Last week, we affirmed that the grace of Christ is not merely necessary for our justification but also for our sanctification. But while placing our trust in our good works would be a denial of Christ as our only Savior, His disciples must nevertheless still do good works. Indeed, we can largely make the same …
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1G5Hg7b4JXHLQUjbBNhd8h?si=FjFwkJ8vQeq6ExKykyA6ng Although the Fall was the great tragedy of the cosmos, God did not fail to show grace even then. After giving us the account of the Fall, Genesis 3 quickly moves into Yahweh's pronouncement of judgment upon the man, woman, and serpent. He first curses the serpent with eating dust and a life of …
Continue reading Question 26: What Else Does Christ’s Death Redeem?
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?
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?
Having confessed the Ten Commandments as the summary of God's law in Question 8, Questions 9-12 now aim to give us a concise synopsis of each commandment. Here the first three commandments are fittingly presented together, for these first commandments deal directly with how we are to worship and honor God as the only true …
Continue reading Question 9: What Does God Require in the First, Second, and Third Commandments?
https://open.spotify.com/episode/63MyuQ969pL3ZKh0Xp9QTp?si=bFxwGX6sQyieK1qUr3ejmA To understand the significance of the Ten Commandments, we must understand something of their context. After leaving the land Egypt, the Israelites set up camp in the Sinai wilderness; there God called Moses to ascend the mountain and receive His words, saying, Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the …
Continue reading Question 8: What Is the Law of God Stated in the Ten Commandments?
As we noted in our discussion of Question 6, glorifying God must always entail more than obedience alone, but it is certainly never less than obedience. As the King of kings and Creator of all things, the Lord is worthy of our obedience, and we learn what He would have us do within His law. …
Continue reading Question 7: What Does the Law of God Require?
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2WzDVJMZD4QYQlfUShunVk?si=5d_DttCsRXuXFxN9SMq0yg Since Question 4 stated that we were created to glorify God, the present question focuses upon how we are to do that. Before we discuss the answer given, we ought to make certain that we properly understand the question itself. Glory and glorify are such commonly used words among Christians that the actual meaning …
B. C. Newton 