| << | Contents | >> |
The Westminster Confession of Faith and Larger Catechism
<page 43>Q. 6. What does the Bible make known about God?
A. The Bible makes known what God is,[1] the persons in the Godhead,[2] his decrees,[3] and how his decrees are carried out.[4]
[1] Jn 4:24, Ex 34:6-7, Heb 11:6.
[2] Mt 28:19, 2 Cor 13:14, 1 Jn 5:17.
[3] Eph 1:11, Acts 15:14-15,18.
Q. 7. What is God?
A. God is a spirit,[1] who in and of himself is infinite in being,[2] glory,[3] blessedness,[4] and perfection.[5] He is all-sufficient,[6] eternal,[7] unchangeable,[8] beyond our full understanding,[9] present everywhere,[10] almighty,[11] knowing everything,[12] completely wise,[13] completely holy,[14] completely just,[15] completely merciful and gracious, patient, and overflowing with goodness and truth.[16]
[2] 1 Kgs 8:27, Is 40:20, Ex 3:14, Jb 11:7-9.
[5] See General Note. Mt 5:48.
Q. 8. Is there more than one God?
A. There is only one, the living and true God.[1]
[1] Dt 6:4, 1 Cor 8:4,6, Jer 10:10.
Q. 9. How many persons are in the one God?
A. Three persons are in the one God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Although they are differentiated by their own individual, personal qualities, these three are one true, eternal God, the same in substance and equal in power and glory.[1]
[1] 1 Jn 5:7, Mt 3:16-17, 28:19, 2 Cor 13:14, Jn 10:30.
Q. 10. What are the individual, personal qualities that belong to the three persons of the Godhead?
A. From all eternity, the Father begets the Son;[1] the Son is begotten by the Father,[2] and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.[3]
Q. 11. What is the evidence that the Son and the Holy Spirit are equal with the Father?
A. The Bible clearly indicates that the Son and the Holy Spirit are God, equal to the Father, because it assigns to them the same names,[1] attributes,[2] works,[3] and worship[4] that properly apply only to God.
[1] Jer 23:6, Ps 45:6, Is 6:3,5,8, Jn 12:41, Acts 28:25, 1 Jn 5:20, Acts 5:3-4.
[2] Jn 1:1, Is 9:6, Jn 2:24-25, 1 Cor 2:10-11, Heb 9:14.
[3] Col 1:16, Gn 1:2, Ps 104:30, Jn 1:3.
Q. 12. What are the decrees of God?
A. God's decrees are the wise, free, and holy decisions from the purposes of his will.[1] By them, from all eternity and for his own glory, he has unchangeably foreordained everything that happens in time,[2] and particularly those things that involve angels and human beings.
[1] Eph 1:4,11, Rom 11:33, Rom 9:14-15,18.
[2] Acts 4:27-28, Rom 9:22-23, Ps 33:11.
Q. 13. What in particular has God decreed about angels and human beings?
A. By an eternal and unchangeable decree, which originates merely from his love, exists for the praise of his glorious grace, and is to be revealed at the proper time, God has elected some angels for glory[1] and in Christ has chosen some human beings for eternal life, along with the means by which this choice will be accomplished.[2]Additionally, in accordance with his sovereign power and the hidden purposes of his own will (by which, as he pleases, he extends or withholds favor), God decided not to include the rest and to foreordain them to be inflicted with dishonor and anger for their sin, to the praise of the glory of his justice.[3]
[2] Eph 1:4-6, 2 Thes 2:13-14, 1 Pt 1:2.
[3] Rom 9:17-18,21-22, Mt 11:25-26, 2 Tm 2:20, Jude 4, 1 Pt 2:8.
Q. 14. How does God carry out his decrees?
A. God carries out his decrees in creation and providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge and the free and unchangeable purposes of his own will.[1]
Q. 15. What is creation?
A. Creation is this: in the beginning, for himself, and out of nothing, God made the world and everything in it in six days by the word of his power–and all very good.[1]
[1] Gn 1, Heb 11:3, Prv 16:4, Rv 4:11.
Q. 16. How did God create angels?
A. God created all the angels[1] as immortal[2] spirits,[3] holy,[4] with superior knowledge[5] and mighty power,[6] to carry out his commands and praise his name;[7] but they could also change.[8]
Q. 17. How did God create human beings?
A. After he had made all the other creatures, God created humans, male and female.[1] He formed the body of man from the dust of the ground[2] and the woman from the rib of the man.[3] He endowed them with living, reasoning, and immortal souls,[4] made in his own image[5] with knowledge,[6] righteousness, and holiness.[7] God wrote his law on their hearts[8] and gave them the ability to obey it.[9] Along with dominion over the other creatures,[10] they also had the potential to fall.[11]
[4] Gn 2:7, Jb 35:11, Mt 10:28, and Lk 23:43.
[11] Gn 2:16-17, 3:6, Eccl 7:29.
Q. 18. What is God's providence?
A. God's providence is his completely holy,[1] wise,[2] and powerful preserving[3] and governing[4] every creature and every action,[5] ordering them all to his own glory.[6]
[5] Mt 10:29-31, Gn 45:7, Ps 135:6.
