| Question
61. Doesn't modern critical scholarship undermine your belief
that Holy Scripture is a form of God's Word?
No. The methods of modern
scholarship are a good servant but a bad master. They are neither
to be accepted nor rejected uncritically. Properly used they
help us rightly and richly interpret Scripture; improperly used
they can usurp the place of faith (or establish an alternative
faith). Wise interpreters use these methods in the service of
faithful witness and understanding. The methods of modern scholarship
remain a useful tool, while Holy Scripture remains reliable
in all essential matters of faith and practice.
Prov. 1:5-6 "Let the wise also hear
and gain in learning, and the discerning acquire skill, to
understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and
their riddles."
Prov. 10:14 "The wise lay up knowledge,
but the babbling of a fool brings ruin near."
1 Cor. 1:20, 25 "Where is the one who
is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this
age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For
God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness
is stronger than human strength."
Question 62. What do you affirm when you speak
of "the holy catholic church"?
The church is the company of all faithful people who have
given their lives to Jesus Christ, as he has given and gives
himself to them. Since Christ cannot be separated from his people,
the church is holy because he is holy, and universal (or "catholic")
in significance because he is universal in significance. Despite
all its remaining imperfections here and now, the church is
called to become ever more holy and catholic, for that is what
it already is in Christ.
Gal. 2:20 "And the life I now live
in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me."
1 Cor. 1:2 "To the church of God that
is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus,
called to be saints, together with all those who in every
place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their
Lord and ours"
Lev. 11:44 "For I am the Lord your
God; sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am
holy."
1 Pet. 1:15-16 "Instead, as he who
called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct;
for it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'"
Rev. 5:9 "They sing a new song: 'You
are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you
were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints
from every tribe and language and people and nation.'"
Question 63. What is the mission of the church?
The mission of the church is to bear witness to God's love
for the world in Jesus Christ.
Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
ends of the earth."
John 15:26-27 "When the Advocate comes,
whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth
who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You
also are to testify because you have been with me from the
beginning."
Eph. 3:8-10 "Although I am the very
least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring
to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ,
and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden
for ages in God who created all things; so that through the
church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be
made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places."
Question 64. What forms does this mission
take?
The forms are as various as the forms of God's love, yet the
center is always Jesus Christ. The church is faithful to its
mission when it extends mercy and forgiveness to the needy in
ways that point finally to him. For in the end it is always
by Christ's mercy that the needs of the needy are met.
Luke 10:37 "He said, 'The one who showed
him mercy.' Jesus said to him, 'Go and do likewise.'"
Eph. 4:32 "Be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has
forgiven you."
Deut. 15:11 "Since there will never
cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command
you, 'Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your
land.'"
Acts 4:34 "There was not a needy person
among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them
and brought the proceeds of what was sold."
Question 65. Who are the needy?
The hungry need bread, the homeless need a roof, the oppressed
need justice, and the lonely need fellowship. At the same time
— on another and deeper level — the hopeless need
hope, sinners need forgiveness, and the world needs the gospel.
On this level no one is excluded, and all the needy are one.
Our mission as the church is to bring hope to a desperate world
by declaring God's undying love — as one beggar tells
another where to find bread.
Ps. 10:12 "Rise up, O Lord; O God,
lift up your hand; do not forget the oppressed."
Matt. 25:37-40 "Then the righteous
will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry
and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?
And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you,
or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw
you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will
answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one
of the least of these who are members of my family, you did
it to me.'"
Jer. 9:23 "Thus says the Lord: Do not
let the wise boast in their wisdom, do not let the mighty
boast in their might, do not let the wealthy boast in their
wealth."
1 Cor. 9:16 "Woe to me if I do not
proclaim the gospel!"
Eph. 6:19 "Pray also for me, so that
when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with
boldness the mystery of the gospel."
Question 66. What do you affirm when you speak
of "the communion of saints"?
All those who live in union with Christ, whether on earth
or with God in heaven, are "saints." Our communion
with Christ makes us members one of another. As by his death
he removed our separation from God, so by his Spirit he removes
all that divides us from each other. Breaking down every wall
of hostility, he makes us, who are many, one body in himself.
The ties that bind us in Christ are deeper than any other human
relationship.
Eph. 2:19-20 "You are no longer strangers
and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also
members of the household of God, built upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as
the cornerstone."
Rom. 12:5 "So we, who are many, are
one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of
another."
Eph. 2:14 "For he is our peace; in
his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken
down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us."
