Chapter V: Part 5

2. When the Lord comes in His glory, the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the earth and all the works therein shall be burned up. 2 Pet. 3,10. _The Last Day, the end of this world, will then have come._ On this Last Day our Lord will come to _"judge the quick and the dead."_ Christ has been ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. Acts 10,42. He will judge the _quick,_ that is, those who are still living when He comes. He will judge the dead. On that day all the dead will rise again and will be brought before the Lord to be judged by Him.

3. Christ Himself has given us a beautiful description of His Judgment. (Read the whole passage, Matt. 25,31-46.) He tells us: _"When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory, and before Him shall be gathered all nations."_ Matt. 25,31.32. Christ is the Judge of all nations, of all men. _"We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in His body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."_ 2 Cor. 5,10. No one, be He ever so mighty, rich, or learned, can escape His Judgment.

4. How will Christ judge? He says: _"And He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left."_ Matt. 25,32.33. The _sheep are those who truly believe in Christ, their Savior,_ and in Him have forgiveness of their sins. _The goats are those who in this life rejected Christ and His grace._ To His sheep He will say: _"Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."_ V. 34. On the goats He will pronounce this judgment: _"Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."_ V. 41. And then the Lord will prove to all men that His judgment is a righteous one by the good works of the believers and the evil deeds of His enemies.--This judgment is final and will never be altered. His enemies _"shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal."_ Matt. 25,46.

5. _When will this great Day of Judgment, the day of our Lord, come?_ This we do not know. Our Lord says: _"Of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father."_ Mark 13,32. We should not try to find out the exact day of the coming of our Lord. But God has in His Word revealed two important things about this day. He tells us that His day will come _suddenly, when nobody expects it. "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night."_ 2 Pet. 3,10. _"Watch therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh."_ Matt. 25,13.--We also know that this day will come _soon. "The end of all things is at hand."_ 1 Pet. 4,7. We may and should expect the Lord _daily_ and be prepared to receive Him. There are many signs which announce the coming of Christ. Matt. 24,14-31; Luke 21,25-36.

6. _"This is most certainly true."_ With these words we conclude also our Second Article. From God's Word we know that all we have learned in the Second Article is most certainly true. Therefore we believe and confess it.

REMEMBER:--

1. _On the Last Day our Lord will come again visibly and in great glory to judge the quick and the dead, all men. You, too, must appear before the judgment-seat of Christ._

2. _On this day He will cast away the wicked and unbelievers into everlasting punishment. The righteous He will receive into His everlasting kingdom. Believe in Christ, and you will be saved._

3. _We know neither day nor hour of His coming, but we know that His day will come unexpectedly and soon. Watch always and be prepared to receive your Lord._

MEMORIZE:--

_He is ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead._ Acts 10,42.

_The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night._ 2 Pet. 3,10.

_The end of all things is at hand._ 1 Pet. 4,7.

_We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad._ 2 Cor. 5,10.

QUESTIONS.

1. How did the apostles learn of the coming of their Lord at His ascension? 2. How will the Lord come again, according to the words of the angels? 3. Who will see our Lord in His second coming? 4. What is the difference between His first and His second coming? 5. On what day will the Lord come again? 6. What is the purpose of His coming? 7. Who are the quick? 8. How can the Lord judge the dead? 9. Whom, therefore, will Christ judge? 10. How will Christ judge? 11. Who are His sheep? 12. Who are the goats? 13. What will Christ say to His sheep on that day? 14. What judgment will He pronounce on His enemies? 15. When will the last day, the Day of Judgment, come? 16. What has God revealed to us concerning this day? 17. When, therefore, should we expect our Lord and prepare for His coming?

LESSON 29.

The Second Article.

REVIEW LESSON.

1. We confess in the Second Article that Christ, the God-man, is our Lord. In order to become our Lord, He had to redeem and purchase us from the cruel masters to whom we belonged, from all our sins, from death, and from the power of the devil. To purchase us He had to pay a price, a very high price--His holy, precious blood, His life. To purchase us He of His own free will gave up His life; He died on the cross. Christ was dead and buried. Do we now believe in a dead and buried Lord and Savior? What happened after His death, when He was still in His grave? Where did He go after having been quickened by the Spirit? What was His purpose in entering the habitation of Satan and his evil spirits? Christ showed Himself to be the Victor over Satan and hell. For whose benefit did He win this victory? From whose power are we free?

