Coffee and Catechism: Recent Episodes
Amateur Anglican
A podcast on the Catechism of the Anglican Church in North America. May also do interviews on the catechism or topics related to catechesis.
Angels are rational, spiritual beings created by God. God’s holy angels joyfully serve him in heavenly worship, and God appoints them to act as messengers, bringing words of guidance and assurance to the faithful, and assisting and protecting them.
Demons, of whom Satan is chief, are fallen angels. Satan rebelled against God and led other angels to follow him. They now cause spiritual and sometimes physical harm to mortals, and they sow lies that lead to confusion, despair, sin, and death.
No. The sinful choices of his creatures do not implicate God in evil in any way. (Deuteronomy 30:15–19; Romans 7:7–25; James 1:13–15) Support the podcast here
God created rational creatures free to love, obey, and worship him, but we have used our freedom to reject his love, rebel against him, and choose evil. Yet no evil can thwart God’s purposes, and he is able to use evil to bring about even greater good. (Genesis 6:5; Judges 2:19–23; Psalm 10; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Romans 8:18–28; Hebrews 2:8–18; Revelation 2:18–29) Support the podcast here
Evil is the willful perversion of God’s will. Evil defies God’s holiness, violates his Law, enslaves us to sin, and mars his good creation.
In the fellowship of Christ’s Body, I can find companionship when I am lonely or vulnerable, support to resist ungodly influence, wisdom to guard me from folly, exhortation to grow in holiness, and discipline to correct me when I fall into error.
As I abide in Christ, I can guard against temptation by praying for protection and strength, confessing my sins, recalling God’s Word, avoiding tempting situations, and seeking the support of fellow Christians.
No. God never tempts anyone, nor is he the cause of any sin; but he does allow me to be tested so that I may grow in faith and obedience. (Genesis 22:1–18; Job 1:6–12; Psalm 11:4–5; Proverbs 17:3; Matthew 4:1; James 1:12–15) Support the podcast here on Buy Me A Coffee (similar to Patreon)
I ask God to increase my faith to trust him, enliven my conscience to fear him, soften my heart to love him, and strengthen my will to obey him, that I may resist evil and stand in the face of temptation.
I am tempted by the false promises of the world, the selfish desires of my flesh, and the lies of the devil, all of which war against God and my spiritual well-being.
Temptation is any enticement to turn from faith in God and to violate his commandments.(Proverbs 1:8–19; James 1:14–15) Support the podcast here on Buy Me A Coffee (similar to Patreon)
No. Though my decision and desire to forgive may not result in my neighbor’s repentance or our reconciliation, I am still called to forgive.
Forgiveness is a decision of my will and an attitude of my heart that seeks the good of my neighbor, and chooses not to hold against them the damage they have inflicted. I forgive whether they have asked for forgiveness or not.
I should forgive others because, while I was still a sinner, God forgave me through Jesus Christ. Failing to forgive impedes God’s work in my life and gives opportunity to the evil one.
Yes. In Christ, God freely forgives the sins of all, including me, who sincerely repent and in true faith turn to him.
I ask God our loving Father to forgive me through his Son, Jesus Christ, who bore my sins upon the Cross, so that through faith and Baptism I can receive his righteousness.
God’s forgiveness is his merciful pardon of sin and removal of the guilt that results from our disobedience.
Yes. I, together with all humankind, sin daily against God’s Law, in thought, word, and deed, both by what I do and by what I fail to do.
A “trespass” is a sin—a thought, word, or deed which offends God’s holy character and violates his Law, missing the mark of his will and expectations.
The fifth petition is “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
God gives me daily bread because he is a good and loving Father, who gives good things to all his children, sustains us in life, and desires that we grow daily in his grace.
God calls me to trust him for the needs of each day, to be concerned for the needs of others, to be content with what I have, and to grow in gratitude for his provision.
Daily bread includes all that we need each day for our bodily provision and spiritual nourishment.
I pray for my needs and those of my brothers and sisters: for daily provision, pardon for sins, and protection from evil.
