Gebet um den rechten Glauben
A Petition for Living Faith
The prayer asks God to plant, sustain, and mature a true knowledge of Christ in the believer's heart.
Lord, almighty God, Father of lights, with whom there is no change and no shifting of light and darkness, from whom every good and perfect gift comes down to us: I ask you, since faith is not given to everyone, that through your Holy Spirit you would plant a true knowledge of your Son Jesus Christ in my heart, keep it there, and increase it day by day, so that I may be filled with the knowledge of your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, and so walk in a way worthy of you, fully pleasing to you, be fruitful in every good work, and grow in those works according to your glorious power, with all patience and long-suffering, and with joy.✦✦✦ Give me strength, according to the riches of your glory, to be made strong in my inner self through your Spirit, and for Christ to dwell in my heart through faith.✦ O dear God! Since no one knows your Son except you, Father, and no one knows you, Father, except that same Son of yours and those to whom he is willing to reveal it: I ask you, draw me to him, and let him draw me to you.✦✦ Give me the knowledge of salvation found in the forgiveness of sins.✦ Come to the aid of my weak faith, which is as small as a mustard seed, so that it may grow, and so that I may be rooted and built up in you, and stand firm and unshaken.✦✦ Gracious God, you who have kindled the little spark of faith in us and begun the good work in us: I cry out to you, asking that you would also bring it to completion until the end, so that we may grow richer and richer in every kind of knowledge and experience, and so be pure and without offense until the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness that come through Christ Jesus, to the honor and praise of God.✦✦1 Preserve what you have worked in us, so that we may fight the good fight, keep the faith and a good conscience, and not, when overthrown in the cross and in trial, suffer shipwreck of the faith.✦2
Steadfastness and Active Love
The prayer concludes by asking for protection against error and for a faith that manifests in active love and salvation.
Therefore keep me, my God, so that I am not led astray among the many errors, divisions, and heresies of this world. Guard me from superstition and every false worship, and keep me from going astray or doubting any article of the faith.3 Along with that, give me also grace, that this same faith of mine may not be dead, without works, or powerless, but active and at work, breaking out through love, so that I may obtain the goal of faith—namely, the salvation of the soul.4 Amen.
Read the original Latin
Herr, allmächtiger Gott, ein Vater des Lichts, bei welchem keine Veränderung noch Wechsel des Lichts und der Finsternis ist, von dem alle guten und vollkommenen Gaben zu uns herabkommen, ich bitte dich, weil der Glaube nicht jedermanns Ding ist, du wollest durch deinen Heiligen Geist rechtschaffene Erkenntnis deines Sohnes Jesu Christi in meinem Herzen pflanzen und erhalten, auch von Tag zu Tag mehren, dass ich erfüllet werde mit Erkenntnis deines Willens in allerlei geistlicher Weisheit und Verstand, auf dass ich würdig wandele dir zu allem Gefallen, und fruchtbar sei in allen guten Werken, und wachse in denselben nach deiner herrlichen Macht in aller Geduld und Langmütigkeit mit Freuden. Gib mir Kraft, nach dem Reichtum deiner Herrlichkeit stark zu werden an dem inwendigen Menschen durch deinen Geist und Christum zu wohnen durch den Glauben in meinem Herzen. O lieber Gott! Dieweil niemand deinen Sohn kennt denn nur du, Vater, und niemand kennet dich, Vater, denn nur derselbige dein Sohn, und wem er es will offenbaren; so bitte ich dich, ziehe du mich zu ihm, und er ziehe mich zu dir. Gib mir Erkenntnis des Heils, die da ist in Vergebung der Sünden. Komme zu Hilfe meinem schwachen Glauben, der so klein ist wie ein Senfkorn, auf dass er zunehme, und ich in dir eingewurzelt und erbauet, dazu fest und unbeweglich sei. Frommer Gott, der du das Fünklein des Glaubens in uns angezündet und das gute Werk in uns angefangen hast, ich schreie zu dir, du wollest es auch vollführen bis an das Ende, dass wir je mehr und mehr reich werden in allerlei Erkenntnis und Erfahrung, auf dass wir seien lauter und unanstößig bis auf den Tag Christi, erfüllet mit Früchten der Gerechtigkeit, die geschehen durch Christum Jesum zu Ehren und Lob Gottes. Erhalte, was du in uns gewirkt hast, auf dass wir eine gute Ritterschaft üben, Glauben und ein gut Gewissen bewahren und nicht etwa in Kreuz und Anfechtung umgestoßen, am Glauben Schiffbruch möchten erleiden.
Derhalben behüte mich, mein Gott, dass ich unter so viel Irrtümern, Spaltungen und Ketzereien dieser Welt nicht verführet werde. Bewahre mich vor Aberglauben und allem falschen Gottesdienst, und dass ich in keinem Artikel irre und zweifele. Dazu so gib auch Gnade, dass derselbe mein Glaube nicht tot, werklos oder unkräftig sei, sondern tätig und geschäftig, der durch die Liebe ausbreche, auf dass ich das Ende des Glaubens davon bringe, nämlich der Seelen Seligkeit. Amen.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Jas.1.17 — Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
- ↩2Thess.3.2 — and that we may be rescued from wicked and perverse people; for not all have faith.
- ↩Col.1.9-Col.1.11 — For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, Col.1.10 — so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God— Col.1.11 — being strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and patience with joy,
- ↩Eph.3.16-Eph.3.17 — that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person Eph.3.17 — that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith
- ↩Matt.11.27 — All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
- ↩John.6.44 — No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.
- ↩Luke.1.77 — to give knowledge of salvation to his people through the forgiveness of their sins,
- ↩Matt.17.20 — And he said to them, 'Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move. And nothing will be impossible for you.'
- ↩Col.2.7 — rooted and being built up in him, and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
- ↩Phil.1.6 — I am confident of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
- ↩Phil.1.9-Phil.1.11 — And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, Phil.1.10 — so that you may test what truly matters, and be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, Phil.1.11 — filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God
- ↩1Tim.1.18-1Tim.1.19 — I entrust this charge to you, child Timothy, in accordance with the prophecies that previously pointed to you, so that by them you may wage the good warfare, 1Tim.1.19 — holding faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have shipwrecked their faith.
Notes
- 1 ↩"Frommer Gott" rendered as "Gracious God" for natural modern prayer address; Early NHG fromm of God can also shade toward kind/faithful rather than human "pious".
- 2 ↩"eine gute Ritterschaft üben" follows Luther's martial rendering of the Pauline 'good warfare' (1 Tim 1:18); rendered as "fight the good fight" for natural modern English while keeping the martial force.
- 3 ↩"Artikel" is the confessional language of an article of faith (dogmatic point), not a written item in general.
- 4 ↩"werklos" rendered "without works" to keep the classic faith/works contrast; "fruitless" is a close plain-English alternative. "geschäftig" is kept as industrious activity ("at work"), not mere busyness.
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