Q. 19. What is God's providence relating to angels?
A. God providentially allowed some of the angels to fall into sin and damnation by their own choice and without any possibility of recovering their original position;[1] he limited and ordered their fall and all their specific sins for his own glory.[2] God established the rest of the angels in holiness and happiness,[3] using them,[4] according to his pleasure, as administrative agents of his power, mercy, and justice.[5]
[1] Jude 6, 2 Pt 2:4, Heb 2:16, Jn 8:44.
[2] Jb 1:12, Mt 8:31, Lk 10:17.
[3] 1 Tm 5:21, Mk 8:38, Heb 12:22.
Q. 20. What was God's providence relating to the humans he created?
A. God providentially put Adam and Eve in paradise and assigned them the job of taking care of it. He gave them permission to eat everything that grew,[1] put them in authority over all the creatures,[2] and established marriage as a help for Adam.[3] God allowed them to have fellowship with him,[4] instituted the Sabbath,[5] and made a covenant of life with them on the condition of their personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience.[6] The tree of life was a sign guaranteeing this covenant.[7] Finally, God told them not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil or they would die.[8]
[4] Gn 1:26-29, 3:8.
[6] Gal 3:12, Rom 10:5; compare Gn 2:16-17 with Rom 5:12-14, 10:5, Lk 10:25-28, and with the covenants made with Noah and Abraham.
Q. 21. Did humans remain the way they were created?
A. Left to the freedom of their own wills, our first parents were tempted by Satan, disobeyed God's command by eating the forbidden fruit, and so fell from their original innocence.[1]
[1] Gn 3:6-8, 13, Eccl 7:29, 2 Cor 11:3.
Q. 22. Did the whole human race fall in that first disobedience?
A. Since the covenant was made with Adam as a general representative of humanity, not only for himself but also for his natural descendants,[1] the whole human race sinned in him and fell with him in that first disobedience.[2]
[1] Acts 17:26; see under figure 6 in Q. 20 above.
[2] Gn 2:16-17, Rom 5:12-20, 1 Cor 15:21-22.
Q. 23. What happened to the human race in the fall?
A. Humans fell into a condition of sin and misery.[1]
Q. 24. What is sin?
A. Sin is not conforming to or disobeying any law God has given to direct our lives as reasoning humans.[1]
[1] Rom 3:23, 1 Jn 3:4, Gal 3:10,12, Jas 4:17.
Q. 25. What is sinful about the fallen condition of humans?
A. The sinfulness of that fallen condition is twofold. First, in what is commonly called original sin, there is the guilt of Adam's first sin[1] with its lack of original righteousness and the corruption of his nature, by which humans are completely indisposed, incapacitated, and opposed to everything that is spiritually good as well as being completely and continually inclined to everything evil.[2] Second are all the specific acts of disobedience that come from original sin.[3]
[2] Rom 3:10-20, Eph 2:1-3, Rom 5:6, 8:7-8, Gn 6:5, Ps 51:5, 58:3.
Q. 26. How is original sin passed from Adam and Eve to their descendants?
A. Original sin passes from Adam and Eve to their descendants by natural procreation, so that all subsequent human offspring are conceived and born in sin.[1]
[1] Ps 51:5, Jb 14:4, 15:14, Jn 3:6.
Q. 27. What misery did the fall bring on the human race?
A. The fall brought on the human race the loss of fellowship with God[1] along with his displeasure and curse. Consequently, we are children of wrath,[2] bondslaves of Satan,[3] and justly subject to every punishment in this world and the next.[4]
[3] 2 Tm 2:26, Lk 11:21-22, Heb 2:14.
[4] Gn 2:17, Lam 3:39, Rom 5:14, 6:23, Mt 25:41,46, Jude 7:
Q. 28. What are the punishments for sin in this world?
A. The punishments for sin in this world are either internal or external. Internal punishments include mental blindness,[1] a sense of being condemned,[2] powerful delusions,[3] a stubborn heart,[4] a terrified conscience,[5] and shameful desires.[6] External punishments include God's curse on the whole creation because of us[7] and all the other evils that happen to our bodies, our reputations, circumstances, relationships, and work,[8] including death itself.[9]
[5] Is 33:14, Gn 4:13, Mt 27:4, Heb 10:27.
Q. 29. What are the punishments for sin in the next world?
A. The punishments for sin in the next world include everlasting separation from the comforting presence of God and the horrible torment of soul and body in hell-fire without interruption forever.[1]
[1] 2 Thes 1:9, Mk 9:43-44,46,48, Lk 16:24,26, Mt 25:41,46, Rv 14:11, Jn 3:36.
Q. 30. Does God leave the whole human race to die in sin and misery?
A. God does not leave the whole human race to die in the sin and misery[1] that resulted from breaking the first covenant, ordinarily called the covenant of works.[2] Merely from his love and mercy, God delivers his elect from sin and misery and brings them into salvation by means of the second covenant, ordinarily called the covenant of grace.[3]
[3] Ti 3:4-7, 1:2, Gal 3:21, Rom 3:20-22.
Q. 31. With whom was the covenant of grace made?
A. The covenant of grace was made with Christ as the second Adam and through him with all the elect as his seed.[1]
[1] 1 Cor 15:22,45, Eph 1:4, 2 Tm 1:9, Heb 2:10-11,14, Gal 3:16, Rom 5:15-21, Is 53:10-11.