In heaven, God’s Name is perfectly hallowed, and his will is perfectly obeyed and fulfilled. I pray for his kingdom to be established fully and his will to be accomplished on earth, that his Name may be perfectly hallowed in all creation
I can walk in God’s will by loving him and my neighbor, and by taking my part in the Church’s mission to extend his kingdom in the world.
I pray for God to break the dominion of the world, the flesh, and the devil; to establish justice and thwart the plans of the wicked; to strengthen and direct his Church; and to extend the kingdom of his grace.
God’s will is to reconcile all things to himself in Jesus Christ and to establish his kingdom on the earth. His will is revealed in the whole of Scripture and especially in Jesus Christ, whom I am called to serve and imitate with my whole life.
As a citizen of God’s kingdom, I am called to live in obedience to God’s Word and will, in loving witness and service to others, and in joyful hope of Christ’s return.
God’s kingdom is announced to the people of Israel, arrives in Jesus Christ, and advances through the Church’s mission. It will appear in its fullness once Christ returns in glory.
I pray that the whole creation may be renewed and restored under its rightful Lord, now in part and fully in the age to come.
The kingdom of God is the just and peaceful reign of Jesus Christ over all the world, especially in the lives of his faithful people, through the powerful work of the Holy Spirit.
I can honor God’s Name as holy by worshiping him, serving others, and living in loving obedience as his child and a citizen of his kingdom.
God’s Name is holy in itself, and God glorifies his Name by saving fallen humanity, by building his Church, and by establishing his kingdom in this world and in the age to come.
Throughout the Scriptures, God is known as “Lord.”Through the Person and ministry of Jesus Christ, God is also revealed to be one God in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
God’s Name reveals who he is—his nature, his character, his power, and his purposes. The Name God reveals to Moses is “I am who I am” or simply “I am” (Exodus 3:6, 14). This Name means that he alone is truly God, he is the source of his own Being, he is holy and just, and he cannot be defined by his creatures.
Because God is in all places and knows all things, he hears and answers my prayers, directs my paths, and strengthens me in times of trouble.
Heaven is the realm of God’s presence, power, and glory, which exists invisibly alongside this visible realm, and from which God hears the prayers of his children.
Unlike our natural fathers, our heavenly Father loves us perfectly, is almighty in his care, makes no errors in judgment, and disciplines us only for our good.
Like all loving and sincere earthly fathers, God loves us in our weakness, provides for our needs, teaches us in our ignorance, and corrects us when we go astray.
Jesus teaches us always to understand ourselves not only as individuals but as members of God’s family of believers, and to pray accordingly.
All who come to God through faith and Baptism in Christ are adopted as children of God the Father.
We call God “Father” because Jesus teaches his disciples that we are God’s children and should call God “our Father.”
The traditional form of the Lord’s Prayer begins by addressing God the Father, makes seven petitions, adds a doxology, and concludes with “Amen.”
The Lord’s Prayer models the primary types of prayer: praise of God, intercession for his rule, petition for his provision and protection, and confession of sins. I should pray regularly in all these ways.
I should pray the Lord’s Prayer regularly because it teaches me to pray as Jesus commanded and to desire what his Father wills.
I should learn the Lord’s Prayer because Jesus taught it to his disciples as both a practice and a pattern for prayer to God the Father.
The traditional version of the Lord’s Prayer is this: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
I should pray at regular times throughout each day, with fellow Christians for prayer and worship, and whenever I am aware of a need for God’s grace. And I should learn to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) as I grow in the knowledge of God’s presence.
I should pray the Lord’s Prayer, the Psalms, the collected prayers of the Church, and my own prayers as the Spirit leads me.
I should pray because God calls me to do so, because I was made for fellowship with him, because I need the help of his Holy Spirit, and because he has promised to answer the prayers of his people.
Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and union with him by the Holy Spirit, I have fellowship with God as his adopted child. I experience this in prayer, worship, God’s Word, the sacraments, and Christian community, as I daily follow him by faith.
In prayer, I should seek not only God’s provision for my needs, but fellowship with God, who made me for fellowship with himself.
God gives healing, strength, and peace, either for recovery from injury or illness, or for perseverance in adversity, especially in preparation for death.
Through prayer and anointing with oil, the minister invokes God’s blessing upon those suffering in body, mind, or spirit.
