Posts with the category “theology-thursday”

Q. 88. What are the outward and ordinary means whereby Christcommunicates to us the benefits of redemption?A. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption are, his ordinances, especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.Westminster Shorter Catechism Ok. Some language to deal with here. That beau...  Read More

Q. 87. What is repentance unto life?A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience.Westminster Shorter CatechismIt was in the 4th century (382. A.D.) that the scholar Jerome of Stridon w...  Read More

Q. 85. What doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath and curse, due to us for sin?A. To escape the wrath and curse of God, due to us for sin, God requires of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption.Westminster Shorter CatechismHave you ever received a fine for speeding? O...  Read More

Q. 84. What doth every sin deserve?A. Every sin deserveth God’s wrath and curse, both in this life, and that which is to come.Westminster Shorter CatechismI often get into a habit of congratulating myself. I’m a pretty good guy. I’ve never murdered. Never hijacked a plane. My police record is clean. And you know what… I reckon I’m not so bad that I or anyone as not-bad as me deserve hell. Most of ...  Read More

Q. 82. Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?A. No mere man, since the fall, is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed.Westminster Shorter CatechismWe have skipped a few. As much as doing twenty questions on the Ten Commandments would be beneficial - I do want to finish the Catechism in under a year!At t...  Read More

Q. 47. What is forbidden in the first commandment?A. The first commandment forbiddeth the denying, or not worshipping and glorifying the true God as God, and our God; and the giving of that worship and glory to any other, which is due to him alone.Westminster Shorter CatechismHave you ever had someone take credit for something you did? I mean there are few things that people want more than credit ...  Read More

Q. 44. What does the preface to the ten commandments teach us?A. The preface to the ten commandments teaches us, that because God is the Lord, and our God, and Redeemer, therefore we are bound to keep all his commandments.Westminster Shorter CatechismWhy do we listen to God? I mean it’s not a question we always ask. Why should we follow God’s commands? The Catechism uses the language of ‘bound’. B...  Read More

Q. 43. What is the preface to the ten commandments?A. The preface to the ten commandments is in these words, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.Westminster Shorter CatechismWhat right does God have to command? For many today - the thought of God having the ‘right’ to speak to their life is laughable. But we need to see, God’s comman...  Read More

Q. 42. What is the sum of the ten commandments?A. The sum of the ten commandments is, To love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbour as ourselves.Westminster Shorter CatechismIsn’t Christianity just the worst? I mean you can see what everyone’s worried about can’t you? Wouldn’t it just be awful if Christians kept spre...  Read More

Q. 40. What did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience?A. The rule which God at first revealed to man for his obedience, was the moral law.Q. 41. Wherein is the moral law summarily comprehended?A. The moral law is summarily comprehended in the ten commandments.Westminster Shorter CatechismYes! Two questions in one day. They just naturally go together. You may remember the very fi...  Read More

Theology ThursdayQ. 38. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?A. At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgement, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity.Westminster Shorter CatechismDo you like new things? Most of us do. Kids love a new toy. A new car. A new hous...  Read More

Q. 37. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?A. The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection.Westminster Shorter CatechismWhat happens when we die? What happens when a Christian dies? It’s not something we think about much. It’s ...  Read More

Q. 36. What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification?A. The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are, assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end.Westminster Shorter CatechismHave you ever hear...  Read More

Q.33. What is justification?A. Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.Westminster Shorter CatechismFor all those that keep track, I did skip a question. Q32 is a summary that is then unpacked over the next few questions. One of the mos...  Read More

Q. 31. What is effectual calling?A. Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel.Westminster Shorter CatechismWe saw last week that we need God’s Spirit to give us new hearts to be able ...  Read More

Q. 30. How doth the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ?A. The Spirit applieth to us the redemption purchased by Christ, by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling.Westminster Shorter CatechismOver the past twenty five years or so, I’ve invited a bunch of people to check out Jesus. I’ve explained the gospel to them, or I’ve brought them to t...  Read More

Q. 29. How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?A. We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us by his Holy SpiritWestminster Shorter CatechismI remember the day when my whole theological framework changed. I was in my lounge room. I’d been researching for some time what was called ‘Calvinism’ and ‘Arminianism.’ These ...  Read More

Q. 28. Wherein consisteth Christ’s exaltation?A. Christ’s exaltation consisteth in his rising again from the dead on the third day, in ascending up into heaven, in sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and in coming to judge the world at the last day.Westminster CatechismA lot can happen in the space of a few weeks. From Oscar winner to outcast. From peace to war. From drought to flood. But...  Read More

Q. 27. Wherein did Christ’s humiliation consist?A. Christ’s humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross; in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time.Westminster Shorter CatechismDo you ever wonder what it would be like to lose everything? N...  Read More

Q. 26. How doth Christ execute the office of a king?A. Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.Westminster Shorter CatechismWhen I hear the word king, Prince Charles comes to mind. It’s a picture of a ceremonial figure. Turning up for photo shoots, smiling and waving. Perfecting the blan...  Read More

