Since we are redeemed by grace alone, through Christ alone, must we still do good works and obey God’s Word? Yes, because Christ, having redeemed us by his blood, also renews us by his Spirit; so that our lives may show love and gratitude to God; so that we may be assured of our faithContinue reading “Catechism 34”
Tag Archives: faith
Catechism 33
Should those who have faith in Christ seek their salvation through their own works, or anywhere else? No, they should not, as everything necessary to salvation is found in Christ. To seek salvation through good works is a denial that Christ is the only Redeemer and Savior. (New City Catechism) Continue reading “Catechism 33”
Catechism 32
What do justification and sanctification mean? 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. (New City Catechism) First, declared – altogether Continue reading “Catechism 32”
Catechism 31
What do we believe by true faith? Everything taught to us in the gospel. The Apostles’ Creed expresses what we believe in these words… (New City Catechism) We believe: Almighty Father – maker of all living things, all things sustaining, holding all. We believe: One Son, one Lord – JesusContinue reading “Catechism 31”
Catechism 30
What is faith in Jesus Christ? 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. (New City Catechism) Price paid – rest. Continue reading “Catechism 30”
Catechism 29
How can we be saved? 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 perfectContinue reading “Catechism 29”
Sonnet
Your mind’s a rhizome and your head’s at sea. Stray flotsam, jetsam drift in it; its roots Run deeper than the ocean bed and shoots Burst out of it, this way and that. The key To tracing thoughts back to their unity Lies not in system or in sticking boots Into the wildness of yourContinue reading “Sonnet”
Catechism 28
If last week’s catechism question was hard, this week’s is vastly harder, and it’s with great trepidation that I approach setting this to poetry. But the question of divine punishment of sin is one from which we cannot escape if we want to grapple with what it means to live before a righteous God. MyContinue reading “Catechism 28”
Catechism 27
This next question from the New City Catechism is a hard pill to swallow. It touches on what for me has long been one of the toughest questions of faith: the doctrine of election. The Bible is full both of invitations for all to come and also clear teaching that not all will come, and indeedContinue reading “Catechism 27”
From Ashes 10: Søren Kierkegaard – Original Sin and the Fear of Possibility
“When you’re absolute beginners,” folk singer M. Ward tells us, “it’s a panoramic view, from her majesty Mount Zion, and the kingdom is for you.” What he seems to suggest here is that, at any beginning point, there appears an infinite potentiality to life, stretching out like a majestic panorama before us. W.H. Auden, in hisContinue reading “From Ashes 10: Søren Kierkegaard – Original Sin and the Fear of Possibility”
The Consolations of Writing 