The Heidelberg Catechism was composed in
Frederick III, who ruled the
1559 to 1576. An old tradition credits Zacharius Ursinus
and Caspar Olevianus
with being coauthors of the new catechism. Both were
certainly involved in its
composition, although one of them may have had primary
responsibility. All we
know for sure is reported by the Elector in his preface
of
was, he writes, "with the advice and cooperation of
our entire theological
faculty in this place, and of all superintendents and
distinguished servants of
the church" that he secured the preparation of the
Heidelberg Catechism. The
catechism was approved by a synod in
third German edition, each with small additions, as well
as a Latin translation
were published the same year in
fifty-two sections so that one Lord's Day could be
explained in preaching each
Sunday of the year.
The Synod of Dort in 1618-1619 approved the Heidelberg
Catechism, and it soon
became the most ecumenical of the Reformed catechisms and
confessions. The
catechism has been translated into many European, Asian,
and African languages
and is the most widely used and most warmly praised
catechism of the Reformation
period.
The 1968 Synod of the Christian Reformed Church appointed
a committee to prepare
"a modern and accurate translation ... which will
serve as the official text of
the Heidelberg Catechism and as a guide for catechism
preaching." A translation
was adopted by the Synod of 1975, and some editorial
revisions were approved by
the Synod of 1988.
The English translation follows the first German edition
of the catechism except
in two instances explained in footnotes to questions 57
and 80. The result of
those inclusions is that the translation therefore
actually follows the German
text of the third edition as it was included in the
Palatinate Church Order of
Biblical passages quoted in the catechism are taken from
the New International
Version. In the German editions, biblical quotations
sometimes include additional
words not found in the Greek text and therefore not
included in recent
translations such as the NIV. The additions from the
German are indicated in
footnotes in Q & A 4, 71, and 119.
LORD'S DAY 1
1 Q. What is your only comfort
in life and
in death?
A. That I am not my own,^1
but belong—;
body and
soul,
in life
and in death—;^2
to my
faithful Savior Jesus Christ.^3
He has
fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,^4
and has
set me free from the tyranny of the devil.^5
He also
watches over me in such a way^6
that not
a hair can fall from my head
without
the will of my Father in heaven:^7
in fact,
all things must work together for my salvation.^8
Because I
belong to him,
Christ, by
his Holy Spirit,
assures me
of eternal life^9
and makes
me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on
to live for him.^10
^1 1 Cor.
^2 Rom. 14:7-9
^3 1 Cor.
^4 1 Pet.
^5 John 8:34-36; Heb. 2:14-15; 1 John 3:1-11
^6 John 6:39-40;
^7 Matt. 10:29-31; Luke 21:16-18
^8 Rom. 8:28
^9 Rom. 8:15-16; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; 5:5; Eph.
1:13-14
^10 Rom. 8:1-17
2 Q. What must you know
to live and
die in the joy of this comfort?
A. Three things:
first,
how great my sin and misery are;^1
second,
how I am set free from all my sins and misery;^2
third,
how I am to thank God for such deliverance.^3
^1
^2 John 17:3; Acts
^3 Matt.
Part I: Human Misery
LORD'S DAY 2
3 Q. How do you come to know your misery?
A. The law of God tells
^1 Rom.
4 Q. What does God's law require of us?
A. Christ teaches us this in summary in Matthew
22—;
Love the
Lord your God
with all
your heart
and with
all your soul
and with
all your mind
and with
all your strength.^1^*
This is
the first and greatest commandment.
And the
second is like it:
Love your
neighbor as yourself.^2
All the
Law and the Prophets hang
on these
two commandments.
^1 Deut. 6:5
^2 Lev. 19:18
*Earlier and
better manuscripts of Matthew 22 omit the words "and with all
your strength." They are found in Mark 12:30.
5 Q. Can you live up to all this perfectly?
A. No.^1
I have a
natural tendency
to hate God
and my neighbor.^2
^1
^2 Gen. 6:5; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 7:23-24; 8:7; Eph.
2:1-3; Titus 3:3
LORD'S DAY 3
6 Q. Did God create people
so wicked
and perverse?
A. No.
God created
them good^1 and in his own image,^2
that is,
in true righteousness and holiness,^3
so that
they might
truly
know God their creator,^4
love him
with all their heart,
and live
with him in eternal happiness
for his praise and glory.^5
^1 Gen. 1:31
^2 Gen. 1:26-27
^3 Eph. 4:24
^4 Col. 3:10
^5 Ps. 8
7 Q. Then where does this corrupt human nature
come from?
A. From the fall and disobedience of our first parents,
Adam and
Eve, in Paradise.^1
This fall
has so poisoned our nature^2
that we
are born sinners—;
corrupt
from conception on.^3
^1 Gen. 3
^2 Rom.
^3 Ps. 51:5
8 Q. But are we so corrupt
that we are
totally unable to do any good
and
inclined toward all evil?
A. Yes,^1 unless we are born again,
by the
Spirit of God.^2
^1 Gen. 6:5;
^2 John 3:3-5
LORD'S DAY 4
9 Q. But doesn't God do us an injustice
by
requiring in his law
what we are
unable to do?
A. No, God created humans with the ability to
keep the law.^1
They,
however, tempted by the devil,^2
in reckless disobedience,^3
robbed
themselves and all their descendants of these gifts.^4
^1 Gen. 1:31; Eph. 4:24
^2 Gen. 3:13; John 8:44
^3 Gen. 3:6
^4 Rom. 5:12, 18, 19
10 Q. Will God permit
such disobedience
and rebellion
to go
unpunished?
A. Certainly not.
He is
terribly angry
about the
sin we are born with
as well
as the sins we personally commit.
As a just
judge
he punishes
them now and in eternity.^1
He has
declared:
"Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do
everything written in the Book of the Law.\9^2
^1 Ex. 34:7; Ps. 5:4-6; Nah. 1:2; Rom. 1:18;
Eph. 5:6; Heb. 9:27
^2 Gal. 3:10; Deut. 27:26
11 Q. But isn't God also merciful?
A. God is certainly merciful,^1
but he is
also just.^2
His justice
demands
that sin,
committed against his supreme majesty,
be
punished with the supreme penalty—;
eternal
punishment of body and soul.^3
^1 Ex. 34:6-7; Ps. 103:8-9
^2 Ex. 34:7; Deut. 7:9-11; Ps. 5:4-6; Heb.
10:30-31
^3 Matt. 25:35-46
Part II: Deliverance
LORD'S DAY 5
12 Q. According to God's righteous judgment
we deserve
punishment
both in
this world and forever after:
how then
can we escape this punishment
and return
to God's favor?
A. God requires that his justice be satisfied.^1
Therefore
the claims of his justice
must be
paid in full,
either by
ourselves or another.^2
^1 Ex. 23:7;
^2 Isa. 53:11;
13 Q. Can we pay this debt ourselves?
A. Certainly not.
Actually,
we increase our guilt every day.^1
^1 Matt. 6:12;
14 Q. Can another creature—;any at all—;
pay this
debt for us?
A. No.
To begin
with,
God will
not punish another creature
for what a human is guilty of.^1
Besides,
no mere
creature can bear the weight
of God's
eternal anger against sin
and
release others from it.^2
^1 Ezek. 18:4, 20; Heb. 2:14-18
^2 Ps. 49:7-9; 130:3
15 Q. What kind of mediator and deliverer
should we
look for then?
A. One who is truly human^1 and truly
righteous,^2
yet more
powerful than all creatures,
that is,
one who is also true God.^3
^1
^2 Isa. 53:9; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:26
^3 Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Jer. 23:6; John 1:1
LORD'S DAY 6
16 Q. Why must he be truly human
and truly
righteous?
A. God's justice demands
that human
nature, which has sinned,
must pay
for its sin;^1
but a
sinner could never pay for others.^2
^1 Rom.
^2 Heb. 7:26-27; 1 Pet. 3:18
17 Q. Why must he also be true God?
A. So that,
by the
power of his divinity,
he might
bear the weight of God's anger in his humanity
and earn
for us
and
restore to us
righteousness and life.^1
^1 Isa. 53; John 3:16; 2 Cor. 5:21
18 Q. And who is this mediator—;
true God
and at the same time
truly human
and truly righteous?
A. Our Lord Jesus Christ,^1
who was
given us
to set us
completely free
and to
make us right with God.^2
^1 Matt. 1:21-23; Luke 2:11; 1 Tim. 2:5
^2 1 Cor.
