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

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

Question 24: Why was it necessary for Christ, the Redeemer, to die? Answer: Since death is the punishment for sin, Christ died willingly in our place to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin and bring us back to God. By his substitutionary atoning death, he alone redeems us from hell and gains for us forgiveness of sin, righteousness, and everlasting life. Because Jesus Christ died our death, enduring our punishment, we have no punishment from God to face. We have been

Question 24: Why was it necessary for Christ, the Redeemer, to die? Answer: Since death is the punishment for sin, Christ died willingly in our place to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin and bring us back to God. By his substitutionary atoning death, he alone redeems us from hell and gains for us forgiveness of sin, righteousness, and everlasting life. All of history is moving toward a final judgment, the moment when God’s righteousness will be fully revealed as he

This week we begin with Question 24 of the New City Catechism, found in Part 2 (questions 21-35), which focuses on Christ, redemption, and grace. Question 24: Why was it necessary for Christ, the Redeemer, to die? Answer: Since death is the punishment for sin, Christ died willingly in our place to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin and bring us back to God. By his substitutionary atoning death, he alone redeems us from hell and gains for us forgiveness of sin, right

Question 23: Why must the Redeemer be truly God? Answer: That because of his divine nature his obedience and suffering would be perfect and effective; and also that he would be able to bear the righteous anger of God against sin and yet overcome death. When you think about the cross, it is important to remember that God did not send a third party to die in our place. Because Jesus Christ is fully God, we can rightly say that God, in the Person of his Son, gave himself over to

Question 23: Why must the Redeemer be truly God? Answer: That because of his divine nature his obedience and suffering would be perfect and effective; and also that he would be able to bear the righteous anger of God against sin and yet overcome death. Have you ever wondered why God the Son had to become man and submit himself to death for our sake? Would it have been possible for God to make atonement for our sins by some other way? What if, for example, God created a new Ad

Question 22: Why must the Redeemer be truly human? Answer: That in human nature he might on our behalf perfectly obey the whole law and suffer the punishment for human sin; and also that he might sympathize with our weaknesses. It was specifically through his human nature that Jesus Christ “suffered the punishment for human sin.” By going to the cross as a sinless man, he offered up his own life in the place of his covenant people, bearing in himself the punishment that our s

Question 21: What sort of Redeemer is needed to bring us back to God? Answer: One who is truly human and also truly God. Jesus Christ is fully God, but he is also fully human. If he lacks any part of human nature, then that part of humanity is left unredeemed by his incarnation and saving work. This is why Scripture teaches, and the church has long affirmed, that God the Son united to himself a fully human nature, including both a human body and a human soul, in his incarnati

Question 20: Who is the Redeemer? Answer: The only Redeemer is the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, in whom God became man and bore the penalty for sin himself. Not only did God the Son add humanity to himself, becoming the God-man in the incarnation, but he also “bore the penalty for sin himself” by dying on the cross in the place of sinners. The meaning of the cross of Jesus Christ is varied and rich, but the heart of it all is the bearing of the penalty for sin i

How does the Bible picture the culmination of Christ's redeeming work?

Christ died to redeem humanity. But how does the redemption of humanity affect the earth itself?

The forgiveness of our sins is one half of justification, but the other half is the counting of Christ's righteousness to us.

In order to be right with God, our sins must be forgiven. The death of Christ has secured this blessing for his people.

The sacrifices of the old covenant were gracious gifts to Israel, but where did they fall short? How is Christ's sacrifice better?

Christ has taken the place of his people in the final judgment. What is the result for us?

The final judgment is necessary to Christian teaching. How does Jesus' death relate to it? What does it mean for us?