Repentance, in which I intend to resist further sin, accept responsibility for my actions, and endeavor to repair damage I have caused; and faith, by which I thankfully receive God’s forgiveness.
In absolution, God conveys his pardon through the Cross, removes and cancels my sin, declares me reconciled and at peace with him, and grants me the assurance of his grace and salvation.
In absolution, a priest, acting under God’s authority, pronounces God’s forgiveness in response to repentance and confession of sin.
In Christian marriage, God unites husband and wife and blesses their common life, that they may grow together in love, wisdom, and godliness, patterned on the sacrificial love of Christ. A Christian marriage embodies this grace in the world, especially through hospitality and care for those who are lonely or in need.
The union of husband and wife in one flesh signifies the communion between Christ, the heavenly bridegroom, and the Church, his holy bride. Not all are called or able to marry, but all Christians are joined to Christ as members of his Body.
Christian marriage, or Holy Matrimony, is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, uniting them in self-giving love, joy, and faithfulness. It is ordained by God for the procreation and spiritual nurture of children, the sanctification of husband and wife, the mutual support of their common life, and the flourishing of family, church, and society. Husband and wife enter into this covenant by exchanging vows before God and in the presence of witnesses.
Christian marriage, or Holy Matrimony, is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, uniting them in self-giving love, joy, and faithfulness. It is ordained by God for the procreation and spiritual nurture of children, the sanctification of husband and wife, the mutual support of their common life, and the flourishing of family, church, and society. Husband and wife enter into this covenant by exchanging vows before God and in the presence of witnesses.
Serving Christ under their bishops, deacons care for those in need, assist in public worship, and instruct both young and old in the catechism.
Serving Christ with their bishops, priests (or presbyters) nurture God’s people through the ministry of Word and Sacrament and pronounce absolution and blessing in God’s Name.
Bishops represent and serve Christ and the Church as chief pastors, catechists, and missionaries in the tradition of the apostles. They are to confirm and ordain, and to guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the Church.
The three orders are bishops, priests, and deacons, which we have received from Scripture and the historic Church.
In ordination, God conveys the gift of the Holy Spirit for the office and work of the order being conferred.
Ordination is the laying on of the bishop’s hands with prayer, which confirms the gifts and calling of the candidates, consecrates them, and grants them authority to serve Christ and his Church in the office to which they have been called.
All Christians are to bear witness to Christ in their lives; to care for the poor, strangers, widows, and orphans; and, according to their gifts, to serve Christ in the world and in the Church.
In confirmation, I am further empowered and gifted by the Holy Spirit for daily growth in wisdom, courage, and humility before God in every aspect of my life and work.
Confirmation is the laying on of the bishop’s hands with prayer for strengthening by the Holy Spirit, following a period of catechetical formation. In confirmation, I make a mature confession of faith, publicly renewing the vows and promises made at my Baptism.
I should continue to grow in holiness, avoiding sin, showing love and forgiveness to all, and serving others in gratitude.
I am to examine myself: Do I truly repent of my sins and intend to lead a new life in Christ? Do I have a living faith in God’s mercy through Christ and remember his atoning death with a thankful heart? And have I shown love and forgiveness to all people?
As my body is nourished by the bread and wine, my soul is strengthened by the Body and Blood of Christ. I receive God’s forgiveness, and I am renewed in the love and unity of the Body of Christ, the Church.
The inward gift signified is the Body and Blood of Christ, which are truly taken and received in the Lord’s Supper by faith.
He instituted it for the continual remembrance of the sacrifice of his atoning death, and to convey the benefits of that sacrifice to us.
I should hope and pray that the Holy Spirit, who indwells me, will help me to be an active member of my Christian community, participate in worship, continually repent and return to God, proclaim the faith, love and serve God and my neighbor, and seek justice and peace.
Because it is a sign of God’s promise that they are embraced in the covenant community of Christ’s Church. Those who in faith and repentance present infants to be baptized vow to raise them in the knowledge and fear of the Lord, with the expectation that they will one day profess full Christian faith as their own.
Two things are required: repentance, in which I turn away from sin; and faith, in which I turn to Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord and trust the promises that God makes to me in this sacrament.
