Tried With Fire

125. Q. What does the Fourth Request mean? A. "Give us this day our daily bread" means, Do take care of all our physical needs so that we come to know that You are the only source of everything good, and that neither our work or our worry nor Your gifts can do us any good without Your blessings. And so help us to give up our trust in creatures and to put our trust in You alone. "Too often our struggle with prayer is that we focus on the wrong things. We focus on praying better instead of focusing on knowing better the one to whom we pray. And we focus on our need of discipline rather than our need for God. So many of us want to pray more but our lives seem too disordered. But God wants us to see that our messy, chaotic lives can be an impetus to pray instead of an obstacle to prayer. "You don't need discipline nearly as much as you need a broken heart and faith. You don't need an ordered life to enable prayer; you need a messy life to drive you to pra...

122. 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. You will alone is good. Help us one and all to carry out the work we are called to, as willingly and faithfully as the angels in heaven. "[N]o one deserves to have his will followed no matter what. No one except for God. When we pray, "Your will be done." we are confessing our confidence that God knows best, that His plans are good, that His way is always the right way. The Good News We Almost Forgot , Kevin DeYoung, Moody Publishers, 2010, pp. 226, 228.

122. 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. Keep Your church strong and add to it. Destroy the devil's work; destroy every force which revolts against You and every conspiracy against Your Word. Do this until Your Kingdom is so complete and perfect that in it You are all in all. "[T]he kingdom has come where the King has His way. Faith and repentance, and the godly life that follows in their wake, are unchangeable requirements for membership in the kingdom. We want to live like Christ, show people Christ, and make a difference for Christ, but also call people to renounce their rebellion against God, flee worldliness, and be ready to meet the King when He returns to finally establish His kingdom in full. God is not interested in making us good people apart from making us glory people. That is to say, the kingdom is not about excellence in behavior, It ...

122. Q. What does the first request mean? A. "Hallowed be Your name" means, Help us to really know You, 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. 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. First, God's passion for His glory is not the same as self-flattery because it does not arise out of weakness or deficiency. Second, we hallow God's name because it deserves to be hallowed ... To recognize that God is the most glorious, most lovely, most powerful Being in the universe is to simply recognize Him for who He is. Thirdly, hallowing God's name is for our good. God's glory and God's love are not at odds... As John Piper says, God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him, Or to put it another way...

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 prayers - 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. 121. Q. Why the words "in heaven"? A. Those words teach us not to think of God's heavenly majesty as something earthly and to expect everything for body and soul from His almighty power. "We are not bowing before a tyrannical despot or a distant deity. We are praying to our Father. He's bigger, better, and stronger than any earthly father. He loves us more fiercely, understands us more deeply, and delights in us more fully. "Though God may discipline His children and lead us through valleys we would not have chosen, we should never doubt that God is on our side... All parents wish to do ...

116. Q. Why do Christians need to pray? A. Because prayer is the most important part of the thankfulness God requires of us. 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. 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. Second, we must acknowledge, our need and misery, hiding nothing, and humble ourselves in His majestic presence. 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. This is what He promised us in His Word. 118. Q. What did God command us to pray for? A. Everything we need, spiritually and physically, as embraced in the prayer Christ our Lord Himself taught us. 119....

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. 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. Nevertheless, with all seriousness of purpose, they do begin to live according to all, not only some of God's commandments. 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. 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 ...

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, not join in condemning anyone without a hearing or without a just cause. Rather, in court and everywhere else, , I should avoid lying and deceit of every kind; these are the devices the devil uses, and they would call down on me God's intense anger. I should love the truth, speak it candidly, and openly acknowledge it. And I should do what I can to guard and advance my neighbor's good name. "The saddest part is that when we lie, in little ways or big ways, we are showing our allegiance to the wrong father. Lies and deceit "are the devices of the devil himself uses, and they would call down on me God's intense anger, " Answer 112 tells us. The remedy is to follow the example of our heavenly Father, whose words always prove true (Prov. 30:5). We should, like God, "love ...

110. Q. What does God forbid in the Eighth Commandment? A. He forbids not only outright theft and robbery, punishable by law. But in God's sight theft also includes cheating and swindling our neighbor by schemes made to appear legitimate, such as: inaccurate measurements of weight, size, or volumes; fraudulent merchandising; counterfeit money; excessive interests; or any other means forbidden by God. In addition He forbids all greed and pointless squandering of His gifts. 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. "Finally, and most poignantly, the Eight Commandment forbids greed - stealing with the eyes of our heart... When we are greedy, it is bad for others and worse for ourselves. "The opposite of the love of money is generosity. Instead of hoarding our money, we hand i...

