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The Heidelberg Catechism
Pastor's
introduction
Shortcuts
The First
Part: Our Sin and Misery (Lord's
Day 1-4)
The Second
Part: Our Deliverance
Lord's Day
05,
06,
07,
08,
09,
10,
11,
12,
13,
14,
15,
16,
17,
18,
19
Lord's Day
20,
21,
22,
23,
24,
25,
26,
27,
28,
29,
30,
31
The Third
Part: Our Thankfulness (Lord's
Day 32-52)
The Heidelberg
Catechism and bible references are reproduced here with grateful thanks to the Theological
College of Canadian Reformed Churches www.canrc.org.
Sermon notes and other information are by the
Revd Peter G Michell
M Theol., pastor of Iden Green
Congregational Church.
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LORD'S DAY 5
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12
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Since, according to God's righteous judgment we deserve temporal and
eternal punishment, how can we escape this punishment and be again
received into favour?
God demands that His justice be satisfied.1
Therefore we must make full payment, either by ourselves or through
another.2
1 Exodus
20:5; 23:7; Romans
2:1-11.
2 Isaiah 53:11;
Roman 8:3, 4.
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13
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Can we by ourselves make this payment?
Certainly not. On the contrary, we daily increase our debt.1
1 Psalm
130:3; Matthew
6:12; Romans
2:4-5.
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14
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Can any mere creature pay for us?
No. In the first place, God will not punish another creature for the sin
which man has committed.1 Furthermore, no mere
creature can sustain the burden of God's eternal wrath against sin and
deliver others from it.2
1 Ezekiel
18:4, 20; Hebrews
2:14-18.
2 Psalm 130:3;
Nahum 1:6.
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15
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What kind of mediator and deliverer must we seek?
One who is a true1 and righteous2
man, and yet more powerful than all creatures; that is, one who is at
the same time true God.3
1 1
Corinthians 15:21; Hebrews
2:17.
2 Isaiah 53:9;
2 Corinthians 5:21;
Hebrews 7:26.
3 Isaiah 7:14;
9:6; Jeremiah
23:6; John 1:1;
Romans 8:3-4.
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16
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Why must He be a true and righteous man?
He must be a true man because the justice of God requires that the same
human nature which has sinned should pay for sin.1
He must be a righteous man because one who himself is a sinner cannot
pay for others.2
1
Romans
5:12, 15; 1
Corinthians 15:21; Hebrews
2:14-16.
2 Hebrews
7:26, 27; 1
Peter 3:18.
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17
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Why must He at the same time
be true God?
He must be true God so that by the
power of His divine nature1 He might bear in
His human nature the burden of God's wrath,2
and might obtain for us and restore to us righteousness and life.3
1
Isaiah 9:6.
2 Deuteronomy
4:24; Nahum 1:6;
Psalm 130:3.
3 Isaiah
53:5, 11; John
3:16; 2
Corinthians 5:21. |
18
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But who is that Mediator who
at the same time is true God and a true and righteous man?
Our Lord Jesus Christ,1
whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and
redemption (1
Corinthians 1:30).
1
Matthew 1:21-23;
Luke 2:11;
1 Timothy 2:5;
3:16. |
19
|
From where do you know this?
From the holy gospel, which God
Himself first revealed in Paradise.1 Later, He
had it proclaimed by the patriarchs2 and
prophets,3 and foreshadowed by the sacrifices
and other ceremonies of the law.4 Finally, He
had it fulfilled through His only Son.5
1
Genesis 3:15.
2 Genesis 12:3;
22:18;
49:10.
3 Isaiah 53;
Jeremiah 23:5, 6;
Micah 7:18-20;
Acts 10:43;
Hebrews 1:1.
4 Leviticus 1-7;
John 5:46;
Hebrews 10:1-10.
5 Romans 10:4;
Galatians 4:4, 5;
Colossians 2:17. |
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20
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Are all men, then, saved by Christ
just as they perished through Adam?
No. Only those are saved who by a true
faith are grafted into Christ and accept all His benefits.1
1
Matthew 7:14;
John 1:12;
John 3:16,
18, 36;
Romans 11:16-21. |
21
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What is true faith?
True faith is a sure knowledge whereby
I accept as true all that God has revealed to us in His Word.1
At the same time it is a firm confidence2 that
not only to others, but also to me,3 God has
granted forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness, and salvation,4
out of mere grace, only for the sake of Christ's merits.5
This faith the Holy Spirit works in my heart by the gospel.6
1
John 17:3, 17;
Hebrews 11:1-3;
James 2:19.
2 Roman
4:18-21; 5:1;
10:10;
Hebrews 4:16.
3 Galatians
2:20.
4 Romans 1:17;
Hebrews 10:10.
5 Romans
3:20-26;
Galatians 2:16;
Ephesians 2:8-10.
