From Discipleship Weekly

(a publication of the Presbyterian Church of Islip)

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A Word from Our Sponsor "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." -- Matthew 7:7-8 The Heidelberg Catechism: Part 2- Of Man's Redemption Week 23 59. Q. But how does it help you now that you believe all this? A. That I am righteous in Christ before God, and an heir of eternal life. [Hab. 2:4; John 3:36; Rom. 1:17; 5:1-2] 60. Q. How are you righteous before God? A. Only by true faith in Jesus Christ. In spite of the fact that my conscience accuses me that I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God, and have not kept any one of them, and that I am still ever prone to all that is evil, nevertheless, God, without any merit of my own, out of pure grace, grants me the benefits of the perfect expiation of Christ, imputing to me his righteousness and holiness as if I had never committed a single sin or had ever been sinful, having fulfilled myself all the obedience which Christ has carried out for me, if only I accept such favor with a trusting heart. [Deut. 9:6; Ezek. 36:22; John 3:18; Acts 16:30-31; Rom. 3:9-10, 21-28; 4:3-5,24-25; 7:23; II Cor. 5:17-19,21; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8- 9; Phil. 3:8-11; Titus 3:4-5; I John 2:1-2] 61. Q. Why do you say that you are righteous by faith alone? A. Not because I please God by virtue of the worthiness of my faith, but because the satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ alone are my righteousness before God, and because I can accept it and make it mine in no other way than by faith alone. [Rom. 10:10; I Cor. 1:30-31; 2:2; I John 5:10-12] Suggestions for discussion and review: We are saved by __________ alone, through __________ alone in _____________ alone. "AS IF!" Aside from the popular use of this term, what does it mean to you as used in Answer 60? What is "true faith"? (Feel free to refer to Q&A 21, Week 7.) * * * * * * * * * * God creates out of nothing. Wonderful, you say. Yes, to be sure, but He does what is still more wonderful: He makes saints out of sinners. -- Soren Kierkegaard