The Reformed Christian Muse

Q37: What do you understand by the word “suffered”?
A37: That all the time He lived on earth, but especially at the end of His life, He bore, in body and soul, the wrath of God against the sin of the whole human race; in order that by His suffering, as the only atoning sacrifice, He might redeem our body and soul from everlasting damnation, and obtain for us the grace of God, righteousness and eternal life.

I want to revisit this Q&A from Lord’s Day 15 of the Heidelburg Catechism. I have already posted this but did not comment on it. This clearly shows a more moderate Calvinistic view of the suffering of Christ for the sin of the “whole human race” than is found to be more popular today. This same idea of sufficiency is also expressed in the Cannons of Dort here:

The Canons of Dort, Second Head of Doctrine
The Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby - Articles of Faith

Article 6
And, whereas many who are called by the gospel do not repent nor believe in Christ, but perish in unbelief, this is not owing to any defect or insufficiency in the sacrifice offered by Christ upon the cross, but is wholly to be imputed to themselves.

If we compare these two statements from the 3 Forms of Unity can we not properly infer that the unbelief and rejection of the gospel is “wholly to be imputed” to the unbeliever because there is nothing lacking in the atonement for him because the unbeliever, being a member of the human race, Christ in his place bore his wrath against his sin according to Q&A 37?

Blessings in Christ,
Terry W. West

Q59:  But what does it help you now, that you believe all this?
A59:  That I am righteous in Christ before God, and an heir of eternal life.[1]

1.  Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; 5:1; 8:16; John 3:36; Titus 3:7

Q60:  How are you righteous before God?
A60:  Only by true faith in Jesus Christ:[1] that is, although my conscience accuses me, that I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God, and have never kept any of them,[2] and am still prone always to all evil;[3] yet God, without any merit of mine,[4] of mere grace,[5] grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction,[6] righteousness and holiness of Christ,[7] as if I had never committed nor had any sins, and had myself accomplished all the obedience which Christ has fulfilled for me;[8] if only I accept such benefit with a believing heart.[9]

1.  Rom. 3:21-25; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil. 3:9
2.  Rom. 3:9-10
3.  Rom. 7:23
4.  Titus 3:5
5.  Rom. 3:24; Eph. 2:8
6.  I John 2:2
7.  I John 2:1; Rom. 4:4-5; II Cor. 5:19
8.  II Cor. 5:21
9.  John 3:18; Rom. 3:28; 10:10

Q61:  Why do you say that you are righteous by faith only?
A61:  Not that I am acceptable to God on account of the worthiness of my faith, but because only the satisfaction, righteousness and holiness of Christ is my righteousness before God;[1] and I can receive the same and make it my own in no other way than by faith only.[2]

1.  I Cor. 1:30; 2:2
2.  I John 5:10; Isa. 53:5; Gal. 3:22; Rom. 4:16

Q57:  What comfort do you receive from the “resurrection of the body”?
A57:  That not only my soul after this life shall be immediately taken up to Christ its Head,[1] but also that this my body, raised by the power of Christ, shall be reunited with my soul, and made like unto the glorious body of Christ.[2]

1.  Luke 23:43; Phil. 1:21-23
2.  I Cor. 15:53-54; Job 19:25-27; I John 3:2

Q58:  What comfort do you receive from the article “life everlasting”?
A58:  That, inasmuch as I now feel in my heart the beginning of eternal joy,[1] I shall after this life possess complete blessedness, such as eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man,[2] therein to praise God forever.[3]

1.  II Cor. 5:2-3
2.  I Cor. 2:9
3.  John 17:3; Rom. 8:23; I Peter 1:8

Q54:  What do you believe concerning the “Holy Catholic Church”?
A54:  That out of the whole human race,[1] from the beginning to the end of the world,[2] the Son of God,[3] by His Spirit and Word,[4] gathers, defends and preserves for Himself unto everlasting life a chosen communion [5] in the unity of the true faith;[6] and that I am and forever shall remain a living member of this communion.[7]

