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发帖数: 6042 | 1 Bible Course - Christian Doctrine
Lesson 3
The Deliverance of Man
Lord's Day 5-7
The Deliverance of Man
Lord's Days 5 through 31 form the second part of the catechism. It consists
of questions 12 through 85, dealing with the deliverance from sin and misery
. From this aspect the first question is: Is there no way…?
Lord's Day 5
Q. 12. Since then, by the righteous judgment of God, we deserve temporal and
eternal punishment, is there no way by which we may escape that punishment,
and be again received into favor?
A. God will have His justice satisfied (a), and therefore we must make this
full satisfaction, either by ourselves, or by another (b).
(a) Genesis 2:17, Exodus 23:7, Ezekiel 18:4, Matthew 5:26, 2 Thessalonians
1:6,
Luke 16:2;
(b) Romans 8: 4.
Reconciliation through satisfaction
It is an emotional moment in the Bible story when the prodigal son said, "I
will arise and go to my Father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned
against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son
the way back. He was motivated by the misery in which he found himself, but
also by the love towards his father, which he again felt in his heart. The
name of Jesus, the Savior, the Deliverer from sin and guilt is not mentioned
in Lord's Day V. And yet that part of the catechism entitled "OF MAN'S
DELIVERANCE" correctly begins here. For when the Holy Spirit regenerates a
man, when He causes him to be born again - now in a spiritual sense - the
Spirit first works a heartfelt confession of guilt. That is the convincing
work of the Holy Spirit. He causes a man to ask for the Deliverer. He makes
room for Him in this way. The way back begins in this way, the same as with
the prodigal son.
How can a righteous God, who is justly angry against sin, forgive a guilty
man? Lord's Day 5 teaches us that there is no reconciliation possible except
by payment: the bearing of the punishment for sin. God's justice must be
satisfied. It is the mandate of an earthly judge to maintain justice. The
heavenly Judge also desires and does this. The debt must be paid, by
ourselves or by another.
Cannot God simply forgive guilt? Isn't that what is required of us too? Yes,
but we are sinful people, who must live by forgiveness. Therefore we must
simply forgive our fellowman when he asks us for forgiveness (Matthew 18:23-
25). However, God is the Holy One; He created everything perfect. He is
angry against sin -- the evil which man brought into God's creation.
Everything has to be made perfectly good again. This can only be done if the
punishment of sin has been borne. Only then will sin be completely blotted
out: reconciliation through satisfaction.
And the love toward the holy God, which the Holy Spirit works in the heart,
causes a man to agree with this! This was the case with the prodigal son.
However, then an anxious question will certainly arise!
Q. 13. Can we ourselves then make this satisfaction?
A. By no means; but on the contrary we daily increase our debt (a).
(a) Job 9:2, 15:15-16, 4:18-19; Psalm 130:3; Matthew 6:12, 18:25, 16:26.
No self-deliverance possible
Can we ourselves bear this punishment? Can we ourselves pay? The answer is
clear: By no means. Even if we decided today not to sin anymore, the old
debt would still be outstanding. And we have nothing with which to pay. The
debt cannot be paid by placing good works over against it, like all other
religions teach. For of ourselves we can no longer do good works. The Lord
Jesus once said, "What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew
16:26). Every day we only add to our debt. Adam's sin spoiled the entire
human race. We are even so badly contaminated by sin that we of ourselves do
nothing but sin every day in thoughts, words, and deeds. This is our
spiritual depravity, spiritual death. It is a discouraging and humiliating
truth. But God's word says it: "They are all gone aside, they are all become
filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one" (Psalm 14:3. See also
question and answer 8).
Therefore the punishment of sin against the eternal God, which is so deeply
rooted in us, is also so extreme: eternal death, eternal suffering, and
forsaken by God in hell. That punishment will never end. Then there is only
one question left, which is also an anxious question. Is there anywhere a
surety, that is, someone who will pay for someone who cannot pay for himself
? Is there anyone among the creatures who can do this?