6 Acts 16:14;
Romans 1:16;
10:17;
1 Corinthians
1:21. |
22
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What, then, must a Christian believe?
All that is promised us in the gospel,1
which the articles of our catholic and undoubted Christian faith teach
us in a summary.
1
Matthew 28:19;
John 20:30, 31 |
23
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What are these articles?
- I believe in God the Father almighty,
- Creator of heaven and earth.
- I believe in Jesus Christ,
- His only-begotten Son, our Lord;
- He was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
- born of the virgin Mary;
- suffered under Pontius Pilate,
- was crucified, dead, and buried;
- He descended into hell.
- On the third day He arose from the dead;
- He ascended into heaven,
- and sits at the right hand
- of God the Father almighty;
- from there He will come to judge
- the living and the dead.
- I believe in the Holy Spirit;
- I believe a holy catholic Christian church,
- the communion of saints;
- the forgiveness of sins;
- the resurrection of the body;
- and the life everlasting. Amen.
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24
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How are these articles divided?
Into three parts: the first is about
God the Father and our creation; the second about God the Son and our
redemption; the third about God the Holy Spirit and our sanctification.
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25
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Since there is only one God,1
why do you speak of three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
Because God has so revealed Himself in
His Word2 that these three distinct persons
are the one, true, eternal God.
1
Deuteronomy 6:4;
Isaiah 44:6;
45:5;
1 Corinthians
8:4, 6.
2 Genesis
1:2, 3; Isaiah
61:1; 63:8-10;
Matthew 3:16, 17;
28:18, 19;
Luke 4:18;
John 14:26;
15:26;
2 Corinthians
13:14; Galatians
4:6; Titus
3:5, 6. |
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26
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What do you believe when you say: I
believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?
That the eternal Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and all that
is in them,1 and who still upholds and governs
them by His eternal counsel and providence,2
is, for the sake of Christ His Son, my God and my Father.3
In Him I trust so completely as to have no doubt that He will provide me
with all things necessary for body and soul,4
and will also turn to my good whatever adversity He sends me in this
life of sorrow.5 He is able to do so as
almighty God,6 and willing also as a faithful
Father.7
1
Genesis 1 and 2;
Exodus 20:11;
Job 38 and
39; Psalm 33:6;
Isaiah 44:24;
Acts 4:24;
14:15.
2 Psalm
104:27-30;
Matthew 6:30;
10:29; Ephesians
1:11.
3 John
1:12, 13;
Romans 8:15, 16;
Galatians 4:4-7;
Ephesians 1:5.
4 Psalm 55:22;
Matthew 6:25, 26;
Luke 12:22-31.
5 Romans 8:28.
6 Genesis
18:14; Romans
8:31-39.
7 Mathew
6:32, 33;
7:9-11. |
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LORD'S DAY 10
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27
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What do you understand by the
providence of God?
God's providence is His almighty and
ever present power,1 whereby, as with His
hand, He still upholds heaven and earth and all creatures,2
and so governs them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and
barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty,3
indeed, all things, come to us not by chance4
but by His fatherly hand.5
1
Jeremiah 23:23,
24; Acts
17:24-28.
2 Hebrews 1:3.
3 Jeremiah
5:24; Acts
14:15-17; John 9:3;
Proverbs 22:2.
4 Proverbs
16:33.
5 Matthew
10:29. |
28
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What does it benefit us to know that
God has created all things and still upholds them by His providence?
We can be patient in adversity,1
thankful in prosperity,2 and with a view to
the future we can have a firm confidence in our faithful God and Father
that no creature shall separate us from His love;3
for all creatures are so completely in His hand that without His will
they cannot so much as move.4
1
Job 1:21, 22;
Psalm 39:10;
James 1:3.
2 Deuteronomy
8:10; 1
Thessalonians 5:18.
3 Psalm 55:22;
Romans 5:3-5;
8:38, 39.
4 Job 1:12;
2:6;
Proverbs 21:1;
Acts 17:24-28. |
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29
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Why is the Son of God called Jesus,
that is, Saviour?
Because He saves us from all our sins,1
and because salvation is not to be sought or found in anyone else.2
1
Matthew 1:21;
Hebrews 7:25.
2 Isaiah 43:11;
John 15:4, 5;
Acts 4:11, 12;
1 Timothy 2:5. |
30
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Do those who seek their salvation or
well-being in saints, in themselves, or anywhere else, also believe in
the only Saviour Jesus?
No. Though they boast of Him in words,
they in fact deny the only Saviour Jesus.1 For
one of two things must be true: either Jesus is not a complete Saviour,
or those who by true faith accept this Saviour must find in Him all that
is necessary for their salvation.2
1
1 Corinthians
1:12, 13;
Galatians 5:4.
2
Colossians 1:19, 20;
2:10;
1 John 1:7. |
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31
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Why is He called Christ, that is,
Anointed?