1.  Gen. 26:4
2.  John 10:10
3.  Eph. 1:10-13
4.  Rom. 1:16; 10:14-17; Isa. 59:21; Eph. 5:26
5.  Rom. 8:29-30; Matt. 16:18; Eph. 4:3-6
6.  Acts 2:46; Psa. 71:18; I Cor. 1:8-9; 11:26; John 10:28-30
7.  I John 2:19; 3:21; Gal. 3:28

Q55:  What do you understand by the “communion of saints”?
A55:  First, that believers, one and all, as members of the Lord Jesus Christ, are partakers with Him in all His treasures and gifts;[1] second, that each one must feel himself bound to use his gifts readily and cheerfully for the advantage and welfare of other members.[2]

1.  I John 1:3
2.  I Cor. 12:12-13, 21; 13:5-6; Phil. 2:4-6; Heb. 3:14

Q56:  What do you believe concerning the “forgiveness of sins”?
A56:  That God, for the sake of Christ’s satisfaction,[1] will no more remember my sins, nor the sinful nature with which I have to struggle all my life long;[2] but graciously imputes to me the righteousness of Christ, that I may nevermore come into condemnation.[3]

1.  I John 2:2
2.  II Cor. 5:19, 21; Rom. 7:24-25; 8:1-4; Psa. 103:3, 10, 12; Jer. 31:34
3.  John. 3:18; Eph. 1:7; Rom. 4:7-8; 7:18

Q53:  What do you believe concerning the “Holy Ghost”?
A53:  First, that He is coeternal God with the Father and the Son.[1] Second, that He is also given unto me:[2] by true faith makes me a partaker of Christ and all His benefits,[3] comforts me,[4] and shall abide with me forever.[5]

1.  Gen. 1:2; Isa. 48:16; I Cor. 3:16; 6:19; Acts 5:3-4
2.  Matt. 28:19; II Cor. 1:21-22
3.  I Peter 1:2; I Cor. 6:17
4.  Acts 9:31
5.  John 14:16; I Peter 4:14; I John 4:13; Rom. 15:13

Q51:  What does this glory of Christ, our Head, profit us?
A51:  First, that by His Holy Spirit He pours out heavenly gifts upon us, His members;[1] then, that by His power He defends and preserves us against all enemies.[2]

1.  Eph. 4:10-12
2.  Psa. 2:9; John 10:28-30; I Cor. 15:25-26; Acts 2:33

Q52:  What comfort is it to you that Christ “shall come to judge the living and the dead”?
A52:  That in all my sorrows and persecutions, I, with uplifted head, look for the very One, who offered Himself for me to the judgment of God, and removed all curse from me, to come as Judge from heaven,[1] who shall cast all His and my enemies into everlasting condemnation,[2] but shall take me with all His chosen ones to Himself into heavenly joy and glory.[3]

1.  Luke 21:28; Rom. 8:23-24; Phil. 3:20-21; Titus 2:13
2.  II Thess. 1:6, 10; Matt. 25:41
3.  I Thess. 4:16-18; Acts 1:10-11; Heb. 9:28

Q49:  What benefit do we receive from Christ’s ascension into heaven?
A49:  First, that He is our Advocate in the presence of His Father in heaven.[1] Second, that we have our flesh in heaven as a sure pledge, that He as the Head will also take us, His members, up to Himself.[2] Third, that He sends us His Spirit as an earnest,[3] by whose power we seek those things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God, and not things on the earth.[4]

1.  I John 2:1; Rom. 8:34
2.  John 14:2; 20:17; Eph. 2:6
3.  John 14:16; Acts 2:33; II Cor. 5:5
4.  Col. 3:1; John 14:3; Heb. 9:24