Q. 14. Can there be found anywhere, one, who is a mere creature, able to
satisfy for us?
A. None; for, first, God will not punish any other creature for the sin man
had committed (a); and further, no mere creature can sustain the burden of
God's eternal wrath against sin, so as to deliver others from it (b).
(a) Ezekiel 18:4, Genesis 3:17;
(b) Nahum 1:6, Psalm 130:3.
No creature can help us
If we, men, cannot ourselves pay, is there then anywhere anyone outside of
us who can pay the debt for us? A mere creature, without divine power,
perhaps an angel, or an animal? Again, the answer is clear: No!
This is not possible for two reasons: in the first place, because it is
incompatible with God's justice that some other creature should suffer
instead of guilty man. God Himself said, "The soul that sinneth, it shall
die" (Ezekiel 18:4).
It is not possible in the second place, because one who is a mere creature
is not able to bear the infinite punishment, the burden of the eternal wrath
of God. "Who can stand before His indignation? and who can abide in the
fierceness of His anger?" (Nahum 1:6).
Who else then can help us? Who then can mediate between a holy and righteous
God and guilty man? Who can then pay our debt and deliver us from sin and
debt?
Q. 15. What sort of a mediator and deliverer then must we seek for?
A. For one who is very man (a), and perfectly righteous (b); and yet more
powerful than all creatures; that is, one who is also very God (c).
(a) 1 Corinthians 15:21;
(b) Hebrews 7:26;
(c) Isaiah 7:14, 9:5, Jeremiah 23:6, Luke 11:22.
What sort of mediator do we need?
The situation appears hopeless. The holy God cannot pass by sin. Guilty man
cannot pay and outside of man there is no creature that can help. Then the
almost hopeless and desperate question arises: What sort of a mediator and
deliverer then must we seek for, who does not only mediates between an angry
God and guilty man, but who Himself also can supply the ransom, the payment
of his debt?
Then there is already a glimmer of hope in the answer. The answer is not
that such a mediator and deliverer does not exist! Oh, who knows…..
However, conditions are laid down, conditions which appear to be impossible
to be fulfilled. The mediator must be very man and perfectly righteous, one
who truly has our human nature. And this must be in a very special way, such
as is not found among men: he must be righteous, without any sin. Moreover,
at the same time, he must have superhuman power; he must have divine power.
Indeed, He Himself must be truly very God , thus man and God in one Person.
Lord's Day 6
16. Why must he be very man, and also perfectly righteous?
A. Because the justice of God requires that the same human nature which hath
sinned, should likewise make satisfaction for sin (a); and one, who is
himself a sinner, cannot satisfy for others (b).
(a) Ezekiel 18:4,20, Romans 5:18, 1 Corinthians 15:21, Hebrews 2:14-16;
(b) Hebrews 7:26-27, Psalm 49: 7, 1 Peter 3:18.
The Mediator: very man and perfectly righteous
If a Mediator can be found, then He must in the first place be a true man,
must be very man. He must be one of us in order to take our place. He must
be man to bear the punishment which man deserved. God demands and requires
this. God is too righteous to punish an angel or an animal for the sin man
has committed. "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4).
At the same time, He must be a righteous man: a man who is guiltless himself
, who has not committed any sin, and on whom the guilt of Adam's sin does
not rest. One who is guilty himself cannot pay for somebody else's guilt.
That is only possible by a righteous, that is, a guiltless person.
As a righteous man, he must also provide the perfect obedience which God
demands. In that way, he must merit eternal life for us.
Q. 17. Why must He in one person be also very God?
A. That He might, by the power of His Godhead (a) sustain in His human
nature (b), the burden of God's wrath (c); and might obtain for, and restore
to us, righteousness and life (d).
(a) Isaiah 9:5, 63:3,
(b) Isaiah 53:4,11
(c) Deuteronomy 4:24, Nahum 1:6, Psalm 130:3,
(d) Isaiah 53:5,11.
