Shorter Catechism Q. 21. Who is the redeemer of God’s elect? A. The only redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, forever. Commentary: God delivers us out of … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 20. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery? A. God having, out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 19. What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell? A. All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever. Commentary: When God created the … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 18. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell? A. The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 17. Into what estate did the fall bring mankind? A. The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. Commentary: My former professor of Systematic Theology told us a (fictional?) story about a young man who had been raised in a Reformed and Presbyterian home and who had been taught the … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 16. Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first transgression? A. The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity; all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him, in his first transgression. Commentary: Adam, the first human being, and Jesus, who is … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 15. What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created? A. The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created was their eating the forbidden fruit. Commentary: As noted in WSC 13, our first parents, being left to the freedom of … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 14. What is sin? A. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. Commentary: We are not the captain of our own ship. God made us, takes cares of us, and rules over us. We are under his authority, and we are required to do what he … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 13. Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created? A. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God. Commentary: Adam and Eve were the first two human beings, and every other human being … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 12. What special act of providence did God exercise toward man in the estate wherein he was created? A. When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him, upon condition of perfect obedience; forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon … [Read more…]