2. What happened on the third day after the death of our Lord? Christ rose from the dead. What does that mean? Christ came forth from His sepulcher. Who brought this glad message to the women? How did the Lord convince His disciples that He was living? Even who could not deny His resurrection? What makes us sure that Christ rose from the dead? What do we therefore gladly confess? (Job 19,25.)--With what body did Christ come forth from His grave? How can we prove that it was the same body that was laid in the grave? But how was Christ's body after His resurrection? His body, indeed, was glorified. What does this mean?-- The resurrection of our Lord is of great importance for us. It is full of comfort and consolation. If Christ would still be dead and lying in the grave, how could He be our Savior and King, and how would it be possible for Him to help us? Our faith in Him would be vain; indeed, we would be of all men most miserable. What does the Apostle Paul say about this? (1 Cor. 15,17-19.) But Christ is risen indeed. What great comfort for us! Whom has He conquered? Who alone is able to conquer this powerful enemy? What, therefore, must our Lord be? Christ rose after He had given His life a ransom for our sins. What, therefore, does the resurrection of our Lord prove concerning our sins? Christ is risen and lives forever. What comfort does this give us for our whole life? What comfort does it give us in the hour of death?

3. How long did our Lord remain with His disciples after His resurrection? Why did He repeatedly show Himself to them? What happened on the fortieth day? Where did His ascension take place? What promise did the Lord give His apostles just before His ascension? Why were they to be endued with the power of the Holy Ghost? In what manner did the ascension of our Lord take place?--Christ ascended into heaven as the triumphant Victor over all His enemies. His enemies are our enemies. What does His ascension prove concerning our enemies? For whose sake, therefore, did Christ ascend into heaven?--Christ ascended into heaven. Heaven is His Father's house. Why did our Lord go to His Father's house for us? He has prepared a place for us in heaven. He has opened the gates of heaven for us. What does our Lord say John 12,26? Where will our Savior lead us, His disciples, too? Christ, our Treasure, is in heaven; what, therefore, shall be there also?

4. Christ ascended into heaven, and He now sits at the right hand of God in the glory of His Father. How does our Catechism explain this? Though Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, He is always with us, His disciples. In what manner is He with us? What must we use, read, hear, and think about in order that our Lord may be with us? What promise did He give us, John 14,18? The Lord sitting at the right hand of God reigns over us; what does this mean? Of what does Christ's resurrection, ascension, and the sitting at the right hand of God make us certain?

5. When our Lord ascended into heaven, two angels stood by the disciples. They told them that Christ would come again in like manner as they had seen Him taken up into His glory. What do we learn from these words about the coming of our Lord? Who will see Him when He returns? What is the difference between the first and the second coming of Christ? Our Lord will come again with power and glory. What will all men have to confess on that day, even His enemies? Who will escort the Lord when He returns in His glory?--What is the purpose of His coming? Whom will the Lord judge? What judgment will He pronounce on His sheep? How do we become His sheep? Who, therefore, will stand before the Son of Man on Judgment Day? What terrible sentence will His enemies hear? Our Lord tells us that after the Judgment His enemies will go away into everlasting punishment, but His sheep into everlasting life. How, therefore, is this Judgment?--Who alone knows the day and hour of the second coming of Christ? What should we therefore never try to do? What, however, does Scripture tell us concerning the Last Day? When, therefore, should we expect His coming and prepare for it? What does our Lord Himself say to us, Matt. 25,13? Believe in Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.

And we believe in Jesus Christ, Son of God and Mary's Son, Who from heaven above came down And leads us to heaven's throne; By whose blood and death are we Rescued from all misery.

LESSON 30.

The Third Article: Of Sanctification.

The Holy Ghost. The Triune God.

Which is the beginning of the Third Article?

_I believe in the Holy Ghost._

1. According to the Second Article we believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, that is, we do not only know that it is true what God's Word says about Christ and His work for us, but _we put all our confidence, all our trust, in Him as our Savior_ who has redeemed us. That is the true, saving faith. This saving faith is not our own work. _It is the work of God the Holy Ghost._ Without Him and the work which He performs in us no man would come to Jesus and believe in Him. The Holy Ghost alone can and does bring to Christ those that believe in Him. About the Holy Ghost and the work which He performs in us we learn in the _Third Article of our Christian Creed._

2. _"I believe in the Holy Ghost,"_ these are the first words of the Third Article. We _believe_ in the Holy Ghost, thus we confess. To believe in some one means, as we have learned, _to put one's whole confidence and trust in him._ Now, God tells us in the First Commandment that we should fear and love Him above all things _and trust in Him alone. In God only_ we should believe. And therefore we believe in the Holy Ghost, because He is the true God. _In saying that we believe in the Holy Ghost, we confess that He is the one true God, that He is our God, God as truly as the Father and Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord._ The apostle says: _"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God, dwelleth in you?"_ 1 Cor. 3,16. Because the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost, dwells in us, we are _God's_ temple. The Holy Ghost therefore is the true God.--Remember what you learned in the history of creation. There we read: _"And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."_ Gen. 1,2. The work of creation is ascribed to the Spirit of God, to the Holy Ghost. Creation is the work of God. _Therefore the Holy Ghost must be God._