Q. 32. How is God's grace revealed in the second covenant?
A. His grace is revealed in the second covenant by God freely providing and making available to sinners a mediator[1] and through him life and salvation.[2] God uses faith as the only way for sinners to become united to him;[3] he promises and gives his Holy Spirit[4] to all his elect in order to bring about this faith in them[5] along with all the other saving graces[6] and in order to make it possible for them to be holy and obedient,[7] as proof of the truth of their faith[8] and thankfulness to God[9] and as the way he has established for them to be saved.[10]
[1] 1 Tm 2:5, Gn 3:15, Is 42:6, Jn 6:27.
[6] Jn 1:12-13, 3:5-6,8, Gal 5:22-23.
Q. 33. Was the covenant of grace always administered in one and the same way?
A. The covenant of grace was not always administered in the same way. It was administered differently under the Old Testament and the New Testament.[1]
[1] 2 Cor 3:6-7,21-22, Heb 1:1-2, 8:7-8 and ff.
Q. 34. How was the covenant of grace administered under the Old Testament?
A. The covenant of grace was administered under the Old Testament by promises,[1] prophecies,[2] sacrifices,[3] circumcision,[4] the passover,[5] and other types and ordinances. All of these foreshadowed the coming of Christ and were sufficient for that time to build up the faith of the elect in the promised Messiah,[6] by whom they had full remission of their sins and eternal salvation.[7]
[5] 1 Cor 5:7, Ex 12:14,17,24.
Q. 35. How is the covenant of grace administered under the New Testament?
A. Under the New Testament, Christ is revealed as the substance of the same covenant of grace, which was and still is to be administered in the preaching of the word[1] and in the sacraments of baptism[2] and the Lord's supper.[3] In these the spiritual power of grace and salvation is more fully and clearly developed for all nations.[4]
[4] 2 Cor 3:6-9, Heb 8:6-7,10-11, Mt 28:19.
Q. 36. Who is the mediator of the covenant of grace?
A. The only mediator of the covenant of grace is the Lord Jesus Christ,[1] who is the eternal Son of God, of one substance and equal with the Father.[2] In the fullness of time he became human,[3] and so he was and continues to be God and man, in two complete and distinct natures, but one person, forever.[4]
[2] Jn 1:1,14, 10:30, Phil 2:6.
[4] Lk 1:35, Rom 9:5, Col 2:9, Phil 2:5-11, Heb 7:24-25.
Q. 37. How did Christ, the Son of God, become human?
A. Christ the Son of God became human by taking a true body and a reasoning soul.[1] He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary out of her substance and was born of her,[2] but he was sinless.[3]
[2] Lk 1:27,31,35,42, Gal 4:4.
Q. 38. Why did the mediator have to be God?
A. The mediator had to be God so that he might sustain and keep his human nature from sinking under the infinite wrath of God and the power of death;[1] that he might make his suffering, obedience, and intercession of real value and effect;[2] and that, in order to satisfy God's justice,[3] he might gain God's favor,[4] purchase his very own people,[5] give his Spirit to them,[6] conquer all their enemies,[7] and bring them to everlasting salvation.[8]
[1] See General Note. Acts 2:24-25, Rom 1:4, 4:25, Heb 9:14.
[2] Acts 20:28, Heb 9:14, 7:25-28.
Q. 39. Why did the mediator have to be human?
A. The mediator had to be human so that he might improve human nature,[1] obey the law,[2] suffer and make intercession for us in our own nature,[3] and know first hand what human infirmities feel like;[4] and so that we might be adopted as sons[5] and have comfort and access with boldness to the throne of grace.[6]
Q. 40. Why did the mediator have to be God and human in one person?
A. The mediator, who was to reconcile God and humanity, had to be himself both God and human and in one person to make the works appropriate to each nature acceptable to God on our behalf [1] and counted on by us as the works of the whole person.[2]
[1] See General Note. Mt 1:21, 23, 3:17, Heb 9:14.
Q. 41. Why was our mediator called Jesus?
A. Our mediator was called Jesus because he saves his people from their sins.[1]
Q. 42. Why was our mediator called Christ?
A. Our mediator was called Christ, because he was anointed with the Holy Spirit beyond all measure.[1] Consequently, he was set apart and completely equipped with all authority and power[2] to execute the offices of prophet,[3] priest,[4] and king of his church,[5] in both his humiliation and his exaltation.
[1] Jn 3:34, Ps 45:7, Lk 4:18-21.
[2] Lk 4:14, Heb 9:14, Jn 6:27, Mt 28:18-20.
[5] Ps 2:6, Mt 21:5, Is 9:6-7, Phil 2:8-11, Rv 19:16.
Q. 43. How is Christ a prophet?
A. As prophet, Christ reveals the complete will of God[1] to his church[2] about everything for the church's edification and salvation.[3] He does this throughout the ages in different ways[4] by means of his Spirit and word.[5]
[2] Jn 1:18, 2 Pt 1:21, 2 Cor 2:9-10.
[3] Acts 20:32, Eph 4:11-13, Jn 20:31.
