A. That I am not my own, but belong - body and soul, in life and in death - to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to Him, Christ, by His Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.
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; second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.
Comfort does not mean Christ makes all the bad things go away. Comfort, as Ursinus puts it, "results from a certain process of reasoning, in which we oppose something good to something evil, that by a proper consideration of this good, we may mitigate our grief, and patiently endure the evil." In other words,comfort puts before us a greater joy to outweigh present and anticipated sufferings.
When we think of living and dying in comfort, we imagine La-Z Boy recliners, back rubs, and all the food you can eat (with none of the pounds, of course.) But the Catechism has in mind a different kind of comfort, one that is deeper, higher, richer, and sweeter. We find comfort by admitting our sin, instead of excusing it; by trusting in Another instead of ourselves; and by living to give thanks instead of being thanked.The Good News We Almost Forgot, Kevin DeYoung, Moody Publishers, pp. 20, 23.
(Lord willing for every Sunday this year, I will be posting the Q&A from the Heidelberg Catechism with an excerpt from Kevin DeYoung's comments.)
Looking forward to it! Great post.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, my friend.
ReplyDeleteI read this book and enjoyed it very much, now I am so looking forward to review it with you.
Every time I come to question #1, my heart burst out with hope. That I belong to Him is such an amazing truth, that I always want to pause and consider it carefully.
Blessings,
This is the catechism our children memorize, Persis. I just might go through this book with you. Happy New Year, my precious friend!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! This is a fabulous idea. I'm looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of doing the same thing, but I went with Faith Alone. Looking forward to this.
ReplyDeleteExcellent.
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot to start this on Sunday. Will catch up tonight.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to doing this with you, though I will probably post on Mondays. I'm trying to stay away from the computer on Sundays.