1 Cor. 12:27 "Now you are the body
of Christ and individually members of it."
Gal. 3:28 "There is no longer Jew or
Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer
male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus."
Eph. 4:4 "There is one body and one
Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling."
1 Cor. 12:4-7, 12-13 "Now there are
varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties
of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of
activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them
in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit
for the common good. For just as the body is one and has many
members, and all the members of the body, though many, are
one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were
all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or
free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit."
Question 67. How do you enter into communion
with Christ and so with one another?
By the power of the Holy Spirit as it works through Word and
sacrament. Because the Spirit uses them for our salvation, Word
and sacrament are called "means of grace." The Scriptures
acknowledge two sacraments as instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ
— baptism and the Lord's Supper.
1 Cor. 10:17 "Because there is one
bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of
the one bread."
1 Cor. 12:13 "For in the one Spirit
we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves
or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit."
Col. 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell
in you richly."
Question 68. What is a sacrament?
A sacrament is a special act of Christian worship, instituted
by Christ, which uses a visible sign to proclaim the promise
of the gospel for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
The sacramental sign seals this promise to believers by grace
and brings to them what is promised. In baptism the sign is
that of water; in the Lord's Supper, that of bread and wine.
Mark 1:9-11 "In those days Jesus came
from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the
heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on
him. And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my Son, the Beloved;
with you I am well pleased.'"
Mark 14:22-25 "While they were eating,
he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it,
gave it to them, and said, 'Take; this is my body.' Then he
took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and
all of them drank from it. He said to them, 'This is my blood
of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I tell
you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until
that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.'"
Question 69. How do you understand the relationship
between the word of promise and the sacramental sign?
Take away the word of promise, and the water is merely water,
or the bread and wine, merely bread and wine. But add water,
or bread and wine, to the word of promise, and it becomes a
visible word. In this form it does what by grace the word always
does: it brings the salvation it promises, and conveys to faith
the real presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. The sacraments are
visible words which uniquely assure and confirm that no matter
how greatly I may have sinned, Christ died also for me, and
comes to live in me and with me.
Luke 24:30-31 "When he was at the table
with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it
to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized
him; and he vanished from their sight."
1 Cor. 10:16 "The cup of blessing that
we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The
bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?"
Matt. 28:20 "Teaching them to obey
everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with
you always, to the end of the age."
Col. 1:27 "To them God chose to make
known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory
of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Question 70. What is the main difference between
baptism and the Lord's Supper?
While I receive baptism only once, I receive the Lord's Supper
again and again. Being unrepeatable, baptism indicates not only
that Christ died for our sins once and for all, but that by
grace we are also united with him once and for all through faith.
Being repeatable, the Lord's Supper indicates that as we turn
unfilled to him again and again, our Lord continually meets
us in the power of the Holy Spirit to renew and deepen our faith.
Acts 2:41 "So those who welcomed his
message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons
were added."
John 6:33 "For the bread of God is
that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
John 6:51 "I am the living bread that
came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live
forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the
world is my flesh."
John 6:56 "Those who eat my flesh and
drink my blood abide in me, and I in them."
1 Cor. 11:26 "For as often as you eat
this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death
until he comes."
Question 71. What is baptism?
Baptism is the sign and seal through which we are joined to
Christ.
Rom. 6:3-4 "Do you not know that all
of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized
into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by
baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from
the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk
in newness of life."
Gal. 3:27 "As many of you as were baptized
into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."
Rom. 4:11 "[Abraham] received the sign
of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had
by faith."
Question 72. What does it mean to be baptized?
My baptism means that I am joined to Jesus Christ forever.
I am baptized into his death and resurrection, along with all
who have received him by faith. As I am baptized with water,
he baptizes me with his Spirit, washing away all my sins and
freeing me from their control. My baptism is a sign that one
day I will rise with him in glory, and may walk with him even
now in newness of life.
Col. 2:12 "When you were buried with
him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith
in the power of God, who raised him from the dead."
Mark 1:8 "I have baptized you with
water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
1 Cor. 6:11 "You were washed, you were
sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ and in the Spirit of our God."
Eph. 4:4-6 "There is one body and one
Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all,
who is above all and through all and in all."
Question 73. Are infants also to be baptized?
Yes. Along with their believing parents, they are included
in the great hope of the gospel and belong to the people of
God. Forgiveness and faith are both promised to them as gifts
through Christ's covenant with his people. These children are
therefore to be received into the community by baptism, nurtured
in the Word of God, and confirmed at an appropriate time by
their own profession of faith.