The Mediator: also very God
Man cannot bear the tremendous wrath of God against sin. Therefore the
Mediator must also be God. In a short time He must bear the wrath of God,
the eternal punishment, unto the end. Only in this way can He satisfy the
requirement of God's justice.
The Mediator bears the punishment only through His suffering in His human
nature. However, He can only bear this immense burden if His human nature is
upheld by His divine nature. He would succumb under the burden if He were
not also God. The Mediator must also be God to be able to conquer death. He
must be able by His divine power to rise from the dead.
He must also be God to be able, through His Spirit, to raise sinners from
spiritual death, and to give them the righteousness merited by Him. Then God
imputes to sinners the righteousness of this Mediator, His perfect
obedience to God's law, as if they themselves had been perfectly obedient.
Then God sees sinners as being without sin, having a right to eternal life.
Then they receive back in the Mediator what they lost in Adam: peace with
God. Because He is man and eternal God at the same time, His merits have an
infinite value. Therefore a great multitude, which no one can number, will
receive forgiveness of sins and peace with God. (Revelation 7:9).
The Mediator must also give them renewal of life. The Holy Spirit applies
the merits of the Mediator. The Spirit bestows His treasures in heart and
life. In order to do this the Spirit comes to dwell in the hearts of those
whom He makes spiritually alive, those whom He regenerates. He works faith
in them and gives them new strength, so that they themselves will also live
again according to God's Law.
Finally, the Mediator must, through His Spirit, also grant the believers
eternal life.
The apostle Peter says of this Mediator: "Him has God exalted with His right
hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and
forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:31).
Q. 18. Who then is that Mediator, who is in one person both very God (a),
and a real (b) righteous (c) man?
A. Our Lord Jesus Christ (d): "who of God is made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption (e)"
(a) 1 John 5:20, Romans 9:5, 8:3, Galatians 4:4, Isaiah 9:6, Jeremiah 23:6,
Malachi 3:1;
(b) Luke 1:42, 2:6- 7, Romans 1:3, 9:5, Philippians 2:7, Hebrews 2:14, 16-
17, 4:15;
(c) Isaiah 53:9, 11, Jeremiah 23:5, Luke 1:35, John 8:46, Hebrews 4:15, 7:
26,
1 Peter 1:19, 2:22, 3:18;
(d) 1 Timothy 2:5, Matthew 1:23, 1 Timothy 3:16, Luke 2:11, Hebrews 2:9;
(e) 1 Corinthians 1:30
The Mediator: the Lord Jesus Christ
Then the Name of the Mediator and Deliverer appears: Our Lord Jesus Christ!
The Son of God, who Himself is very and true God, who with the Father and
the Holy Spirit is the one, Triune God, three Persons, who together are the
one God. They are three, and still one: a divine mystery, which we cannot
understand.
The Son of God did remain God, but also assumed our human nature, that
nature, which was impaired by Adam's sin, subject to suffering and death. In
this way He truly became one of us. And yet He could say: "Which of you
convinces Me of sin?" (John 8:46). Who dares to say that I have as much as
one sin? The sin of Adam could not be imputed to Him, like it was imputed to
all men (Lord's Day 3 ). He was not conceived and born in sin, for He was
born in a miraculous way: born of the virgin Mary (Lord's Day 14 ). He is
God and man, and that at the same time: in one Person.
Prophet, Priest and King
God the Father gave Christ. He was given unto wisdom: to teach. He teaches
us everything that is in God's Word, the Bible. He teaches us to believe
this and by faith to live according to the Word of God. How does He do that?
By His Spirit, Christ enlightens spiritually blind and foolish sinners.
They learn to know God in His goodness and holiness, themselves in their
sinfulness and lost state, and Christ in the atoning power of His suffering.
That is the work of Christ as Prophet.
He is given unto righteousness. Because of Jesus' suffering and death, they
receive forgiveness of sins. That is the work of Christ as Priest.
He is given unto sanctification: all the good works of Christ are imputed to
them as if they themselves had done them. Then the believers are also
renewed by the Holy Ghost, so they will love God anew and desire to live
according to God's law. That is the work of Christ as King.
