REFORMATION 500 WEEK 24: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA’S 62-64

Reformation 500 WEEK 24: Heidelberg Catechism QA’s 62-64

Question 62: But why cannot our good works be the whole or part of our righteousness before God? Because the righteousness which can stand before the judgment seat of God must be perfect throughout and entirely conformable to the divine law, but even our best works in this life are all imperfect and defiled with sin.

     We have learned that, “to justify” means “to declare one righteous.” The key question is: on what basis does God declare the believer in Christ to be righteous?

     For the Roman Catholic Church, God declares someone righteous only if they are first sanctified, that is, made inwardly righteous by an infusion of grace (which happens by baptism) and then they cooperate with infused grace by doing righteous things (good works). As long as they keep doing good works, God will keep declaring them righteous. Those who commit a mortal sin lose the grace of justification. But they can be restored to a state of justification through the sacrament of penance. Therefore, for Rome, we are justified on the basis of an imperfect righteousness done by us.

     How does Rome interpret Paul’s statement in Romans 3:28: “a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law”? They argue that “works of the law” refers only to the ceremonies of the law (e.g. circumcision, animal sacrifices, etc.), and not the moral law (i.e. the Ten Commandments). Therefore, they maintain that no one is justified by the ceremonial works of the law, but they are justified by doing the good works required in the NT. With this understanding, they appeal to James 2:24, “a man is justified by works [i.e. good works], and not by faith only.”

     But Rome misinterprets both Paul and James. First of all, nowhere does Paul say a man is not justified by ceremonial works but he is justified by good works. Second, James uses the term justify differently than Paul. “To be justified” has another meaning besides “to be declared righteous before God.” It can also mean “shown to be righteousness before men” (e.g. Luke 7:35; Rom. 3:4). Therefore, Paul speaks “of that righteousness by which we are justified before God…but James speaks of that righteousness by which we are justified before men by our works” (Ursinus, 338). James is rebuking the person who claims to believe in Jesus, but does not have good works to show for it. “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?” (James 2:14). True believers bear fruit out of thankfulness for salvation: “every good tree produces good fruit” (Matt. 7:17). Therefore, “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (2:17). James challenges the professing believer without good works, to “show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (2:18). Thus, the correct way to understand James 2:24 is: “a man is justified [shown to be righteous] by works, and not by faith only.”

     Rome’s fatal mistake is to refuse to accept the biblical truth that perfect righteousness is the requirement for eternal life (Gal. 3:21), which is precisely why we need Christ’s perfect righteousness imputed to us!

     Thus, our “works, as they proceed from the good root of faith, are good and acceptable in the sight of God, forasmuch as they are all sanctified by His grace. Nevertheless, they are of no account towards our justification, for it is by faith in Christ that we are justified, even before we do good works (Belgic Confession, Article 24).

Question 63: Do our good works merit [DESERVE] nothing, even though it is God's will to reward them in this life and in that which is to come? The reward comes not of merit, but of grace.

The Bible says that God will reward our good works, both in this life and in that which is to come (Psalm 18:20; 19:10-11; Mark 10:28-29; Matt. 5:11-12; 6:6; Heb. 6:10; 11:6; Rev. 22:12). The rewards include peace, joy, and spiritual prosperity (Deut. 12:28; Psalm 1:1-3; Psalm 119:165; Prov. 3:13-17; John 10:10; 14:21).

But this does not mean our good works deserve to be rewarded. Only perfect righteousness deserves to be rewarded. “Therefore, we do good works, but not to merit by them (for what can we merit?); nay, we are indebted to God for the good works we do, and not He to us, since it is He who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure [Phil. 2:13]. Let us therefore attend to what is written: When you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, we are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do [Luke 17:10]. In the meantime, we do not deny that God rewards good works, but it is through His grace that He crowns His gifts” (Belgic Confession, article 24).

Question 64: But does not this doctrine make men careless and profane? No, for it is impossible that those who are implanted into Christ by true faith, should not bring forth fruits of thankfulness.