Gen. 17:7 "I will establish my covenant
between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout
their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God
to you and to your offspring after you."
Acts 2:38-39 "Peter said to them, 'Repent,
and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your
children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the
Lord our God calls to him.'"
Acts 16:15 "When she and her household
were baptized, she urged us, saying, 'If you have judged me
to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.' And
she prevailed upon us."
Acts 16:33 "At the same hour of the
night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his
entire family were baptized without delay."
Acts 18:8 "Crispus, the official of
the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord, together with
all his household; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul
became believers and were baptized."
Question 74. Should infants be baptized if
their parents or guardians have no relation to the church?
No. It would be irresponsible to baptize an infant without
at least one Christian parent or guardian who promises to nurture
the infant in the life of the community and to instruct it in
the Christian faith.
Eph. 6:4 "Bring them up in the discipline
and instruction of the Lord."
2 Tim. 1:5 "I am reminded of your sincere
faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and
your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you."
1 Cor. 7:14 "For the unbelieving husband
is made holy through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is
made holy through her husband. Otherwise, your children would
be unclean, but as it is, they are holy."
Question 75. In what name are you baptized?
In the name of the Trinity. After he was raised from the dead,
our Lord appeared to his disciples and said to them, "Go
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt.
28:19).
Matt. 28:16-20 "Now the eleven disciples
went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed
them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.
And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven
and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey
everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with
you always, to the end of the age.'"
Matt. 3:16-17 "And when Jesus had been
baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the
heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending
like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven
said, 'This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.'"
1 Pet. 1:2 "who have been chosen and
destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to
be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood:
May grace and peace be yours in abundance."
1 Cor. 12:4-6 "Now there are varieties
of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of
services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities,
but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone."
Question 76. What is the meaning of this name?
It is the name of the Holy Trinity. The Father is God, the
Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. And yet they are not
three gods, but one God in three persons. We worship God in
this mystery.
2 Cor. 13:13 "The grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy
Spirit be with all of you."
John 1:1-4 "In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He
was in the beginning with God. All things came into being
through him, and without him not one thing came into being.
What has come into being in him was life, and the life was
the light of all people."
Rom. 8:11 "If the Spirit of him who
raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ
from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through
his Spirit that dwells in you."
John 16:13-15 "When the Spirit of truth
comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will glorify
me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that
he will take what is mine and declare it to you."
Question 77. What is the Lord's Supper?
The Lord's Supper is the sign and seal by which our communion
with Christ is renewed.
1 Cor. 10:16 "The cup of blessing that
we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The
bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?"
Question 78. What does it mean to share in
the Lord's Supper?
When we celebrate the Lord's Supper, the Lord Jesus Christ
is truly present, pouring out his Spirit upon us. By his Spirit,
the bread that we break and the cup that we bless share in our
Lord's own body and blood. Through them he once offered our
life to God; through them he now offers his life to us. As I
receive the bread and the cup, remembering that Christ died
even for me, I feed on him in my heart by faith with thanksgiving,
and enter his risen life, so that his life becomes mine, and
my life becomes his, to all eternity.
1 Cor. 11:23-26 "For I received from
the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus
on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and
when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my
body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the
same way he took the cup also, 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."
Mark 14:22-25 "While they were eating,
he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it,
gave it to them, and said, 'Take; this is my body.' Then he
took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and
all of them drank from it. He said to them, 'This is my blood
of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I tell
you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until
that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.'"
Question 79. Who may receive the Lord's Supper?
All baptized Christians who rejoice in so great a gift, who
confess their sins, and who draw near with faith intending to
lead a new life, may receive the Lord's Supper. This includes
baptized children who have expressed a desire to participate,
and who have been instructed in the meaning of the sacrament
in a way they can understand.
Luke 13:29 "Then people will come from
east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom
of God."
1 Cor. 11:28 "Examine yourselves, and
only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup."
Phil. 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I say, Rejoice."
Question 80. What do you mean when you speak
of "the forgiveness of sins"?
That because of Jesus Christ, God no longer holds my sins
against me. Christ alone is my righteousness and my life; Christ
is my only hope. Grace alone, not my merits, is the basis on
which God has forgiven me in him. Faith alone, not my works,
is the means by which I receive Christ into my heart, and with
him the forgiveness that makes me whole. Christ alone, grace
alone, and faith alone bring the forgiveness I receive through
the gospel.