3. _We believe in the Father, and we believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, and we believe in the Holy Ghost._ There are _three distinct persons_ in whom we believe. There are three persons whom we confess to be our God--God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. And we confess this according to Scripture. Christ, our Lord, commands us to baptize in the name of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. Matt. 28,19. Let me remind you of the _baptism of our Lord._ There the three divine Persons revealed themselves. _God the Son,_ our Lord Jesus Christ, stood in the river Jordan, being baptized by John. _God the Father_ revealed Himself in a voice from heaven, saying: _"This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."_ And the heavens opened, and the _Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost,_ like a dove, descended upon our Lord. _There are three distinct divine Persons in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost._

4. We confess that the Father is God, and the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. _There are not three gods, however, but only one God. "Hear, O Israel: the Lord, our God, is one Lord."_ Deut. 6,4. The one and only true God has revealed Himself in three distinct divine Persons. _Our God, the one true God, besides whom there is no other God in heaven and earth, is God the Father, God the Son, and God, the Holy Ghost, three divine Persons, but one God._ Because God has revealed Himself in three divine Persons, we say: _God is the Triune God, the Holy Trinity._--How it is possible that there are three distinct divine Persons, but only one God, we do not _understand;_ but in accordance with the Word of God we _believe_ in the Triune God, in God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, who has created us, redeemed us, and sanctifies us, or makes us holy. In Him we believe, Him we praise and adore as our God.

5. The Holy Ghost is the true God, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. The Third Person is called the Holy Ghost because _He Himself is perfectly holy,_ even as the Father and the Son. He is without sin. _"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory."_ Is. 6,3. Three times God is called holy, because there are three divine Persons in God.--But the Holy Ghost is called holy also _because He makes us sinners holy._ That is His work, making us holy, who by nature are unholy and sinful. He makes us holy by bringing us to Christ, our Savior, by kindling faith in Him in our hearts. This work of the Holy Ghost we call _sanctification._

REMEMBER:--

1. _The Holy Ghost is true God together with the Father and the Son. Therefore we confess that we believe in Him._

2. _The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. According to Scripture we confess three distinct divine Persons in God._

3. _There are not three gods, however, but only one true and eternal God, who has revealed Himself in three Persons._

4. _The one true God, our God, is the Triune God, the Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost._

MEMORIZE:--

_Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?_ 1 Cor. 3,16.

_Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost._ Matt. 28,19.

_Hear, O Israel: the Lord, our God, is one Lord._ Deut. 6,4.

_Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory._ Is. 6,3.

QUESTIONS.

1. Of whom does the Third Article treat? 2. In whom do we believe? 3. What does it mean to believe in some one? 4. In whom alone should we believe? 5. What do we therefore confess when we say that we believe in the Holy Ghost? 6. How do we prove from 1 Cor. 3,16 that the Holy Ghost is true God? 7. What divine work is ascribed in Scripture to the Holy Ghost? 8. What, therefore, must the Holy Ghost be? 9. How many divine persons do we confess in the Three Articles of our Christian Faith? 10. How are they called? 11. In whose name are we baptized? 12. How did the three divine persons reveal themselves at the baptism of our Lord? 13. How many gods are there? 14. In how many persons did the one true God reveal Himself? 15. Who, therefore, is the one true God? 16. How do we call God because He has revealed Himself in three distinct persons? 17. Which person of the Holy Trinity is the Holy Ghost? 18. Why is He called holy? 19. What is His work? 20. By what other name is this work of the Holy Spirit known?

LESSON 31.

The Third Article.

Without The Holy Ghost I Cannot Believe In Jesus Or Come To Him.

Which is the Third Article?

_I believe in the Holy Ghost._

What does this mean?

_I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him._

1. We confess that we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ or come to Him. Whoever would be saved must believe in Jesus Christ and so come to Him _"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."_ Acts 16,31. Christ, our Lord, it is true, has done everything that was necessary for our salvation. He redeemed us, He paid the penalty for all our sins, by His sufferings and death He gained for us the grace of God and the forgiveness of sins. He has done everything that we might be His own and live under Him as our Lord. All things are made ready for our salvation.

