Introduction In Christianity, faith is extremely important. That is why the catechism talks about it often. In Lord’s Day 7, it said that only those are saved who by a true faith are grafted into Christ. Then it defined what faith is: knowing that God’s promises are true, and being confident that they are for … Continue reading The source of faith (LD 25)
Tag: faith
Do good works count? (LD 24)
Introduction How are we right with God? Last time we said that the satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of our Lord Jesus Christ is imputed to us. Christian believers are saved in the only way possible: by the grace of God, who gave his only Son to sacrifice himself on our behalf. At the same time, … Continue reading Do good works count? (LD 24)
Being right with God (LD 23)
Introduction In the previous lessons we studied the Apostles’ Creed. Now that we have finished this, the catechism takes a step back and reminds us why this was important. In LD 7 we said that only those are saved who by a true faith are grafted into Christ, and that this faith means that we … Continue reading Being right with God (LD 23)
The gift of the Spirit (LD 20, q&a 53)
Introduction Last time we discussed who the Holy Spirit is. In the words of the catechism: What do you believe concerning the Holy Spirit? First, he is, together with the Father and the Son, true and eternal God. Now we will talk about the work he does, and especially how he is involved with Christian … Continue reading The gift of the Spirit (LD 20, q&a 53)
The anointed ones
Introduction I once taught at a college where the football team was called: the Lakers. The merchandise store had t-shirts that said: “I am a Laker.” When my oldest son was born, the department gave us a gift basket, including a onesie that said: “Future Laker.” Even though only a few people were on the … Continue reading The anointed ones
What to believe? (LD 7, q&a 22)
Introduction You can only be saved if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. The catechism made that very clear in q&a 20. Faith is what “grafts you into” the Saviour, that is, connects you with him on an essential level, so that his righteousness becomes your righteousness, and his holiness becomes your holiness, and … Continue reading What to believe? (LD 7, q&a 22)
True faith (LD 7, q&a 20-21)
Introduction “As by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners,so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” (Rom 5:19) This is the Bible’s summary of what we have studied so far in the catechism. Because of Adam’s sin, we are miserable sinners who deserve God’s wrath; but because of … Continue reading True faith (LD 7, q&a 20-21)
Assurance of salvation
In Christian theology, assurance means that I am sure that God saves me. The catechism (q&a 21) emphasizes that faith is not mere knowledge, but “firm confidence (or assurance)”. This statement is directly aimed at the Roman Catholic teaching that “no one can know with a certainty of faith […] that he has obtained the … Continue reading Assurance of salvation