Heidelberg Catechism Devotional Q22

Q.22. What then must a Christian believe?

A. Everything God promises us in the gospel.  That gospel is summarized for us in the articles of our Christian faith – a creed beyond doubt, and confessed throughout the world.

Monday

Last week we explored what faith is.  Now we ask, what must we believe?  Last week we found that faith involves what God has revealed in his Word. This week we find that Everything God promises in his Word is included in our faith.  Why must we believe all that Jesus brought and taught?  Read John 5:39-40.  The answer is contained in these few words: All Scripture points to Jesus and he is the giver of life.  If we don’t believe the words of Scripture, then we are cutting off an important part of its testimony to Jesus Christ.

Tuesday

At the end of Jesus’ physical ministry on earth, he gave his disciples some directions.  Read Matthew 28:18-20 to learn what he said.  Jesus told his disciples to obey everything he taught.  In order to obey something, you need to believe that what is taught is right and good; otherwise you are not likely to obey.  Did Jesus teach anything in opposition to the Bible?  Absolutely not, in fact he says he came to fulfill the Scriptures.  Read his words in Matthew 5:17-18.  Not once, but twice, we see that All God’s Word must be believed.

Wednesday

Zacharias Ursinus, in the 16^th century wrote a wonderful handbook to go with the Heidelberg Catechism.  In it he distinguished between two kinds of faith, both of which are in the Scriptures and both of which we are called upon to trust.  In the first, there is the doctrine of those things to be believed, faith, and the doctrine of those things to be done, works.  Both are part of God’s word, and both must be believed, however, it is only the first, in reference to faith, which saves a person, while the second condemns them and throws them into the savior’s arms.  Read Mark 1:5 and 1 Corinthians 2:5.

Thursday

If faith saves a person, where can one find a summation of the gospel faith?  The gospel is summarized in numerous ways in the Bible.  Over the next few days let’s read a few.  We will begin reading Romans 10:9.  In this passage Paul summarizes the gospel as a confession of Jesus’ divinity and an assurance of God’s power to conquer death through Jesus.  This is good news.

Friday

Read Acts 16:25-34.  Here Paul summarizes the saving message as “believe in the Lord Jesus.” Acknowledge his supremacy and authority and you are saved, for in acknowledging someone’s position, the jailer was also acknowledging his right to act and do as he believes best.  He was giving credence to his life and his death and his continued existence as a living being.

Saturday

In announcing, the good news, or the gospel, to the shepherds, the Angel of God said, “a savior has been born.” This too is a summation of the gospel – God has come to earth and he comes to save them.  But what does he come to save them from, their sin.  Every time Jesus says, “Repent…” he is telling people to stop living sinful ways.  He came to save us from the sins we constantly do.  Read Luke 2:8-14 and John 8:11, 21.

Each of these aspects of the gospel and others are summarized in a document called the Apostles’ Creed.  A creed is a statement that literally means, “I believe.” So in referring to this creed, the catechism is referring to various summations the Word of God makes which have been compiled into on easy to memorize collection.  Next week we will learn more about the Apostles’ Creed.