Heidelberg Catechism

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Of God the Holy Spirit

Questions 53-64

53. Q. What do you believe concerning the Holy Spirit? 

A. First, He is, together with the Father and the Son, true and eternal God.[1] Second, He is also given to me,[2] to make me by true faith share in Christ and all His benefits,[3] to comfort me,[4] and to remain with me forever.[5] 

[1] Gen. 1:1, 2; Matt. 28:19; Acts 5:3, 4; I Cor. 3:16. 

[2] I Cor. 6:19; II Cor. 1:21, 22; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 1:13. 

[3] Gal. 3:14; I Pet. 1:2. 

[4] John 15:26; Acts 9:31. 

[5] John 14:16, 17; I Pet. 4:14. 

54. Q. What do you believe concerning the holy catholic Christian church? 

A. I believe that the Son of God,[1] out of the whole human race,[2] from the beginning of the world to its end,[3] gathers, defends, and preserves for Himself, [4] by His Spirit and Word,[5] in the unity of the true faith,[6] a church chosen to everlasting life.[7] And I believe that I am[8] and forever shall remain a living member of it.[9] 

[1] John 10:11; Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:11-13; Col. 1:18. 

[2] Gen. 26:4; Rev. 5:9. 

[3] Is. 59:21; I Cor. 11:26. 

[4] Ps. 129:1-5; Matt. 16:18; John 10:28-30. 

[5] Rom. 1:16; 10:14-17; Eph. 5:26. 

[6] Acts 2:42-47; Eph. 4:1-6. 

[7] Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:3-14. 

[8] I John 3:14, 19-21. 

[9] Ps. 23:6; John 10:27, 28; I Cor. 1:4-9; I Pet. 1:3-5. 

55. Q. What do you understand by the communion of saints? 

A. First, that believers, all and everyone, as members of Christ have communion with Him and share in all His treasures and gifts.[1] Second, that everyone is duty-bound to use his gifts readily and cheerfully for the benefit and well-being of the other members.[2] 

[1] Rom. 8:32; I Cor. 6:17; 12:4-7, 12, 13; I John 1:3.

[2] Rom. 12:4-8; I Cor. 12:20-27; 13:1-7; Phil. 2:4-8. 

56. Q. What do you believe concerning the forgiveness of sins? 

A. I believe that God, because of Christ's satisfaction, will no more remember my sins,[1] nor my sinful nature, against which I have to struggle all my life,[2] but He will graciously grant me the righteousness of Christ, that I may never come into condemnation.[3] 

[1] Ps. 103:3, 4, 10, 12; Mic. 7:18, 19; II Cor. 5:18-21; I John 1:7; 2:2. 

[2] Rom. 7:21-25. 

[3] John 3:17, 18; 5:24; Rom. 8:1, 2. 

57. Q. What comfort does the resurrection of the body offer you? 

A. Not only shall my soul after this life immediately be taken up to Christ, my Head,[1] but also this my flesh, raised by the power of Christ, shall be reunited with my soul and made like Christ's glorious body.[2] 

[1] Luke 16:22; 23:43; Phil. 1:21-23. 

[2] Job 19:25, 26; I Cor. 15:20, 42-46, 54; Phil. 3:21; I John 3:2. 

58. Q. What comfort do you receive from the article about the life everlasting? 

A. Since I now already feel in my heart the beginning of eternal joy, [1] I shall after this life possess perfect blessedness, such as no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived-- a blessedness in which to praise God forever.[2] 

[1] John 17:3; Rom. 14:17; II Cor. 5:2, 3. 

[2] John 17:24; I Cor. 2:9. 

59. Q. But what does it help you now that you believe all this? 

A. In Christ I am righteous before God and heir to life everlasting.[1] 

[1] 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.[1] Although my conscience accuses me that I have grievously sinned against all God's commandments, have never kept any of them,[2] and am still inclined to all evil,[3] yet God, without any merit of my own,[4] out of mere grace,[5] imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ.[6] He grants these to me as if I had never had nor committed any sin, and as if I myself had accomplished all the obedience which Christ has rendered for me,[7] if only I accept this gift with a believing heart.[8] 

[1] Rom. 3:21-28; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8, 9; Phil. 3:8-11. 

[2] Rom. 3:9, 10. 

[3] Rom. 7:23. 

[4] Deut. 9:6; Ezek. 36:22; Tit. 3:4, 5. 

[5] Rom. 3:24; Eph. 2:8. 

[6] Rom. 4:3-5; II Cor. 5:17-19; I John 2:1, 2. 

[7] Rom. 4:24, 25; II Cor. 5:21. 

[8] John 3:18; Acts 16:30, 31; Rom. 3:22. 

61. Q. Why do you say that you are righteous only by faith? 

A. Not that I am acceptable to God on account of the worthiness of my faith, for only the satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ is my righteousness before God.[1] I can receive this righteousness and make it mine my own by faith only.[2] 

[1] I Cor. 1:30, 31; 2:2. 

[2] Rom. 10:10; I John 5:10-12. 

62. Q. But why can our good works not be our righteousness before God, or at least a part of it? 

A. Because the righteousness which can stand before God's judgment must be absolutely perfect and in complete agreement with the law of God,[1] whereas even our best works in this life are all imperfect and defiled with sin.[2] 

[1] Deut. 27:26; Gal. 3:10. 

[2] Is. 64:6. 

63. Q. But do our good works earn nothing, even though God promises to reward them in this life and the next? 

A. This reward is not earned[1]; it is a gift of grace.[2] 

[1] Matt. 5:12; Heb. 11:6. 

[2] Luke 17:10; II Tim. 4:7, 8. 

64. Q. Does this teaching not make people careless and wicked? 

A. No. It is impossible that those grafted into Christ by true faith should not bring forth fruits of thankfulness.[1] 

[1] Matt. 7:18; Luke 6:43-45; John 15:5. 

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