The inward and spiritual grace is death to sin and new birth to righteousness, through union with Christ in his death and resurrection. I am born a sinner by nature, separated from God. But in Baptism, through faith in Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, I am made a member of Christ’s Body and adopted as God’s child and heir.
he outward and visible sign is water, in which candidates are baptized “in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
They were not ordained by Christ as necessary to salvation, but arose from the practices of the apostles and the Early Church, or were blessed by God in Scripture. God clearly uses them as means of grace.
Other rites and institutions commonly called sacraments include confirmation (2 Timothy 1:6–7; Hebrews 6:1–2), ordination (Numbers 8:9–14; 27:18–23; 1 Timothy 4:14), marriage (Genesis 2:18–24; Matthew 19:4–6; John 2:1–11), absolution ( John 20:21–23; Acts 2:37– 41), and the anointing of the sick ( James 5:14). These are sometimes called “sacraments of the Church.”
The two sacraments ordained by Christ that are “generally necessary to salvation” (1662 Catechism) are Baptism and Holy Communion (also called the Lord’s Supper or the Holy Eucharist). These are sometimes called “sacraments of the Gospel.”
I should receive the sacraments by faith in Christ, with repentance and thanksgiving. Faith in Christ is necessary to receive the grace of the sacraments, and obedience to Christ is necessary for the benefits of the sacraments to bear fruit in my life.
A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. God gives us the sign as a means by which we receive that grace and as a tangible assurance that we do in fact receive it.
I should live in joyful expectation of the fullness of my transformation, soul and body, into the likeness of Christ. In the midst of suffering or in the face of hostility and persecution, I am sustained by the hope of a new heaven and earth, freed from Satan, evil, suffering, and death.
I know that it will be an eternal life of joyful fellowship with our triune God, together with all his saints and angels, singing his praises and serving him in the renewed creation.
Because I put my hope in God’s resurrection of my body, I should honor and care for it. I should refrain from any violence, disrespect, or sin that would harm, demean, or violate either my body or the bodies of others.
They will be fully renewed and glorified in the image of Christ, perfected after the manner of his own resurrected and ascended body.
When the risen Lord Jesus returns to judge the earth, he will raise all the dead to bodily life. The wicked will then receive eternal condemnation, and the righteous eternal life in the glory of God.
Because sin and death now corrupt this world, my body will degenerate and die. But, by the will of God, my soul will be with the Lord, and I will rise bodily from death when Jesus Christ returns to judge the living and the dead.
Holy Scripture tells me that my body, though tainted by sin, was created good, bearing the image of God and endowed with great dignity. Therefore, from the moment of conception to natural death, every human body and every human life should be cared for, protected, and loved.
No. God’s common grace can be seen in his provision for all people. “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). However, he shows his saving grace by granting salvation to those who place their faith in Christ.
No. God wants to redeem every aspect of my life, and his grace in Christ is at work in all of it.
No. God gives his grace freely and enables me to receive it. Everything I do for God should be in response to his love and grace made known in Christ, for “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” and “we love because he first loved us.”
God gives me grace in Christ for the forgiveness of my sins, redemption from sin’s power, healing of sin’s effects, and growth in holiness, to my final transformation into the likeness of Christ.
Grace is God’s undeserved gift of his love, mercy, and help, which he freely offers to us who, because of our sin, deserve only condemnation.
rusting in God’s continual forgiveness, I should live in continual thanks, praise, and obedience to him; and as I have been loved and forgiven by God, so I should love and forgive those who sin against me.
By virtue of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, in which I put my trust, God sets aside my sins, accepts me, and adopts me as his child and heir in Jesus Christ. Loving me as his child, he forgives my sins whenever I turn to him in repentance and faith.
All sin is opposed to the righteousness of God and is therefore subject to God’s holy condemnation; yet God in his mercy offers me forgiveness and salvation from sin through his Son, Jesus Christ, the only Savior.
All sin is opposed to the righteousness of God and is therefore subject to God’s holy condemnation; yet God in his mercy offers me forgiveness and salvation from sin through his Son, Jesus Christ, the only Savior.