     The Roman Catholics slander the reformed doctrine of justification by saying that it makes men careless and profane. They maintain that if you teach people to believe they are justified by faith in Christ even before they do good works, then that will make them care less about doing good works and encourage them to live in sin.

     But the easy reply is that being set free from eternal condemnation makes us thankful, not profane! For when we are united to Christ by true faith we receive both justification and sanctification (1 Cor. 6:11; see again Question 43). God first justifies us by declaring us perfectly righteousness in Christ, and then by His Holy Spirit He begins the process of sanctification which restores God’s holy image in us, purifying us from the inward corruption of sin, and making us inwardly righteous and holy, so that we hate sin and do good works out of thankfulness for salvation (Eph. 4:24-25; Tit. 2:14; 1 John 2:4; 3:10). True believers are “those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some hundred” (Mark 4:20). “For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). Good works are the fruit of justification – which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23); “the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth” (Eph. 5:9). Since the Holy Spirit is producing good fruit in our lives (He “makes me heartily willing and ready to live unto Him,” Question 1), it is impossible that those who are implanted into Christ by true faith, should not bring forth fruits of thankfulness (Jer. 32:40; Ezek. 36:27).

     “He, therefore, who boasts of having applied to himself by faith the death of Christ, and yet has no desire to live a holy and godly life… gives conclusive evidence that the truth is not in him; for all those who are justified are willing and ready to do those things which are pleasing to God” (Ursinus, 227).

NOTE: These Posts were written and  designed as bulletin inserts by Pastor David Fagrey of the Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD .  

Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert:  Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism 62-64

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Official Seal of  the RCUS

This is the seal of the Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS).  As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began.  We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.

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REFORMATION 500 WEEK 12: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM, QUESTION 31-32

Reformation 500 WEEK 12: Heidelberg Catechism, QUESTION 31-32

Question 31: Why is He called Christ, that is, Anointed? Because He is ordained of God the Father and anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our Chief Prophet and Teacher, who has fully revealed to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our redemption; and our only High Priest, who by the one sacrifice of His body, has redeemed us, and ever lives to make intercession for us with the Father; and our eternal King, who govern us by His Word and Spirit, and defends and preserves us in the redemption obtained for us.

MESSIAH is the Hebrew word, and CHRIST is the Greek word, meaning ANOINTED. In the Old Testament, prophets, priests, and kings were anointed with oil to symbolize that they were ordained and gifted by God to fulfill the duties of their office. They were types (examples) of what God intends every believer to become through Christ the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King (Num. 11:29; Rev. 1:6). Isaiah foretold that Messiah would be anointed with the Holy Spirit (11:1; 61:1). At His baptism, Jesus the Son of God was anointed by the Father with the Holy Spirit to fulfill His threefold office (Acts 10:38). As our Chief Prophet, He has fully revealed the truth to us, especially the truth about our redemption in Him (Matt. 16:16-17; John 1:18; 15:15; 17:8). As our only High Priest, “by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb. 9:26), He has redeemed us by His blood (Heb. 9:11-15). And with His Father in heaven, “He always lives to make intercession for us” (Heb. 7:25), praying that our faith would not fail (Luke 22:32; John 17:9-15). As our eternal King, at God’s right hand, He governs us by His Word and Spirit, preserving us in the faith so we persevere in showing ourselves thankful for our salvation (Heb. 12:2; 1 Peter 1:5).

Question 32: But why are you called a Christian? Because by faith I am a member of Christ and thus a partaker of His anointing, in order that I [as a prophet] also may confess His name, [as a priest] may present myself a living sacrifice of thankfulness to Him, and [as a king] with a free conscience may fight against sin and the devil in this life, and hereafter in eternity reign with Him over all creatures.

