A few weeks ago, my wife reminded me of an experience early in our marriage that set the stage for my love of catechisms. We were speaking with a husband and wife who were Jehovah's Witness in our home, and the wife shared her testimony of why she left her Methodist upbringing to join the …
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4M3WQ8BtkuGKoDfZLplB9I?si=FNEWPYbrTViwoH7JThg9Ng This question is a subdivision of the previous but is also a further explanation of the first part of Question 9. The First Commandment (which reads, “You shall have no other gods before me”) is, at its core, God denouncing idolatry, condemning it as sin. He will not have us trusting in created things …
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6hWHVZcKXsVMBYelVlOgoa?si=d7a9d16631384c39 Although God’s law is good and although obedience to God’s law leads to a life of joy and blessing, we are unable to keep His commandments because of the sinful nature that we have inherited from our forefather, Adam. When he committed the original sin, he plunged all of humanity into a world of …
School kicked back into session this past week. After thinking through education options, Tiff and I became convinced that the classical Christian approach would be worth trying, and for going on three years, Classical Conversations has been making that hope into a reality. While the task of homeschooling is daunting, we keep ourselves grounded with …
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6eEKU3zR5vVdM9Ua1QpOxx?si=cdfa310b70754ff0 The first clause of this question effectively summarizes Questions 13 and 14. Because Adam's original sin as the father and representative of all mankind, we are each born in sin and corruption, who no longer possess the ability to keep God's law. You will notice, however, that the Bible repeatedly praises and rejoices in …
Continue reading Question 15: Since No One Can Keep the Law, What Is Its Purpose?
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5fuGsUPnIZNRUX9h2Oiy0K?si=e92b5c42e56c4dc2 This question was forecast in the opening phrase to Question 13's answer: "since the Fall." No human has been able to keep God's law since the Fall. Thus, we can imply that before the Fall humans were indeed able to keep God's law, and now our present question makes that implication explicit. No, God …
Continue reading Question 14: Did God Create Us Unable to Keep His Law?
In last Sunday's sermon, I decided not to make much comment on Hebrews 9:23, except noting that it is the author's transition from speaking of the old covenant to speaking of Christ. However, if we slow down to read that verse carefully, a significant question arises: "Thus it was necessary for the copies of the …
Continue reading Why Did Jesus Need to Purify Heaven? | Hebrews 9:23
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6XoEFi2sI1jxPMsTH2vL8Q?si=M7SLbjX7TZWPM-4v4ARpKQ A couple of months ago, for no particular reason, I grabbed my copy of Tolkien's translation of Beowulf off the shelf and began to read. Having only read bit of Beowulf in high school, I only remembered that Beowulf fights a monster named Grendel and a dragon. While I have since learned that, though …
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0jB7pqYp0ntRKUUwA3RTcv?si=v4iRmUI8RfyGYK3YJQDkHw With the Ten Commandments as the summary of God's law having been covered in Questions 8-12, the New City Catechism now asks a crucial question: Can anyone keep the law of God perfectly? Of course, perfect obedience was established back in Question 7, and it ought to have been lingering in our minds throughout …
Continue reading Question 13: Can Anyone Keep the Law of God Perfectly?
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ueSU5zUC5yQcvwt3ikjrp?si=EwmqqXVSQpyxUsGxCJm0nQ In the New City Catechism’s brief trek through the Ten Commandments, we come now to the final two. Unlike the prohibitions against murder, adultery, or theft, we might be tempted to these final two commandments deal with less severe sins. The reality, however, is that the Ninth and Tenth Commandments are just as endemic …
Continue reading Question 12: What Does God Require in the Ninth and Tenth Commandments?
