Sermon Tone Analysis

The Heidelberg Catechism

Modern English Version

Introduction

Lord’s Day 1

1.

What is your only comfort in life and in death?

That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death,1 am not my own,2 but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ,3 who with His precious blood4 has fully satisfied for all my sins,5 and redeemed me from all the power of the devil;6 and so preserves me7 that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head;8 indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation.9

Wherefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life,10 and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live unto Him.11

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[5] ;. [6] .

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2.       How many things are necessary for you to know, that in this comfort you may live and die happily?

Three things:1 First, the greatness of my sin and misery.2

Second, how I am redeemed from all my sins and misery.3

Third, how I am to be thankful to God for such redemption.4

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[2] ; .

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[4] ; ; ; *; *; *.

First Part: Man’s Misery

Lord’s Day 2

3.       From where do you know your misery?

From the Law of God.1

[1] ; *.

4.       What does the Law of God require of us?

Christ teaches us in sum, , “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”1

[1] ; .

*. *.

5.       Can you keep all this perfectly?

No,1 for I am prone by nature to hate God and my neighbor.2

[1] , ; , .

[2] ; .

Lord’s Day 3

6.

Did God create man thus, wicked and perverse?

No,1 but God created man good and after His own image,2 that is, in righteousness and true holiness, that he might rightly know God his Creator, heartily love Him, and live with Him in eternal blessedness, to praise and glorify Him.3

[1] .

[2] .

[3] ; ; .

7.       From where, then, does this depraved nature of man come?

From the fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, in Paradise,1 whereby our nature became so corrupt that we are all conceived and born in sin.2

1] (The whole chapter).

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[2] ; *.

[1] (The whole chapter).

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[2] ; *.

8.

But are we so depraved that we are completely incapable of any good and prone to all evil?

Yes,1 unless we are born again by the Spirit of God.2[1] ; ; ; .

[2] ; *; *; *; *.Lord’s Day 49.

Does not God, then, do injustice to man by requiring of him in His Law that which he cannot perform?No, for God so made man that he could perform it;1 but man, through the instigation of the devil, by willful disobedience deprived himself and all his descendants of those divine gifts.2[1] .

[2] Rom.

5:12.10.

Will God allow such disobedience and apostasy to go unpunished?Certainly not,1 but He is terribly displeased with our inborn as well as our actual sins, and will punish them in just judgment in time and eternity, as He has declared, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”[1] .

[2] ; ; *; *Matt.

25:41.11.

But is not God also merciful?God is indeed merciful,1 but He is likewise just;2 His justice therefore requires that sin which is committed against the most high majesty of God, be punished with extreme, that is, with everlasting punishment both of body and soul.[1] .

[2] ; ; ; *.Second Part: Man’s RedemptionLord’s Day 512.

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;1 therefore, we must make full satisfaction to that justice, either by ourselves or by another.2[1]

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[2] –4.13.

Can we ourselves make this satisfaction?Certainly not; on the contrary, we daily increase our guilt.1[1]

; ; ; *16:26.14.

Can any mere creature make satisfaction for us?None; for first, God will not punish any other creature for the sin which man committed;1 and further, no mere creature can sustain the burden of God’s eternal wrath against sin2 and redeem others from it.[1] .

[2] Ps. 130:3.15.

What kind of mediator and redeemer, then, must we seek?One who is a true1 and righteous man,2 and yet more powerful than all creatures, that is, one who is also true God.3[1] , .

[2] ; ; ; .

[3] ; .Lord’s Day 616.

Why must He be a true and righteous man?Because the justice of God requires1 that the same human nature which has sinned should make satisfaction for sin; but one who is himself a sinner cannot satisfy for others.2[1] .

[2] –5.17.

Why must He also be true God?That by the power of His Godhead He might bear in His manhood the burden of God’s wrath,1 and so obtain for2 and restore to us righteousness and life.3[1]

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[2] ; .

[3] 1 Jn.

1:2.18.

But who now is that Mediator, who in one person is true God and also a true and righteous man?Our Lord Jesus Christ,1 who is freely given unto us for complete redemption and righteousness.2[1] ; ; .