Q50:  Why is it added: “And sitteth at the right hand of God”?
A50:  Because Christ ascended into heaven for this end, that He might there appear as the Head of His Church,[1] by whom the Father governs all things.[2]

1.  Eph. 1:20-23; Col. 1:18
2.  John 5:22; I Peter 3:22; Psa. 110:1

Q45:  What benefit do we receive from the “resurrection” of Christ?
A45:  First, by His resurrection He has overcome death, that He might make us partakers of the righteousness which He has obtained for us by His death.[1] Second, by His power we are also now raised up to a new life.[2] Third, the resurrection of Christ is to us a sure pledge of our blessed resurrection.[3]

1.  I Cor. 15:15, 17, 54-55; Rom. 4:25; I Peter 1:3-4, 21
2.  Rom. 6:4; Col. 3:1-4; Eph. 2:5
3.  I Cor. 15:12, 20-21; Rom. 8:11

Q46:  What do you understand by the words “He ascended into heaven”?
A46:  That Christ, in the sight of His disciples, was taken up from the earth into heaven,[1] and continues there in our behalf [2] until He shall come again to judge the living and the dead.[3]

1.  Acts 1:9; Matt. 26:64; Mark 16:9; Luke 24:51
2.  Heb. 4:14; 7:24-25; 9:11; Rom. 8:34; Eph. 4:10
3.  Acts 1:11; 3:20-21; Matt. 24:30

Q47:  But is not Christ with us even unto the end of the world,[1] as He has promised?
A47:  Christ is true man and true God. According to His human nature He is now not on earth,[2] but according to His Godhead, majesty, grace, and Spirit, He is at no time absent from us.[3]

1.  Matt. 28:20
2.  Matt. 26:11; John 16:28; 17:11
3.  John 14:17-18; 16:13; Eph. 4:8; Matt. 18:20; Heb. 8:4

Q48:  But are not, in this way, the two natures in Christ separated from one another, if the manhood is not wherever the Godhead is?
A48:  Not at all, for since the Godhead is incomprehensible and everywhere present,[1] it must follow that it is indeed beyond the bounds of the manhood which it has assumed, but is yet nonetheless in the same also, and remains personally united to it.[2]

1.  Acts 7:49; Jer. 23:24
2.  Col. 2:9; John 1:48; 3:13; 11:15; Matt. 28:6

Q40:  Why was it necessary for Christ to suffer “death”?
A40:  Because the justice and truth [1] of God required that satisfaction for our sins could be made in no other way than by the death of the Son of God.[2]

1.  Gen. 2:17
2.  Heb. 2:9; Rom. 6:23

 Q41:  Why was He “buried”?
A41:  To show thereby that He was really dead.[1]

1.  Matt. 27:59-60
2.  John 19:38-42; Acts 13:29

Q42:  Since, then, Christ died for us, why must we also die?
A42:  Our death is not a satisfaction for our sin, but only a dying to sin and an entering into eternal life.[1]

1.  John 5:24; Phil. 1:23; Rom. 7:24-25

Q43:  What further benefit do we receive from the sacrifice and death of Christ on the cross?
A43:  That by His power our old man is with Him crucified, slain and buried;[1] so that the evil lusts of the flesh may no more reign in us,[2] but that we may offer ourselves unto Him a sacrifice of thanksgiving.[3]

1.  Rom. 6:6-8; Col. 2:12
2.  Rom. 6:12
3.  Rom. 12:1;  II Cor. 5:15

Q44:  Why is it added: “He descended into hell”?
A44:  That in my greatest temptations I may be assured that Christ my Lord, by His inexpressible anguish, pains and terrors, which He suffered in His soul on the cross and before, has redeemed me from the anguish and torment of hell.[1]

1.  Isa. 53:10; Matt. 27:46; Psa. 18:5; 116:3

Q37:  What do you understand by the word “suffered”?
A37:  That all the time He lived on earth, but especially at the end of His life, He bore, in body and soul, the wrath of God against the sin of the whole human race;[1] in order that by His suffering, as the only atoning sacrifice,[2] He might redeem our body and soul from everlasting damnation, and obtain for us the grace of God, righteousness and eternal life.