Because He has been ordained by God
the Father, and anointed with the Holy Spirit,1
to be our chief Prophet and Teacher,2 who has
fully revealed to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our
redemption;3 our only High Priest,4
who by the one sacrifice of His body has redeemed us,5
and who continually intercedes for us before the Father;6
and our eternal King,7 who governs us by His
Word and Spirit, and who defends and preserves us in the redemption
obtained for us.8
1
Psalm 45:7
(Heb
1:9);
Isaiah 61:1 (Luke
4:18);
Luke 3:21,22.
2
Deuteronomy 18:15
(Acts 3:22)
3 John 1:18;
15:15.
4
Psalm 110:4
(Heb 7:17)
5 Hebrews 9:12;
10:11-14.
6 Romans 8:34;
Hebrews 9:24;
1 John 2:1.
7
Zechariah 9:9
(Mt 21:5);
Luke 1:33.
8 Matthew
28:18-20; John
10:28;
Revelation 12:10,11. |
32
|
Why are you called a Christian?
Because I am a member of Christ by
faith1 and thus share in His anointing,2
so that I may as prophet confess His Name,3 as
priest present myself a living sacrifice of thankfulness to Him,4
and as king fight with a free and good conscience against sin and the
devil in this life,5 and hereafter reign with
Him eternally over all creatures.6
1
1 Corinthians
12:12-27.
2
Joel 2:28
(Acts 2:17);
1 John 2:27.
3 Matthew
10:32;
Romans 10:9, 10;
Hebrews 13:15.
4 Romans 12:1;
1 Peter 2:5,9.
5
Galatians 5:16,17;
Ephesians 6:11;
1 Timothy
1:18,19.
6 Matthew
25:34; 2
Timothy 2:12. |
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33
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Why is He called God's only-begotten
Son, since we also are children of God?
Because Christ alone is the eternal,
natural Son of God.1 We, however, are children
of God by adoption, through grace, for Christ's sake.2
1
John 1:1-3,
14, 18; 3:16;
Romans 8:32;
Hebrews 1;
1 John 4:9.
2 John 1:12;
Romans 8:14-17;
Galatians 4:6;
Ephesians 1:5, 6. |
34
|
Why do you call Him our Lord?
Because He has ransomed us, body and
soul,1 from all our sins, not with silver or
gold but with His precious blood,2 and has
freed us from all the power of the devil to make us His own possession.3
1
1 Corinthians 6:20;
1 Timothy 2:5,
6.
2 1
Peter 1:18, 19.
3
Colossians 1:13, 14;
Hebrews 2:14,
15. |
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35
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What do you confess when you say: He
was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary?
The eternal Son of God, who is and
remains true and eternal God,1 took upon
Himself true human nature from the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary,2
through the working of the Holy Spirit.3 Thus
He is also the true seed of David,4 and like
His brothers in every respect,5 yet without
sin.6
1
John 1:1;
10:30-36;
Romans 1:3;
9:5;
Colossians
1:15-17; 1 John
5:20.
2 Matthew
1:18-23; John
1:14; Galatians
4:4; Hebrews
2:14.
3 Luke 1:35.
4 2
Samuel 7:12-16;
Psalm 132:11;
Matthew 1:1; Luke
1:32; Romans 1:3.
5 Philemon 2:7;
Hebrews 2:17.
6 Hebrews 4:15;
7:26, 27. |
36
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What benefit do you receive from the
holy conception and birth of Christ?
He is our Mediator,1
and with His innocence and perfect holiness covers, in the sight of God,
my sin, in which I was conceived and born.2
1
1 Timothy 2:5, 6;
Hebrews 9:13-15.
2 Romans
8:3, 4; 2
Corinthians 5:21;
Galatians 4:4, 5;
1 Peter 1:18,
19. |
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LORD'S DAY 15
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37
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What do you confess when you say that
He suffered?
During all the time He lived on earth,
but especially at the end, Christ bore in body and soul the wrath of God
against the sin of the whole human race.1
Thus, by His suffering, as the only atoning sacrifice,2
He has redeemed our body and soul from everlasting damnation,3
and obtained for us the grace of God, righteousness, and eternal life.4
1
Isaiah 53;
1 Timothy 2:6;
1 Peter 2:24;
3:18.
2 Romans 3:25;
1 Corinthians 5:7;
Ephesians 5:2;
Hebrews 10:14;
1 John 2:2;
4:10.
3 Romans
8:1-4; Galatians
3:13; Colossians
1:13; Hebrews
9:12; 1
Peter 1:18, 19.
4 John 3:16;
Romans 3:24-26;
2 Corinthians 5:21;
Hebrews 9:15. |
38
|
Why did He suffer under Pontius
Pilate as judge?