Every believer is a member of Christ, united as one body to the risen and glorified Lord Jesus Christ in heaven (Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 6:17; Eph. 2:6; 5:30), “united to Him by the same Holy Spirit dwelling in Him and in us” (Ursinus; cf. John 15:5; 1 Cor. 12:13). Therefore, we are called Christians, “anointed ones,” for we all share in the anointing of Christ’s Spirit (1 John 2:20, 27), enabled by the same Spirit to imitate and follow Christ as prophets, priests, and kings – to know, love, and live truth (Jer. 15:16). “As prophets, we are to confess the name of Christ and declare His truth to others [Matt. 10:32; Eph. 4:15]. As priests, we are to present ourselves as living sacrifices to Christ and dedicate all we are and have to the service of God [Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9-10]. This includes our talents and our money. As kings, we are to exercise dominion by the Word of God over ourselves, our homes, our churches, our society [Gen. 1:28]. We are to fight the good fight against sin and the devil and reign with Christ both now and forever [2 Tim. 4:7; Rev. 2:26; 5:9-10]. When we begin to grasp the real meaning of being a Christian, life becomes a wonderful, new challenge” (Jones, Study Helps, 74).

NOTE: These Posts were written and  designed as bulletin inserts by Pastor David Fagrey of the Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD .  

Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert:  Reformation 500 HC QAs 31-32

For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: Reformation 500 Week 12

Official Seal of  the RCUS

This is the seal of the Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS).  As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began.  We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.

Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.

REFORMATION 500 WEEK 9 THE ANABAPTISTS

Reformation 500 WEEK 9    the Anabaptists

     Conrad Grebel, a prominent member of the church in Zurich, “had been led to the evangelical faith by Zwingli and heartily approved his work of reformation” (Kuiper, 204-205). But soon he and others of like mind felt that both Zwingli and Luther’s reform movements had not gone far enough. They were not satisfied with separation from catholic corruptions; they wanted separation from all the ungodly.

     These radical reformers felt that the root cause of all the corruption in the Church was the compromising State-Church bond that had existed since the days of Constantine, where every citizen was born and baptized as a member of both church and state. This “brought much of the world into the Church” (Kuiper, 205), and allowed too much State interference. “The churches looked to the state for salary and support. Official Protestantism seemed to differ little from official Catholicism” (Bruce Shelley, Ch. History in Plain Language, 249). “In Zwingli’s Zurich, the Council of Government had the final word in religious matters” (Gonzalez, 70).

     Zwingli’s critics argued that Scripture requires true believers to be separate from the ungodly world; and therefore, a Christian “should not hold government office because this involved ‘the use of the sword,’ should not be a soldier, should not take an oath, and should not sue in the courts” (Kuiper, 206). The disciples in Jerusalem knew nothing of a state-church alliance, but rather they “left the synagogue and the world, gathered in an upper room, sold their goods, and held all things in common” (Schaff, 8:75). Apostolic churches were composed only of heartfelt believers, baptized only after a public commitment to live for Christ. Thus, “infant baptism must be rejected, for it takes for granted that one becomes a Christian by being born into a supposedly Christian society” (Gonzalez, 67-68).

     In the fall of 1524, when Grebel’s wife gave birth to a son, the Grebels refused to baptize their baby. To deal with the crisis, the City Council of Zurich arranged a public debate on January 17, 1525. Zwingli defended infant baptism as a sign of the covenant, replacing the old sign of circumcision (Col. 2:11). He also appealed to 1 Cor. 7.14 and to the NT examples of family baptisms. “Bullinger, who was present at the disputation, reports that the Anabaptists were unable to refute Zwingli’s arguments” (Schaff, 8:81). The Council agreed and “warned all parents who had neglected to have their children baptized to do so within a week or face banishment from Zurich” (Shelley, 250).

     “George Blaurock, a former priest, stepped over to Conrad Grebel and asked him for baptism in the apostolic fashion – upon confession of personal faith in Jesus Christ. Grebel baptized him on the spot and Blaurock proceeded to baptize the others” (Shelley, 247). Thus, Anabaptism was born. They rejected the name Anabaptists (“re-baptizers”) because they never considered their infant baptism a real baptism. 