2. _The only thing that we need do now is to come to Christ and accept from Him all He has gained for us._ Take an example. You are in great want and distress. A rich and charitably inclined man offers you a sum of money sufficient to help you out of your trouble. The money is yours, for the rich man has given it to you. If you take it, your want will be at an end. But suppose you do not take it. Perhaps you do not believe that the rich man really means what he says, or you do not want to accept it from him, or, if you have taken it, you are not making use of it. The help has then been offered to you in vain. Your sad condition remains as it was. So it is with what Christ, our Savior, has merited for us. He has gained full salvation for us, and He offers it to us in His Word. If we do not accept it, His work is in vain as far as we are concerned; we remain in our sins.

3. How do we accept what Christ has gained for us? _By believing in Him as our Savior._ He believes in Christ who from his whole heart confesses: I know from the Word of God that Christ is _my_ Lord, that He has redeemed me from all _my_ sins, from death, and from the power of the devil. I know from the Word of God that _I_ am Christ's own, His child, that He is really _my_ Lord. For His sake all _my_ sins are forgiven. Through His suffering and death _I_ am free from death and damnation and have everlasting life. _What Christ has done He has done for me, a lost and condemned sinner._ In Him is my only hope. By faith we come to Christ. Faith is, as it were, the _hand_ with which we take everything that Christ has gained for us.

4. Believe in Jesus Christ and you will be saved, that is the only way to heaven and everlasting life. But we confess that _we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, or come to Him._ Alas! also this is most certainly true. We are lost and condemned sinners. The Scriptures tell us that all men are by nature _blind_ in these things. We do not understand the glorious message that in Christ alone is our salvation. We always try to save ourselves by our good works. If we are told about this salvation, we think it _foolishness._ "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto Him." 1 Cor. 2,14.--We have not the _strength_ to come to Jesus, our Savior. We are _dead_ in the sight of God. _"Ye were dead in trespasses and sins."_ Eph. 2,1. A dead person cannot do anything to bring himself to life again. Lazarus could not raise himself from the grave. So we cannot do anything to raise ourselves from our death in sins. _"No man can say that Jesus is the Lord_ [that is, believe in Him] _but by the Holy Ghost."_ 1 Cor. 12,3. And even if we could, we would not come to Jesus and believe in Him. We are by nature God's enemies. We do not want to be saved by Him. We cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, or come to Him. _As far as we are concerned, we are lost._

5. But God has had pity on us. He sent His Holy Ghost. The _Holy Ghost_ does what we cannot do. He brings us to Christ, He works in us true faith. True faith is God's work in us, the work of the Holy Ghost, _His work alone._ Not our works, but His _grace alone_ moves Him to do this work. _"By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast."_ Eph. 2,8.9.

REMEMBER:--

1. _Christ has done everything for my salvation. All now depends upon my coming to Jesus, my Lord and Savior._

2. _I come to Jesus by believing in Him. True faith in Christ is not my own work. I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, or come to Him._

3. _Saving faith in Christ is the work of the Holy Ghost alone. Not my works or my merits, but only His grace has moved Him to bring me to Christ and save me._

MEMORIZE:--

_The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto Him._ 1 Cor. 2,14.

_Ye were dead in trespasses and sins._ Eph. 2,1.

_No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost._ 1 Cor. 12,3.

_By grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast._

QUESTIONS.

1. What has Christ done for our salvation? 2. In what manner did He gain for us the grace of God, forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting? 3. What is now the one thing necessary for our salvation? 4. What happens if we do not accept all that Christ offers us for our salvation? 5. How do we come to Christ and accept in true faith what He has gained for us? 6. What does it mean to believe in Christ? 7. In what respect may we compare our faith with a hand? 8. Which is the only way to heaven? 9. What do we confess in the Third Article about our coming to Christ and believing in Him? 10. Why are we not able to come to Christ by our own reason? 11. How do we always try to save ourselves? 12. Why do we not have strength to come to Jesus and believe in Him? 13. What does the apostle say 1 Cor. 12,3? 14. Who alone can bring us to Christ and work faith in us? 15. What moves the Holy Ghost to perform this work in us?

LESSON 32.

The Third Article.

The Holy Ghost Has Called Me.

Which is the Third Article?

_I believe in the Holy Ghost._

What does this mean?

_I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him, but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel._

1. We cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, or come to Him. The Holy Ghost alone is able to bring us to Christ, our Savior. How does He bring us to Christ? We confess as children of God that _the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel._ By calling me through the Gospel, the Holy Ghost has brought me to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Let us see what this means.