Q. 44. How is Christ a priest?
A. As priest, Christ offered himself once for all as a spotless sacrifice to God[1] to reconcile the sins of his people,[2] and he continually intercedes for them.[3]
Q. 45. How is Christ a king?
A. As king, Christ calls a people for himself out of the world[1] and gives them officers,[2] laws,[3] and the authority to condemn, by which he visibly governs them.[4] He bestows saving grace on his elect,[5] rewards their obedience,[6] corrects them for their sins,[7] preserves and supports them in all their temptations and suffering,[8] restrains and overcomes all their enemies,[9] and powerfully orders everything for his own glory[10] and their well-being.[11] As king, Christ also executes just retribution against all others who neither know God nor obey the gospel.[12]
[1] Jn 10: 16,27, Acts 15:14-16, Is 55:4-5, Gn 49:10, Ps 110:3.
[4] Mt 18:17-18, 1 Cor 5:4-5, 1 Tm 5:20, Ti 3:10.
[6] Rv 22:12, 2:10, Mt 25:34-36, Rom 2:7.
[8] Is 63:9, 2 Cor 12:9-10, Rom 8:35-39.
[9] 1 Cor 15:25, Ps 110, Acts 12:17, 18:9-10.
[10] Rom 14:10-11, Col 1:18, Mt 28:19-20.
Q. 46. How was Christ humiliated?
A. For our sakes, Christ emptied himself of his own glory and took on the form of a servant, and so was humiliated in all the poor circumstances involving his conception and birth, life on earth, death, and after his death until he was resurrected.[1]
[1] Phil 2:6-8, Lk 1:31, 2 Cor 8:9, Acts 2:24, Gal 4:4.
Q. 47. How did Christ humble himself in his conception and birth?
A. Christ humbled himself in his conception and birth in that being from all eternity the Son of God in the bosom of the Father, it pleased him in the fullness of time to become the son of man, born of a women from a poor family and into conditions that were even worse than ordinary.[1]
[1] Jn 1:14,18, Gal 4:4, Lk 2:7, Phil 2:6-8, 2 Cor 8:9.
Q. 48. How did Christ humble himself in his life?
A. Christ humbled himself in his life by subjecting himself to the law,[1] which he perfectly fulfilled,[2] and by struggling with the indignities of this world,[3] the temptations of Satan,[4] and the frailty of his body, whether common to the natural human condition or particularly associated with his own poor situation.[5]
[2] Mt 3:15, 5:17, Jn 19:30, Rom 5:19.
[3] Ps 22:6, Is 53:2-3, Heb 12:2-3.
[5] Heb 2:17-18, 4:15, Is 52:13-14.
Q. 49. How did Christ humble himself in his death?
A. Christ humbled himself in his death by being betrayed by Judas,[1] forsaken by his disciples,[2] scorned and rejected by the world,[3] condemned by Pilate, and tormented with physical persecution.[4] He struggled with the terrors of death and the powers of darkness; he felt and bore the weight of God's anger.[5] Finally, enduring the painful, shameful, and cursed death on the cross,[6] he laid down his life as an offering for sin.[7]
[4] Mt 27:26-50, Jn 19:34, Lk 22:63-64.
[5] Lk 22:44, Mt 27:46, Rom 8:32.
[6] Phil 2:8, Heb 12:2, Gal 3:13.
[7] Rom 4:25, 1 Cor 15:3-4, Is 53:10.
Q. 50. How was Christ humiliated after his death?
A. Christ's humiliation after death involved his being buried[1] and continuing in a state of being dead and under the power of death until the third day.[2] This period is referred to in the words, He descended into hell.
[2] Ps 16:10, Acts 2:24-27,31, Rom 6:9, Mt 12:40,Lk 18:33.
Q. 51. How was Christ exalted?
A. Christ's exaltation includes his resurrection,[1] ascension,[2] sitting at the right hand of the Father,[3] and coming again to judge the world.[4]
[2] Mk 16:19, Lk 24:51, Acts 1:9-11.
Q. 52. How was Christ exalted in his resurrection?
A. Christ's exaltation in his resurrection began with his body not decaying, since it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.[1] On the third day, he rose again from the dead by his own power[2] and in the very same body with all its essential qualities in which he had suffered[3] (but it was not subject to death and the other infirmities associated with this life), and it was truly united to his soul.[4] By his resurrection, he plainly declared himself to be the Son of God,[5] to have satisfied divine justice,[6] to have conquered death as well as him who holds the power of death,[7] and to be Lord of the living and the dead.[8] He did all this as a general representative of humanity[9] and as head of his church[10] in order to justify believers,[11] make them alive in his grace,[12] support them against their enemies,[13] and assure them that they too will be resurrected from the dead at the last day.[14]
[4] Jn 10:18, Rom 6:9, Rv 1:18.
[6] Rom 4:25, 8:34, 1 Cor 15:17.
[13] 1 Cor 15:25-27, Acts 12:17, 18:9-10.
[14] 1 Cor 15:20, 1 Thes 4:13-18.
Q. 53. How was Christ exalted in his ascension?
A. Christ's exaltation in his ascension began after his resurrection when he appeared to the apostles a number of times, talked to them about the kingdom of God,[1] and commissioned them to preach the gospel to all nations.[2] Forty days after his resurrection, in our human nature and as our head,[3] he visibly went up into the highest heavens, triumphing over enemies.[4] There he receives gifts for men,[5] raises our minds,[6] and prepares a place for us,[7] where he himself is and shall continue to be until his second coming at the end of the world.[8]
[5] Acts 1:9-11, Eph 4:10, Ps 68:18.