19 Q. How do you come to know this?
A. The holy gospel tells me.
God
himself began to reveal the gospel already in
later, he
proclaimed it
by the
holy patriarchs^2 and prophets,^3
and
portrayed it
by the
sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law;^4
finally,
he fulfilled it
through
his own dear Son.^5
^1 Gen. 3:15
^2 Gen. 22:18; 49:10
^3 Isa. 53; Jer. 23:5-6; Mic. 7:18-20; Acts
10:43; Heb. 1:1-2
^4 Lev. 1-7; John 5:46; Heb. 10:1-10
^5 Rom. 10:4; Gal. 4:4-5; Col. 2:17
LORD'S DAY 7
20 Q. Are all saved through Christ
just as all
were lost through Adam?
A. No.
Only those
are saved
who by true
faith
are
grafted into Christ
and
accept all his blessings.^1
^1 Matt. 7:14; John
21 Q. What is true faith?
A. True faith is
not only
a knowledge and conviction
that
everything God reveals in his Word is true;^1
it is also
a deep-rooted assurance,^2
created
in me by the Holy Spirit^3 through the gospel,^4
that, out
of sheer grace earned for us by Christ,^5
not
only others, but I too,^6
have
had my sins forgiven,
have
been made forever right with God,
and
have been granted salvation.^7
^1 John 17:3, 17; Heb. 11:1-3; James 2:19
^2 Rom. 4:18-21; 5:1; 10:10; Heb. 4:14-16
^3 Matt. 16:15-17; John 3:5; Acts 16:14
^4 Rom. 1:16; 10:17; 1 Cor. 1:21
^5 Rom. 3:21-26; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-10
^6 Gal. 2:20
^7 Rom. 1:17; Heb. 10:10
22 Q. What then must a Christian believe?
A. Everything God promises us in the gospel.^1
That
gospel is summarized for us
in the
articles of our Christian faith—;
a creed
beyond doubt,
and
confessed throughout the world.
^1 Matt. 28:18-20; John 20:30-31
23 Q. What are these articles?
A. I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator
of heaven and earth.
I believe
in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was
conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born
of the virgin Mary.
He
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was
crucified, died, and was buried;
he
descended to hell.
The third
day he rose again from the dead.
He
ascended to heaven
and is
seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From
there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe
in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the
communion of saints,
the
forgiveness of sins,
the
resurrection of the body,
and the
life everlasting. Amen.
LORD'S DAY 8
24 Q. How are these articles divided?
A. Into three parts:
God the
Father and our creation;
God the
Son and our deliverance;
God the
Holy Spirit and our sanctification.
25 Q. Since there is but one God,^1
why do you
speak of three:
Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit?
A. Because that is how
God has
revealed himself in his Word:^2
these
three distinct persons
are one,
true, eternal God.
^1 Deut. 6:4; 1 Cor. 8:4, 6
^2 Matt. 3:16-17; 28:18-19; Luke 4:18 (Isa.
61:1); John 14:26; 15:26; 2 Cor.
13:14;
Gal. 4:6;
Tit. 3:5-6
God the Father
LORD'S DAY 9
26 Q. What do you believe when you say,
"I
believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of
heaven and earth"?
A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ,
who out
of nothing created heaven and earth
and
everything in them,^1
who still
upholds and rules them
by his
eternal counsel and providence,^2
is my God and Father
because
of Christ his Son.^3
I trust him
so much that I do not doubt
he will
provide
whatever I need
for
body and soul,^4
and he
will turn to my good
whatever adversity he sends me
in this
sad world.^5
He is able
to do this because he is almighty God;^6
he desires
to do this because he is a faithful Father.^7
^1 Gen. 1 & 2; Ex. 20:11; Ps. 33:6; Isa.
44:24; Acts 4:24; 14:15
^2 Ps. 104; Matt. 6:30; 10:29; Eph. 1:11
^3 John 1:12-13; Rom. 8:15-16; Gal. 4:4-7; Eph.
1:5
^4 Ps. 55:22; Matt. 6:25-26; Luke 12:22-31
^5 Rom. 8:28
^6 Gen. 18:14; Rom. 8:31-39
^7 Matt. 7:9-11
LORD'S DAY 10
27 Q. What do you understand
by the
providence of God?
A. Providence is
the
almighty and ever present power of God^1
by which
he upholds, as with his hand,
heaven
and
earth
and all creatures,^2
and so
rules them that
leaf
and blade,
rain
and drought,
fruitful and lean years,
food
and drink,
health
and sickness,
prosperity and poverty—;^3
all
things, in fact, come to us
not
by chance^4
but
from his fatherly hand.^5
^1 Jer. 23:23-24; Acts 17:24-28
^2 Heb. 1:3
^3 Jer. 5:24; Acts 14:15-17; John 9:3; Prov.
22:2
^4 Prov. 16:33
^5 Matt. 10:29
28 Q. How does the knowledge
of God's
creation and providence
help us?
A. We can be patient when things go against
us,^1
thankful
when things go well,^2
and for
the future we can have
good
confidence in our faithful God and Father
that
nothing will separate us from his love.^3
All
creatures are so completely in his hand
that
without his will
they
can neither move nor be moved.^4
^1 Job 1:21-22; James 1:3
^2 Deut. 8:10; 1 Thess. 5:18
^3 Ps. 55:22; Rom. 5:3-5; 8:38-39
^4 Job 1:12; 2:6; Prov. 21:1; Acts 17:24-28
God the Son
LORD'S DAY 11
29 Q. Why is the Son of God called "Jesus,"
meaning
"savior"?
A. Because he saves us from our sins.^1
Salvation
cannot be found in anyone else;
it is
futile to look for any salvation elsewhere.^2
^1 Matt. 1:21; Heb. 7:25
^2 Isa. 43:11; John 15:5; Acts 4:11-12; 1 Tim.
2:5
30 Q. Do those who look for
their
salvation and security
in saints,
in themselves, or elsewhere
really
believe in the only savior Jesus?
A. No.
Although
they boast of being his,
by their
deeds they deny
the only
savior and deliverer, Jesus.^1
Either
Jesus is not a perfect savior,
or those
who in true faith accept this savior
have in him
all they need for their salvation.^2
^1 1 Cor. 1:12-13; Gal. 5:4
^2 Col. 1:19-20; 2:10; 1 John 1:7
LORD'S DAY 12
31 Q. Why is he called "Christ,"
meaning
"anointed"?
A. Because he has been ordained by God the
Father
and has
been anointed with the Holy Spirit^1
to be
our chief
prophet and teacher^2
who
perfectly reveals to us
the
secret counsel and will of God for our deliverance;^3
our only
high priest^4
who has
set us free by the one sacrifice of his body,^5
and who
continually pleads our cause with the Father;^6
and our
eternal king^7
who
governs us by his Word and Spirit,
and who
guards us and keeps us
in the
freedom he has won for us.^8
^1 Luke 3:21-22; 4:14-19 (Isa. 61:1); Heb. 1:9
(Ps. 45:7)
^2 Acts 3:22 (Deut. 18:15)
^3 John 1:18; 15:15
^4 Heb. 7:17 (Ps. 110:4)
^5 Heb. 9:12; 10:11-14
^6 Rom. 8:34; Heb. 9:24
^7 Matt. 21:5 (Zech. 9:9)
^8 Matt. 28:18-20; John 10:28; Rev. 12:10-11
32 Q. But why are you called a Christian?
A. Because by faith I am a member of Christ^1
and so I
share in his anointing.^2
I am
anointed
to
confess his name,^3
to
present myself to him as a living sacrifice of thanks,^4
to strive
with a good conscience against sin and the devil
in this
life,^5
and
afterward to reign with Christ
over
all creation
for all
eternity.^6
^1 1 Cor. 12:12-27
^2 Acts 2:17 (Joel 2:28); 1 John 2:27
^3 Matt. 10:32; Rom. 10:9-10; Heb. 13:15
^4 Rom. 12:1; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9
^5 Gal. 5:16-17; Eph. 6:11; 1 Tim. 1:18-19
^6 Matt. 25:34; 2 Tim. 2:12
LORD'S DAY 13
33 Q. Why is he called God's "only Son"
when we
also are God's children?
A. Because Christ alone is the eternal, natural
Son of God.^1
We,
however, are adopted children of God—;
adopted by grace through Christ.^2
^1 John 1:1-3, 14, 18; Heb. 1
^2 John 1:12; Rom. 8:14-17; Eph. 1:5-6
34 Q. Why do you call him "our Lord"?
A. Because—;
not with
gold or silver,
but with
his precious blood—;^1
he has set
us free
from sin
and from the tyranny of the devil,^2
and has
bought us,
body and
soul,
to be his
very own.^3
^1 1 Pet. 1:18-19
^2 Col. 1:13-14; Heb. 2:14-15
^3 1
Cor. 6:20; 1 Tim. 2:5-6
LORD'S DAY 14
35 Q. What does it mean that he
"was
conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of
the virgin Mary"?