2. Our Lord, in a parable, once spoke of a certain rich man who made a great supper for his guests. And he sent out his servants at supper-time to say to those who were bidden: _"Come, for all things are now ready."_ Luke 14,16.17. The meal was prepared, and the rich man invited his guests to come and partake of it. At dinner-time, when your mother has prepared dinner for the family, she calls to you, "Dinner is ready. Now come and eat! It is prepared for you too." In a similar manner the _Holy Ghost calls us and invites us to come to Christ and accept His salvation._ Christ, our Savior, has prepared all things; He has prepared forgiveness of all our sins, life, and salvation. All things necessary for our salvation are ready in Christ. All is finished. And now the Holy Ghost brings us these glad tidings: All things are now ready, all things needed for your salvation. Come, whosoever you are, come to your Savior! Come and take and enjoy what He in His great love has prepared for you. _We come to Jesus only by faith._ The Holy Ghost calls us and invites us, Come, _believe_ in your Savior, and You will be saved.

3. You do not see the Holy Ghost when He calls you. _The Holy Ghost calls you by the Gospel._ The Gospel, as you have learned (Lesson 14), _is the glad tidings of the grace of God for all men,_ the tidings of what Christ has done for us to save us. As the rich man in the parable, so the Holy Ghost sends His _servants._ These servants are all those who tell you the Gospel of Christ, your minister, your teacher, your parents, etc. When you hear the Gospel or read it, the Holy Ghost comes to you and calls you. In the Gospel He says to you: All things have been prepared by Christ; they are ready for you, for your salvation. In Christ you have forgiveness of your sins and salvation. _Come now, you lost and condemned sinner, and take what your Lord freely offers you. Believe in Christ, and you will be saved._ That is the call of the Holy Ghost by the Gospel. _"He called you by our Gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."_ 2 Thess. 2,14.

4. When your mother calls you to dinner, you must come by your own will and strength, and you have the strength to do so. We sinners have neither the will nor the strength to come to Jesus. The Holy Ghost knows that we cannot by our own strength come to our Savior. _By calling us He gives us the strength to hear and to follow His call._ By His call He brings us to Christ and works in us faith in our Lord, so that we willingly come to Him. The call of the Holy Ghost is God's call, full of power. This work of the Holy Ghost we also call _conversion._ The Holy Ghost alone converts us, that is, He turns us from our sins to Christ. "Turn Thou me, and I shall be turned; for Thou art the Lord, my God." Jer. 31,18.

5. Remember that the Holy Ghost brings you to Christ _by the Gospel._ Only through the Gospel does He work in the hearts of men. The Gospel is the means by which we obtain the grace of God and salvation. _If we do not read or hear the Word of God, the Gospel, the Holy Ghost cannot perform His work in us._ Therefore you should _diligently_ read and hear the Word of God, the Gospel. _"It is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth."_ Rom. 1,16.

REMEMBER:--

1. _Christ has prepared your whole salvation. All is ready, ready for you. The Holy Ghost calls and invites you to come and partake freely of what Jesus has gained for you._

2. _By His call the Holy Ghost gives you strength to follow His call, to come to your Lord. He Himself works by His call in your heart the true faith in your Savior and so brings you to Christ. This work of the Holy Ghost is also called conversion. Conversion is the work of the Holy Ghost alone. Our salvation is a free gift of God._

3. _The Holy Ghost calls us by the Gospel of Christ. Diligently read and hear God's saving Word._

MEMORIZE:--

_Come, for all things are now ready._ Luke 14,17.

_Turn Thou me, and I shall be turned; for Thou art the Lord, my God._ Jer. 31,18.

_By grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast._ Eph. 2,8.9.

_I am not ashame of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth._ Rom. 1,16.

QUESTIONS.

1. What do we confess in the Third Article concerning ourselves? 2. Whose work is it that we come to Christ? 3. Who has prepared all things necessary for our salvation? 4. Who calls us to come and partake of all that Christ has gained? 5. What do we mean when we say that the Holy Ghost calls us? 6. By what means does the Holy Ghost call us to Jesus? 7. What is the Gospel? 8. Who are the servants the Holy Ghost sends to us with the Gospel message? 9. What the Holy Ghost do when you hear or read the Gospel? 10. What are we not able to do of ourselves when the Holy Ghost calls us? 11. What does the Holy Ghost give us when He calls us? 12. What does He work in us by His call? 13. What other name have we for this work of the Holy Ghost? 14. Whose work alone is our conversion? 15. To whom does the Holy Ghost tun us when He converts us? 16. The Holy Ghost converts us by the Gospel; what should we therefore diligently do?

LESSON 33.

The Third Article.

The Holy Ghost Has Enlightened, Sanctified, And Kept Me In The True Faith.

Which is the Third Article?

_I believe in the Holy Ghost._

What does this mean?