Q. 24. How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet?A. Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation.Westminster Shorter CatechismAcross history, Kings & Rulers have sent ambassadors and heralds to speak their will to their subjects. God sent prophets. Ordinary humans given the privilege of speaking the very words of God....  Read More

Q. 23. What offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer?A. Christ, as our Redeemer, executeth the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation.Westminster Shorter CatechismI’m a Dad. It’s one of my ‘offices’, along with ‘Pastor’, ‘Husband’ and ‘Brother’ (in the Christian sense). An office is a God instituted role that comes with specific respon...  Read More

Q. 22. How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?A. Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the virgin Mary, and born of her yet without sin.Westminster Shorter CatechismMythology contains many stories of ‘gods’ taking on human form. The Greek gods were described as devious ch...  Read More

Q. 21. Who is the Redeemer of God’s elect?A. The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, forever.Westminster Shorter CatechismOk, don’t get tripped up by the ‘God’s elect’ bit. This question is all about the nature of Jesus. To explain, let me come at ...  Read More

Q. 20. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery?A. God having, out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer.Westminster Shorter CatechismOurs is a tale of two estates (think household -...  Read More

Q. 19. What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell?A. All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever.Westminster Shorter CatechismYep. We skipped a couple of questions. Sometimes the old English Puritans could be a bit too thorough. But that can also be hel...  Read More

Q. 16. Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first transgression?A. The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity; all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him, in his first transgression.Westminster Shorter CatechismI think today’s topic is one of the more controversial/strange theological realities, at least to modern eyes an...  Read More

Q. 15. What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created?A. The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein thy were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit.Westminster Shorter CatechismWell they did love to break it down these Catechism writers. Ok, so Adam & Eve ate the forbidden fruit. But what was it about the forbidden fruit? The Ge...  Read More

Q. 14. What is sin?A. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.Westminster Shorter CatechismThe Church I grew up in didn’t talk about sin much, but when it did, there was one common analogy; an archer shooting an arrow and missing the bullseye. It’s not a bad one. It comes from the literal Hebrew meaning of sin.And it’s true. God made us to be straight shooters, doin...  Read More

Q. 13. Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?A. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God.Westminster Shorter CatechismThe news often makes for pretty grim reading. Quick recap of today; war in Ukraine, war in Palestine, murder in Sydney, Celebrity says dumb thing, Journali...  Read More

Q. 12. What special act of providence did God exercise toward man in the estate wherein he was created?A. When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him, upon condition of perfect obedience; forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon pain of death. Westminster Shorter CatechismWhat are the conditions necessary for life to thrive and exist on ea...  Read More

Q.11. What are God’s works of providence?A. God’s works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.Westminster Shorter CatechismWe are over 10 weeks into the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Written in the 1600’s, it was designed to teach people all they needed to know about what God has revealed in the Scriptures using what...  Read More

Q.10. How did God create man?A. God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures.Westminster Shorter CatechismWell, nothing controversial here! But worth noting, for thousands of years, God’s people have celebrated His creative work and the order established therein. Honouring God’s intention for differences, between ...  Read More

Q. 9. What is the work of creation?A. The work of creation is, God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.Westminster Shorter CatechismI thought it might be worth spending another day on this Q/A of the catechism. The misconception of many, Christian and non-Christian, is that there is a war between Science and the Bible.And you can un...  Read More

Q. 9. What is the work of creation?A. The work of creation is, God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.Westminster Shorter CatechismBefore sexuality, gender and same sex marriage - the battleground was creation. For centuries it had been taken for granted that six days meant six days. That Genesis 1-3 was literal and so on. But from...  Read More

Q. 8. How doth God execute his decrees?A. God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence.Westminster Shorter CatechismGoogle docs doesn’t like executeth… how sad. The Westminster Catechism was written by a bunch of very intelligent and godly men in the 17th century (1647). And yeah they use some big words and different words than common speech today. But more importantly, what d...  Read More

Q.7. What are the decrees of God?A. The decrees of God are, his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.Westminster Shorter CatechismWhy? Why does our earth exist? Why humans and their seeming uniqueness in our world? Why does gravity keep the planets spinning? Why do some live and some die? Why do empires ris...  Read More

Q. 6. How many persons are there in the Godhead?A. There are three persons in the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.Westminster Shorter CatechismWhat do eggs and ice have in common? Both favourites of Youth Leaders to illustrate the Trinity. The truth is that no illustration from our world can truly captur...  Read More

Q. 5. Are there more Gods than one?A. There is but one only, the living and true God.Westminster Shorter CatechismLong before John 3:16 (for God so loved) or Matthew 7:1 (judge not), Israel had a favourite Bible verse. It was called the ‘Shema’. Deuteronomy 6:4 - Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. For millennia, this is what differentiated Israel’s worship from the surrounding nati...  Read More

Q. 4. What is God?A. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.Westminster Shorter CatechismIt’s a question that sounds like it would be coming out of the lips of someone who may have smoked something they shouldn’t have. What is God? It’s a profound question.In Exodus, God introduces humanity to His name. Yahweh. It me...  Read More