A. That the eternal Son of God,
who is
and remains
true and
eternal God,^1
took to
himself,
through
the working of the Holy Spirit,^2
from the
flesh and blood of the virgin Mary,^3
a truly
human nature
so that
he might become David's true descendant,^4
like his brothers in every way^5
except
for sin.^6
^1 John 1:1; 10:30-36; Acts 13:33 (Ps. 2:7);
Col. 1:15-17; 1 John 5:20
^2 Luke 1:35
^3 Matt. 1:18-23; John 1:14; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 2:14
^4 2 Sam. 7:12-16; Ps. 132:11; Matt. 1:1; Rom.
1:3
^5 Phil. 2:7; Heb. 2:17
^6 Heb. 4:15; 7:26-27
36 Q. How does the holy conception and birth of
Christ
benefit
you?
A. He is our mediator,^1
and with
his innocence and perfect holiness
he removes from God's sight
my sin—;mine
since I was conceived.^2
^1 1 Tim. 2:5-6; Heb. 9:13-15
^2 Rom. 8:3-4; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 4:4-5; 1 Pet.
1:18-19
LORD'S DAY 15
37 Q. What do you understand
by the word
"suffered"?
A. That during his whole life on earth,
but
especially at the end,
Christ
sustained
in body
and soul
the anger
of God against the sin of the whole human race.^1
This he did
in order that,
by his
suffering as the only atoning sacrifice,^2
he might
set us free, body and soul,
from
eternal condemnation,^3
and gain
for us
God's
grace,
righteousness,
and
eternal life.^4
^1 Isa. 53; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18
^2 Rom. 3:25; Heb. 10:14; 1 John 2:2; 4:10
^3 Rom. 8:1-4; Gal. 3:13
^4 John 3:16; Rom. 3:24-26
38 Q. Why did he suffer
"under
Pontius Pilate" as judge?
A. So that he,
though
innocent,
might be
condemned by a civil judge,^1
and so free
us from the severe judgment of God
that was
to fall on us.^2
^1 Luke 23:13-24; John 19:4, 12-16
^2 Isa. 53:4-5; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13
39 Q. Is it significant
that he was
"crucified"
instead of
dying some other way?
A. Yes.
This death
convinces me
that he
shouldered the curse
which lay
on me,
since death
by crucifixion was accursed by God.^1
^1 Gal. 3:10-13 (Deut. 21:23)
LORD'S DAY 16
40 Q. Why did Christ have to go all the way to
death?
A. Because God's justice and truth demand it:^1
only the
death of God's Son could pay for our sin.^2
^1 Gen. 2:17
^2 Rom. 8:3-4; Phil. 2:8; Heb. 2:9
41 Q. Why was he "buried"?
A. His burial testifies
that he
really died.^1
^1 Isa. 53:9; John 19:38-42; Acts 13:29; 1 Cor.
15:3-4
42 Q. Since Christ has died for us,
why do we
still have to die?
A. Our death does not pay the debt of our
sins.^1
Rather, it
puts an end to our sinning
and is our
entrance into eternal life.^2
^1 Ps. 49:7
^2 John 5:24; Phil. 1:21-23; 1 Thess. 5:9-10
43 Q. What further advantage do we receive
from
Christ's sacrifice and death on the cross?
A. Through Christ's death
our old
selves are crucified, put to death, and buried with him,^1
so that the
evil desires of the flesh
may no
longer rule us,^2
but that
instead we may dedicate ourselves
as an
offering of gratitude to him.^3
^1 Rom. 6:5-11; Col. 2:11-12
^2 Rom. 6:12-14
^3 Rom. 12:1; Eph. 5:1-2
44 Q. Why does the creed add,
"He
descended to hell"?
A. To assure me in times of personal crisis and
temptation
that Christ
my Lord,
by
suffering unspeakable anguish, pain, and terror of soul,
especially
on the cross but also earlier,
has
delivered me from the anguish and torment of hell.^1
^1 Isa. 53; Matt. 26:36-46; 27:45-46; Luke
22:44; Heb. 5:7-10
LORD'S DAY 17
45 Q. How does Christ's resurrection
benefit us?
A. First, by his resurrection he has overcome
death,
so that
he might make us share in the righteousness
he won
for us by his death.^1
Second, by
his power we too
are
already now resurrected to a new life.^2
Third,
Christ's resurrection
is a
guarantee of our glorious resurrection.^3
^1 Rom. 4:25; 1 Cor. 15:16-20; 1 Pet. 1:3-5
^2 Rom. 6:5-11; Eph. 2:4-6; Col. 3:1-4
^3 Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 15:12-23; Phil. 3:20-21
LORD'S DAY 18
46 Q. What do you mean by saying,
"He
ascended to heaven"?
A. That Christ,
while his
disciples watched,
was lifted
up from the earth to heaven^1
and will be
there for our good^2
until he
comes again
to judge
the living and the dead.^3
^1 Luke 24:50-51; Acts 1:9-11
^2 Rom. 8:34; Eph. 4:8-10; Heb. 7:23-25; 9:24
^3 Acts 1:11
47 Q. But isn't Christ with us
until the
end of the world
as he
promised us?^1
A. Christ is truly human and truly God.
In his
human nature Christ is not now on earth;^2
but in
his divinity, majesty, grace, and Spirit
he is not
absent from us for a moment.^3
^1 Matt. 28:20
^2 Acts 1:9-11; 3:19-21
^3 Matt. 28:18-20; John 14:16-19
48 Q. If his humanity is not present
wherever
his divinity is,
then aren't
the two natures of Christ
separated
from each other?
A. Certainly not.
Since
divinity
is not
limited
and is
present everywhere,^1
it is
evident that
Christ's
divinity is surely beyond the bounds of
the
humanity he has taken on,
but at
the same time his divinity is in
and
remains personally united to
his
humanity.^2
^1 Jer. 23:23-24; Acts 7:48-49 (Isa. 66:1)
^2 John 1:14; 3:13; Col. 2:9
49 Q. How does Christ's ascension to heaven
benefit us?
A. First, he pleads our cause
in heaven
in the
presence of his Father.^1
Second, we
have our own flesh in heaven—;
a
guarantee that Christ our head
will take
us, his members,
to himself
in heaven.^2
Third, he
sends his Spirit to us on earth
as a
further guarantee.^3
By the
Spirit's power
we make
the goal of our lives,
not
earthly things,
but the
things above where Christ is,
sitting at God's right hand.^4
^1 Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1
^2 John 14:2; 17:24; Eph. 2:4-6
^3 John 14:16; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; 5:5
^4 Col. 3:1-4
LORD'S DAY 19
50 Q. Why the next words:
"and
is seated at the right hand of God"?
A. Christ ascended to heaven,
there to
show that he is head of his church,^1
and that
the Father rules all things through him.^2
^1 Eph. 1:20-23; Col. 1:18
^2 Matt. 28:18; John 5:22-23
51 Q. How does this glory of Christ our head
benefit us?
A. First, through his Holy Spirit
he pours
out his gifts from heaven
upon us
his members.^1
Second, by
his power
he defends
us and keeps us safe
from
all enemies.^2
^1 Acts 2:33; Eph. 4:7-12
^2 Ps. 110:1-2; John 10:27-30; Rev. 19:11-16
52 Q. How does Christ's return
"to
judge the living and the dead"
comfort
you?
A. In all my distress and persecution
I turn my
eyes to the heavens
and
confidently await as judge the very One
who has
already stood trial in my place before God
and so
has removed the whole curse from me.^1
All his enemies and mine
he will
condemn to everlasting punishment:
but me and
all his chosen ones
he will
take along with him
into the
joy and the glory of heaven.^2
^1 Luke 21:28; Rom. 8:22-25; Phil. 3:20-21; Tit.
2:13-14
^2 Matt. 25:31-46; 2 Thess. 1:6-10
God the Holy Spirit
LORD'S DAY 20
53 Q. What do you believe
concerning
"the Holy Spirit"?
A. First, he, as well as the Father and the Son,
is
eternal God.^1
Second, he
has been given to me personally,^2
so that,
by true faith,
he makes
me share in Christ and all his blessings,^3
comforts
me,^4
and
remains with me forever.^5
^1 Gen. 1:1-2; Matt. 28:19; Acts 5:3-4
^2 1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; Gal. 4:6
^3 Gal. 3:14
^4 John 15:26; Acts 9:31
^5 John 14:16-17; 1 Pet. 4:14
LORD'S DAY 21
54 Q. What do you believe
concerning
"the holy catholic church"?