Though innocent, Christ was condemned
by an earthly judge,1 and so He freed us from
the severe judgment of God that was to fall on us.2
1
Luke 23:13-24;
John 19:4,
12-16.
2 Isaiah
53:4, 5; 2
Corinthians 5:21;
Galatians 3:13. |
39
|
Does it have a special meaning that
Christ was crucified and did not die in a different way?
Yes. Thereby I am assured that He took
upon Himself the curse which lay on me, for a crucified one was cursed
by God.1
1
Deuteronomy 21:23;
Galatians 3:13. |
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LORD'S DAY 16
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40
|
Why was it necessary for Christ to
humble Himself even unto death?
Because of the justice and truth of
God1 satisfaction for our sins could be made
in no other way than by the death of the Son of God.2
1
Genesis 2:17.
2 Romans 8:3;
Philemon 2:8;
Hebrews 2:9,
14, 15. |
41
|
Why was He buried?
His burial testified that He had
really died.1
1
Isaiah 53:9;
John 19:38-42;
Acts 13:29;
1 Corinthians
15:3,4. |
42
|
Since Christ has died for us, why do
we still have to die?
Our death is not a payment for our
sins, but it puts an end to sin and is an entrance into eternal life.1
1
John 5:24;
Philemon 1:21-23;
1
Thessalonians 5:9, 10. |
43
|
What further benefit do we receive
from Christ's sacrifice and death on the cross?
Through Christ's death our old nature
is crucified, put to death, and buried with Him,1
so that the evil desires of the flesh may no longer reign in us,2
but that we may offer ourselves to Him as a sacrifice of thankfulness.3
1
Romans 6:5-11;
Colossians 2:11,
12.
2 Romans
6:12-14.
3 Romans 12:1;
Ephesians 5:1, 2. |
44
|
Why is there added: He descended into
hell?
In my greatest sorrows and temptations
I may be assured and comforted that my Lord Jesus Christ, by His
unspeakable anguish, pain, terror, and agony, which He endured
throughout all His sufferings1 but especially
on the cross, has delivered me from the anguish and torment of hell.2
1
Psalm 18:5, 6;
116:3;
Matthew 26:36-46;
27:45, 46;
Hebrews 5:7-10.
2 Isaiah 53. |
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LORD'S DAY 17
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45
|
How does Christ's resurrection
benefit us?
First, by His resurrection He has
overcome death, so that He could make us share in the righteousness
which He had obtained for us by His death.1
Second, by His power we too are raised up to a new life.2
Third, Christ's resurrection is to us a sure pledge of our glorious
resurrection.3
1
Romans 4:25;
1 Corinthians
15:16-20; 1
Peter 1:3-5.
2 Romans
6:5-11;
Ephesians 2:4-6;
Colossians 3:1-4.
3 Romans 8:11;
1 Corinthians
15:12-23;
Philemon 3:20, 21. |
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LORD'S DAY 18
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46
|
What do you confess when you say, He
ascended into heaven?
That Christ, before the eyes of His
disciples, was taken up from the earth into heaven,1
and that He is there for our benefit2 until He
comes again to judge the living and the dead.3
1
Mark 16:19;
Luke 24:50, 51;
Acts 1:9-11.
2 Romans 8:34;
Hebrews 4:14;
7:23-25;
9:24.
3 Matthew
24:30; Acts
1:11. |
47
|
Is Christ, then, not with us until
the end of the world, as He has promised us?1
Christ is true man and true God. With
respect to His human nature He is no longer on earth,2
but with respect to His divinity, majesty, grace, and Spirit He is never
absent from us.3
1
Matthew 28:20.
2 Matthew
26:11; John
16:28; 17:11;
Acts 3:19-21;
Hebrews 8:4.
3 Matthew
28:18-20;
John 14:16-19;
16:13. |
48
|
But are the two natures in Christ not
separated from each other if His human nature is not present wherever
His divinity is?
Not at all, for His divinity has no
limits and is present everywhere.1 So it must
follow that His divinity is indeed beyond the human nature which He has
taken on and nevertheless is within this human nature and remains
personally united with it.2
1
Jeremiah 23:23,
24; Acts
7:48, 49.
2 John 1:14;
3:13;
Colossians 2:9. |
49
|
How does Christ's ascension into
heaven benefit us?
First, He is our Advocate in heaven
before His Father.1 Second, we have our flesh
in heaven as a sure pledge that He, our Head, will also take us, His
members, up to Himself.2 Third, He sends us
His Spirit as a counter-pledge,3 by whose
power we seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the
right hand of God, and not the things that are on earth.4
1
Romans 8:34;
1 John 2:1.
2 John 14:2;
17:24;
Ephesians 2:4-6.
3 John 14:16;
Acts 2:33;
2 Corinthians
1:21, 22; 5:5.
