Baltimore Catechism No. 4 (of 4) | Page 9

the three and a half years of His
public life; they went with Him and learned from Him wherever He
preached. Besides these He had also His disciples, i.e., followers who
went with Him frequently but did not live with Him. Our Lord wished
His doctrine to be taught to all the people of the world, and so He told

His Apostles that they must go over the whole world and preach in
every country. During the life of Our Lord and for a short time after His
death they preached in only one country, viz., Palestine--now called the
Holy Land--in which country the Jews, up to that time God's chosen
people, lived. Since the Apostles were to preach to all nations, the time
came when they must separate, one going to one country, and another
to another. In those days there were no steamboats or railroads, no post
offices, telegraph offices, telephones, or newspapers. If the Apostles
wished to communicate with anyone they had either to go to the place
themselves or send a messenger. By walking or riding it might have
taken them months or years in those days to make a journey that we can
make now in a few days; and for an answer to a message which we can
get now by telegraph in a few hours they might have had to wait
months. The Apostles knew of all these inconveniences, and before
leaving the places they were in pointed out the chief truths that all
should know and believe before receiving Baptism, that Christian
teachers who should come after them might neglect nothing--just as we
use catechisms containing the truths of religion, for fear the teachers
might forget to speak of some of them. There are "twelve articles" or
parts in the Apostles' Creed, and each part is meant to refute some false
doctrine taught before the time of the Apostles or while they lived.
Thus there were those--as the Romans--who said there were many gods;
others said not God, but the devil created the earth; others taught that
Our Lord was not the Son of God: and so on for the rest. All these false
doctrines are denied and the truth professed when we say the Apostles'
Creed.
Just as in the Lord's Prayer we do not see all its meaning at first, so in
the Apostles' Creed we find many beautiful things only after thinking
carefully over every word it contains.
"I believe," without the slightest doubt or suspicion that I might be
wrong.
"In God" by the grace that He gives me to believe and have full
confidence in Him.
"God," to show that there is only one.
"The Father," because He brought everything into existence and keeps
it so (see Explanation of the Lord's Prayer).
"Almighty," i.e., having all might or power; because He can do

whatever He wishes. He can make or destroy by merely wishing.
"Creator." To create means to make out of nothing. God alone can
create. When a carpenter makes a table, he must have wood; when a
tailor makes a coat, he must have cloth. They are only makers and not
creators. God needs no material or tools. When we make anything, we
make it part by part; but God makes the whole at once. He simply wills
and it is made. Thus He said in the beginning of the world: "Let there
be light; and light was made." For example, suppose I wanted a piano.
If I could say, "Let there be a piano" and it immediately sprang up
without any other effort on my part, although neither the wood, the iron,
the wire, the ivory, nor anything else in it ever existed till I said, "Let
there be a piano," then it could be said I created a piano. No one could
do this, for God alone has such power.
"Heaven and earth" and everything we can see or know of.
"Jesus Christ." Our Lord is called by many names, but you must not be
confused by them, for they all mean the same person, and are given
only to remind us of some particular thing connected with Our Lord.
He is called "Jesus," which signifies Saviour, and "Christ," which
means anointed. He is called the "Second Person of the Blessed
Trinity," and when we call Him "Our Lord," we mean the Second
Person of the Blessed Trinity after He became man. He is called the
"Messias" and the "Son of David" to show that He is the Redeemer
promised to the Jews. Also at the end of all our litanies He is called the
"Lamb of God," because He was so meek and humble and suffered
death so patiently. In the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus we will find
many other beautiful