A. I believe that the Son of God
through
his Spirit and Word,^1
out of
the entire human race,^2
from the
beginning of the world to its end,^3
gathers,
protects, and preserves for himself
a
community chosen for eternal life^4
and
united in true faith.^5
And of this
community I am^6 and always will be^7
a living
member.
^1 John 10:14-16; Acts 20:28; Rom. 10:14-17;
Col. 1:18
^2 Gen. 26:3b-4; Rev. 5:9
^3 Isa. 59:21; 1 Cor. 11:26
^4 Matt. 16:18; John 10:28-30; Rom. 8:28-30;
Eph. 1:3-14
^5 Acts 2:42-47; Eph. 4:1-6
^6 1 John 3:14, 19-21
^7 John 10:27-28; 1 Cor. 1:4-9; 1 Pet. 1:3-5
55 Q. What do you understand by
"the
communion of saints"?
A. First, that believers one and all,
as members
of this community,
share in
Christ
and in all
his treasures and gifts.^1
Second,
that each member
should
consider it a duty
to use
these gifts
readily
and cheerfully
for the
service and enrichment
of the
other members.^2
^1 Rom. 8:32; 1 Cor. 6:17; 12:4-7, 12-13; 1 John
1:3
^2 Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:20-27; 13:1-7; Phil.
2:4-8
56 Q. What do you believe
concerning
"the forgiveness of sins"?
A. I believe that God,
because
of Christ's atonement,
will never
hold against me
any of my
sins^1
nor my
sinful nature
which I need to struggle against all my
life.^2
Rather, in
his grace
God
grants me the righteousness of Christ
to free
me forever from judgment.^3
^1 Ps. 103:3-4, 10, 12; Mic. 7:18-19; 2 Cor.
5:18-21; 1 John 1:7; 2:2
^2 Rom. 7:21-25
^3 John 3:17-18; Rom. 8:1-2
LORD'S DAY 22
57 Q. How does "the resurrection of the
body"
comfort
you?
A. Not only my soul
will be
taken immediately after this life
to Christ
its head,^1
but even my
very flesh, raised by the power of Christ,
will be
reunited with my soul
and made
like Christ's glorious* body.^2
^1 Luke 23:43; Phil. 1:21-23
^2 1 Cor. 15:20, 42-46, 54; Phil. 3:21; 1 John
3:2
58 Q. How does the article
concerning
"life everlasting"
comfort
you?
A. Even as I already now
experience in my heart
the
beginning of eternal joy,^1
so after
this life I will have
perfect blessedness such as
no eye
has seen,
no ear
has heard,
no
human heart has ever imagined:
a
blessedness in which to praise God eternally.^2
^1 Rom. 14:17
^2 John 17:3; 1 Cor. 2:9
*The first edition had here the German
word for "holy." This was later
corrected to the German word for "glorious."
LORD'S DAY 23
59 Q. What good does it do you, however,
to believe
all this?
A. In Christ I am right with God
and heir to
life everlasting.^1
^1 John 3:36; Rom. 1:17 (Hab. 2:4); Rom. 5:1-2
60 Q. How are you right with God?
A. Only by true faith in Jesus Christ.^1
Even though
my conscience accuses me
of having
grievously sinned against all God's commandments
and of
never having kept any of them,^2
and even
though I am still inclined toward all evil,^3
nevertheless,
without
my deserving it at all,^4
out of
sheer grace,^5
God grants
and credits to me
the perfect
satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ,^6
as if I
had never sinned nor been a sinner,
as if I
had been as perfectly obedient
as
Christ was obedient for me.^7
All I need
to do
is to
accept this gift of God with a believing heart.^8
^1 Rom. 3:21-28; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil
3:8-11
^2 Rom. 3:9-10
^3 Rom. 7:23
^4 Tit. 3:4-5
^5 Rom. 3:24; Eph. 2:8
^6 Rom. 4:3-5 (Gen. 15:6); 2 Cor. 5:17-19; 1
John 2:1-2
^7 Rom. 4:24-25; 2 Cor. 5:21
^8 John 3:18; Acts 16:30-31
61 Q. Why do you say that
by faith
alone
you are
right with God?
A. It is not because of any value my faith has
that God
is pleased with me.
Only
Christ's satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness
make me
right with God.^1
And I can
receive this righteousness and make it mine
in no
other way than
by faith
alone.^2
^1 1 Cor. 1:30-31
^2 Rom. 10:10; 1 John 5:10-12
LORD'S DAY 24
62 Q. Why can't the good we do
make us
right with God,
or at least
help make us right with him?
A. Because the righteousness
which can
pass God's scrutiny
must be
entirely perfect
and must
in every way measure up to the divine law.^1
Even the
very best we do in this life
is
imperfect
and
stained with sin.^2
^1 Rom. 3:20; Gal. 3:10 (Deut. 27:26)
^2 Isa. 64:6
63 Q. How can you say that the good we do
doesn't
earn anything
when God
promises to reward it
in this
life and the next?^1
A. This reward is not earned;
it is a
gift of grace.^2
^1 Matt. 5:12; Heb. 11:6
^2 Luke 17:10; 2 Tim. 4:7-8
64 Q. But doesn't this teaching
make people
indifferent and wicked?
A. No.
It is
impossible
for those
grafted into Christ by true faith
not to
produce fruits of gratitude.^1
^1 Luke 6:43-45; John 15:5
The Sacraments
LORD'S DAY 25
65 Q. It is by faith alone
that we
share in Christ and all his blessings:
where then
does that faith come from?
A. The Holy Spirit produces it in our hearts^1
by the
preaching of the holy gospel,^2
and
confirms it
through
our use of the holy sacraments.^3
^1 John 3:5; 1 Cor. 2:10-14; Eph. 2:8
^2 Rom. 10:17; 1 Pet. 1:23-25
^3 Matt. 28:19-20; 1 Cor. 10:16
66 Q. What are sacraments?
A. Sacraments are holy signs and seals for us to
see.
They were
instituted by God so that
by our
use of them
he might make us understand more clearly
the
promise of the gospel,
and might
put his seal on that promise.^1
And this is
God's gospel promise:
to
forgive our sins and give us eternal life
by grace
alone
because
of Christ's one sacrifice
finished on the cross.^2
^1 Gen. 17:11; Deut. 30:6; Rom. 4:11
^2 Matt. 26:27-28; Acts 2:38; Heb. 10:10
67 Q. Are both the word and the sacraments then
intended to
focus our faith
on the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross
as the only
ground of our salvation?
A. Right!
In the
gospel the Holy Spirit teaches us
and through
the holy sacraments he assures us
that our entire salvation
rests on
Christ's one sacrifice for us on the cross.^1
^1 Rom. 6:3; 1 Cor. 11:26; Gal. 3:27
68 Q. How many sacraments
did Christ
institute in the New Testament?
A. Two: baptism and the Lord's Supper.^1
^1 Matt. 28:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26
Baptism
LORD'S DAY 26
69 Q. How does baptism
remind you
and assure you
that
Christ's one sacrifice on the cross
is for you
personally?
A. In this way:
Christ
instituted this outward washing^1
and with it
gave the promise that,
as surely
as water washes away the dirt from the body,
so
certainly his blood and his Spirit
wash away
my soul's impurity,
in other words, all my sins.^2
^1 Acts 2:38
^2 Matt. 3:11; Rom. 6:3-10; 1 Pet. 3:21
70 Q. What does it mean
to be
washed with Christ's blood and Spirit?
A. To be washed with Christ's blood means
that God,
by grace, has forgiven my sins
because
of Christ's blood
poured
out for me in his sacrifice on the cross.^1
To be
washed with Christ's Spirit means
that the
Holy Spirit has renewed me
and set
me apart to be a member of Christ
so that
more and more I become dead to sin
and
increasingly live a holy and blameless life.^2
^1 Zech. 13:1; Eph. 1:7-8; Heb. 12:24; 1 Pet.
1:2; Rev. 1:5
^2 Ezek. 36:25-27; John 3:5-8; Rom. 6:4; 1 Cor.
6:11; Col. 2:11-12
71 Q. Where does Christ promise
that we are
washed with his blood and Spirit
as surely
as we are washed
with the
water of baptism?
A. In the institution of baptism where he says:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing
them in the name of the Father
and of
the Son
and of
the Holy Spirit."^1
"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved,
but whoever does not believe will be
condemned."^2*
This
promise is repeated when Scripture calls baptism
the
washing of rebirth^3 and
the
washing away of sins.^4
^1 Matt. 28:19
^2 Mark 16:16
^3 Tit. 3:5
^4 Acts 22:16
*Earlier and
better manuscripts of Mark 16 omit the words "Whoever believes
and is baptized . . . condemned."
