3.2 KiB
Lord’s Day 7
20. Q. Are all people then saved through Christ just as they were lost through Adam?
A. No. Only those are saved who through true faith are grafted into Christ and accept all his benefits.1
1 Matt. 7:14; John 3:16, 18, 36; Rom. 11:16–21
21. Q. What is true faith?
A. True faith is not only a sure knowledge by which I hold as true all that God has revealed to us in his Word;1 it is also a wholehearted trust,2 which the Holy Spirit works in me3 by the gospel,4 that God has freely granted, not only to others but to me also,5 forgiveness of sins, eternal righteousness, and salvation.6 These gifts are purely of grace, only because of Christ’s merit.7
1 John 17:3, 17; Heb. 11:1–3; James 2:19 2 Rom. 4:18–21; 5:1; 10:10; Heb. 4:14–16 3 Matt. 16:15–17; John 3:5; Acts 16:14 4 Rom. 1:16; 10:17; 1 Cor. 1:21 5 Gal. 2:20 6 Rom. 1:17; Heb. 10:10 7 Rom. 3:21–26; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8–10
22. Q. What then must a Christian believe?
A. All that is promised us in the gospel,1 a summary of which is taught us in the articles of our catholic and undoubted Christian faith.
1 Matt. 28:18–20; John 20:30–31
23. Q. What are these articles?
A. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended to heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.