_I believe that the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith._

1. The Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, and in doing so _He has also enlightened me with His gifts._ By calling me, He has kindled true faith in Christ in me, so that I know Christ and acknowledge Him to be my Savior, I believe and trust, rejoice and find comfort in Him alone for life and death. These are gifts of the Holy Ghost with which He enlightens every child of God: _true knowledge of Christ as his Redeemer, true faith in Him, peace with God, his Father, joy and comfort in all distress._ What wonderful gifts! How rich does the Holy Ghost make a child of God! _Do not forget to thank Him daily for the precious gifts He bestows upon you._

2. _"The Holy Ghost has sanctified me,"_ that is, _He has made me holy, and He does this every day, more and more._ He sanctifies me _"in the true faith."_ By His call the Holy Ghost has called forth in us true faith in our Lord. Through faith you have forgiveness of sins and are a child of God, with whom God, for Christ's sake, is well pleased. _But it is God's will that His children lead a holy life,_ flee and shun all sin, and live according to His commandments. _"This is the will of God, even your sanctification."_ 1 Thess. 4,3. Of ourselves we cannot do this, but the Holy Ghost comes to our aid. _He sanctifies us, He makes us holy._ Through faith He comes into our heart and dwells in us. _"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"_ 1 Cor. 3,16. And the Holy Ghost _works_ in us, the children of God. In His strength we begin _to hate the sins_ that we formerly loved, and to flee them. In His strength we begin _to fear and love God above all things, and to trust in Him._ We no longer serve the devil and our sins, but begin to serve our Lord who has redeemed us, and our Father in heaven.

3. True, we are not _perfectly holy,_ nor do we become so as long as we live here on earth. True children of God also must confess _that they daily sin much and deserve nothing but punishment._ But they are heartily sorry for this. They daily ask God's forgiveness for Christ's sake. And the Holy Ghost _daily_ gives them _new strength and power_ to fight and struggle against all temptations of the devil and the world and their own evil lusts. He daily gives them new strength to walk in godliness, to love God and their neighbor. Let us abide in Him, and we shall more and more overcome the devil, the world, and our sins, become more and more holy as our Lord and God is holy. _"He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing."_ John 15,5.

4. _"The Holy Ghost has kept me in the true faith,"_ so a child of God confesses. The Holy Ghost has already called and enlightened us and begun to sanctify us _in Holy Baptism._ There already He has brought us to Christ and has bestowed His precious gifts upon us. And to-day we still have the true faith; we believe in our Savior, and in Him we are children of God. _That is not our own merit, it is the work of the Holy Ghost in us._ He has worked in us by the Gospel, through our parents, through the Christian school and the church, and by the Gospel. He has kept us in the true faith. _"Ye are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation."_ 1 Pet. 1,5.--And He has promised in His Word _that He will keep us in this faith until our end. "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."_ Phil. 1,6.

5. This is the work of the Holy Ghost in all true believers, and _He is willing to perform this work in every one who hears the Gospel._ God earnestly desires to save all men. _"God will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."_ 1 Tim. 2,4. Christ died for all men; He redeemed all lost and condemned sinners. The Gospel is a power of God unto salvation to all who read and hear it.--_And yet not all men are saved; most men are lost._ What is the cause of this? They are lost _by their own fault._ Most men will not be saved. They obstinately resist the Holy Ghost and the saving Gospel, and so they do not come to Christ, but are condemned. _"O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in Me is thine help."_ Hos. 13,9.

REMEMBER:--

1. _The Holy Ghost has enlightened me and bestowed on me His precious gifts, the right knowledge of Christ, true faith in Him._

2. _He sanctifies me and makes me holy. He daily gives me strength to struggle against Satan, world, and sin, to overcome them and to lead a godly life, to love God and my neighbor._

3. _He has, by the Gospel, kept me in the true faith until this day, and He has promised me that He will do so until the end._

4. _This work the Holy Ghost desires to perform in all that hear the Gospel. Whosoever is lost is lost by his own fault._

MEMORIZE:--

_This is the will of God, even your sanctification._ 1 Thess. 4,3.

_Ye are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation._ 1 Pet. 1,5.

_He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ._ Phil. 1,6.

_God will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth._ 1 Tim. 2,4.

QUESTIONS.

1. Which is the second work of the Holy Ghost mentioned in our Catechism? 2. With what does the Holy Ghost enlighten us? 3. What are His gifts? 4. What has the Holy Ghost by His call kindled in us? 5. Whose children are we through faith? 6. What is God's will regarding His children? (1 Cor. 3,16.) 7. What does the word "sanctify" mean? 8. Who performs this work in us? 9. What do we, by the grace of the Holy Ghost, begin to hate? 10. Whom do we begin to love? 11. What must even true believers confess? 12. What do we therefore daily ask of God? 13. And what does the Holy Ghost daily grant us? 14. Which is the last work which the Holy Ghost performs in us? 15. Since when has He kept us in the true faith? 16. How long has He promised to keep us in the faith? 17. In whom will the Holy Ghost perform this work He has begun in us? 18. What is the gracious will of God toward all men? 19. What is the reason that not all men are saved? 20. Whose fault is it that they are lost? 21. By whose work alone are we saved?