LORD'S DAY 27
72 Q. Does this outward washing with water
itself wash
away sins?
A. No, only Jesus Christ's blood and the Holy
Spirit
cleanse us
from all sins.^1
^1 Matt. 3:11; 1 Pet. 3:21; 1 John 1:7
73 Q. Why then does the Holy Spirit call baptism
the washing
of rebirth and
the washing
away of sins?
A. God has good reason for these words.
He wants to
teach us that
the blood
and Spirit of Christ wash away our sins
just as
water washes away dirt from our bodies.^1
But more
important,
he wants to
assure us, by this divine pledge and sign,
that the
washing away of our sins spiritually
is as
real as physical washing with water.^2
^1 1 Cor. 6:11; Rev. 1:5; 7:14
^2 Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:27
74 Q. Should infants, too, be baptized?
A. Yes.
Infants as
well as adults
are in
God's covenant and are his people.^1
They, no
less than adults, are promised
the
forgiveness of sin through Christ's blood
and the Holy Spirit who produces faith.^2
Therefore,
by baptism, the mark of the covenant,
infants
should be received into the Christian church
and
should be distinguished from the children
of
unbelievers.^3
This was
done in the Old Testament by circumcision,^4
which was
replaced in the New Testament by baptism.^5
^1 Gen. 17:7; Matt. 19:14
^2 Isa. 44:1-3; Acts 2:38-39; 16:31
^3 Acts 10:47; 1 Cor. 7:14
^4 Gen. 17:9-14
^5 Col. 2:11-13
The Lord's Supper
LORD'S DAY 28
75 Q. How does the Lord's Supper
remind you
and assure you
that you
share in
Christ's
one sacrifice on the cross
and in all
his gifts?
A. In this way:
Christ has
commanded me and all believers
to eat this
broken bread and to drink this cup.
With this
command he gave this promise:^1
First,
as surely
as I see with my eyes
the
bread of the Lord broken for me
and the
cup given to me,
so surely
his
body was offered and broken for me
and his
blood poured out for me
on
the cross.
Second,
as surely
as
I receive from the hand of the one who
serves,
and
taste with my mouth
the
bread and cup of the Lord,
given
me as sure signs of Christ's body and blood,
so surely
he
nourishes and refreshes my soul for eternal life
with his
crucified body and poured-out blood.
^1 Matt. 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20;
1 Cor. 11:23-25
76 Q. What does it mean
to eat the
crucified body of Christ
and to drink
his poured-out blood?
A. It means
to accept
with a believing heart
the
entire suffering and death of Christ
and by
believing
to
receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life.^1
But it means
more.
Through
the Holy Spirit, who lives both in Christ and in us,
we are
united more and more to Christ's blessed body.^2
And so,
although he is in heaven^3 and we are on earth,
we are
flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone.^4
And we
forever live on and are governed by one Spirit,
as
members of our body are by one soul.^5
^1 John 6:35, 40, 50-54
^2 John 6:55-56; 1 Cor. 12:13
^3 Acts 1:9-11; 1 Cor. 11:26; Col. 3:1
^4 1 Cor. 6:15-17; Eph. 5:29-30; 1 John 4:13
^5 John 6:56-58; 15:1-6; Eph. 4:15-16; 1 John
3:24
77 Q. Where does Christ promise
to nourish
and refresh believers
with his
body and blood
as surely
as
they eat this broken bread
and drink
this cup?
A. In the institution of the Lord's Supper:
"The
Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed,
took
bread, and when he had given thanks,
he broke
it and said,
'This
is my body, which is for you;
do this
in remembrance of me.'
In the
same way, after supper he took the cup, saying,
'This
cup is the new covenant in my blood;
do
this, whenever you drink it,
in
remembrance of me.'
For
whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup,
you
proclaim the Lord's death
until he
comes."^1
This
promise is repeated by Paul in these words:
"Is
not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks
a
participation in the blood of Christ?
And is
not the bread that we break
a
participation in the body of Christ?
Because
there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body,
for we
all partake of the one loaf."^2
^1 1 Cor. 11:23-26
^2 1 Cor. 10:16-17
LORD'S DAY 29
78 Q. Are the bread and wine changed into
the real
body and blood of Christ?
A. No.
Just as the
water of baptism
is not
changed into Christ's blood
and does
not itself wash away sins
but is
simply God's sign and assurance,^1
so too the
bread of the Lord's Supper
is not
changed into the actual body of Christ^2
even
though it is called the body of Christ^3
in
keeping with the nature and language of sacraments.^4
^1 Eph. 5:26; Tit. 3:5
^2 Matt. 26:26-29
^3 1 Cor. 10:16-17; 11:26-28
^4 Gen. 17:10-11; Ex. 12:11, 13; 1 Cor. 10:1-4
79 Q. Why then does Christ call
the bread
his body
and the cup
his blood,
or the new
covenant in his blood?
(Paul uses
the words,
a
participation in Christ's body and blood.)
A. Christ has good reason for these words.
He wants to
teach us that
as bread
and wine nourish our temporal life,
so too
his crucified body and poured-out blood
truly
nourish our souls for eternal life.^1
But more
important,
he wants to
assure us, by this visible sign and pledge,
that we,
through the Holy Spirit's work,
share
in his true body and blood
as
surely as our mouths
receive
these holy signs in his remembrance,^2
and that
all of his suffering and obedience
are as
definitely ours
as if
we personally
had
suffered and paid for our sins.^3
^1 John 6:51, 55
^2 1 Cor. 10:16-17; 11:26
^3 Rom. 6:5-11
LORD'S DAY 30
*80 Q. How does
the Lord's Supper
differ from
the Roman Catholic Mass?
A. The Lord's Supper declares to us
that our
sins have been completely forgiven
through the
one sacrifice of Jesus Christ
which he
himself finished on the cross once for all.^1
It also
declares to us
that the
Holy Spirit grafts us into Christ,^2
who with
his very body
is now in
heaven at the right hand of the Father^3
where he
wants us to worship him.^4
But the
Mass teaches
that the
living and the dead
do not
have their sins forgiven
through
the suffering of Christ
unless
Christ is still offered for them daily by the priests.
It also
teaches
that
Christ is bodily present
in the
form of bread and wine
where
Christ is therefore to be worshiped.
Thus the
Mass is basically
nothing but a denial
of the
one sacrifice and suffering of Jesus Christ
and a
condemnable idolatry.
^1 John 19:30; Heb. 7:27; 9:12, 25-26; 10:10-18
^2 1 Cor. 6:17; 10:16-17
^3 Acts 7:55-56; Heb. 1:3; 8:1
^4 Matt. 6:20-21; John 4:21-24; Phil. 3:20; Col.
3:1-3
*Question and
answer 80 were altogether absent from the first edition of the
catechism but were present in a shorter form in the
second edition. The
translation here given is of the expanded text of the
third edition.
81 Q. Who are to come
to the
Lord's table?
A. Those who are displeased with themselves
because
of their sins,
but who
nevertheless trust
that
their sins are pardoned
and that
their continuing weakness is covered
by the
suffering and death of Christ,
and who
also desire more and more
to
strengthen their faith
and to
lead a better life.
Hypocrites
and those who are unrepentant, however,
eat and
drink judgment on themselves.^1
^1 1 Cor. 10:19-22; 11:26-32
82 Q. Are those to be admitted
to the
Lord's Supper
who show by
what they say and do
that they
are unbelieving and ungodly?
A. No, that would dishonor God's covenant
and bring
down God's anger upon the entire congregation.^1
Therefore,
according to the instruction of Christ
and his
apostles,
the
Christian church is duty-bound to exclude such people,
by the
official use of the keys of the kingdom,
until
they reform their lives.
^1 1 Cor. 11:17-32; Ps. 50:14-16; Isa. 1:11-17
LORD'S DAY 31
83 Q. What are the keys of the kingdom?
A.
The preaching of the holy gospel
and
Christian discipline toward repentance.
Both
preaching and discipline
open the
kingdom of heaven to believers
and close
it to unbelievers.^1
^1 Matt. 16:19; John 20:22-23
84 Q. How does preaching the gospel
open and
close the kingdom of heaven?
A. According to the command of Christ:
The kingdom
of heaven is opened
by
proclaiming and publicly declaring
to all
believers, each and every one, that,
as often
as they accept the gospel promise in true faith,
God,
because of what Christ has done,
truly
forgives all their sins.
The kingdom
of heaven is closed, however,
by
proclaiming and publicly declaring
to
unbelievers and hypocrites that,
as long
as they do not repent,
the anger
of God and eternal condemnation
rest on
them.