Sins are intentions, acts, or failures to act that arise out of my corrupted human nature and fall short of conformity to God’s revealed will.
Through union with Christ, as celebrated in the sacrament of Holy Communion, the Church on earth participates with the Church in heaven in the eternal worship of God.
I live as a member of the communion of saints through faith in Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit by gathering to worship God with my fellow Christians, by praying for and encouraging one another, and by coming to one another’s aid in times of trouble, sickness, or grief.
The communion of the saints is the fellowship of all those, in heaven and on earth, who are united in Christ as one Body, through one Spirit, in Holy Baptism.
“Communion” means being “one with” someone in union and unity. For Christians, it refers to the unity of the three Persons within the one Being of God, to our union with God through our union with Christ, and to our unity with one another in Christ.
e all those in heaven and on earth who place their faith in Jesus Christ, who are set apart, holy to God in Christ, and transformed by his grace.
An apostle is one who is sent. The Church is called “apostolic” because it holds the faith of the first apostles sent by Christ. In continuity with them, the Church is likewise sent by Christ to proclaim the Gospel and to make disciples throughout the whole world.
The Church is called “catholic” (“according to the whole”) because it keeps the whole faith it has received from the Lord, in continuity with the whole Church, in all times and places.
The Church is holy because the Holy Spirit dwells in it and sanctifies its members, setting them apart to God in Christ and calling them to moral and spiritual holiness of life.
The Church is one because all its members form the one Body of Christ, having “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all." The Church is called to embody this unity in all relationships between believers.
The Nicene Creed expands upon the Apostles’ Creed to list four characteristics of the Church: it is “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.”
The Church is called the Body of Christ because all who belong to the Church are united to Christ as their Head and source of life, and are united to one another in Christ for mutual love and service to him.
Holy Scripture teaches me to view the Church as God’s family, as the Body and bride of Christ, and as the temple where God in Christ dwells by his Spirit.
The Church is the whole community of faithful Christians in heaven and on earth, called and formed by God into one people. The Church on earth gathers to worship God in Word and Sacrament, to serve God and neighbor, and to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
The Holy Spirit equips and empowers believers with gifts for service in the worship of Jesus Christ, for the building up of his Church, and for witness and mission to the world.
Among the many gifts of the Holy Spirit named in the New Testament are faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, other languages (“tongues”), the interpretation of other languages, and words of wisdom and knowledge. The Spirit distributes gifts to individuals as he wills for the sake of the Body of Christ. Other gifts in the New Testament include administration, service, encouragement, evangelism, teaching, giving, leadership, and mercy. Jesus promises that the Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.
Among the many gifts of the Holy Spirit named in the New Testament are faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, other languages (“tongues”), the interpretation of other languages, and words of wisdom and knowledge. The Spirit distributes gifts to individuals as he wills for the sake of the Body of Christ. Other gifts in the New Testament include administration, service, encouragement, evangelism, teaching, giving, leadership, and mercy. Jesus promises that the Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit is the very character of Jesus developing in us through the work of the Holy Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
The Scriptures teach that, by repenting and being baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, I am forgiven my sins and I receive the Holy Spirit, who gives me new birth in Christ and frees me from the power of sin.
The Scriptures teach that, by repenting and being baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, I am forgiven my sins and I receive the Holy Spirit, who gives me new birth in Christ and frees me from the power of sin.
The Holy Spirit bears witness that I am a child of God, stirs my heart continually to worship and to pray, and inspires me to holiness and good works in Christ.
The Holy Spirit imparts life to every living thing in creation, reveals God’s Word to his people, and calls sinners to a new life of faith in the saving and life-giving work of Jesus. The Holy Spirit unites Christians to Jesus, indwelling them, convicting them of sin, giving them spiritual gifts, and bearing spiritual fruit in their lives.
Jesus names the Holy Spirit “Paraclete” (“the one alongside”), which signifies Comforter, Guide, Counselor, Advocate, and Helper. Other descriptions for the Holy Spirit are “Spirit of God,” “Spirit of your Father,” “Spirit of Christ,” and “Spirit of truth.”
