer which our Savior Christ taught his disciples, commonly called the Lord's Prayer. 1 Samuel 12:23 “ God forbid that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way. ” Regarding the “ sin of ceasing to pray, ” Romans 8:26 “ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness (asteneia). We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. ” Asteneia means moral weakness, frailty, illness, etc. It means that we do not know what to pray for because we are sick. Unspeakable groans are God ’ s prayer. This happens to those who listen to the Word. Prayer begins with listening to the Word of God, and is a process of learning Go...

  Question 185. How should we pray? Answer. We should pray with a solemn understanding of God's majesty, with a deep sense of our own unworthiness, poverty, and sin, with repentance, with a grateful and open heart, with understanding, faith, sincerity, zeal, love, and charity, and with humble submission to His will. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, the Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Just as believers eat food every day to sustain life, we must pray every day for spiritual life. You may think that prayer is about closing your eyes and praying to God, but reading the Bible, meditating, and seeking God ’ s will are also part of prayer. Jeremiah 29:12-13 “ Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. ” When the memory of sin comes to mind, the saint should shout, “ I die every day, ” and be thankful and believe that he is free from sin. Mark 11:24 "Therefore I tell yo...

  Question 184. What shall we pray for? Answer. We shall pray for the glory of God, the peace of the church, and the good of ourselves and others, but we shall not pray for anything unlawful. Most of the prayers of believers today are imitating the prayers of the Jews in the synagogues of the time of the Law. They pray in a hypocritical manner while others watch. Matthew 6:5 "And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites do, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward." Today, believers must pray for the establishment of the kingdom of God on this earth. It is to pray for the destruction of the old temple built in the hearts of sinners, the establishment of a new temple, and the presence of Christ in it. So that sinners become the kingdom of God. This is the most important reason for the gospel. Of course, while living in the world, we must pray for the peace...

  Question 183. For whom shall we pray? Answer. We are to pray for the whole church of Christ upon the earth, for rulers and ministers, for ourselves and our brethren, and for our enemies, for all kinds of people, living or who shall live, but not for the dead, or for those who are known to have sinned unto death. First, the saints must pray for themselves. The saints must pray for the fullness of the Holy Spirit so that they do not follow the flesh in spiritual battles. And the saints must pray so that they know the will of Christ in their hearts and live according to their calling. Second, we must pray for our brothers. Brothers are those who are in the church community. If those brothers are caught up in wrong doctrines or beliefs, the saints must pray for them to be free from their wrongdoings. Third, the saints must pray for their neighbors. The neighbors are all those who are not in God. Therefore, they must pray so that they can proclaim the gospel to those who are n...

  Question 182. How does the Holy Spirit help us in prayer? Answer. Since we do not know what we ought to pray for, the Holy Spirit helps us in our infirmity, by giving us an understanding of what and how to pray for, and by working and quickening in our hearts the understanding, affections, and graces necessary for the right performance of that duty (though not to all or at all times in the same measure). Romans 8:26-27 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Since the saints are in the world, they are physically weak and have to fight against the fleshly mind. The Holy Spirit knows the saints ’ difficulties, so He guides them to the spiritual mind to avoid the difficulties. The Holy Spirit is the...

  Question 181. Why should we pray in the name of Christ? Answer. Because of the sinfulness of man and the great distance that this has created between God and man, no one can approach God without a mediator. Since there is no one in heaven or earth appointed or fit for that glorious work but Christ alone, we cannot pray in any other name, but only in his name. All prayers must be prayed to God through Jesus Christ. Otherwise, the result may be praying to a god of one's own choice. The name of Jesus is the channel that connects to God through Christ. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Jesus Christ is the mediator who acts as the lawyer and the judge. If one does not pray to Jesus Christ, there is no benefit of mediation and there is no escape from the law. If believers do not pray to Jesus Christ, they cannot solve the problem of sin, they cannot reach God, and they are only working in ...