LESSON 34.

The Third Article.

REVIEW LESSON.

1. In the Third Article of our Creed we learn about the Holy Ghost, about His person and His work. We confess that we believe in the Holy Ghost. In whom alone should we believe? What do we therefore confess of the Holy Ghost when we say that we believe in Him? How can we prove from Holy Scripture that the Holy Ghost is true God? 1 Cor. 3,16. Which divine work is ascribed to the Holy Ghost?

2. In whom do we believe according to the First Article? In whom according to the Second Article? And in whom according to the Third Article? In how many Persons of the Godhead do we believe, according to our Creed? There are three distinct Persons in whom we believe. We believe in them; what, therefore, are they? All these three persons are the true God. In whose name have we been baptized? On what occasion did these three divine Persons reveal themselves to us? How did they reveal themselves at the baptism of Christ? The Father is God, the Son is God, and tho Holy Ghost is God; how many Gods are there? In how many Persons did the one true God reveal Himself? Who, therefore, is the one true God? What do we call God because He is one and has revealed Himself in three Persons?--Why is the third Person of God called the Holy Ghost? The Holy Ghost makes us holy; what do we call this work of the Holy Spirit?

3. What has Christ done for our salvation? What has He gained for us in order to save us? What is now the one thing necessary for our salvation? What becomes of us if we do not come to Jesus and accept what He has merited for us? How do we come to Jesus and accept all that He offers us?--Believe in Jesus Christ, your Savior; that is the only way to heaven. But what must we confess concerning our believing and coming to Christ? Why can we not by our own reason and strength believe in Christ or come to Him? What do we read Eph. 2,1? We are dead in trespasses and sins. A dead person cannot do anything to raise himself from death to a new life. As far as we are concerned, we are lost and condemned creatures. Who took pity on us? Whom did God send to raise us from the death of our sins? To whom does the Holy Ghost bring us? Do we and can we help Him to perform this work in us? Whose work alone is it? By what is the Holy Ghost moved to bring us to Christ, our Lord, and thus to save us?

4. The Holy Ghost alone can bring us to Christ. Our Catechism tells us how the Spirit of God performs this work in us. What do we confess in the Third Article about this work of the Holy Ghost? The Holy Ghost has called me. In which parable does Christ Himself explain what this means? As this rich man had prepared a supper for His guests, so Christ has prepared, as it were, a supper for us, for all men. What is this supper which Christ has prepared for all men? In what manner did He prepare everything for our salvation? Who now calls us to the salvation Christ has prepared? What does the Holy Ghost say to us in this call? We come to our Lord and to the meal He has prepared for us by believing in Him. The Holy Ghost calls and invites us to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and be saved.--By what means does the Holy Ghost call and invite us to Christ, to faith in Him? Who, generally, are the servants He sends out to call us to Christ by the Gospel? But who is it that really calls us when we hear the Gospel?--The Holy Ghost calls us by the Gospel. He says to us, Come to your Lord and be saved. What are we not able to do by our own strength when the Holy Ghost calls us? What does the Holy Ghost give us in calling us? What does He call forth in us by His call? What do we call this work of the Spirit? Who alone performs conversion in us? The Holy Ghost brings us to Christ, or converts us, only through the Gospel. When can the Holy Ghost not perform this work in us? What should we therefore diligently do?

5. What is the second work of the Holy Ghost? With what does the Holy Ghost enlighten us? What are His gifts?--The Holy Ghost sanctifies me; what does that mean? The Holy Ghost sanctifies us in the true faith. Whose children are we through faith? What is God's will toward His children? 1 Thess. 4,3. Who performs this work in us? The Holy Ghost dwells in our heart, and renews and sanctifies it. What do we hate now by the power He has granted us? Whom do we begin to love?--Our sanctification in this life is never perfect. What must also the children of God confess? What do they therefore ask of their Lord every day? But what does the Holy Ghost daily give them? Against whom do the children of God daily struggle and fight? In whose strength do they more and more overcome the devil, the world, and their own sins?--Which is the last work performed in us by the Holy Ghost? Since when has the Holy Ghost kept us in the true faith? How long has He promised to keep us with Christ?--In whom is the Holy Ghost willing to perform His work to the end in order to save them? What is God's gracious will towards all men? What additional proof can you give for the fact that God desires all men to be saved? How is it that not all men are saved? Whose fault is it that those are lost who are condemned? By whose grace and work alone are we saved?