1 Cor. 1:30 "Christ Jesusbecame for
us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and
redemption."
1 Tim. 1:1 "Paul, an apostleby the
command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope."
Rom. 11:6 "But if it is by grace, it
is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would
no longer be grace."
Eph. 2:8 "For by grace you have been
saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is
the gift of God."
Rom. 5:15 "But the free gift is not
like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man's
trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free
gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for
the many."
Rom. 4:16 "For this reason it depends
on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and
be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents
of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham."
Rom. 3:28 "For we hold that a person
is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law."
Question 81. Does forgiveness mean that God
condones sin?
No. God does not cease to be God. Although God is merciful,
God does not condone what God forgives. In the death and resurrection
of Christ, God judges what God abhors — everything hostile
to love — by abolishing it at the very roots. In this
judgment the unexpected occurs: good is brought out of evil,
hope out of hopelessness, and life out of death. God spares
sinners, and turns them from enemies into friends. The uncompromising
judgment of God is revealed in the suffering love of the cross.
Hab. 1:13 "Your eyes are too pure to
behold evil, and you cannot look on wrongdoing; why do you
look on the treacherous, and are silent when the wicked swallow
those more righteous than they?"
Is. 59:15 "The Lord saw it, and it
displeased him that there was no justice."
Heb. 9:22 "Indeed, under the law almost
everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding
of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."
Rom. 5:8-10 "But God proves his love
for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for
us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified
by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath
of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to
God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having
been reconciled, will we be saved by his life."
1 Chron. 16:33 "Then shall the trees
of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to
judge the earth."
Question 82. Does your forgiveness of those
who have harmed you depend on their repentance?
No. I am to forgive as I have been forgiven. The gospel is
the astonishing good news that while we were yet sinners Christ
died for us. Just as God's forgiveness of me is unconditional,
and so precedes my confession of sin and repentance, so my forgiveness
of those who have harmed me does not depend on their confessing
and repenting of their sin. However, when I forgive the person
who has done me harm, giving up any resentment or desire to
retaliate, I do not condone the harm that was done or excuse
the evil of the sin.
Col. 3:13 "Just as the Lord has forgiven
you, so you also must forgive."
Mark 11:25 "Whenever you stand praying,
forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your
Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses."
Col. 2:13 "When you were dead in trespasses
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together
with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses."
Matt. 18:21-22 "Then Peter came and
said to him, 'Lord, if another member of the church sins against
me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?' Jesus
said to him, 'Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven
times.'"
Heb. 12:14 "Pursue peace with everyone,
and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord."
Question 83. How can you forgive those who
have really hurt you?
I cannot love my enemies, I cannot pray for those who persecute
me, I cannot even be ready to forgive those who have really
hurt me, without the grace that comes from above. I cannot be
conformed to the image of God's Son, apart from the power of
God's Word and Spirit. Yet I am promised that I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me.
Luke 6:27-28 "But I say to you that
listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you."
James 1:17 "Every generous act of giving,
with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the
Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow
due to change."
Rom. 8:29 "For those whom he foreknew
he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,
in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family."
Phil. 4:13 "I can do all things through
him who strengthens me."
Question 84. What do you mean when you speak
of "the resurrection of the body"?
Because Christ lives, we will live also. The resurrection
of the body celebrates our eternal value to God as living persons,
each one with a unique and distinctive identity. Indeed, the
living Savior who goes before us was once heard, seen and touched
in person, after the discovery of his empty tomb. The resurrection
of the body means hope for the whole person, because it is in
the unity of body and soul, not in soul alone, that I belong
in life and in death to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.
John 14:19 "In a little while the world
will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live,
you also will live."
John 11:25 "Jesus said to her, 'I am
the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even
though they die, will live.'"
Rom. 6:5 "For if we have been united
with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united
with him in a resurrection like his."
1 Cor. 15:21 "For since death came
through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also
come through a human being."
1 Cor. 15:42 "So it is with the resurrection
of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is
imperishable."
Col. 1:18 "He is the head of the body,
the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead."
Question 85. What is the nature of resurrection
hope?
Resurrection hope is a hope for the transformation of this
world, not a hope for escape from it. It is the hope that evil
in all its forms will be utterly eradicated, that past history
will be redeemed, and that all the things that ever were will
be made new. It is the hope of a new creation, a new heaven
and a new earth, in which God is really honored as God, human
beings are truly loving, and peace and justice reign on earth.