     We will meet the Anabaptists again, but to sum up for now: “The Reformers attempted to reform the old Church by the Bible; the Radicals attempted to build a new Church from the Bible.” They “went directly to the apostolic age, and ignored the intervening centuries as apostasy…. Nothing is more characteristic of radicalism…than an utter lack of historical sense and respect for the past” (Schaff, 8:71). 

NOTE: These Posts were written and  designed as bulletin inserts by Pastor David Fagrey of the Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD .  

Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert:  Reformation500 The Anabaptists

For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: Reformation 500 Week 9

Official Seal of  the RCUS

This is the seal of the Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS).  As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began.  We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.

Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.

REFORMATION 500 WEEK 7: ZWINGLI

Reformation 500 WEEK 7: Zwingli

Before we see what happened to Martin Luther after his famous “here I stand” speech at the Diet of Worms in 1521, it is important to understand that his efforts to reform the catholic church were not isolated.

     Ulrich Zwingli was born in a small Swiss village in January 1484, less than two months after Luther. “Later, Zwingli would declare that, even before having heard of Luther’s teachings, he had come to similar conclusions through his study of the Bible. Thus, Zwingli’s reformation was a not a direct result of Luther’s; rather, it was a parallel movement that soon established links with its counterpart in Germany” (Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, p.60).

     Zwingli’s experience differed greatly from that of Luther. “Luther descended from the peasantry…while Zwingli was the son of a magistrate” (Schaff, 8:34). Zwingli “never lived as a monk in a convent. He did not have Luther’s deep consciousness of sin, and he knew nothing of Luther’s fearful spiritual struggle to gain salvation. Luther emerged out of the darkness of medievalism and had been educated in scholastic theology… Zwingli received his education under the influence of the Renaissance” (Kuiper, Church in History, 187-188).

     When Erasmus (the great renaissance humanist) published his Greek NT in 1516, “Zwingli made a copy of it which he carried with him in order to memorize as much of it as possible” (Gonzalez, 57).

     “Zwingli was made a priest of an abbey to which many went on pilgrimage. He soon drew attention to himself by preaching against the notion that exercises such as pilgrimages could avail for salvation, and declaring that he found nothing in the NT in support of such practices. His fame grew to the point that in 1518 he was transferred to Zurich” (ibid, 59). He also became a chaplain in the army of Zurich.

     “In 1518 Zwingli attacked indulgences [on one occasion he convinced the government to expel from Zurich a seller of indulgences]. The stand Luther took at the Leipzig debate and his burning of the papal bull inspired Zwingli to make a systematic attack on the Roman Church. Images were removed from the church buildings in Zurich. The mass abolished. Altars, relics, and processions were discarded” (Kuiper, 188). Zwingli’s enemies spread the word that his teachings were the same as those of the German heretic Martin Luther.

     “Zurich was under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the bishop of Constance, who expressed concern over what was taking place in Zurich. In 1522, when Zwingli preached against the laws of fasting and abstinence, and some of his parishioners gathered to eat sausages during Lent,” the bishop of Constance “accused the preacher before the Council of Government.” The Council called “for a debate between Zwingli and a representative of the bishop.” No one could refute Zwingli’s Scriptural defense; therefore, “he was free to continue his preaching. This decision marked Zurich’s final break with the bishopric of Constance, and therefore with Rome” (Gonzalez, 60-61).

                “One German Lutheran realized that, if Luther and Zwingli united their movements, their chances for survival would increase. So he asked them to meet in the German city of Marburg” (Church History Made Easy, 110). 

NOTE: These Posts were written and  designed as bulletin inserts by Pastor David Fagrey of the Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD .  

Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert:  Reformation500 Ulrich Zwingli

For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: Reformation 500 Week 7

Official Seal of  the RCUS

This is the seal of the Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS).  As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began.  We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.

Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.