1.  I Peter 2:24; Isa. 53:12
2.  I John 2:2; 4:10; Rom. 3:25-26; 5:6; Psa. 22:14-16; Matt. 26:38

Q38:  Why did He suffer “under Pontius Pilate” as judge?
A38:  That He, being innocent, might be condemned by the temporal judge,[1] and thereby deliver us from the severe judgment of God, to which we were exposed.[2]

1.  Acts 4:27-28; Luke 23:13-15; John 19:4
2.  Psa. 69:4; II Cor. 5:21; Matt. 27:24

Q39:  Is there anything more in His having been “crucified” than if He had suffered some other death?
A39:  Yes, for thereby I am assured that He took upon Himself the curse which lay upon me,[1] because the death of the cross was accursed of God.[2]

1.  Gal. 3:13-14
2.  Deut. 21:22-23; Phil. 2:8

Q35:  What is the meaning of “conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary”?
A35:  That the eternal Son of God, who is [1] and continues true and eternal God,[2] took upon Himself the very nature of man, of the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary,[3] by the operation of the Holy Ghost;[4] so that He might also be the true seed of David,[5] like unto His brethren in all things,[6] except for sin.[7]

1.  John 1:1; Rom. 1:3-4
2.  Rom. 9:5
3.  Gal. 4:4; John 1:14
4.  Matt. 1:18-20; Luke 1:35
5.  Psa. 132:11
6.  Phil. 2:7
7.  Heb. 4:15: I John 5:20

Q36:  What benefit do you receive from the holy conception and birth of Christ?
A36:  That He is our Mediator,[1] and with His innocence and perfect holiness covers, in the sight of God, my sin, wherein I was conceived.[2]

1.  Heb. 2:16-17
2.  Psa. 32:1; I John 1:9

Q33:  Why is He called God’s “only begotten Son,” since we also are the children of God?
A33:  Because Christ alone is the eternal, natural Son of God,[1] but we are the children of God by adoption, through grace, for His sake.[2]

1.  John 1:14, 18
2.  Rom. 8:15-17; Eph. 1:5-6; I John 3:1

Q34:  Why do you call Him “our Lord”?
A34:  Because not with silver or gold, but with His precious blood, He has redeemed and purchased us, body and soul, from sin and from all the power of the devil, to be His own.[1]

1.  I Peter 1:18-19; 2:9; I Cor. 6:20; 7:23; Acts 2:36; Titus 2:14; Col. 1:14

Q31:  Why is He called “Christ,” that is, Anointed?
A31:  Because He is ordained of God the Father and anointed with the Holy Ghost [1] to be our chief Prophet and Teacher,[2] who has fully revealed to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our redemption;[3] and our only High Priest,[4] who by the one sacrifice of His body has redeemed us, and ever lives to make intercession for us with the Father;[5] and our eternal King, who governs us by His Word and Spirit, and defends and preserves us in the redemption obtained for us.[6]

1.  Heb. 1:9
2.  Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22
3.  John 1:18; 15:15
4.  Psa. 110:4; Heb. 7:21
5.  Rom. 5:9-10
6.  Psa. 2:6; Luke 1:33; Matt. 28:18; Isa. 61:1-2; I Peter 2:24; Rev. 19:16

Q32:  But why are you called a Christian?
A32:  Because by faith I am a member of Christ [1] and thus a partaker of His anointing,[2] in order that I also may confess His Name,[3] may present myself a living sacrifice of thankfulness to Him,[4] and with a free conscience may fight against sin and the devil in this life,[5] and hereafter in eternity reign with Him over all creatures.[6]