God's
judgment, both in this life and in the life to come,
is based
on this gospel testimony.^1
^1 Matt. 16:19; John 3:31-36; 20:21-23
85 Q. How is the kingdom of heaven
closed and
opened by Christian discipline?
A. According to the command of Christ:
Those
who, though called Christians,
profess
unchristian teachings or live unchristian lives,
and after
repeated and loving counsel
refuse
to abandon their errors and wickedness,
and after
being reported to the church, that is, to its officers,
fail to
respond also to their admonition—;
such
persons the officers exclude
from
the Christian fellowship
by
withholding the sacraments from them,
and God himself excludes them from the
kingdom of Christ.^1
Such
persons,
when
promising and demonstrating genuine reform,
are
received again
as
members of Christ
and of
his church.^2
^1 Matt. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 5:3-5, 11-13; 2 Thess.
3:14-15
^2 Luke 15:20-24; 2 Cor. 2:6-11
Part III: Gratitude
LORD'S DAY 32
86 Q. We have been delivered
from our
misery
by God's
grace alone through Christ
and not because we have earned it:
why then
must we still do good?
A. To be sure, Christ has redeemed us by his
blood.
But we do
good because
Christ by
his Spirit is also renewing us to be like himself,
so that
in all our living
we may
show that we are thankful to God
for all
he has done for us,^1
and so
that he may be praised through us.^2
And we do
good
so that
we may be assured of our faith by its fruits,^3
and so
that by our godly living
our
neighbors may be won over to Christ.^4
^1 Rom. 6:13; 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 2:5-10
^2 Matt. 5:16; 1 Cor. 6:19-20
^3 Matt. 7:17-18; Gal. 5:22-24; 2 Pet. 1:10-11
^4 Matt. 5:14-16; Rom. 14:17-19; 1 Pet. 2:12;
3:1-2
87 Q. Can those be saved
who do not
turn to God
from their
ungrateful
and
impenitent ways?
A. By no means.
Scripture
tells us that
no
unchaste person,
no
idolater, adulterer, thief,
no
covetous person,
no
drunkard, slanderer, robber,
or the
like
is going
to inherit the kingdom of God.^1
^1 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:1-20; 1
John 3:14
LORD'S DAY 33
88 Q. What is involved
in genuine
repentance or conversion?
A. Two things:
the
dying-away of the old self,
and the
coming-to-life of the new.^1
^1 Rom. 6:1-11; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 4:22-24; Col.
3:5-10
89 Q. What is the dying-away of the old self?
A. It is to be genuinely sorry for sin,
to hate it
more and more,
and to run
away from it.^1
^1 Ps. 51:3-4, 17; Joel 2:12-13; Rom. 8:12-13; 2
Cor. 7:10
90 Q. What is the coming-to-life of the new self?
A. It is wholehearted joy in God through
Christ^1
and a
delight to do every kind of good
as God
wants us to.^2
^1 Ps. 51:8, 12; Isa.57:15; Rom. 5:1; 14:17
^2 Rom. 6:10-11; Gal. 2:20
91 Q. What do we do that is good?
A. Only that which
arises
out of true faith,^1
conforms
to God's law,^2
and is
done for his glory;^3
and not
that which is based
on what
we think is right
or on
established human tradition.^4
^1 John 15:5; Heb. 11:6
^2 Lev. 18:4; 1 Sam. 15:22; Eph. 2:10
^3 1 Cor. 10:31
^4 Deut. 12:32; Isa. 29:13; Ezek. 20:18-19;
Matt. 15:7-9
LORD'S DAY 34
92 Q. What does the Lord say in his law?
A. God spoke all these words:
"The First Commandment"
I am the
Lord your God,
who
brought you out of Egypt,
out of
the land of slavery.
You shall
have no other gods before me.
"The Second Commandment"
You shall
not make for yourself an idol
in the
form of anything in heaven above
or on the
earth beneath
or in the
waters below.
You shall not
bow down to them or worship them;
for I,
the Lord your God, am a jealous God,
punishing
the children for the sin of the fathers
to the
third and fourth generation
of
those who hate me,
but showing
love to a thousand generations of those
who
love me and keep my commandments.
"The Third Commandment"
You shall
not misuse the name of the Lord your God,
for the
Lord will not hold anyone guiltless
who misuses his name.
"The Fourth Commandment"
Remember
the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Six days
you shall labor and do all your work,
but the
seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.
On it you
shall not do any work,
neither
you, nor your son or daughter,
nor your
manservant or maidservant,
nor your
animals,
nor the
alien within your gates.
For in six
days the Lord made
the
heavens and the earth, the sea,
and all
that is in them,
but he
rested on the seventh day.
Therefore
the Lord blessed the Sabbath day
and made it
holy.
"The Fifth Commandment"
Honor your
father and your mother,
so that
you may live long
in the
land the Lord your God is giving you.
"The Sixth Commandment"
You shall
not murder.
"The Seventh Commandment"
You shall
not commit adultery.
"The Eighth Commandment"
You shall
not steal.
"The Ninth Commandment"
You shall
not give false testimony
against
your neighbor.
"The Tenth Commandment"
You shall
not covet your neighbor's house.
You shall
not covet your neighbor's wife,
or his
manservant or maidservant,
his ox or
donkey,
or
anything that belongs to your neighbor.^1
^1 Ex. 20:1-17; Deut. 5:6-21
93 Q. How are these commandments divided?
A. Into two tables.
The first
has four commandments,
teaching
us what our relation to God should be.
The second
has six commandments,
teaching
us what we owe our neighbor.^1
^1 Matt. 22:37-39
94 Q. What does the Lord require
in the
first commandment?
A. That I, not wanting to endanger my very
salvation,
avoid and
shun
all
idolatry,^1 magic, superstitious rites,^2
and prayer
to saints or to other creatures.^3
That I
sincerely acknowledge the only true God,^4
trust him
alone,^5
look to
him for every good thing^6
humbly^7 and patiently,^8
love
him,^9 fear him,^10 and honor him^11
with
all my heart.
In short,
that I
give up anything
rather
than go against his will in any way.^12
^1 1 Cor. 6:9-10; 10:5-14; 1 John 5:21
^2 Lev. 19:31; Deut. 18:9-12
^3 Matt. 4:10; Rev. 19:10; 22:8-9
^4 John 17:3
^5 Jer. 17:5, 7
^6 Ps. 104:27-28; James 1:17
^7 1 Pet. 5:5-6
^8 Col. 1:11; Heb. 10:36
^9 Matt. 22:37 (Deut. 6:5)
^10 Prov. 9:10; 1 Pet. 1:17
^11 Matt. 4:10 (Deut. 6:13)
^12 Matt. 5:29-30; 10:37-39
95 Q. What is idolatry?
A. Idolatry is
having or
inventing something in which one trusts
in place
of or alongside of the only true God,
who has
revealed himself in his Word.^1
^1 1 Chron. 16:26; Gal. 4:8-9; Eph. 5:5; Phil.
3:19
LORD'S DAY 35
96 Q. What is God's will for us
in the
second commandment?
A. That we in no way make any image of God^1
nor worship
him in any other way
than he has commanded in his Word.^2
^1 Deut. 4:15-19; Isa. 40:18-25; Acts 17:29;
Rom. 1:22-23
^2 Lev. 10:1-7; 1 Sam. 15:22-23; John 4:23-24
97 Q. May we then not make
any image
at all?
A. God can not and may not
be visibly
portrayed in any way.
Although
creatures may be portrayed,
yet God
forbids making or having such images
if one's
intention is to worship them
or to
serve God through them.^1
^1 Ex. 34:13-14, 17; 2 Kings 18:4-5
98 Q. But may not images be permitted in the
churches
as teaching
aids for the unlearned?
A. No, we shouldn't try to be wiser than God.
He wants
his people instructed
by the
living preaching of his Word—;^1
not by
idols that cannot even talk.^2
^1 Rom. 10:14-15, 17; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet.
1:19
^2 Jer. 10:8; Hab. 2:18-20
LORD'S DAY 36
99 Q. What is God's will for us
in the
third commandment?