God the Holy Spirit is the third Person in the one Being of the Holy Trinity, coequal and coeternal with God the Father and God the Son, and equally worthy of our honor and worship.
The authority Christ gave to his Church to judge is most often exercised by declaring God’s forgiveness in absolution. However, a priest, acting under the authority of the bishop, may suspend a person from receiving Communion because of scandalous and unrepented sin, in order to draw them to repentance and restoration.
With the help of the Holy Spirit, I examine my conscience according to the Word of God. Particularly useful are the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount, as well as the godly counsel of fellow Christians and the moral teaching of the Church.
It means that I should live mindful of his presence, walking in humility as his creature, resisting sin, obeying his commandments, and reverencing him for his holiness, majesty, and power.
The unrepentant should fear God’s judgment, for “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness” (Romans 1:18). But if I am in Christ, I need not fear God’s judgment, for my Judge is my Savior, Jesus Christ, who loves me, died for my sins, and intercedes for me.
All people, whether living or dead, will be judged by Jesus Christ. Those apart from Christ will receive eternal rejection and punishment in hell, while those who are in Christ will receive eternal blessing and welcome into the fullness of life with God.
I should anticipate with joy the return of Jesus my Savior and be ready to stand before him. His promise to return encourages me to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to live a holy life, and to share the hope of new life in Christ with others.
No. We cannot know when Jesus will return. Jesus patiently waits for many to repent and trust in him for new life; then he will return unexpectedly, which could be at any moment.
Jesus promised that he would return (Luke 21:27–28). His coming in victory with great glory and power will be seen by all people and will bring this age to an end. The present world order will pass away, and God will usher in a fully renewed creation to stand forever. All the saints will be together with God at that time.
I can rely on Jesus always to be present with me by the Holy Spirit as he promised, and I should always look to him for help as I seek to serve him.
Because Jesus intercedes for us as our great high priest, I may now boldly approach the Father and offer my confessions, praises, thanksgivings, and requests to him.
The throne on the king’s right hand was traditionally the seat of one appointed to exercise the king’s own authority. Ruling with his Father in heaven, Jesus is Lord over the Church and all creation, with authority to equip his Church, advance his kingdom, bring sinners into saving fellowship with God the Father, and finally establish justice and peace upon the earth.
Jesus ascended into heaven so that, through him, his Father might send us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, Christians together are united to Christ, the living Head of his Body, the Church.
Jesus was taken up out of human sight and returned in his humanity to the glory he had shared with the Father before his incarnation. There he intercedes for, and receives into heavenly life, all who come to him in faith. Though absent in body, Jesus is always with me by his Spirit and hears me when I pray.
Following his resurrection, Jesus spent forty days visiting and teaching his followers. He appeared to his disciples, spoke to them, invited them to touch him and see his scars, and ate with them.
Today I'm reading a Homily from the Book of Homilies. This one's long title is: An Homily or Sermon Concerning the Nativity and Birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Merry (or happy, depending where you live) Christmas!!
It means that Jesus was not simply resuscitated; God restored him physically from death to life in his resurrected body, never to die again. His tomb was empty; Jesus had risen bodily from the dead. The risen Jesus was seen by his apostles and hundreds of other witnesses.
That Jesus descended to the dead means that he truly died and entered the place of the departed.
The Creed emphasizes Jesus’ death to counter suspicions that Jesus did not truly die on the Cross, to celebrate the fact that he died there to secure our salvation, and to prepare our minds to grasp the glory of his bodily resurrection.
The Creed makes the point to emphasize that Jesus died a real, bodily death such as all people face because of our sins.
Jesus bore my sins and died the death that I deserve, so that I could be saved from sin and eternal condemnation and reconciled to God.
Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures by dying on the Cross as a sacrifice for sin in obedience to his Father. He thereby showed the depth of the love of God for his fallen creation, satisfying the justice of God on our behalf and breaking the power of sin, Satan, and death.
Jesus was executed as a common criminal. He was scourged, mocked, and nailed to a Cross outside the walls of Jerusalem. Though humanly a miscarriage of justice, his execution fulfilled God’s plan of salvation.
The Creed thus makes clear that Jesus’ life and death were real events that occurred at a particular time and place in Judea in the first century AD.