He is given unto complete redemption: deliverance from sin, death, devil,
and hell.
It is all marvellous, yet still an entire reality and no myth!
Q. 19. Whence knowest thou this?
A. From the holy gospel, which God Himself first revealed in Paradise (a);
and afterwards published by the patriarchs (b) and prophets (c), and
represented by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law (d); and
lastly, has fulfilled it by His only begotten Son (e).
(a) Genesis 3:15;
(b) Genesis 22:18, 12:3, 49:10;
(c) Isaiah 53, 42:1-4, 43:25, 49:5-6, 22, 23, Jeremiah 23:5-6, 31:32-33, 32
Micah 7:18-20, Acts 10:43, 3:22-24, Romans 1:2, Hebrews 1:1;
(d) Hebrews 10:1, 7, Colossians 2:7, John 5:46;
(e) Romans 10:4, Galatians 4:4, 3:24, Colossians 2:17
The gospel promise in the Old and New Testament
This is the gospel: that in Christ complete redemption and eternal salvation
is possible for sinners. The word "gospel" means "glad tidings."
The gospel is contained in the New Testament, but also in the Old Testament.
Already in the first pages of the Bible, we read that Adam and Eve were
driven out of Paradise, but also that God promised them deliverance in the "
mother promise": "And I will put enmity between thee (the devil) and the
woman, and between thy seed (all the devils) and her Seed (Christ); It (
Christ) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel" (Genesis 3:15
). By His suffering and death (then His heel would be bruised) and by His
resurrection Christ would bruise Satan's head and deliver His children. That
is the "mother promise."
This promise was proclaimed and repeatedly passed on by men but also by God
Himself. In this way the promise also came to the patriarchs, the
forefathers of the people of Israel: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Time and
again the promise was also repeated by God's prophets (people called by God
to be His messengers). This is the audible gospel.
In His goodness, God also showed something of it in the sacrificial
offerings and other ceremonies which He had commanded. These were the solemn
religious performances (such as the cleansing rituals) in the time of the
Old Testament. The offerings typified the bearing of punishment by Jesus
Christ. The cleansing rituals pointed to the renewing of life. That is the
visible gospel.
Finally the Promised One did come! In Him all promises have become reality.
The big question is, For whom has He come, and how do we share in what He
merited?
Lord's Day 7
Q. 20. Are all men then, as they perished in Adam, saved by Christ?
A. No (a); only those who are ingrafted into Him, and receive all His
benefits, by a true faith (b).
(a) Matthew 7:14, 22:14;
(b) Mark 16:16, John 1:12, 3:16, 18, 36, Isaiah 53:11, Psalm 2:12, Romans
11:20, 3:22,
Hebrews 4:3, 5:9, 10:39, 11:6.
Adam's sin imputed
The sin which Adam committed is imputed to all mankind. By his sin Adam has
lost for himself and for all people who are born of him his and their place
in Paradise and the right to eternal life (Lord's Day 3). Adam and his
descendants have become mortal: subject to spiritual, temporal, and eternal
death.
Through Adam's sin the whole human race has become contaminated: man became
sinful, in such a way that he can do nothing but sin. Thus all people are
cursed, condemned: they deserve to suffer God's wrath in hell for ever and
ever.
Christ's merits imputed
Now Christ has come as "the second Adam." He delivers sinners from spiritual
and eternal death. They do yet have to die the temporal death, but for
those sinners saved by Christ, this death is a passage unto eternal life.
Through His suffering and death Christ bore the punishment for sin. By this
Adam and his descendants can obtain the forgiveness of sins again. And by
Christ's obedience to God's law Adam and his descendants can again obtain
the right to eternal life: that eternal bliss in the new Paradise, heaven.
So the merits of Christ's sufferings and death and His obedience are imputed
to Adam: God looks upon Adam again as if he himself paid for his and were
obedient to God's law, and therefore had a right to eternal life. Adam
received out of grace what Christ has merited.