REFORMATION 500 WEEK 7: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM, QUESTIONS 20-23

Reformation 500 WEEK 7: Heidelberg Catechism, QUESTIONS 20-23

Question 20: Are all men, then, saved by Christ as they have perished in Adam? No, only those who by true faith are engrafted into Him and receive all His benefits.

Although Adam represented and acted on behalf of all mankind, Christ represented and acted on behalf of those who believe in Him and thereby receive the salvation He earned for them. “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).

Question 21: What is true faith? True faith is not only a sure knowledge, whereby I hold for truth all that God has revealed to us in His Word, but also a hearty trust, which the Holy Spirit works in me by the Gospel, that not only to others, but to me also, forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness, and salvation are freely given by God, merely of grace, only for the sake of Christ’s merits.

Faith by definition is to rely upon the word of another. When a jury reaches a verdict, they are relying upon the testimony of faithful witnesses. Faith in God is to rely upon God’s Word (the Bible). True (saving) faith is to be convinced by the Holy Spirit that God’s Word is truth (John 17:17; 10:35; 2 Tim. 3:16); and, especially, to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation (John 5:24). Since He merited (earned) salvation for me, I embrace Him with a believing heart and seek nothing more besides Him.

Question 22: What, then, is necessary for a Christian to believe? All that is promised us in the Gospel, which the articles of our Catholic, undoubted Christian faith teach us in summary.

In order to truly believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and not be deceived by those who preach “another Jesus” (2 Cor 11:4), we need to believe specifically what the Bible says about who Jesus is and what He has done to save His people from their sins. These key doctrines of the gospel are summarized in the articles [statements] of Apostles’ Creed (not written by the apostles but based on their teaching in the New Testament). This Creed is called catholic, meaning universal, because it contains the universal beliefs of all Christians. They are undoubted (not doubted) by true believers.

Question 23: What are these articles? I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Begotten Son, our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall 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.

The next 35 Questions and Answers (24-58) explain the biblical basis of these articles. 

NOTE: These Posts were written and  designed as bulletin inserts by Pastor David Fagrey of the Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD .  

Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert:  Reformation500 Heidelberg Catechism QAs 20-23

For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: Reformation 500 Week 7

Official Seal of  the RCUS

This is the seal of the Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS).  As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began.  We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.

Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.

REFORMATION 500 WEEK 6: HERE I STAND

Reformation 500 WEEK 6: Here I Stand

When a copy of Luther’s 95 Theses reached Pope Leo X, he “dismissed the document as nothing more than the ramblings of a drunken German who, he believed, would think differently when sober” (Nichols, Martin Luther, 34).

    Eight months later, in July 1518, the pope “issued a summons to Luther to appear before him in Rome. If Luther had gone to Rome it would have meant his certain death” (Kuiper, Church in History, 170). But Luther’s prince, Frederick the Wise, intervened to protect his most famous and popular professor at the University of Wittenberg. “Frederick did not too well comprehend Luther but was concerned that a German subject should not be taken to trial outside of Germany, and should receive an impartial hearing” (Roland Bainton, The Reformation, 55).

     In the meantime, at Leipzig in 1519, Luther debated Dr. Johann Eck, a trained theologian, who had already written a tract against the 95 Theses. Eck maintained that the Pope was the successor of Peter, and the vicar of Christ by divine right. Luther said this “was contrary to the Scriptures, to the ancient church, to the Council of Nicea, …and rests only on the frigid decrees of the Roman pontiffs” (Schaff, 7:181). But when Eck had gotten Luther “to say that some of the teachings of Hus had been unjustly condemned by the Council of Constance,” he “had made Luther take his stand openly on the side of a man officially condemned by the Church as a heretic” (Kuiper, 172). The Leipzig debate strengthened Luther’s followers and won many new followers, one of whom was Martin Bucer, who later helped to shape the views of John Calvin.

     On June 15, 1520, Leo X issued a papal bull, calling for the immediate restraint of the “wild boar in God’s vineyard.” Luther had 60 days after receiving the bull to recant or be excommunicated. After the 60 days expired, Luther burned “the Detestable Bull of the Antichrist” in Wittenberg. 