Q. 54. How is Christ exalted by sitting at the right hand of God?
A. Sitting at the right hand of God exalts Christ as the God-man; he is advanced to the highest favor with God the Father[1] with all the joy,[2] glory,[3] and power of this position over all things in heaven and earth.[4] There Christ gathers and defends his church, subdues her enemies, provides his ministers and people with gifts and graces,[5] and intercedes for them.[6]
[5] Eph 4:10-12, Ps 110; see citations under Q. 45.
[6] Rom 8:34; see citations under Q. 44.
Q. 55. How does Christ intercede?
A. Christ intercedes by continually appearing in our human nature before the Father in heaven.[1] There he makes his will clear that his own merit of obedience and sacrifice on earth[2] be applied to all believers;[3] he answers all the accusations against believers[4] and makes sure they have peace of conscience, in spite of their daily failings;[5] and he welcomes them without hesitation to the throne of grace[6] and accepts who they are[7] and what they do for him.[8]
Q. 56. How is Christ exalted by coming again to judge the world?
A. Coming again to judge the world exalts Christ, who was unjustly judged and condemned by wicked men.[1] His coming again at the last day in great power[2] will fully reveal his own and his Father's glory, and with all his holy angels,[3] accompanied by a shout of command, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God,[4] he will judge the world in righteousness.[5]
Q. 57. What benefits have been gained by Christ's mediation?
A. By his mediation, Christ has gained redemption[1] with all the other benefits of the covenant of grace.[2]
Q. 58. How do we share in the benefits Christ has gained?
A. We share in the benefits Christ has gained, as a particular work of God the Holy Spirit,[1]when they are put into effect in us.[2]
Q. 59. Who shares in the redemption through Christ?
A. Redemption is inevitably and effectively imparted to all those for whom Christ purchased it,[1] who in the process of time are enabled by the Holy Spirit to believe in Christ as presented in the gospel.[2]
[1] Eph 1:13-14, Jn 6:37,39, 10:15-16, Rom 8:29-30.
[2] Eph 2:8, 2 Cor 4:13, 1 Pt 1:2, 2 Thes 2:13.
Q. 60. Can those who have never heard the gospel and so neither know Jesus Christ nor believe in him be saved by living according to their own natural understanding?
A. Those who have never heard the gospel[1] and do not know Jesus Christ[2] nor believe in him cannot be saved[3] no matter how hard they try to live a moral life according to their own natural understanding[4] or try to obey the rules of some other religion.[5] Salvation comes from no other than Christ alone,[6] who is the savior only of his body, the church.[7]
[2] 2 Thes 1:8-9, Eph 2:12, Jn 1:10-12.
[3] Jn 8:24, Mk 16:16, Acts 4:12, Rom 1:18-32.
[4] 1 Cor 1:20-24, Rom 1:18-32, 3:9-19.
[5] Jn 4:22, Rom 9:31-32, Phil 3:4-10.
[7] Eph 5:23, Jn 6:39,44, 17:9.
Q. 61. Is everyone saved who hears the gospel and goes to church?
A. Not everyone who hears the gospel and attends a visible church is saved. The saved are only the true members of the invisible church.[1]
[1] Jn 12:38-40, Rom 9:6, Mt 22:14, 7:21, 13:41-42, Rom 11:7.
Q. 62. What is the visible church?
A. The visible church is all the people all over the world and their children[1] who gather together throughout the ages and profess the true religion.[2]
[1] 1 Cor 7:14, Acts 2:39, Rom 11:16, Gn 17:7, Gal 3:7,9,14, Rom 4, Acts 2:39, Mk 10:13-16.
[2] 1 Cor 1:2, 12:12-13, Rom 15:1-12, Rv 7:9,Ps 2:8, 22:27-31, 45:17, Mt 28:19-20, Is 59:21.
Q. 63. What are the special privileges of the visible church?
A. The visible church has the privilege of being under God's special care and government[1] and of being protected and preserved throughout the ages, in spite of the opposition of all her enemies.[2] The visible church also provides fellowship for God's people, functions as the ordinary means by which people are saved,[3] and extends God's grace through Christ to all her members in the ministry of the gospel, testifying that whosoever believes in him will be saved[4] and excluding no one from fellowship who desires to come to Christ.[5]
[1] Is 4:5-6, 49:14-16, 1 Tm 4:10, 1 Cor 12:28, Eph 4:11-12, Acts 13:1-2.
[2] Ps 115, Is 31:4-5, Zec 12:2-4,8-9, Mt 16:18.
[4] Ps 147:19-20, Rom 9:4, Eph 4:11-12, Mk 16:15-16, Acts 16:31, Rv 22:17.
Q. 64. What is the invisible church?
A. The invisible church consists of all the elect who have been, are, or ever will be gathered into one under Christ, the head.[1]
[1] Eph 1:10,22-23, Jn 10:16, 11:52.
Q. 65. What are the special benefits for members of the invisible church through Christ?
A. Through Christ, members of the invisible church experience union and communion with him in grace and glory.[1]
[1] Jn 17:21,24, Eph 2:5-6, 1 Jn 1:3.