A. That we neither blaspheme nor misuse the name
of God
by
cursing,^1 perjury,^2 or unnecessary oaths,^3
nor share
in such horrible sins
by being
silent bystanders.^4
In a word,
it requires
that we
use the holy name of God
only
with reverence and awe,^5
so that
we may properly
confess
him,^6
pray to
him,^7
and
praise him in everything we do and say.^8
^1 Lev. 24:10-17
^2 Lev. 19:12
^3 Matt. 5:37; James 5:12
^4 Lev. 5:1; Prov. 29:24
^5 Ps. 99:1-5; Jer. 4:2
^6 Matt. 10:32-33; Rom. 10:9-10
^7 Ps. 50:14-15; 1 Tim. 2:8
^8 Col. 3:17
100 Q. Is
blasphemy of God's name by swearing and cursing
really such
serious sin
that God is
angry also with those
who do not
do all they can
to help
prevent it and forbid it?
A. Yes, indeed.^1
No sin is
greater,
no sin
makes God more angry
than blaspheming his name.
That is why
he commanded the death penalty for it.^2
^1 Lev. 5:1
^2 Lev. 24:10-17
LORD'S DAY 37
101 Q. But may we
swear an oath in God's name
if we do it
reverently?
A. Yes, when the government demands it,
or when
necessity requires it,
in order
to maintain and promote truth and trustworthiness
for God's
glory and our neighbor's good.
Such oaths
are approved in God's Word^1
and were
rightly used by Old and New Testament believers.^2
^1 Deut. 6:13; 10:20; Jer. 4:1-2; Heb. 6:16
^2 Gen. 21:24; Josh. 9:15; 1 Kings 1:29-30; Rom.
1:9; 2 Cor. 1:23
102 Q. May we
swear by saints or other creatures?
A. No.
A legitimate oath means calling upon God
as the one
who knows my heart
to
witness to my truthfulness
and to
punish me if I swear falsely.^1
No creature
is worthy of such honor.^2
^1 Rom. 9:1; 2 Cor. 1:23
^2 Matt. 5:34-37; 23:16-22; James 5:12
LORD'S DAY 38
103 Q. What is
God's will for you
in the
fourth commandment?
A. First,
that the
gospel ministry and education for it be maintained,^1
and that,
especially on the festive day of rest,
I
regularly attend the assembly of God's people^2
to
learn what God's Word teaches,^3
to
participate in the sacraments,^4
to pray
to God publicly,^5
and to bring
Christian offerings for the poor.^6
Second,
that
every day of my life
I rest
from my evil ways,
let the
Lord work in me through his Spirit,
and so
begin already in this life
the eternal
Sabbath.^7
^1 Deut. 6:4-9, 20-25; 1 Cor. 9:13-14; 2 Tim.
2:2; 3:13-17; Tit. 1:5
^2 Deut. 12:5-12; Ps. 40:9-10; 68:26; Acts
2:42-47; Heb. 10:23-25
^3 Rom. 10:14-17; 1 Cor. 14:31-32; 1 Tim. 4:13
^4 1 Cor. 11:23-25
^5 Col. 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:1
^6 Ps. 50:14; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 8 & 9
^7 Isa. 66:23; Heb. 4:9-11
LORD'S DAY 39
104 Q. What is
God's will for you
in the
fifth commandment?
A. That I honor, love, and be loyal to
my father
and mother
and all
those in authority over me;
that I obey
and submit to them, as is proper,
when they
correct and punish me;^1
and also
that I be patient with their failings—;^2
for through
them God chooses to rule us.^3
^1 Ex. 21:17; Prov. 1:8; 4:1; Rom. 13:1-2; Eph.
5:21-22; 6:1-9; Col. 3:18-
4:1
^2 Prov. 20:20; 23:22; 1 Pet. 2:18
^3 Matt. 22:21; Rom. 13:1-8; Eph. 6:1-9; Col.
3:18-21
LORD'S DAY 40
105 Q. What is
God's will for you
in the
sixth commandment?
A. I am not to belittle, insult, hate, or kill
my neighbor—;
not by my
thoughts, my words, my look or gesture,
and
certainly not by actual deeds—;
and I am not
to be party to this in others;^1
rather, I
am to put away all desire for revenge.^2
I am not to
harm or recklessly endanger myself either.^3
Prevention
of murder is also why
government is armed with the sword.^4
^1 Gen. 9:6; Lev. 19:17-18; Matt. 5:21-22; 26:52
^2 Prov. 25:21-22; Matt. 18:35; Rom. 12:19; Eph.
4:26
^3 Matt. 4:7; 26:52; Rom. 13:11-14
^4 Gen. 9:6; Ex. 21:14; Rom. 13:4
106 Q. Does this
commandment refer only to killing?
A. By forbidding murder God teaches us
that he
hates the root of murder:
envy,
hatred, anger, vindictiveness.^1
In God's
sight all such are murder.^2
^1 Prov. 14:30; Rom. 1:29; 12:19; Gal. 5:19-21;
1 John 2:9-11
^2 1 John 3:15
107 Q. Is it
enough then
that we do
not kill our neighbor
in any such
way?
A. No.
By
condemning envy, hatred, and anger
God tells
us
to love
our neighbors as ourselves,^1
to be
patient, peace-loving, gentle,
merciful, and friendly to them,^2
to protect
them from harm as much as we can,
and to do
good even to our enemies.^3
^1 Matt. 7:12; 22:39; Rom. 12:10
^2 Matt. 5:3-12; Luke 6:36; Rom. 12:10, 18; Gal.
6:1-2; Eph. 4:2; Col. 3:12;
1 Pet. 3:8
^3 Ex. 23:4-5; Matt. 5:44-45; Rom. 12:20-21
(Prov. 25:21-22)
LORD'S DAY 41
108 Q. What is
God's will for us
in the
seventh commandment?
A. God condemns all unchastity.^1
We should
therefore thoroughly detest it^2
and,
married or single,
live
decent and chaste lives.^3
^1 Lev. 18:30; Eph. 5:3-5
^2 Jude 22-23
^3 1 Cor. 7:1-9; 1 Thess. 4:3-8; Heb. 13:4
109 Q. Does God,
in this commandment,
forbid only
such scandalous sins as adultery?
A. We are temples of the Holy Spirit, body and
soul,
and God
wants both to be kept clean and holy.
That is why
he forbids
everything which incites unchastity,^1
whether
it be actions, looks, talk, thoughts, or desires.^2
^1 1 Cor. 15:33; Eph. 5:18
^2 Matt. 5:27-29; 1 Cor. 6:18-20; Eph. 5:3-4
LORD'S DAY 42
110 Q. What does
God forbid
in the eighth commandment?
A. He forbids not only outright theft and
robbery,
punishable by law.^1
But in
God's sight theft also includes
cheating
and swindling our neighbor
by
schemes made to appear legitimate,^2
such as:
inaccurate measurements of weight, size, or volume;
fraudulent merchandising;
counterfeit money;
excessive interest;
or any
other means forbidden by God.^3
In addition
he forbids all greed^4
and
pointless squandering of his gifts.^5
^1 Ex. 22:1; 1 Cor. 5:9-10; 6:9-10
^2 Mic. 6:9-11; Luke 3:14; James 5:1-6
^3 Deut. 25:13-16; Ps. 15:5; Prov. 11:1; 12:22;
Ezek. 45:9-12; Luke 6:35
^4 Luke 12:15; Eph. 5:5
^5 Prov. 21:20; 23:20-21; Luke 16:10-13
111 Q. What does
God require of you
in this
commandment?
A. That I do whatever I can
for my
neighbor's good,
that I
treat others
as I would like them to treat me,
and that I
work faithfully
so that I
may share with those in need.^1
^1 Isa. 58:5-10; Matt. 7:12; Gal. 6:9-10; Eph.
4:28
LORD'S DAY 43
112 Q. What is
God's will for you
in the ninth commandment?
A. God's will is that I
never
give false testimony against anyone,
twist no
one's words,
not
gossip or slander,
nor join
in condemning anyone
without
a hearing or without a just cause.^1
Rather, in
court and everywhere else,
I should
avoid lying and deceit of every kind;
these are
devices the devil himself uses,
and they
would call down on me God's intense anger.^2
I should
love the truth,
speak it
candidly,
and
openly acknowledge it.^3
And I
should do what I can
to guard
and advance my neighbor's good name.^4
^1 Ps. 15; Prov. 19:5; Matt. 7:1; Luke 6:37;
Rom. 1:28-32
^2 Lev. 19:11-12; Prov. 12:22; 13:5; John 8:44;
Rev. 21:8
^3 1 Cor. 13:6; Eph. 4:25
^4 1 Pet. 3:8-9; 4:8
LORD'S DAY 44
113 Q. What is
God's will for you
in the
tenth commandment?
A. That not even the slightest thought or desire
contrary
to any one of God's commandments
should
ever arise in my heart.
Rather,
with all my heart
I should
always hate sin
and take
pleasure in whatever is right.^1
^1 Ps. 19:7-14; 139:23-24; Rom. 7:7-8
114 Q. But can
those converted to God
obey these
commandments perfectly?