[2] ; *Acts 4:12.19.

From where do you know this?From the Holy Gospel, which God Himself first revealed in Paradise,1 afterwards proclaimed by the holy patriarchs2 and prophets, and foreshadowed by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law,3 and finally fulfilled by His well-beloved Son.4[1] .

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[3] . .

[4] ; ; *.Lord’s Day 720.

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.1[1]

; ; ; ; ; 10:39.21.

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,1 but also a hearty trust,2 which the Holy Spirit3 works in me by the Gospel,4 that not only to others, but to me also, forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness, and salvation are freely given by God,5 merely of grace, only for the sake of Christ’s merits.6[1] .

[2] ; .

[3] ; , .

[4] ;. [5] ; .

[6] ; ; ; *Acts 10:43.22.

What, then, is necessary for a Christian to believe?All that is promised us in the Gospel,1 which the articles of our catholic, undoubted Christian faith teach us in summary.[1]

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*; *2 Tim.

3:15.23.

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 there He will 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.Lord’s Day 824.

How are these articles divided?Into three parts: the first is of God the Father and our creation; the second, of God the Son and our redemption; the third, of God the Holy Spirit and our sanctification.1[1]

; *1 Jn. 5:7.25.

Since there is but one Divine Being,1 why do you speak of three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?Because God has so revealed Himself in His Word,2 that these three distinct persons are the one, true, eternal God.[1] .

[2] ; ; ; ; ; *.God the FatherLord’s Day 926.

What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”?That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who of nothing made heaven and earth with all that is in them,1 who likewise upholds, and governs them by His eternal counsel and providence,2 is for the sake of Christ, His Son, my God and my Father,3 in whom I so trust as to have no doubt that He will provide me with all things necessary for body and soul;4 and further, that whatever evil He sends upon me in this valley of tears, He will turn to my good;5 for He is able to do it, being Almighty God,6 and willing also, being a faithful Father.7[1] ; ; *; *. [2] ; ; ; ; *. [3] ; ; ; ; *; *. [4] ; ; ; .

[5]; *. [6] .

[7] ; *.Lord’s Day 1027.

What do you understand by the providence of God?The almighty, everywhere-present power of God,1 whereby, as it were by His hand, He still upholds heaven and earth with all creatures,2 and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink,3 health and sickness,4 riches and poverty,5 indeed, all things come not by chance, but by His fatherly hand.[1] .

[2] .

[3] ; *. [4] .

[5] ; *; –5a.28.

What does it profit us to know that God created, and by His providence upholds, all things?That we may be patient in adversity,1 thankful in prosperity,2 and for what is future have good confidence in our faithful God and Father, that no creature shall separate us from His love,3 since all creatures are so in His hand, that without His will they cannot so much as move.4[1]

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[4] ; ; ; *; *.God the SonLord’s Day 1129.

Why is the Son of God called “Jesus,” that is, Savior?Because He saves us from all our sins,1 and because salvation is not to be sought or found in any other.2[1]

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[2] ; *.    Do those also believe in the only Savior Jesus, who seek their salvation and welfare from “saints,” themselves, or anywhere else?No; although they make their boast of Him, yet in their deeds they deny the only Savior Jesus;1 for either Jesus is not a complete Savior, or they who by true faith receive this Savior, must have in Him all that is necessary to their salvation.2[1]

, ; .

[2] ; ; ; ; *.Lord’s Day 1231.

Why is He called “Christ,” that is, Anointed?Because He is ordained of God the Father and anointed with the Holy Spirit1 to be our chief Prophet and Teacher,2 who has fully revealed to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our redemption;3 and our only High Priest,4 who by the one sacrifice of His body, has redeemed us, and ever lives to make intercession for us with the Father;5 and our eternal King, who governs us by His Word and Spirit, and defends and preserves us in the redemption obtained for us.6[1] .

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[6] ; ; ; *; *; *Rev.

19:16.32.

But why are you called a Christian?Because by faith I am a member of Christ1 and thus a partaker of His anointing,2 in order that I also may confess His Name,3 may present myself a living sacrifice of thankfulness to Him,4 and with a free conscience may fight against sin and the devil in this life,5 and hereafter in eternity reign with Him over all creatures.6[1]

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[6] ; *; *.Lord’s Day 1333.