Jesus has experienced our sufferings, understands our sorrows, and is able to sympathize with our weakness. Therefore, I should bear my sufferings with perseverance and hope, for my Savior is with me in them, and through them I will come to know him more fully.
On earth, the incarnate Son shared physically, emotionally, and spiritually in the temptations and sufferings common to all people, yet without sin. In his agony and desolation on the Cross, he uniquely suffered in my place for my sins and, in so doing, revealed God’s love and compassion for fallen and suffering humanity.
Jesus suffered as a sacrifice for our sins so that we could have peace with God, as prophesied in the Old Testament: “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”
All Jesus does as a human being he also does as God. His human words and deeds are saving because they are the words and deeds of God the Son.
At the moment of Jesus’ conception, the divine nature of the one eternal Person of the Son was united to our human nature. Therefore, Jesus Christ is fully and truly both divine and human, but without sin. His two natures are united without division, separation, mixture, or change.
Jesus was conceived not through a human father but by the Holy Spirit coming upon the Virgin Mary in power. The eternal Son, whom God named Jesus, assumed a fully human nature from his mother, the Virgin Mary, at the moment of conception in her womb. It is important to affirm that he is one of us: truly human, born to a human mother, and raised in a human family. While still a virgin, Mary submitted to the will of God and bore the Son of God. Therefore, she is held in high honor. However, in obedience to God, Joseph took Mary as his wife and raised Jesus as his son.
Jesus alone is God the Son, coequal and coeternal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He alone is the image of the invisible Father, the one who makes the Father known. He is now and forever will be incarnate as a human, bearing his God-given human Name. The Father created and now rules all things in heaven and earth through Jesus Christ our Lord. I acknowledge Jesus’ divine authority over the Church and all creation, over all societies and their leaders, and over every aspect of my life, both public and private. I surrender my entire life to him and seek to live in a way that pleases him.
Jesus the Christ was anointed by the Holy Spirit to perfectly fulfill these roles, and he rules now as Prophet, Priest, and King over his Church and all creation.
“Jesus” means “God saves” and is taken from the Hebrew name Yeshua or Joshua. In Jesus, God has come to save us from the power of sin and death. Christos is the Greek term for the Hebrew title Messiah, meaning “Anointed One.” Old Testament kings, priests, and prophets were anointed with oil. Jesus the Christ was anointed by the Holy Spirit to perfectly fulfill these roles, and he rules now as Prophet, Priest, and King over his Church and all creation.
Jesus Christ is the eternal Word and Son of God, the second Person of the Holy Trinity. He took on human nature to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world, the only Mediator between God and fallen humanity.
Yes. God created all things and called them “very good” (Genesis 1:31). However, through sin, evil and death have come into the world and corrupted it. Adam and Eve rebelled against God, thus bringing upon all humanity pain, toil, alienation from God and each other, and death. I have inherited this fallen and corrupted human nature; consequently, I too sin and fall short of God’s glory. Because of sin, those apart from Christ are spiritually dead, separated from God, under his righteous condemnation, and without hope.
It means that all things, whether visible or invisible, physical or spiritual, were brought into being out of nothing by the Word of the eternal God.
I acknowledge that God created for his own glory everything that exists. He created human beings, male and female, in his image and appointed us stewards of creation. God’s creation is thus a gift to enjoy as we work and care for it.
I call God the Father “Creator” because he made all things. He creates and sustains all things through his Word, and gives life to all creatures through his Spirit.
I call the Father “Almighty” because he has power over everything and accomplishes everything he wills. Together with his Son and Holy Spirit, the Father is all-knowing and ever present in every place.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the only divine Son of the Father. He called God “Father” and taught his disciples to do the same. God gives believers his Holy Spirit and adopts us as his children, enabling us to call him “Father.” When I call God “Father,” I declare that I was created for relationship with him, that I trust in God as my Protector and Provider, and that I put my hope in God as his child and heir in Christ.
God the Father is the first Person of the Holy Trinity, from whom the Son is eternally begotten and the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds.
God is both loving and holy. God mercifully redeems fallen creation, while righteously opposing all sin and evil. The Lord Jesus Christ is the fullest revelation of God’s holy love.