Christ gives all this to Adam through the Holy Spirit. To that end, He works
faith and repentance in Adam's heart. Thus Adam may believe and trust that
his sins have been forgiven, and that one day he will live in the new
Paradise for ever In and by this faith Adam comes to a new life, a spiritual
life: conversion. Now he desires and begins again to live according to God'
s holy law.
Reconciliation for everyone?
An important question now arises: Will all people be again saved by Christ
as they all were lost through Adam?
Christ endured the full wrath of God against sin and His obedience to all of
God's commandments was perfect. Therefore for all those who hear the glad
tidings of the gospel, salvation can be obtained. Isaiah was granted to
proclaim the message: "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the
earth: for I am God, and there is none else" (Isaiah 45:22).
Now some have taught that therefore all people, and even the devils, will
actually be saved one day. Is not God love? Yet this thought is unbiblical.
Christ Himself has said: "For wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that
leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat" (Matthew 7:13
).
Therefore the answer to the question if all men will be saved is, "No!" Who
then will be saved? It is only those who are ingrafted into Him and receive
all His benefits by a true faith.
There are also those who teach that not all people will be saved, but that
Christ did die for all people and did reconcile all people with God. They
teach that it is now dependent upon the free will of man whether or not he
accepts this reconciliation. That is the Arminian doctrine (called like this
after one Arminius, a Dutchman in the 17th century, who taught this, and
with this opposed the biblical doctrine of election). This thought is also
unbiblical, because this thought denies man's state of death and the
necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit.
Man has fallen so deeply that he is incapable of delivering himself with the
help of God's grace. Christ said, "I lay down My life for the sheep" (John
10:15). The sheep are all the elect, all those whom God has chosen from all
eternity to be saved indeed. Christ says in a prayer to His Father
concerning them, "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them,
which Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine" (John 17:9). And in a sermon
to the multitude, He says, "No man can come to me, except the Father which
hath sent Me draw him" (John 6:44). What is this drawing? It is that
indispensable work of God by His Holy Spirit, who delivers man from his
state of death, gives him spiritual life, and brings him unto Christ through
the faith which He works in the heart.
There seems to be a contradiction here. Is not this last statement contrary
to the invitation to all that hear the gospel to come to Christ? No, it is
not. There is indeed a mystery here which cannot be fathomed by our limited,
sin-affected understanding. God offers us His grace unfeignedly. Christ
said, "And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth
the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life" (John 6:40).
All those who flee to Christ as lost sinners may know that they are welcome
with Him. If anyone does not heed Jesus' voice which commands us in the
gospel, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye
, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15), it is his own fault that he perishes.
He will perish, not because he was not allowed to come, but because he was
not willing.
Reverently speaking, let us leave the mystery of God's unfeigned invitation
and His election up to God, but let us pray for the work of the Holy Spirit
in our hearts, Who is willing to grant us the salvation merited by Christ.
The Holy Spirit and faith
The Heidelberg Catechism teaches us that only those will be saved who are
ingrafted into Him and receive all His benefits by a true faith. Two things
are mentioned here. In the first place there is the work of the Holy Spirit.
He brings about communion between sinners and Christ, the Savior. It is
such a close communion that they form as it were one Body, so that they
share everything: He their sins (for which He bears the punishment) and they
His righteousness (which He merited by His holy life). The Holy Spirit
accomplishes this by working faith in the hearts of men that Christ merited
for them what they need.
Then they (of) themselves will also do something: then they will receive and
accept by faith all His benefits, everything that He has merited for them
through His suffering and death, as their property. Christ took their sins
upon Himself, and they receive His righteousness and the right to eternal
life. A blessed exchange!
It is received, not because of faith, but by faith. Faith is the instrument,
the means by which they become partakers of Christ. It is the empty hand of
the beggar, in which the gift is placed.
This faith is neither an intellectual decision of man, nor a power of the
free will which he is said to have, as so many people suppose who have no
knowledge of the glorious and mighty work of the Holy Spirit in the heart.