4 Colossians
3:1-4. |
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LORD'S DAY 19
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50
|
Why is it added, And sits at the
right hand of God?
Christ ascended into heaven to
manifest Himself there as Head of His church,1
through whom the Father governs all things.2
1
Ephesians 1:20-23;
Colossians 1:18.
2 Matthew
28:18; John
5:22, 23. |
51
|
How does the glory of Christ, our
Head, benefit us?
First, by His Holy Spirit He pours out
heavenly gifts upon us, His members.1 Second,
by His power He defends and preserves us against all enemies.2
1
Acts 2:33;
Ephesians 4:7-12.
2 Psalm 2:9;
110:1, 2;
John 10:27-30;
Revelation
19:11-16. |
52
|
What comfort is it to you that Christ
will come to judge the living and the dead?
In all my sorrow and persecution I
lift up my head and eagerly await as judge from heaven the very same
person who before has submitted Himself to the judgment of God for my
sake, and has removed all the curse from me.1
He will cast all His and my enemies into everlasting condemnation, but
He will take me and all His chosen ones to Himself into heavenly joy and
glory.2
1
Luke 21:28;
Romans 8:22-25;
Philemon 3:20,21;
Titus 2:13, 14.
2 Matthew
25:31-46;
1
Thessalonians 4:16, 17;
2
Thessalonians 1:6-10. |
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God the Holy Spirit
and our Sanctification
LORD'S DAY 20
Sermon notes |
53
|
What do you believe concerning the
Holy Spirit?
First, He is, together with the Father
and the Son, true and eternal God.1 Second, He
is also given to me,2 to make me by true faith
share in Christ and all His benefits,3 to
comfort me,4 and to remain with me forever.5
1
Genesis 1:1, 2;
Matthew 28:19;
Acts 5:3, 4;
1 Corinthians
3:16.
2 1
Corinthians 6:19;
2
Corinthians
1:21, 22;
Galatians 4:6;
Ephesians 1:13.
3 Galatians
3:14; 1 Peter
1:2.
4 John 15:26;
Acts 9:31.
5 John
14:16, 17; 1
Peter 4:14. |
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LORD'S DAY 21
Sermon notes |
54
|
What do you believe concerning the
holy catholic Christian church?
I believe that the Son of God,1
out of the whole human race,2 from the
beginning of the world to its end,3 gathers,
defends, and preserves for Himself, 4 by His
Spirit and Word,5 in the unity of the true
faith,6 a church chosen to everlasting life.7
And I believe that I am8 and forever shall
remain a living member of it.9
1
John 10:11;
Acts 20:28;
Ephesians 4:11-13;
Colossians 1:18.
2 Genesis 26:4;
Revelation 5:9.
3 Isaiah 59:21;
1 Corinthians
11:26.
4 Psalm
129:1-5; Matthew
16:18; John
10:28-30.
5 Romans 1:16;
10:14-17;
Ephesians 5:26.
6 Acts
2:42-47;
Ephesians 4:1-6.
7 Romans 8:29;
Ephesians 1:3-14.
8 1
John 3:14, 19-21.
9 Psalm 23:6;
John 10:27, 28;
1 Corinthians
1:4-9; 1
Peter 1:3-5. |
55
|
What do you understand by the
communion of saints?
First, that believers, all and
everyone, as members of Christ have communion with Him and share in all
His treasures and gifts.1 Second, that
everyone is duty-bound to use his gifts readily and cheerfully for the
benefit and well-being of the other members.2
1
Romans 8:32;
1 Corinthians 6:17;
12:4-7,
12, 13; 1 John
1:3.
2 Romans
12:4-8; 1
Corinthians 12:20-27;
13:1-7;
Philemon 2:4-8. |
56
|
What do you believe concerning the
forgiveness of sins?
I believe that God, because of
Christ's satisfaction, will no more remember my sins,1
nor my sinful nature, against which I have to struggle all my life,2
but will graciously grant me the righteousness of Christ, that I may
never come into condemnation.3
1
Psalm
103:3, 4, 10, 12;
Micah 7:18, 19;
2 Corinthians
5:18-21; 1 John
1:7; 2:2.
2 Romans
7:21-25.
3 John
3:17, 18; 5:24;
Romans 8:1, 2.
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LORD'S DAY 22
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What comfort does the resurrection of
the body offer you?
Not only shall my soul after this life
immediately be taken up to Christ, my Head,1
but also this my flesh, raised by the power of Christ, shall be reunited
with my soul and made like Christ's glorious body.2
1
Luke 16:22;
23:43;
Philemon
1:21-23.
2 Job
19:25, 26;
1
Corinthians 15:20, 42-46, 54;
Philemon 3:21;
1 John 3:2. |
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What comfort do you receive from the
article about the life everlasting?
