Question 32: What do justification and sanctification mean? Answer: Justification means our declared righteousness before God, made possible by Christ’s death and resurrection for us. Sanctification means our gradual, growing righteousness, made possible by the Spirit’s work in us. The catechism links our justification to Christ’s death and resurrection for us. What is the connection between these things? By his death on the cross, Jesus Christ took our sins upon himself, so

This week we begin with Question 32 of the New City Catechism, found in Part 2 (questions 21-35), which focuses on Christ, redemption, and grace. Question 32: What do justification and sanctification mean? Answer: Justification means our declared righteousness before God, made possible by Christ’s death and resurrection for us. Sanctification means our gradual, growing righteousness, made possible by the Spirit’s work in us. The saving work of Christ affects two things about

Question 31: What do we believe by true faith? Answer: Everything taught to us in the gospel. The Apostles’ Creed expresses what we believe in these words: We believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended int

Question 31: What do we believe by true faith? Answer: Everything taught to us in the gospel. The Apostles’ Creed expresses what we believe in these words: We believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended int

This week we begin with Question 31 of the New City Catechism, found in Part 2 (questions 21-35), which focuses on Christ, redemption, and grace. Question 31: What do we believe by true faith? Answer: Everything taught to us in the gospel. The Apostles’ Creed expresses what we believe in these words: We believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffer

Question 30: What is faith in Jesus Christ? Answer: Faith in Jesus Christ is acknowledging the truth of everything that God has revealed in his Word, trusting in him, and also receiving and resting on him alone for salvation as he is offered to us in the gospel. Saving faith consists of knowledge, assent, and trust. We must know the truth of the gospel and assent to its truth. But if we stop there, we have only gone as far as the demons have gone. Demons have no trouble assen

Question 30: What is faith in Jesus Christ? Answer: Faith in Jesus Christ is acknowledging the truth of everything that God has revealed in his Word, trusting in him, and also receiving and resting on him alone for salvation as he is offered to us in the gospel. Saving faith consists of knowledge, assent, and trust. We have already addressed the importance of knowledge, so now we will move on to assent. In order for anyone to be saved by the truth of the gospel, that person o

This week we begin with Question 30 of the New City Catechism, found in found in Part 2 (questions 21-35), which focuses on Christ, redemption, and grace. Question 30: What is faith in Jesus Christ? Answer: Faith in Jesus Christ is acknowledging the truth of everything that God has revealed in his Word, trusting in him, and also receiving and resting on him alone for salvation as he is offered to us in the gospel. Historically, theologians have argued that saving faith involv

Question 29: How can we be saved? Answer: Only by faith in Jesus Christ and in his substitutionary atoning death on the cross; so even though we are guilty of having disobeyed God and are still inclined to all evil, nevertheless, God, without any merit of our own but only by pure grace, imputes to us the perfect righteousness of Christ when we repent and believe in him. Conversion to Christ through faith and repentance results in our justification before God, which includes t

Question 29: How can we be saved? Answer: Only by faith in Jesus Christ and in his substitutionary atoning death on the cross; so even though we are guilty of having disobeyed God and are still inclined to all evil, nevertheless, God, without any merit of our own but only by pure grace, imputes to us the perfect righteousness of Christ when we repent and believe in him. Conversion to Christ involves repentance and faith, inseparable actions of turning away from the lordship o

This week we begin with Question 29 of the New City Catechism, found in Part 2 (questions 21-35), which focuses on Christ, redemption, and grace. Question 29: How can we be saved? Answer: Only by faith in Jesus Christ and in his substitutionary atoning death on the cross; so even though we are guilty of having disobeyed God and are still inclined to all evil, nevertheless, God, without any merit of our own but only by pure grace, imputes to us the perfect righteousness of Chr

Question 28: What happens after death to those not united to Christ by faith? Answer: At the day of judgment they will receive the fearful but just sentence of condemnation pronounced against them. They will be cast out from the favorable presence of God, into hell, to be justly and grievously punished, forever. If, as Scripture teaches and as the church has long confessed, the final destiny of unbelievers is everlasting conscious torment apart from the presence of God, from

Question 28: What happens after death to those not united to Christ by faith? Answer: At the day of judgment they will receive the fearful but just sentence of condemnation pronounced against them. They will be cast out from the favorable presence of God, into hell, to be justly and grievously punished, forever. The doctrines of the final judgment and hell have been among the most controversial in the history of the Christian church. The main reason for this controversy is th

This week we begin with Question 28 of the New City Catechism, found in Part 2 (questions 21-35), which focuses on Christ, redemption, and grace. Question 28: What happens after death to those not united to Christ by faith? Answer: At the day of judgment they will receive the fearful but just sentence of condemnation pronounced against them. They will be cast out from the favorable presence of God, into hell, to be justly and grievously punished, forever. Revelation 20:11-15

Question 26: What else does Christ’s death redeem? Answer: Christ’s death is the beginning of the redemption and renewal of every part of fallen creation, as he powerfully directs all things for his own glory and creation’s good. The final two visions of the book of Revelation are of a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1-8), followed by a vision of the New Jerusalem, the holy city coming down out of heaven (Rev. 21:9-22:5). In these alternate pictures of the same reality, G

Question 26: What else does Christ’s death redeem? Answer: Christ’s death is the beginning of the redemption and renewal of every part of fallen creation, as he powerfully directs all things for his own glory and creation’s good. Jesus Christ came into this world as a man, where he lived his life in obedience to God and died in the place of men. The redeeming work of Christ was for the primary purpose of achieving the forgiveness of sins and the counting of righteousness to t

This week we begin with Question 26 of the New City Catechism, found in Part 2 (questions 21-35), which focuses on Christ, redemption, and grace. Question 26: What else does Christ’s death redeem? Answer: Christ’s death is the beginning of the redemption and renewal of every part of fallen creation, as he powerfully directs all things for his own glory and creation’s good. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, it was not only humanity that was affected by their acti

Question 25: Does Christ’s death mean all our sins can be forgiven? Answer: Yes, because Christ’s death on the cross fully paid the penalty for our sin, God graciously imputes Christ’s righteousness to us as if it were our own and will remember our sins no more. In the previous installment I noted that there are two things that must happen for us to have eternal life: (1) we must have our sins forgiven, which removes God’s wrath from us; (2) we must have righteousness counted

Question 25: Does Christ’s death mean all our sins can be forgiven? Answer: Yes, because Christ’s death on the cross fully paid the penalty for our sin, God graciously imputes Christ’s righteousness to us as if it were our own and will remember our sins no more. If we are going to be right with God and inherit eternal life, two things need to happen: (1) we must have our sins forgiven, which removes God’s wrath from us; (2) we must have righteousness counted to us, which enti

This week we begin with Question 25 of the New City Catechism, found in Part 2 (questions 21-35), which focuses on Christ, redemption, and grace. Question 25: Does Christ’s death mean all our sins can be forgiven? Answer: Yes, because Christ’s death on the cross fully paid the penalty for our sin, God graciously imputes Christ’s righteousness to us as if it were our own and will remember our sins no more. Under the covenant God made with Israel, there were many sacrifices for