Faith is the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart. When He convinces a man
of sin and guilt, the lost sinner cannot but flee to Christ and he finds in
Him life and salvation.
Q. 21. What is true faith?
A. True faith is not only a certain knowledge, whereby I hold for truth all
that God has revealed to us in His Word (a), but also an assured confidence
(b), which the Holy Ghost (c) works by the gospel in my heart (d), that not
only to others, but to me also, remission of sin, everlasting righteousness
and salvation (e) are freely given by God, merely of grace, only for the
sake of Christ's merits (f).
(a) James 2:19;
(b) Hebrews 11:1, 7, Romans 4:18-21, 10:10, Ephesians 3:12, Hebrews 4:16,
James 1:6;
(c) Galatians 5:22, Matthew 16:17, 2 Corinthians 4:13, John 6:29, Ephesians
2:8,
Philippians 1:19, Acts 16:14;
(d) Romans 1:16, 10:17, 1 Corinthians 1:21, Acts 10:44 , 16:14;
(e) Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:10, 38, Galatians 2:16;
(f) Ephesians 2: 8, Romans 3:24, 5:19, Luke 1:77-78.
Faith, a certain knowledge
There is a believing and there is a believing. Belief, just like hope,
belongs to being human. We believe what we hear from others, that which we
ourselves do not see or are not able to prove. However, what we believe, we
do not know for sure.
Saving faith is something totally different. It rests on what God says in
His Word. And what God says, is true, because God is Truth. Therefore the
faith of a Christian is a definite, a sure knowledge. He holds for truth
everything that God says in His Word..
First and foremost he true Christian believes what God says in His Word
about himself: that through sin he is deeply miserable and lost. That
becomes an experienced reality.
However, he also believes God's promises of forgiveness and eternal bliss.
And what God promises, He can and shall give, because He is God!
And an assured confidence
True faith therefore goes together with an assured confidence: also to me is
given (not: will perhaps be given!) remission of sin, righteousness, and
salvation! This is by grace only. I have not deserved this remission, the
new righteousness, and salvation. However, Christ has merited them. By His
suffering and death, He bore the debts of sin, in order that they may be
forgiven me. By His perfect obedience, He has righteousness, and this
righteousness God imputes to me. God regards me as if I had never committed
one sin. Therefore I also receive salvation through Him. Everything is for
me, through Him!
The hope which is joined with this is a hope which will always be fulfilled.
Paul says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). No matter how much a believer may be
discouraged or contested, true faith will never completely disappear.
The Author of saving faith
The Holy Ghost works that faith in my heart by means of the Word. He plants
it there and makes it grow. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, "For by grace are
ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (
Ephesians 2:8). And how? By enlightening my understanding and by the renewal
of my whole heart in the hearing of the gospel. Then He makes me believe
that the gospel (the glad tidings!) is true, also for me!
Q. 22. What is then necessary for a Christian to believe?
A. All things promised us in the gospel (a), which the articles of our
catholic undoubted Christian faith briefly teach us.
(a) John20:31, Matthew 28:19, Mark 1:15.
The substance of faith
The things written above dealt primarily with the origin and significance of
faith: What is true faith? Now we deal with the substance of faith: What
must a Christian believe? A short answer is given to this: everything that
is promised in the gospel. This is full of meaning. As we have seen, the
gospel is contained both in the Old Testament and especially as in the New
Testament. Does a reliable summary exist? Yes, the so-called Apostles' Creed
, which is comprised of twelve articles , which are also called the Twelve
Articles of the Christian Faith.
The Apostles' Creed
The twelve articles of the Apostles' Creed are professed by Christendom all
over the world. They came into existence as a summary of the instructions
given to the heathens in the congregation of Rome, who came over to the
Christian religion. These twelve articles were recited as a confession,
shortly before their baptism.