Since I now already feel in my heart
the beginning of eternal joy,1 I shall after
this life possess perfect blessedness, such as no eye has seen, nor ear
heard, nor the heart of man conceived - a blessedness in which to praise
God forever.2
1
John 17:3;
Romans 14:17;
2 Corinthians
5:2, 3.
2 John 17:24;
1 Corinthians 2:9. |
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But what does it help you now that
you believe all this?
In Christ I am righteous before God
and heir to life everlasting.1
1
Habakkuk 2:4;
John 3:36;
Romans 1:17;
5:1, 2 |
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How are you righteous before God?
Only by true faith in Jesus Christ.1
Although my conscience accuses me that I have grievously sinned against
all God's commandments, have never kept any of them,2
and am still inclined to all evil,3 yet God,
without any merit of my own,4 out of mere
grace,5 imputes to me the perfect
satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ.6
He grants these to me as if I had never had nor committed any sin, and
as if I myself had accomplished all the obedience which Christ has
rendered for me,7 if only I accept this gift
with a believing heart.8
1
Romans 3:21-28;
Galatians 2:16;
Ephesians 2:8, 9;
Philemon 3:8-11.
2 Romans
3:9, 10.
3 Romans 7:23.
4 Deuteronomy
9:6; Ezekiel
36:22; Titus
3:4, 5.
5 Romans 3:24;
Ephesians 2:8.
6 Romans
4:3-5; 2
Corinthians 5:17-19;
1 John 2:1, 2.
7 Romans
4:24, 25; 2
Corinthians 5:21.
8 John 3:18;
Acts 16:30, 31;
Romans 3:22. |
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Why do you say that you are righteous
only by faith?
Not that I am acceptable to God on
account of the worthiness of my faith, for only the satisfaction,
righteousness, and holiness of Christ is my righteousness before God.1
I can receive this righteousness and make it my own by faith only.2
1
1 Corinthians
1:30, 31; 2:2.
2 Romans
10:10; 1
John 5:10-12. |
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LORD'S DAY 24
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But why can our good works not be our
righteousness before God, or at least a part of it?
Because the righteousness which can
stand before God's judgment must be absolutely perfect and in complete
agreement with the law of God,1 whereas even
our best works in this life are all imperfect and defiled with sin.2
1
Deuteronomy 27:26;
Galatians 3:10.
2 Isaiah 64:6. |
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But do our good works earn nothing,
even though God promises to reward them in this life and the next?1
This reward is not earned; it is a
gift of grace.2
1
Matthew 5:12;
Hebrews 11:6.
2 Luke 17:10;
2 Timothy 4:7, 8 |
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Does this teaching not make people
careless and wicked?
No. It is impossible that those
grafted into Christ by true faith should not bring forth fruits of
thankfulness.1
1
Matthew 7:18;
Luke 6:43-45;
John 15:5. |
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65
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Since then faith alone makes us share
in Christ and all His benefits, where does this faith come from?
From the Holy Spirit,1
who works it in our hearts by the preaching of the gospel,2
and strengthens it by the use of the sacraments.3
1
John 3:5;
1 Corinthians
2:10-14;
Ephesians 2:8;
Philemon 1:29.
2 Romans
10:17; 1
Peter 1:23-25.
3 Matthew
28:19, 20; 1
Corinthians 10:16. |
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What are the sacraments?
The sacraments are holy, visible signs
and seals. They were instituted by God so that by their use He might the
more fully declare and seal to us the promise of the gospel.1
And this is the promise: that God graciously grants us forgiveness of
sins and everlasting life because of the one sacrifice of Christ
accomplished on the cross.2
1
Genesis 17:11;
Deuteronomy 30:6;
Romans 4:11.
2 Matthew
26:27, 28; Acts
2:38; Hebrews
10:10. |
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Are both the Word and the sacraments
then intended to focus our faith on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the
cross as the only ground of our salvation?
Yes, indeed. The Holy Spirit teaches
us in the gospel and assures us by the sacraments that our entire
salvation rests on Christ's one sacrifice for us on the cross.1
1
Romans 6:3;
1 Corinthians
11:26; Galatians
3:27. |
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How many sacraments has Christ
instituted in the new covenant?
Two: holy baptism and the holy supper.1
1
Matthew 28:19,
20; 1
Corinthians 11:23-26. |
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How does holy baptism signify and
seal to you that the one sacrifice of Christ on the cross benefits you?
In this way: Christ instituted this
outward washing1 and with it gave the promise
that, as surely as water washes away the dirt from the body, so
certainly His blood and Spirit wash away the impurity of my soul, that
is, all my sins.2
1
Matthew 28:19.
2 Matthew 3:11;
Mark 16:16;
John 1:33;
Acts 2:38;
Romans 6:3, 4;
1 Peter 3:21. |
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What does it mean to be washed with
Christ's blood and Spirit?