God is one divine Being eternally existing in three divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is the Holy Trinity.
The fourteen books of the Apocrypha, historically acknowledged by this church, are pre-Christian Jewish writings that provide background for the New Testament and are included in many editions of the Bible. They may be read as examples of faithful living but “not to establish any doctrine.”
Through Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit will teach, rebuke, correct, and train me in the righteousness that God desires. The prayerful study of Scripture forms me for life in Christ and theservice of God and my neighbor.
Because Holy Scripture was given by God to the Church, it should always be understood in ways that are faithful to its own plain meaning, to its entire teaching, and to the Church’s historic interpretation. It should be translated, read, taught, and obeyed accordingly.
The fullness of God’s revelation is found in Jesus Christ, who not only fulfills the Scriptures, but is himself God’s Word, the living expression of God’s mind. The Scriptures testify about him, “In the beginning was the Word,” and “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” ( John 1:1, 14). Therefore, “ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”
The Old Testament is to be read in the light of Christ, and the New Testament is to be read in light of God’s revelation to Israel. Thus the two form one Holy Scripture, which reveals the Person of Jesus Christ and his mighty works. As Saint Augustine says, “The New is in the Old concealed, the Old is in the New revealed.”
The thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and the twentyseven books of the New Testament together form the whole of Holy Scripture.
Holy Scripture is “God’s Word written” (Articles of Religion, 20), given by the Holy Spirit through prophets and apostles as the revelation of God and his acts in human history, and is therefore the Church’s final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
22: Why do you receive and believe these creeds? 23: Why should you know these creeds? 24 What is the Apostles’ Creed?
A creed is a statement of faith. The word “creed” comes from the Latin credo, which means “I believe.” The purpose of the creeds is to declare and safeguard for all generations essential truths about God, the Church, and the world, as revealed in Holy Scripture. Belief in the creeds signifies acceptance of God’s revealed truth and the intention to live by it. To reject any element of the creeds signifies a departure from the Christian faith.
The first Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Following this pattern, I will be transformed within the life of the Church through reading Scripture and receiving the sacraments; worship and prayer; fellowship with God’s people and loving witness to the world.
God desires to free me from captivity to sin and transform me into the image of Jesus Christ, by the power of his Holy Spirit.
God grants me reconciliation with him, forgiveness of my sins, union with him in Christ, adoption into his family, citizenship in his Kingdom, new life in the Holy Spirit, and the promise of eternal life.
After receiving instruction in the faith, I should be baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, thus joining his Body, the Church. If I have already been baptized, I should confess my sins, seek the guidance of a minister, affirm the promises made at my baptism, and take my place as a member of the Church.
With God’s help, I can acknowledge and turn from my sins, receive the gift of God’s grace in Jesus Christ, and embrace the new life he freely gives me.
To have faith means that I believe the Gospel is the truth: that Jesus died for my sins, rose from the dead, and rules over my life. Therefore, I entrust myself to him as my Savior, and I obey him as my Lord.
To repent means that I have a change of heart, turning from sinfully serving myself to serving God as I follow Jesus Christ. I need God’s help to make this change.
Question 10: How should you respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ? As soon as I receive and believe the Gospel, I should repent of…… Continue reading → E12: Q10: How should you respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
The introductory episode of a podcast on the finished Catechism of the Anglican Church in North America
No. The Apostle Peter said of Jesus, “There is salvation in no one else.” (Acts 4:12) Jesus is the only one who can save me and reconcile me to God.
Jesus is the eternal Son of God, the Savior of the world. Fully divine, he took on our human nature, died on the cross for our sins, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now rules as Lord and king over all creation.
Because he loves me, God saves me from sin and judgment, so that I may love and serve him for his glory.
God forgives my sins and reconciles me to himself through his Son Jesus Christ, whom he has given to the world as an undeserved gift of love. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
No. I have no power to save myself, for sin has corrupted my conscience, confused my mind, and captured my will. Only God can save me.
The way of death is a life without God’s love and Holy Spirit, a life controlled by things that cannot bring me eternal joy, leading only to darkness, misery and eternal condemnation.