1.  Acts 11:26; I John 2:20, 27
2.  Acts 2:17
3.  Mark 8:38
4.  Rom. 12:1; Rev. 5:8, 10; I Peter 2:9; Rev. 1:6
5.  I Tim. 1:18-19
6.  II Tim. 2:12; Eph. 6:12; Rev. 3:21

Q29:  Why is the Son of God called “Jesus,” that is, Savior?
A29:  Because He saves us from our sins,[1] and because salvation is not to be sought or found in any other.[2]

1.  Matt. 1:21; Heb. 7:25
2.  Acts 4:12; Luke 2:10-11

Q30:  Do those also believe in the only Savior Jesus, who seek their salvation and welfare from “saints,” themselves, or anywhere else?
A30:  No; although they make their boast of Him, yet in their deeds they deny the only Savior Jesus;[1] for either Jesus is not a complete Savior, or they who by true faith receive this Savior, must have in Him all that is necessary to their salvation.[2]

1.  I Cor. 1:13, 30-31; Gal. 5:4
2.  Isa. 9:7; Col. 1:20, 2:10; John 1:16; Matt. 23:28

Q27:  What do you understand by the providence of God?
A27:  The almighty, everywhere-present power of God,[1] whereby, as it were by His hand, He still upholds heaven and earth with all creatures,[2] and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink,[3] health and sickness,[4] riches and poverty,[5] indeed, all things come not by chance, but by His fatherly hand.

1.  Acts 17:25-26
2.  Heb. 1:3
3.  Jer. 5:24; Acts 14:17
4.  John 9:3
5.  Prov. 22:2; Psa. 103:19; Rom. 5:3-5a

Q28:  What does it profit us to know that God created and by His providence upholds all things?
A28:  That we may be patient in adversity,[1] thankful in prosperity,[2] and for what is future have good confidence in our faithful God and Father, that no creature shall separate us from His love,[3] since all creatures are so in His hand, that without His will they cannot so much as move.[4]

1.  Rom. 5:3; James 1:3; Job 1:21
2.  Deut. 8:10; I Thess. 5:18
3.  Rom. 8:35, 38-39
4.  Job 1:12; Acts 17:25-28; Prov. 21:1; Psa. 71:7; II Cor. 1:10

Q26:  What do you believe when you say: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”?
A26:  That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who of nothing made heaven and earth with all that in them is,[1] who likewise upholds and governs the same by His eternal counsel and providence,[2] is for the sake of Christ His Son, my God and my Father,[3] in whom I so trust as to have no doubt that He will provide me with all things necessary for body and soul;[4] and further, that whatever evil He sends upon me in this troubled life, He will turn to my good;[5] for He is able to do it, being Almighty God,[6] and willing also, being a faithful Father.[7]

1.  Gen. 1:31; Psa. 33:6; Col. 1:16; Heb. 11:3
2.  Psa. 104:2-5; 115:3; Matt. 10:30; Heb. 1:3; Acts 17:24-25
3.  John 1:12; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:5-7; Eph. 1:5; 3:14-16; Matt. 6:8
4.  Psa. 55:22; 90:1-2; Matt. 6:25-26; Luke 12:22-24
5.  Rom. 8:28; Acts 17:27-28
6.  Rom. 10:12
7.  Matt. 7:9-11; Num. 23:19

Q24:  How are these articles divided?
A24:  Into three parts: the first is of God the Father and our creation; the second, of God the Son and our redemption; the third, of God the Holy Ghost and our sanctification.[1]

1.  I Peter 1:2; I John 5:7

Q25:  Since there is but one Divine Being,[1] why do you speak of three persons: Father, Son and Holy Ghost?
A25:  Because God has so revealed Himself in His Word,[2] that these three distinct Persons are the one, true, eternal God.