A. No.
In this
life even the holiest
have only a
small beginning of this obedience.^1
Nevertheless, with all seriousness of purpose,
they do
begin to live
according
to all, not only some,
of God's
commandments.^2
^1 Eccles. 7:20; Rom. 7:14-15; 1 Cor. 13:9; 1
John 1:8-10
^2 Ps. 1:1-2; Rom. 7:22-25; Phil. 3:12-16
115 Q. No one in
this life
can obey
the Ten Commandments perfectly:
why then
does God want them
preached so
pointedly?
A. First, so that the longer we live
the more
we may come to know our sinfulness
and the more eagerly look to Christ
for
forgiveness of sins and righteousness.^1
Second, so
that,
while
praying to God for the grace of the Holy Spirit,
we may
never stop striving
to be
renewed more and more after God's image,
until after
this life we reach our goal:
perfection.^2
^1 Ps. 32:5; Rom. 3:19-26; 7:7, 24-25; 1 John
1:9
^2 1 Cor. 9:24; Phil. 3:12-14; 1 John 3:1-3
Prayer
LORD'S DAY 45
116 Q. Why do
Christians need to pray?
A. Because prayer is the most important part
of the
thankfulness God requires of us.^1
And also
because God gives his grace and Holy Spirit
only to
those who pray continually and groan inwardly,
asking
God for these gifts
and
thanking him for them.^2
^1 Ps. 50:14-15; 116:12-19; 1 Thess. 5:16-18
^2 Matt. 7:7-8; Luke 11:9-13
117 Q. How does
God want us to pray
so that he
will listen to us?
A. First, we must pray from the heart
to no
other than the one true God,
who has
revealed himself in his Word,
asking
for everything he has commanded us to ask for.^1
Second, we
must acknowledge our need and misery,
hiding
nothing,
and
humble ourselves in his majestic presence.^2
Third, we
must rest on this unshakable foundation:
even
though we do not deserve it,
God will
surely listen to our prayer
because of Christ our Lord.
That is
what he promised us in his Word.^3
^1 Ps. 145:18-20; John 4:22-24; Rom. 8:26-27;
James 1:5; 1 John 5:14-15
^2 2 Chron. 7:14; Ps. 2:11; 34:18; 62:8; Isa.
66:2; Rev. 4
^3 Dan. 9:17-19; Matt. 7:8; John 14:13-14;
16:23; Rom. 10:13; James 1:6
118 Q. What did
God command us to pray for?
A. Everything we need, spiritually and
physically,^1
as embraced
in the prayer
Christ our
Lord himself taught us.
^1 James 1:17; Matt. 6:33
119 Q. What is
this prayer?
A. Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be
your name,
your
kingdom come,
your will
be done
on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us
today our daily bread.
Forgive us
our debts,
as we
also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us
not into temptation,
but
deliver us from the evil one.
For yours
is the kingdom
and the
power
and the
glory forever.
Amen.^1*
^1 Matt. 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4
*Earlier and
better manuscripts of Matthew 6 omit the words "For yours is
. . . Amen."
LORD'S DAY 46
120 Q. Why did
Christ command us
to call God
"our Father"?
A. At the very beginning of our prayer
Christ
wants to kindle in us
what is
basic to our prayer—;
the
childlike awe and trust
that God
through Christ has become
our Father.
Our fathers
do not refuse us
the
things of this life;
God our
Father will even less refuse to give us
what we
ask in faith.^1
^1 Matt. 7:9-11; Luke 11:11-13
121 Q. Why the
words
"in
heaven"?
A. These words teach us
not to
think of God's heavenly majesty
as
something earthly,^1
and to
expect everything
for
body and soul
from
his almighty power.^2
^1 Jer. 23:23-24; Acts 17:24-25
^2 Matt. 6:25-34; Rom. 8:31-32
LORD'S DAY 47
122 Q. What does
the first request mean?
A. "Hallowed be your name" means,
Help us to
really know you,^1
to bless,
worship, and praise you
for all
your works
and for
all that shines forth from them:
your
almighty power, wisdom, kindness,
justice, mercy, and truth.^2
And it
means,
Help us to
direct all our living—;
what we
think, say, and do—;
so that
your name will never be blasphemed because of us
but always
honored and praised.^3
^1 Jer. 9:23-24; 31:33-34; Matt. 16:17; John
17:3
^2 Ex. 34:5-8; Ps. 145; Jer. 32:16-20; Luke
1:46-55, 68-75; Rom. 11:33-36
^3 Ps. 115:1; Matt. 5:16
LORD'S DAY 48
123 Q. What does
the second request mean?
A. "Your kingdom come" means,
Rule us by
your Word and Spirit in such a way
that more
and more we submit to you.^1
Keep your
church strong, and add to it.^2
Destroy the
devil's work;
destroy
every force which revolts against you
and every
conspiracy against your Word.^3
Do this
until your kingdom is so complete and perfect
that in
it you are
all in all.^4
^1 Ps. 119:5, 105; 143:10; Matt. 6:33
^2 Ps. 122:6-9; Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:42-47
^3 Rom. 16:20; 1 John 3:8
^4 Rom. 8:22-23; 1 Cor. 15:28; Rev. 22:17, 20
LORD'S DAY 49
124 Q. What does
the third request mean?
A. "Your will be done on earth as it is in
heaven" means,
Help us and
all people
to reject
our own wills
and to
obey your will without any back talk.
Your will
alone is good.^1
Help us one
and all to carry out the work we are called to,^2
as
willingly and faithfully as the angels in heaven.^3
^1 Matt. 7:21; 16:24-26; Luke 22:42; Rom.
12:1-2; Tit. 2:11-12
^2 1 Cor. 7:17-24; Eph. 6:5-9
^3 Ps. 103:20-21
LORD'S DAY 50
125 Q. What does
the fourth request mean?
A. "Give us today our daily bread"
means,
Do take
care of all our physical needs^1
so that we
come to know
that you
are the only source of everything good,^2
and that
neither our work and worry
nor your
gifts
can do us
any good without your blessing.^3
And so help
us to give up our trust in creatures
and to put
trust in you alone.^4
^1 Ps. 104:27-30; 145:15-16; Matt. 6:25-34
^2 Acts 14:17; 17:25; James 1:17
^3 Deut. 8:3; Ps. 37:16; 127:1-2; 1 Cor. 15:58
^4 Ps. 55:22; 62; 146; Jer. 17:5-8; Heb. 13:5-6
LORD'S DAY 51
126 Q. What does
the fifth request mean?
A. "Forgive us our debts,
as we also
have forgiven our debtors" means,
Because of
Christ's blood,
do not hold
against us, poor sinners that we are,
any of
the sins we do
or the
evil that constantly clings to us.^1
Forgive us
just as we are fully determined,
as
evidence of your grace in us,
to forgive
our neighbors.^2
^1 Ps. 51:1-7; 143:2; Rom. 8:1; 1 John 2:1-2
^2 Matt. 6:14-15; 18:21-35
LORD'S DAY 52
127 Q. What does
the sixth request mean?
A. "And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver
us from the evil one" means,
By
ourselves we are too weak
to hold our
own even for a moment.^1
And our
sworn enemies—;
the devil,^2 the world,^3 and our own
flesh—;^4
never stop
attacking us.
And so,
Lord,
uphold us
and make us strong
with the
strength of your Holy Spirit,
so that we
may not go down to defeat
in this spiritual struggle,^5
but may
firmly resist our enemies
until we
finally win the complete victory.^6
^1 Ps. 103:14-16; John 15:1-5
^2 2 Cor. 11:14; Eph. 6:10-13; 1 Pet. 5:8
^3 John 15:18-21
^4 Rom. 7:23; Gal. 5:17
^5 Matt. 10:19-20; 26:41; Mark 13:33; Rom. 5:3-5
^6 1 Cor. 10:13; 1 Thess. 3:13; 5:23
128 Q. What does
your conclusion to this prayer mean?
A. "For yours is the kingdom
and the
power
and the
glory forever" means,
We have
made all these requests of you
because, as
our all-powerful king,
you not
only want to,
but are
able to give us all that is good;^1
and because
your holy name,
and not we
ourselves,
should
receive all the praise, forever.^2
^1 Rom. 10:11-13; 2 Pet. 2:9
^2 Ps. 115:1; John 14:13
129 Q. What does
that little word "Amen" express?
A. "Amen" means,
This is
sure to be!
It is even
more sure
that God
listens to my prayer,
than that I
really desire
what I
pray for.^1
^1 Isa. 65:24; 2 Cor. 1:20; 2 Tim. 2:13