LESSON 35.

The Third Article.

The Holy Christian Church.

Which is the Third Article?

_I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints._

What does this mean?

_I believe that ... the Holy Ghost has called me, ... even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith._

1. God the Holy Ghost has called me to Christ, sanctified me, and kept me in the true faith. The Holy Ghost, however, has performed this work of His grace _not only on me._ Besides me He has called, and still calls, many poor lost sinners to Christ, enlightens them with His precious gifts, with faith in their Savior. All these the Holy Ghost also _"gathers,"_ as our Catechism states. The Holy Ghost does not suffer those who have been converted by the Gospel to _be separate,_ but adds them to His disciples, as on that first Pentecost all those were added to the congregation of the disciples who had been converted by Peter's sermon. Acts 2,41. All true believers are Christ's own; through faith in Him they are closely united as brethren and sisters in the one Lord. _All true believers, taken together are the holy Christian Church on earth, which the Holy Ghost sanctifies and keeps in the one true faith._

2. The Third Article calls the Christian Church _the communion of saints._ It is a communion, a congregation, of _saints,_ that is, of _holy people._ They are not holy in themselves, but the Holy Ghost has sanctified them, or made them holy, through faith in Christ. In Christ they have _forgiveness of all their sins_ and are holy in the eyes of God. _Only true believers in Christ therefore belong to the Christian Church; only they, but all of them._ Instead of the communion of saints we might also say _the communion of true believers._--The Church is the communion of saints. All believers in Christ are a _communion,_ a _congregation;_ they form, as it were, one _body._ They do not all live together at one place, in one city, or in the same country,--we find them scattered over all the earth,--but they are _closely bound together by one and the same faith in Christ._ They belong to one family, of which Christ is the Head and Master, and all are members. _The Church is the communion of saints; for believers only, but all believers, are members of it._

3. We _believe_ that the holy Christian Church is here on earth, but we do not _see_ it; it is invisible. Only true believers belong to the Church, and no man can look into another's heart and see his _faith._ Only One really knows who the members of the Church are. _"The Lord knoweth them that are His."_ 2 Tim. 2,19. We cannot see the Church, but _we believe that it is here on earth;_ for holy Scripture assures us that the Holy Ghost by the Gospel at all times calls men to Christ and keeps them in the true faith to the end of the world. Our Lord says: _"Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."_ Matt. 16,18.--The Church is _holy_ because all its members are _holy by faith in Christ_ and in the strength of the Holy Ghost _lead a godly life_ and serve their Lord in His kingdom in righteousness.--It is called the _Christian_ Church because it is built on _Christ. "Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."_ 1 Cor. 3,11. And He is not only its Foundation, but also _the Head and King of the Church._

4. We do not see the Church, _but we know where it is, where we can find it._ The Holy Ghost calls and keeps the Church only _by the Gospel._ God has promised us that, where His Gospel is preached, it shall not remain _without fruit;_ some of those who hear it will come to Christ and believe in Him. _Wherever the Word of God is preached, and only where it is in use, the holy Christian Church is to be found._

5. Scripture also speaks of a _visible_ Church, of visible congregations of Christians. A visible Church is the number of all those who call themselves Christians, who _profess their faith in Christ and are gathered about God's Word._ In these visible congregations there are not only true believers, but also _hypocrites,_ who indeed confess the Christian faith, but do not believe in their Savior. Among the visible churches there are _many false churches and one true visible Church._ The true visible Church teaches and confesses the Word of God _in all its purity, without false doctrines. This true visible Church is the Evangelical Lutheran Church._ To this Church we ought to belong, and to no other; for our Lord says: _"If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed, and ye shall know the truth; and the truth shall make you free."_ John 8, 31.32. _"Beware of false prophets!"_ Matt. 7,15.

REMEMBER:--

1. _Let it be your earnest concern to be and remain a member of the invisible Church of Christ; remain steadfast in the true faith. He that believes, and He only, shall be saved._

2. _Let it also be your earnest concern to belong to the true visible Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church. In this Church the pure Word is preached, the Gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. Avoid all false churches. "Beware of false prophets!"_

3. _Pray and work with all diligence for your Church that it may be maintained and extended._ Matt. 28,19.

MEMORIZE:--

_The Lord knoweth them that are His._ 2 Tim. 2,19.

_Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it._ Matt. 16,18.

_Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ._ 1 Cor. 3,11.

_If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed, and ye shall know the truth; and the truth shall make you free._ John 8,31.32.

QUESTIONS.