1.  Deut. 6:4
2.  Isa. 61:1; Psa. 110:1; Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; I John 5:7; II Cor. 13:14

Q20:  Are all men, then, saved by Christ as they have perished in Adam?
 A20:  No, only those who by true faith are ingrafted into Him and receive all His benefits.[1]

1.  John 1:12-13; I Cor. 15:22; Psa. 2:12; Rom. 11:20; Heb. 4:2-3; 10:39

 Q21:  What is true faith?
 A21:  True faith is not only a sure knowledge, whereby I hold for truth all that God has revealed to us in His Word,[1] but also a hearty trust,[2] which the Holy Ghost [3] works in me by the Gospel,[4] that not only to others, but to me also, forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness, and salvation are freely given by God,[5] merely of grace, only for the sake of Christ’s merits.[6]

1.  James 1:6
2.  Rom. 4:16-18; 5:1
3.  II Cor. 4:13; Phil. 1:19, 29
4.  Rom. 1:16; 10:17
5.  Heb. 11:1-2; Rom. 1:17
6.  Eph. 2:7-9; Rom. 3:24-25; Gal. 2:16; Acts 10:43

 Q22:  What, then, is necessary for a Christian to believe?
 A22:  All that is promised us in the Gospel,[1] which the articles of our catholic, undoubted Christian faith teach us in summary.

1.  John 20:31; Matt. 28:20; II Peter 1:21; II Tim. 3:15

 Q23:  What are these articles?
 A23:  I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
    And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Q16:  Why must He be a true and righteous man?
A16:  Because the justice of God requires [1] that the same human nature which has sinned should make satisfaction for sin; but one who is himself a sinner cannot satisfy for others.[2]

1.  Rom. 5:15
2.  Isa. 53:3-5

Q17:  Why must He also be true God?
A17:  That by the power of His Godhead He might bear in His manhood the burden of God’s wrath,[1] and so obtain for [2] and restore to us righteousness and life.[3]

1.  Isa. 53:8; Acts 2:24
2.  John 3:16; Acts 20:28
3.  I John 1:2

Q18:  But who now is that Mediator, who in one person is true God and also a true and righteous man?
A18:  Our Lord Jesus Christ,[1] who is freely given unto us for complete redemption and righteousness.[2]

1.  Matt. 1:23; I Tim. 3:16; Luke 2:11
2.  I Cor. 1:30; Acts 4:12

Q19:  From where do you know this?
A19:  From the Holy Gospel, which God Himself first revealed in Paradise,[1] afterwards proclaimed by the holy Patriarchs [2] and Prophets, and foreshadowed by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law,[3] and finally fulfilled by His well-beloved Son.[4]

1.  Gen. 3:15
2.  Gen. 22:18; 49:10-11; Rom. 1:2; Heb. 1:1; Acts 3:22-24; 10:43
3.  John 5:46; Heb. 10:7
4.  Rom. 10:4; Gal. 4:4-5; Heb. 10:1

Q12: Since, then, by the righteous judgment of God, we deserve temporal and eternal punishment, how may we escape this punishment and be again received into favor?
A12: God wills that His justice be satisfied;[1] therefore, we must make full satisfaction to that justice, either by ourselves or by another.[2]

1. Exod. 20:5; 23:7
2. Rom. 8:3-4

Q13: Can we ourselves make this satisfaction?
A13: Certainly not; on the contrary, we daily increase our guilt.[1]

1. Job 9:2-3; 15:15-16; Matt. 6:12; 16:26

Q14: Can any mere creature make satisfaction for us?
A14: None; for first, God will not punish any other creature for the sin which man committed;[1] and further, no mere creature can sustain the burden of God’s eternal wrath against sin [2] and redeem others from it.

1. Heb. 2:14-18
2. Psa. 130:3

Q15: What kind of mediator and redeemer, then, must we seek?
A15: One who is a true [1] and righteous man,[2] and yet more powerful than all creatures, that is, one who is also true God.[3]

1. I Cor. 15:21-22, 25-26
2. Jer. 33:16; Isa. 53:11; II Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:15-16
3. Isa. 7:14; Heb. 7:26