To be washed with Christ's blood means
to receive forgiveness of sins from God, through grace, because of
Christ's blood, poured out for us in His sacrifice on the cross.1
To be washed with His Spirit means to be renewed by the Holy Spirit and
sanctified to be members of Christ, so that more and more we become dead
to sin and lead a holy and blameless life.2
1
Ezekiel 36:25;
Zechariah 13:1;
Ephesians 1:7;
Hebrews 12:24;
1 Peter 1:2;
Revelation 1:5;
7:14.
2 John 3:5-8;
Romans 6:4;
1 Corinthians 6:11;
Colossians 2:11,
12. |
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Where has Christ promised that He
will wash us with His blood and Spirit as surely as we are washed with
the water of baptism?
In the institution of baptism, where
He says: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.1 He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who
does not believe will be condemned. 2 . This promise is repeated where Scripture calls baptism the
washing of regeneration and the washing away of sins. 3
1
Matthew
28:19
2
Mark
16:16
3
Titus
3:5; Acts 22:16 |
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Does this outward washing with water
itself wash away sins?
No, only the blood of Jesus Christ and
the Holy Spirit cleanse us from all sins.1
1
Matthew 3:11;
1 Peter 3:21;
1 John 1:7. |
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Why then does the Holy Spirit call
baptism the washing of regeneration and the washing away of sins?
God speaks in this way for a good
reason. He wants to teach us that the blood and Spirit of Christ remove
our sins just as water takes away dirt from the body.1
But, even more important, He wants to assure us by this divine pledge
and sign that we are as truly cleansed from our sins spiritually as we
are bodily washed with water.2
1
1 Corinthians 6:11;
Revelation 1:5;
7:14.
2 Mark 16:16;
Acts 2:38;
Romans 6:3,4;
Galatians 3:27. |
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Should infants, too, be baptized?
Yes. Infants as well as adults belong
to God's covenant and congregation.1 Through
Christ's blood the redemption from sin and the Holy Spirit, who works
faith, are promised to them no less than to adults.2
Therefore, by baptism, as sign of the covenant, they must be grafted
into the Christian church and distinguished from the children of
unbelievers.3 This was done in the old
covenant by circumcision,4 in place of which
baptism was instituted in the new covenant.5
1
Genesis 17:7;
Matthew 19:14.
2 Psalm 22:10;
Isaiah 44:1-3;
Acts 2:38, 39;
16:31.
3 Acts 10:47;
1 Corinthians
7:14.
4 Genesis
17:9-14.
5
Colossians 2:11-13. |
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How does the Lord's supper signify
and seal to you that you share in Christ's one sacrifice on the cross
and in all His gifts?
In this way: Christ has commanded me
and all believers to eat of this broken bread and drink of this cup in
remembrance of Him. With this command He gave these promises:1
First, as surely as I see with my eyes the bread of the Lord broken for
me and the cup given to me, so surely was His body offered for me and
His blood poured out for me on the cross. Second, as surely as I receive
from the hand of the minister and taste with my mouth the bread and the
cup of the Lord as sure signs of Christ's body and blood, so surely does
He Himself nourish and refresh my soul to everlasting life with His
crucified body and shed blood.
1
Matthew 26:26-28;
Mark 14:22-24;
Luke 22:19, 20;
1 Corinthians
11:23-25. |
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What does it mean to eat the
crucified body of Christ and to drink His shed blood?
First, to accept with a believing
heart all the suffering and the death of Christ, and so receive
forgiveness of sins and life eternal.1 Second,
to be united more and more to His sacred body through the Holy Spirit,
who lives both in Christ and in us.2
Therefore, although Christ is in heaven3 and
we are on earth, yet we are flesh of His flesh and bone of His bones,4
and we forever live and are governed by one Spirit, as the members of
our body are by one soul.5
1
John 6:35,
40, 50-54.
2 John
6:55, 56; 1
Corinthians 12:13.
3 Acts
1:9-11; 3:21;
1 Corinthians
11:26; Colossians
3:1.
4 1
Corinthians 6:15, 17;
Ephesians 5:29,
30; 1 John
4:13.
5 John
6:56-58; 15:1-6;
Ephesians 4:15,
16; 1 John
3:24. |
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Where has Christ promised that He
will nourish and refresh believers with His body and blood as surely as
they eat of this broken bread and drink of this cup?
In the institution of the Lord's
supper: The Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, and
when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is my body which
is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way also the cup,
after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do
this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as
you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death
until He comes.1 This promise is
repeated by Paul where he says: The cup of blessing which we bless, is
it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break,
is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one
bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one
bread.2
1
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
2
1 Corinthians 10:16, 17 |
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Are then the bread and wine changed
into the real body and blood of Christ?