Q. 66. What union do the elect have with Christ?
A. By their union with Christ, the elect are effectually called[1] by the work of God's grace[2] so that they are spiritually and mystically, but truly and inseparably, joined to Christ as their head and husband.[3]
[3] 1 Cor 6:17, Jn 10:28, 15:1-5, Eph 5:23,30.
Q. 67. What is effectual calling?
A. Effectual calling is the work of God's almighty power and grace,[1] by which he (freely motivated only by his special love for the elect and not from anything inherently in them)[2] at the right time invites and draws them to Jesus Christ by his word and Spirit.[3] God enlightens their minds with a saving understanding,[4] renews their wills[5] and by his power makes them (even though they are dead in sin) willing and able to answer his call voluntarily and to accept gladly the grace he offers and actually gives.[6]
[1] Jn 5:25, Eph 1:18-20, 2 Tm 1:8-9.
[2] Ti 3:4-5, Eph 2:4-10, Rom 9:11.
[3] 2 Cor 5:20, 6:1-2, Jn 6:44, 2 Thes 2:13-14.
[4] Acts 26:18, 1 Cor 2:10,12.
[5] Ez 11:19, 36:26-27, Jn 6:45.
[6] Eph 2:5, Phil 2:13, Dt 30:6, Jn 6:45.
Q. 68. Are only the elect effectually called?
A. All the elect, and only they, are effectually called.[1] Although others may be and often are externally called by the ministry of the word,[2] and although the Spirit may work in them in some of the same ways he works in the elect,[3] from their own willful neglect of and contempt for the grace that is offered them, they are justly allowed to remain in their unbelief and never truly come to Christ.[4]
[1] Acts 13:48, Jn 6:39,44, 17:9.
[3] Mt 7:22, 13:20-21, Heb 6:4-6.
[4] Jn 12:38-40, 6:64-65 Acts 28:25-27, Ps 81:11-12, 95:9-11, Prv 1:24-32.
Q. 69. What communion in grace do members of the invisible church have with Christ?
A. By their communion in grace with Christ, the members of the invisible church share the dynamic power of his mediation in their justification,[1] adoption,[2] sanctification, and in all the other ways that show their union with him in this life.[3]
Q. 70. What is justification?
A. Justification is the act of God's free grace to sinners,[1] by which he pardons all their sins and accepts and looks on them as if they were righteous,[2] not because of anything worked in them or done by them[3] but because God imputes to them the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ[4] that can only be appropriated by faith.[5]
[2] 2 Cor 5:19,21, Rom 3:22, 24-25,27-28.
[3] Ti 3:5,7, Eph 1:6-7, Rom 3:28.
[4] Rom 5:17-19, 4:6-8, 3:24-25.
[5] Acts 10:43, Gal 2:16, Phil 3:9, Rom 3:25-26, 5:1.
Q. 71. How is justification an act of God's free grace?
A. By his obedience and death Christ made the correct, real, and full satisfaction to God's justice on behalf of those who are justified.[1] Yet, insofar as this satisfaction is accepted by God as a guarantee of performance, which he might have demanded from the justified, and since God himself provided a guarantor in the person of his only Son,[2] in justification God imputes righteousness to the justified[3] and requires nothing from them in return except faith,[4] which they also have as a gift from him.[5] Consequently, justification comes to the justified as an act of God's free grace.[6]
[1] Rom 5:8-10, 19:
[2] 1 Tm 2:5-6, Heb 10:10, Mt 20:28, Dn 9:24,26, Is 53:4-6, 10-12, Heb 7:22, Rom 8:32, 1 Pt 1:18-19.
Q. 72. What is justifying faith?
A. Justifying faith is a saving grace[1] that works in the hearts of sinners by the Spirit[2] and the word of God.[3] By it sinners are convinced of their sinfulness and miserable condition and realize that neither they nor anyone or anything else can get them out of that lost condition,[4] and by it they give full assent to the truth of the gospel promise;[5] they receive and rest on Christ and his righteousness for pardon from sin,[6] as the gospel tells us, and for being accepted and accounted as righteous in the sight of God for salvation.[7]
[3] Rom 10:14,17, 2 Thes 2:13.
[4] Acts 2:37, 16:30, Jn 16:8-9, Rom 6:6, 7:9, Eph 2:1, Acts 4:12.
[6] Jn 1:12, Acts 16:31, 10:43, Gal 2:15-16.
Q. 73. How does faith justify a sinner in the sight of God?
A. Faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God only as a tool by which the sinner receives Christ and puts Christ's righteousness into effect,[1] not because of any other grace that accompanies faith and not because of any good works that result from faith.[2] Nor is it the case that the grace of faith or any action springing from it is imputed to the sinner for his justification.[3]
[1] Jn 1:12, Phil 3:9, Gal 2:16.
[3] Rom 4:5-8, 10:10, Ti 3:5-7.
Q. 74. What is adoption?
A. Adoption is an act of God's free grace[1] in and for his only son, Jesus Christ,[2] by which all those who are justified become his children,[3] have his name put on them,[4] have the Spirit of his Son given to them,[5] are provided for under his fatherly care,[6] are welcomed to all the liberties and privileges of the sons of God, and are made heirs of all the promises and fellow-heirs with Christ in glory.[7]
[6] Ps 103:13, Prv 14:26, Mt 6:32.