Why is He called God’s “only begotten Son,” since we also are the children of God?Because Christ alone is the eternal, natural Son of God,1 but we are children of God by adoption, through grace, for His sake.2[1] , .

[2] ; ; *1 Jn. 3:1.34.

Why do you call Him “our Lord”?Because not with silver or gold, but with His precious blood, He has redeemed and purchased us, body and soul, from sin and from all the power of the devil, to be His own.1[1] ; ; ; ; *; *; *.Lord’s Day 1435.

What is the meaning of “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary?”That the eternal Son of God, who is1 and continues true and eternal God,2 took upon Himself the very nature of man, of the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary,3 by the operation of the Holy Spirit;4 so that He might also be the true seed of David,5 like unto His brethren in all things,6 except for sin.7[1] ; .

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[7] ; *1 Jn. 5:20.36.

What benefit do you receive from the holy conception and birth of Christ?That He is our Mediator,1 and with His innocence and perfect holiness covers, in the sight of God, my sin, wherein I was conceived.2[1] .

[2] ; *.Lord’s Day 1537.

What do you understand by the word “suffered”?That all the time He lived on earth, but especially at the end of His life, He bore, in body and soul, the wrath of God against the sin of the whole human race;1 in order that by His suffering, as the only atoning sacrifice,2 He might redeem our body and soul from everlasting damnation, and obtain for us the grace of God, righteousness, and eternal life.[1]

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[2] ; ; ; *; *; *Rom.

5:6.38.

Why did He suffer “under Pontius Pilate” as judge?That He, being innocent, might be condemned by the temporal judge,1 and thereby deliver us from the severe judgment of God, to which we were exposed.2[1]

; ; .

[2] ; ; *Matt.

27:24.39.

Is there anything more in His having been “crucified” than if He had suffered some other death?Yes, for thereby I am assured that He took upon Himself the curse which lay upon me,1 because the death of the cross was accursed of God.2[1] .

[2] ; *.Lord’s Day 1640.

Why was it necessary for Christ to suffer “death”?Because the justice and truth1 of God required that satisfaction for our sins could be made in no other way than by the death of the Son of God.2[1] .

[2] ; *Rom.

6:23.41.

Why was He “buried”?To show thereby that He was really dead.1[1] ; ; Acts 13:29.42.

Since, then, Christ died for us, why must we also die?Our death is not a satisfaction for our sin, but only a dying to sin and an entering into eternal life.1[1]

; ; –25.43.

What further benefit do we receive from the sacrifice and death of Christ on the cross?That by His power our old man is with Him crucified, slain, and buried;1 so that the evil lusts of the flesh may no more reign in us,2 but that we may offer ourselves unto Him a sacrifice of thanksgiving.3[1]

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[2] .

[3] ; *2 Cor.

5:15.44.

Why is it added: “He descended into hell”?That in my greatest temptations I may be assured that Christ my Lord, by His inexpressible anguish, pains, and terrors, which He suffered in His soul on the cross and before, has redeemed me from the anguish and torment of hell.1[1] ; ; *; .Lord’s Day 1745.

What benefit do we receive from the “resurrection” of Christ?First, by His resurrection He has overcome death, that He might make us partakers of the righteousness which He has obtained for us by His death.1 Second, by His power we are also now raised up to a new life.2

Third, the resurrection of Christ is to us a sure pledge of our blessed resurrection.3[1]

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[2] ; ;. [3] ; ; *–21.46.

What do you understand by the words “He ascended into heaven”?That Christ, in the sight of His disciples, was taken up from the earth into heaven,1 and continues there in our behalf 2 until He shall come again to judge the living and the dead.3[1]

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[2] ; ; ; . .

[3] ; ; *–21.47.

But is not Christ with us even unto the end of the world, as He has promised?1Christ is true man and true God.

According to His human nature He is now not on earth,2 but according to His Godhead, majesty, grace, and Spirit, He is at no time absent from us.3[1] .

[2] ; ; .

[3] ; ; ;; *Heb.