     “Yet, because of political considerations, excommunication did not immediately follow; and Frederick the Wise arranged that Luther should have a hearing before the diet [imperial meeting] of the German nation about to meet early in 1521 in the city of Worms with the newly elected Holy Roman Emperor Charles of Hapsburg [Charles V], the King of Spain” (Bainton, 58-59).

     “Luther arrived to a hero’s welcome at Worms…. When it was time for him to appear before the Diet, he was simply asked two questions: Are these your writings? Do you recant? Luther stood stunned before the assembly. How could they expect him to recant? His writings contained the words of Scripture, the words of the councils, and even the words of the popes.... Luther requested one day to think things over, and Charles V granted this request” (Nichols, 41).

     The next day, April 18, 1521, Luther once again stood before the diet of Worms. He then delivered his famous speech. “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture or by clear reason, for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradict themselves, I am bound to the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise, here I stand. May God help me.” 

NOTE: These Posts were written and  designed as bulletin inserts by Pastor David Fagrey of the Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD .  

Here is a link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert:  Reformation500 Martin Luther Here I Stand

For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: Reformation 500 Week 6

Official Seal of  the RCUS

This is the seal of the Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS).  As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began.  We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.

Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.

REFORMATION 500 WEEK 5: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM, QUESTIONS 12-15

Reformation 500 WEEK 5: Heidelberg Catechism, QUESTIONS 12-15

Question 12: Since, then, by the righteous judgment of God we deserve temporal and eternal punishment, how may we escape this punishment and be again received into favor? God wills that His justice be satisfied; therefore, we must make full satisfaction to that justice, either by ourselves or by another.

The only way for sinful man to escape God’s just punishment of sin and be restored to God’s favor is “if satisfaction be made on the part of man by a sufficient punishment for his disobedience,” a punishment which “is equivalent to that which is eternal” [Daniel 9:24; Hebrews 9:12]” (Ursinus).

Question 13: Can we ourselves make this satisfaction? Certainly not; on the contrary, we daily increase our guilt.

We cannot satisfy God’s justice because “we sin continually, and in sinning we increase our guilt and the displeasure of God toward us.” Plus, “our guilt being infinite, deserves an infinite punishment – one that is eternal, or that is equivalent to everlasting punishment…. But we cannot make satisfaction by a punishment that is eternal, because then we would never be freed from it [Psalm 130:3]” (Ursinus).

Question 14: Can any mere creature make satisfaction for us? None; for first, God will not punish any other creature for the sin which man committed; and further, no mere creature can sustain the burden of God’s eternal wrath against sin and redeem others from it.

Man sinned; and therefore, man must be punished. It would be unfair if other creatures, whether angels or animals, should be eternally punished for something of which humanity is guilty (Heb. 2:14-18; 10:4). Furthermore, no creature, not even a sinless creature, could endure and survive the heavy weight of God’s wrath against sin. “God is a consuming fire” (Deut. 4:24). If the creature being punished in our place cannot survive the punishment, then how can that creature deliver us from the punishment?

Question 15: What kind of mediator and redeemer then must we seek? One who is a true and righteous man, and yet more powerful than all creatures, that is, one who is also true God.

The only substitute capable of fully satisfying God’s justice for us, is one who must be a perfect man and yet more than a mere man. He must be God also. Our substitute must be a person who is both God and man, so that he may truly be a middle person, and mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5); one who will bring it to pass that God loves men, and men love God, so that an eternal peace or agreement is established between them (Isaiah 54:10). As we will see, Jesus Christ the God-Man has offered the all-pleasing sacrifice to fully satisfy God’s justice.

NOTE: These Posts were written and  designed as bulletin inserts by Pastor David Fagrey of the Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD .  

Here is a link to bulletin insert:  Reformation500 Heidelberg Catechism QAs 12-15

For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: Reformation 500 Week 5

Official Seal of  the RCUS

This is the seal of the Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS).  As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began.  We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.

Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.