Q. 75. What is sanctification?
A. Sanctification is a work of God's grace for those whom God has chosen to be holy before the beginning of the world and to whom in time the powerful operation of the Spirit[1] applies the death and resurrection of Christ.[2] They are thus renewed in their whole persons after the image of God,[3] have the seeds of repentance unto life and all the other saving graces put into their hearts,[4] and these graces are so aroused, increased, and strengthened[5] that they more and more die to sin and rise into newness of life.[6]
[1] Eph 1:4, 1 Cor 6:11, 2 Thes 2:13.
[4] Acts 11:18, 1 Jn 3:9, Rom 6:4-6, Eph 4:23-24, Phil 3:10.
[5] Jude 20, Heb 6:11-12, Eph 3:16-19, Col 1:10-11.
Q. 76. What is repentance unto life?
A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace[1] worked in the hearts of sinners by the Spirit[2] and the word of God.[3] By it sinners recognize not only how dangerous it is to commit sins[4] but also how filthy and hateful they are to God.[5] Understanding that in Christ God is merciful to those who repent,[6] sinners suffer such deep sorrow for[7] and hate their sins[8] so much that they turn away from all of them and turn to God,[9] attempting to walk continually with him according to this new obedience in every way.[10]
[4] Ez 18:28,30,32, Lk 15:17-18, Hos 2:6-7.
[5] Ez 36:31, 16:61,63, Is 30:22.
[6] Jl 2:12-13, Lk 22:61-62, Zec 12:10.
[9] Acts 26:18, Ez 14:6, 1 Kgs 8:47-48, 1 Sm 7:3.
[10] Ps 119:6,59,128, Lk 1:6, 2 Kgs 23:25.
Q. 77. What is the difference between justification and sanctification?
A. Although sanctification is inseparably joined to justification,[1] the two are distinctly different. In justification God imputes the righteousness of Christ to believers;[2] in sanctification his Spirit infuses believers with grace and enables them to use it.[3] In the former, sin is pardoned;[4] in the latter, it is subdued.[5] The one exempts all believers equally and completely from the avenging anger and condemnation of God in this life;[6] the other does not work equally in all believers,[7] nor is it completed in any believer in this life,[8] but only grows toward perfection.[9]
[1] 1 Cor 6:11, 1:30, Rom 8:30.
[2] Rom 4:6,8, Phil 3:8-9, 2 Cor 5:21.
[7] 1 Jn 2:12-14, Heb 5:12-14, 1 Cor 3:1-2, Mk 4:8,28.
[9] 2 Cor 7:1, Phil 3:12-14, Eph 4:11-15.
Q. 78. Why are believers not completely sanctified?
A. Believers are not completely or perfectly sanctified because they retain some remnants of sin throughout their whole being and are continually plagued with desires of their old sinful nature that are contrary to the spirit. Consequently believers are frequently defeated by temptation, commit many sins,[1] and are hindered from performing their spiritual obligations,[2] so that their best works in God's eyes are imperfect and defiled.[3]
[1] Rom 7:18,23, Mk 14:66-72, Gal 2:11-12.
[3] Is 64:6, Ex 28:38, Rom 7:18, 23:
Q. 79. Since true believers are imperfect, are tempted, and commit sin, can they fall out of their state of grace?
A. Because of God's unchangeable love,[1] he has decreed and made a covenant with believers that they will persevere,[2] that they are inseparably united to Christ,[3] who continually intercedes for them,[4] and that the Spirit and the seed of God abide in them.[5] Consequently, they can never completely or finally fall out of their state of grace,[6] because the power of God preserves their salvation through faith.[7]
[2] 2 Tm 2:19, Heb 6:17, 13:20-21, 2 Sm 23:5, 1 Cor 1:8, Is 54:10.
[3] 1 Cor 1:8-9, 12:27, Rom 8:35-39.
Q. 80. Can true believers be infallibly assured that they are and will remain in a state of grace, persevering to salvation?
A. Those who truly believe in Christ and try to walk in good conscience before him[1] may be infallibly assured that they are and will remain in a state of grace, persevering to salvation.[2] This assurance is not the result of any unusual revelation but comes from faith grounded on the truth of God's promises and from the Spirit, who gives believers the spiritual insight into their own hearts, to which these promises are directed.[3] The Spirit also testifies with their spirits that they are the children of God.[4]
[3] 1 Cor 2:12, 1 Jn 3:14, 18-19,21,24, 4:13,16, Heb 6:11-12.
Q. 81. Are all true believers assured all the time that they are saved and are in a state of grace?
A. Since the assurance of grace and salvation is not essential to faith,[1] true believers may have to wait a long time for it,[2] and once they have it, their assurance may be weakened and interrupted from being afflicted by all kinds of psychological problems, from sinning, from being tempted, and from losing the sense of God's favor.[3] However, the Spirit of God keeps believers from complete despair by never allowing them to be without some inner sense of his presence and support.[4]
[3] Sg 5:2-3,6, Ps 51:8,12, 31:22, 22:1, 77:1-12, 30:6-7.
[4] 1 Jn 3:9, Jb 13:15, Ps 73:13-15,23, Is 54:7-11.