No. Just as the water of baptism is
not changed into the blood of Christ and is not the washing away of sins
itself but is simply God's sign and pledge,1
so also the bread in the Lord's supper does not become the body of
Christ itself,2 although it is called Christ's
body3 in keeping with the nature and usage of
sacraments.4
1
Ephesians 5:26;
Titus 3:5.
2 Matthew
26:26-29.
3 1
Corinthians 10:16, 17;
11:26-28.
4 Genesis
17:10, 11;
Exodus 12:11, 13;
1 Corinthians
10:3, 4; 1
Peter 3:21. |
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Why then does Christ call the bread
His body and the cup His blood, or the new covenant in His blood, and
why does Paul speak of a participation in the body and blood of Christ?
Christ speaks in this way for a good
reason: He wants to teach us by His supper that as bread and wine
sustain us in this temporal life, so His crucified body and shed blood
are true food and drink for our souls to eternal life.1
But, even more important, He wants to assure us by this visible sign and
pledge, first, that through the working of the Holy Spirit we share in
His true body and blood as surely as we receive with our mouth these
holy signs in remembrance of Him,2 and,
second, that all His suffering and obedience are as certainly ours as if
we personally had suffered and paid for our sins.3
1
John 6:51, 55.
2 1
Corinthians 10:16, 17;
11:26.
3 Romans
6:5-11. |
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What difference is there between the
Lord's supper and the papal mass?
The Lord's supper testifies to us,
first, that we have complete forgiveness of all our sins through the one
sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which He Himself accomplished on the cross
once for all;1 and, second, that through the
Holy Spirit we are grafted into Christ,2 who
with His true body is now in heaven at the right hand of the Father,3
and this is where He wants to be worshipped.4
But the mass teaches, first, that the living and the dead do not have
forgiveness of sins through the suffering of Christ unless He is still
offered for them daily by the priests; and, second, that Christ is
bodily present in the form of bread and wine, and there is to be
worshipped. Therefore the mass is basically nothing but a denial of the
one sacrifice and suffering of Jesus Christ, and an accursed idolatry.
1
Matthew 26:28;
John 19:30;
Hebrews 7:27;
9:12, 25, 26;
10:10-18.
2 1
Corinthians 6:17;
10:16,17.
3 John 20:17;
Acts 7:55,56;
Hebrews 1:3;
8:1.
4 John
4:21-24;
Philemon 3:20;
Colossians 3:1;
1 Thessalonians
1:10. |
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Who are to come to the table of the
Lord?
Those who are truly displeased with
themselves because of their sins and yet trust that these are forgiven
them and that their remaining weakness is covered by the suffering and
death of Christ, and who also desire more and more to strengthen their
faith and amend their life. But hypocrites and those who do not repent
eat and drink judgment upon themselves.1
1
1 Corinthians
10:19-22;
11:26-32. |
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Are those also to be admitted to the
Lord's supper who by their confession and life show that they are
unbelieving and ungodly?
No, for then the covenant of God would
be profaned and His wrath kindled against the whole congregation.1
Therefore, according to the command of Christ and His apostles, the
Christian church is duty-bound to exclude such persons by the keys of
the kingdom of heaven, until they amend their lives.
1
Psalm 50:16;
Isaiah 1:11-17;
1 Corinthians
11:17-34. |
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LORD'S DAY
31
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83
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What are the keys of the kingdom of
heaven?
The preaching of the holy gospel and
church discipline. By these two the kingdom of heaven is opened to
believers and closed to unbelievers.1
1
Matthew 16:19;
John 20:21-23. |
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How is the kingdom of heaven opened
and closed by the preaching of the gospel?
According to the command of Christ,
the kingdom of heaven is opened when it is proclaimed and publicly
testified to each and every believer that God has really forgiven all
their sins for the sake of Christ's merits, as often as they by true
faith accept the promise of the gospel. The kingdom of heaven is closed
when it is proclaimed and testified to all unbelievers and hypocrites
that the wrath of God and eternal condemnation rest on them as long as
they do not repent. According to this testimony of the gospel, God will
judge both in this life and in the life to come.1
1
Matthew 16:19;
John 3:31-36;
20:21-23. |
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How is the kingdom of heaven closed
and opened by church discipline?
According to the command of Christ,
people who call themselves Christians but show themselves to be
un-Christian in doctrine or life are first repeatedly admonished in a
brotherly manner. If they do not give up their errors or wickedness,
they are reported to the church, that is, to the elders. If they do not
heed also their admonitions, they are forbidden the use of the
sacraments, and they are excluded by the elders from the Christian
congregation, and by God Himself from the kingdom of Christ.1
They are again received as members of Christ and of the church when they
promise and show real amendment.2
1
Matthew 18:15-20;
1 Corinthians
5:3-5; 11-13;
2
Thessalonians 3:14, 15.
2 Luke
15:20-24; 2
Corinthians 2:6-11. |
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The Third
Part: Our Thankfulness >>> |
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