They are called "the Apostles' Creed" because they are founded on the
doctrine of the apostles. These were the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ,
who were later sent by Him into the world as apostles, His ambassadors, in
order to proclaim the gospel to people. And, again, this doctrine is founded
on the words of Christ Himself. Has He not said, "Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I
have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the
world" (Matthew 28:19-20)? With it He gave a promise, "But the Comforter,
which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall
teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I
have said unto you" (John 14:26).
Q. 23. What are these articles?
A.
I. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth;
II. And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord;
III. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary;
IV. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buried; He
descended into hell;
V. The third day He rose again from the dead;
VI. He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the
Father Almighty;
VII. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead;
VIII. I believe in the Holy Ghost;
IX. I believe an holy catholic church; the communion of saints;
X. The forgiveness of sins;
XI. The resurrection of the body;
XII. And the life everlasting. Amen.
We will not discus these articles here, because each one will come up for
discussion in the following Lord's Days.
Questions to go with lesson 3. (Lord's Days 5-7).
1. What is the judgment consist which God pronounced on man? (question 12)
2. Why cannot God simply forgive sin? (answer 12)
3. Why cannot man himself make satisfaction for the punishment? (answer 13)
4. Why cannot our sinful deeds be amended by good deeds (as other religions
teach)?
(answer 13)
5. For what two reasons cannot other creatures, for instance, sacrificial
animals or angels,
bear our punishment? (answer 14)
6. Between what two parties does the Mediator mediate? (answer 15)
7a. Why must the mediator be very man? (answer 16)
7b. Why must he also be a righteous man? (answer 16)
7c. Can you prove from the Bible that He is very man?
(Matthew 26:36-46; John 4; John 11:5,19)
8a. Why must the Mediator be true God? (answer 17)
8b. How can you prove from the Bible that Christ is true God?
(Matthew 3; John 2; John 4:1-30, 43-54)
9. What does Christ successively do as Prophet, Priest, and King? (answer
18)
10a. What is the "mother promise"? (answer 19)
10b. What does this promise contain? (answer 19)
11a. What two opinions regarding reconciliation are unbiblical? (answer 20)
11b. What does the Bible teach about this? (answer 20)
12. Where does true faith originate? (answer 21)
13. Is it possible to be saved outside of the Christian faith?
(John 10:9; Acts 4:12)
14. What are the two marks of a true faith? (answer 21)
15. Why cannot true faith ever disappear? (John 6:47, Philippians 1:6) | x****g
发帖数: 4008 | 2 Thanks for sharing
consists
misery
and
【在 G*M 的大作中提到】
: Bible Course - Christian Doctrine
: Lesson 3
: The Deliverance of Man
: Lord's Day 5-7
: The Deliverance of Man
: Lord's Days 5 through 31 form the second part of the catechism. It consists
: of questions 12 through 85, dealing with the deliverance from sin and misery
: . From this aspect the first question is: Is there no way…?
: Lord's Day 5
: Q. 12. Since then, by the righteous judgment of God, we deserve temporal and
| j********1
发帖数: 2073 | 3 Thanks for sharing
consists
misery
and
【在 G*M 的大作中提到】
: Bible Course - Christian Doctrine
: Lesson 3
: The Deliverance of Man
: Lord's Day 5-7
: The Deliverance of Man
: Lord's Days 5 through 31 form the second part of the catechism. It consists
: of questions 12 through 85, dealing with the deliverance from sin and misery
: . From this aspect the first question is: Is there no way…?
: Lord's Day 5
: Q. 12. Since then, by the righteous judgment of God, we deserve temporal and
| m****u
发帖数: 1689 | 4 Thanks for sharing
consists
misery
and
【在 G*M 的大作中提到】
: Bible Course - Christian Doctrine
: Lesson 3
: The Deliverance of Man
: Lord's Day 5-7
: The Deliverance of Man
: Lord's Days 5 through 31 form the second part of the catechism. It consists
: of questions 12 through 85, dealing with the deliverance from sin and misery
: . From this aspect the first question is: Is there no way…?
: Lord's Day 5
: Q. 12. Since then, by the righteous judgment of God, we deserve temporal and
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