Q. 82. What is the communion in glory that members of the invisible church have with Christ?
A. The communion in glory that members of the invisible church have with Christ occurs in this life[1] as well as immediately after death,[2] and is finally completed at the resurrection and day of judgment.[3]
[3] 1 Thes 4:17, 1 Jn 3:2, Rv 22:3-5.
Q. 83. What is the communion in glory with Christ that members of the invisible church enjoy in this life?
A. Since members of the invisible church are part of the body of Christ, who is their head, they have imparted to them in this life the first-fruits of glory with Christ mainly in the form of interest in the glory Christ fully possesses,[1] and, as a down payment on this communion, they enjoy a sense of God's love,[2] a good conscience, joy in the Holy Spirit, and hope of glory.[3] In a similar, negative way, the torments the wicked will endure after death begin here on earth with an awareness in them of God's avenging anger, a terrified conscience, and a fearful expectation of judgment.[4]
[4] Gn 4:13, Mt 27:3-5, Heb 10:27, Rom 2:9, Mk 9:44.
Q. 84. Is everyone going to die?
A. Since we have been warned that death is the wages of sin,[1] everyone is destined to die once,[2] because everyone has sinned.[3]
Q. 85. Given that death is the wages of sin, why are the righteous not delivered from death, since all their sins are forgiven in Christ?
A. At the last day, the righteous will be delivered from death itself. In the meantime, even when they die, they are delivered from the sting and curse of death,[1] and God's love[2] completely frees them from sin and misery,[3] enabling them to have a deeper communion with Christ when they enter into his glory after death.[4]
[1] 1 Cor 15:26,55-57, Heb 2:15.
[3] Rv 14:13, Eph 5:27, Lk 16:25, 2 Cor 5:1-8.
Q. 86. What is the communion in glory with Christ that members of the invisible church enjoy immediately after death?
A. The communion in glory with Christ that members of the invisible church enjoy immediately after death involves their souls being made completely holy[1] and being received into the highest heavens.[2] There they behold the face of God in light and glory[3] as they wait for the full redemption of their bodies,[4] which even in death continue united to Christ[5] and rest in the grave as in a bed,[6] until at the last day body and soul are reunited.[7] On the other hand, when the wicked die, their souls are thrown into hell. There they remain tormented in complete darkness, while their bodies are kept in the grave as in a prison, until the resurrection and judgment of that great day.[8]
[2] 2 Cor 5:1,6-8, Phil 1:23, Acts 3:21, Eph 4:10.
[3] 1 Jn 3:2, 1 Cor 13:12, Lk 16:23, 23:43, 2 Cor 5:6-8.
[8] Lk 16:23-24, Acts 1:25, Jude 6-7.
Q. 87. What must we believe about the resurrection?
A. We must first of all believe that at the last day there is going to be a resurrection of all the dead, both the righteous and the wicked.[1] When that happens, those who are still alive on earth will be instantly changed, and the very same bodies of the dead that were buried will be reunited with their souls and raised up by the power of Christ.[2] Through the Spirit of Christ and by virtue of his resurrection, as their head, the bodies of the righteous will be raised in power, spiritual and imperishable, and made in the likeness of Christ's glorious body.[3] Christ will raise up in dishonor the bodies of the wicked, who offend him as judge.[4]
[2] 1 Cor 15:51-53, 1 Thes 4:15-17, Jn 5:28-29.
[3] 1 Cor 15:21-23,42-44, Phil 3:21.
[4] Jn 5:27-29, Mt 25:33, Dn 12:2.
Q. 88. What is going to happen immediately after the resurrection?
A. Immediately after the resurrection, all created beings, angels and humans, will be finally judged.[1] No one knows the exact time this is going to happen so that everyone can anticipate, pray for, and always be ready for the coming of the Lord.[2]
[1] 2 Pt 2:4,6-7,14-15, Mt 25:46, Rv 20:11-13.
[2] Mt 24:36,42,44, Lk 21:35-36.
Q. 89. What will happen to the wicked on the judgment day?
A. On the judgment day, the wicked will be put on the left of Christ,[1] and with the evidence against them clearly presented and fully recognized by them,[2] they will be justly and terribly condemned,[3] after which they will be expelled from the favorable presence of God and the glorious fellowship with Christ, his people, and his angels, and thrown into hell to be punished forever with unspeakable torments, both of body and soul, along with the devil and his angels.[4]
[4] Lk 16:26, 2 Thes 1:8-9, Mt 25:46, Mk 9:43-44, 14:21.
Q. 90. What will happen to the righteous on the judgment day?
A. On the judgment day, the righteous will be caught up with Christ in the clouds[1] and placed on his right, where they will be publicly acknowledged and acquitted.[2] They will join Christ in the judgment of reprobate angels and men[3] and be received into heaven.[4] There they will be completely and forever freed from all sin and misery,[5] filled with unimaginable joy,[6] and made perfectly holy and happy in body and soul, in the vast company of each other and the holy angels;[7] they will be particularly blessed in the visual presence and enjoyment of God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, forever.[8] Such is the perfect and complete fellowship the members of the invisible church will enjoy with Christ in glory at the resurrection and judgment day.
[8] 1 Jn 3:2, 1 Cor 13:12, 1 Thes 4:17-18, Rv 22:3-5.
Search Comments
This page has been visited 0027 times.
| << | Contents | >> |
10 per page