Is. 11:6 "The wolf shall live with
the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf
and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child
shall lead them."
Rev. 21:1 "Then I saw a new heaven
and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth
had passed away, and the sea was no more."
Is. 65:17 "For I am about to create
new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be
remembered or come to mind."
2 Pet. 3:13 "But, in accordance with
his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where
righteousness is at home."
2 Cor. 5:17 "So if anyone is in Christ,
there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see,
everything has become new!"
Question 86. Does resurrection hope mean that
we don't have to take action to relieve the suffering of this
world?
No. When the great hope is truly alive, small hopes arise
even now for alleviating the sufferings of the present time.
Reconciliation — with God, with one another, and with
oneself — is the great hope God has given to the world.
While we commit to God the needs of the whole world in our prayers,
we also know that we are commissioned to be instruments of God's
peace. When hostility, injustice and suffering are overcome
here and now, we anticipate the end of all things — the
life that God brings out of death, which is the meaning of resurrection
hope.
Ps. 27:13 "I believe that I shall see
the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."
Ps. 33:20-22 "Our soul waits for the
Lord; he is our help and shield. Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love,
O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you."
Rom. 14:19 "Let us then pursue what
makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding."
Deut. 30:19 "I call heaven and earth
to witness against you today that I have set before you life
and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and
your descendants may live."
Luke 1:78-79 "By the tender mercy of
our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us."
Question 87. What do you affirm when you speak
of "the life everlasting"?
That God does not will to be God without us, but instead grants
to us creatures — fallen and mortal as we are —
eternal life. Communion with Jesus Christ is eternal life itself.
In him we were chosen before the foundation of the world. By
him the eternal covenant with Israel was taken up, embodied,
and fulfilled. To him we are joined by the Holy Spirit through
faith, and adopted as children, the sons and daughters of God.
Through him we are raised from death to new life. For him we
shall live to all eternity.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in
him may not perish but may have eternal life."
John 6:54 "Those who eat my flesh and
drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up
on the last day."
John 17:3 "And this is eternal life,
that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom you have sent."
Rom. 6:22 "But now that you have been
freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get
is sanctification. The end is eternal life."
Rom. 6:23 "For the wages of sin is
death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord."
1 John 2:25 "And this is what he has
promised us, eternal life."
Matt. 25:34 "Then the king will say
to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by
my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world."
Question 88. Won't heaven be a boring place?
No. Heaven is our true home, a world of love. There the Spirit
shall be poured out into every heart in perfect love. There
the Father and the Son are united in the loving bond of the
Spirit. There we shall be united with them and one another.
There we shall at last see face to face what we now only glimpse
as through a distant mirror. Our deepest, truest delights in
this life are only a dim foreshadowing of the delights that
await us in heaven. "You show me the path of life. In your
presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures
forevermore" (Ps. 16:11).
John 14:2-3 "In my Father's house there
are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have
told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take
you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also."
Matt. 6:20 "But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes
and where thieves do not break in and steal."
Matt. 8:11 "I tell you, many will come
from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and
Jacob in the kingdom of heaven."
Col. 1:5 "because of the hope laid
up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in
the word of the truth, the gospel."
1 Cor. 13:12 "For now we see in a mirror,
dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only
in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully
known."
II. The Ten Commandments
Question 89. What are the Ten Commandments?
The Ten Commandments give a summary of God's law for our lives.
They teach us how to live rightly with God and one another.
Deut. 10:4 "Then he wrote on the tablets
the same words as before, the ten commandments that the Lord
had spoken to you on the mountain out of the fire on the day
of the assembly; and the Lord gave them to me."
Matt. 19:17 "And he said to him, 'Why
do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is
good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.'"
Question 90. Why did God give this law?
After rescuing the people of Israel from their slavery in
Egypt, God led them to Mount Sinai, where they received the
law through Moses. It was the great charter of liberty for Israel,
a people chosen to live in covenant with God and to serve as
a light to the nations. It remains the charter of liberty for
all who would love, know and serve the Lord today.
Ex. 20:2 "I am the Lord your God, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
slavery."
Deut. 11:1 "You shall love the Lord
your God, therefore, and keep his charge, his decrees, his
ordinances, and his commandments always."
Luke 1:74-75 "We, being rescued from
the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in
holiness and righteousness before him all our days."
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