108. Q. What is God's will for you in the Seventh Commandment? A. God condemns all unchastity. We should therefore thoroughly detest it and, married or single, live decent and chaste lives. 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, whether it be by actions, looks, talk, thoughts, or desires. "We need to fight the fleeting pleasure of sexual sin with a far greater, more abiding pleasure of knowing God. The fight for sexual purity is the fight of faith. It may sound like nothing but hard work and gritting your teeth, the very opposite of faith. But faith is the heart of this struggle. Do we believe that a glimpse of God is better than a glimpse of skin? Do we believe that God's steadfast love is better than life (Ps. 63:3)? We'd probably sin less if we spent less t...

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; rather, I am to put away all desire for revenge. I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself either. Prevention of murder is why government is armed with the sword. 106. Q. Does this commandment only refer to killing? A. By forbidding murder, God teaches us that He hates the root of murder; envy, anger, vindictiveness. In God's sight all such are murder. 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, to be patient, peace-loving, gentle, merciful, and friendly to them, to protect them from harm as much as we can, and so do good even to our enemies. "I'm all for passion and righteous indi...

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; and also that I be patient with their failings - for through them God chooses to rule us. "Sadly with the reign of youth-ism comes a disrespect for older generations. Instead of thinking, "This person is older and probably has something to teach me that I don't know yet," we figure, "This person is old and out of date and funny looking and weak and is best ignored." Older folks deserve better, especially Mom and Dad. Even into old age we must honor our parents. We should visit them, listen to their advice, and see they are well cared for later in life. Honor for parents has no statute of limitations." "I doubt that many of us regularly feel convicted by the Fifth Commandment, but we probably should. How a...

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 and that, especially on the festive day of rest, I regularly attend the assembly of God's people to learn what God's Word teaches, to participate in the sacraments, to pray to God publicly, and to bring Christian offerings for the poor. Second, that every day of my life I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through His Spirit, and to begin already in this life the eternal sabbath.  "Sabbath rest is about making Jesus Christ the center of who we are and relying on Him alone for our salvation. It means ceasing to find approval and righteousness in our deeds. It means we stop doubting God's promises and start trusting that our spiritual vitality is found only by resting in Him. Keeping the Sabbath means we give up on ourselves and give ourselves over to God, letting the Lord work in us through His Spirit, "and so beg...

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 and were rightly used by the Old and New Testament believers. 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. No creature is worthy of such honor. "Since God alone can know the heart and God is the one who will hold us accountable for matters of the heart, swearing by any other besides Him is an affront to His authority. If you swear "on my mother's grave," you're calling on your mother to vouchsafe for your truthfulness and judge you if you lie. But your mom, no matter how special, is not the searcher of hearts and she...

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, perjury, or unnecessary oaths, nor share in such horrible sins by being silent bystanders. In a word, it requires that we use the holy name of God only with reverence and awe, so that we may properly confess Him, pray to Him, and praise Him in everything we do and say. 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. No sin is greater, no sin makes God more angry than blaspheming His name. That is why He commanded the death penalty for it. "The Third Commandment forbids taking the Lord's name in vain. God does not want us to empty His name of its meaning or use it in a careless or wicked way. "[T]he Third commandment speaks to more than just foul language. Of course, it speaks to this iss...

96. Q. What is God's will for us in the Second Commandment? A. That we in no way make any image of God nor worship Him in any other way than He has commanded in His Word. 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. 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 - not by idols that cannot even talk. "[W]e need to be faithful to instruct the people of God. If God designed His people to be taught by the reading and preaching of the Holy Scripture, we should not assume that He can't get the job done without images. The argument made during the Reformation was, "We can't lose the images b...

92. Q. What does the Lord say in His law? A. [The Catechism quotes from Exodus 20:1-17 , reciting the giving of the Ten Commandments.] 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. 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, magic, superstitious rites, and prayer to saints or to other creatures. That I sincerely acknowledge the only true God, trust Him alone, look to Him for every good thing humbly and patiently, love Him, fear Him, and honor him with all my heart. In short, that I give up anything rather than go against His will in any way. 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...

88. Q. What is involved in genuine repentance of conversion? A. Two things: the dying-away of the old self, and the coming-to-life of the new. 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. 90. Q. What is the coming-to-life of the new self? A. It is a wholehearted joy in God through Christ and a delight to do every kind of good as God wants us to. 91. Q. What do we do that is good? A. Only that which arises out of true faith, conforms to God's law, and is alone for his glory; and not that which is based on what we think is right or on established human tradition. "In short, conversion brings newness. New life. New direction. New inclination. New affections. The old has gone and the new has come. In conversion, the Spirit of God gives us a new awareness of sin, a new interest in the word of God, a new passion for holiness, a new desire for prayer, and a new sense of the majes...

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, and so that He may be praised through us. And we do good so that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits, and so that by our godly living our neighbors may be won over to Christ. 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. First, we do good because the Holy Spirit is working in us to make us more like Jesus (2 Cor. 3:18). The same Spirit who caused us to be ...

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. 84. Q. How does the preaching of the gospel open 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. 85. Q. How is the kingdom of heaven closed and opened by Christian discipline? A. According to the command of Christ: Th...