After question 44 answered for us, What is baptism?, question 45 takes up another essential issue: Now, again, we believe that baptism is a sign of Christ’s death and resurrection, His work on our behalf. So when we affirm that baptism does not wash away sin itself, this should not be taken as diminishing baptism …
Continue reading Question 45: Is Baptism with Water the Washing Away of Sin Itself?
Baptism is the washing with water. Of course, different denominations practice different modes of baptism. As a Baptist, we practice baptism by immersion. But whatever denomination one might belong to, baptism always involves water. It is a washing with water that represents the spiritual washing in Christ. The waters of baptism do not literally wash …
The catechism now turns from the disciplines of prayer and Scripture to the sacraments or, as we Baptists most commonly call them, the ordinances. These two practices, baptism and the Lord's Supper, were instituted by Christ Himself and given to His church as what Thomas Watson calls visible sermons that proclaim the gospel. They are …
Continue reading Question 43: What Are the Sacraments or Ordinances?
After addressing how we are to speak to God in prayer over the past four questions, the catechism now turns to the other chief spiritual disciplines: the intake of Scripture, hearing and reading the Word of God. Don Whitney rightly calls it Scripture intake because, while we often only think of reading the Bible, hearing …
Continue reading Question 42: How Is the Word of God to Be Read and Heard?
Many Christians have the Lord's Prayer memorized, but few take the time to regularly meditate and prayer from it. Our familiarity can so easily become our peril. We cognitively know the prayer's contents, but has it entwined itself into our very DNA? When considering this most excellent of all prayers, we should note three things. …
Now that we have learned how to pray with reverence and confidence. Now comes the question: What should we pray? The answer rightly sets our sights upon the Scriptures: The whole Word of God directs and inspires us in what we should pray. Praying in accordance with God's will ought to be our supreme desire, …
Having previously defined what prayer is, we might expect this question to address the content of our prayers. However, that is the following question: What should we pray? Yet the New City Catechism rightly places this question before that one. We should note this order well. When discussing prayer, it is all too easy to …
Continue reading Question 39: With What Attitude Should We Pray?
With the person and work of the Holy Spirit addressed in the previous two question, we move now into the topic of prayer. This is fitting since it is only through power of the Holy Spirit that we can pray to God as our Father, as our Lord has taught us to pray. Indeed, as …
Now that we’ve established that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the triune God, we must turn our consideration toward His work. Since the Holy Spirit is our Helper, the question rightly asks How does the Holy Spirit help us? We could summarize the catechism's answer into the following statement: The Holy Spirit …
Continue reading Question 37: How Does the Holy Spirit Help Us?
With this question, we officially dive into the third and final section of the New City Catechism, which focuses upon the Spirit, our restoration, and our growing in grace. We, therefore, begin with this very fitting question: What do we believe about the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is God. That is the short answer, …
Continue reading Question 36: What Do We Believe About the Holy Spirit?
B. C. Newton 