Lesson 13: Redemption Applied By God Through The Holy Spirit: The Benefits Of Redemption
Introduction
Hello, and welcome back to An Introduction to the Christian Faith. Here in lesson 13, we will consider Baptist Catechism questions 35-43. This is a wonderfully encouraging section of our catechism. Here, the benefits of the redemption that Christ has earned — that is to say, the benefits enjoyed by those who are united to Christ by faith — are listed and explained.
Question 35: What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life?
Answer: They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them.
Baptist Catechism question 35 asks, What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life? Answer: They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them.
Notice a few things about this question and answer.
Firstly, notice the phrase, They that are effectually called. This phrase is to remind us of all we learned in the previous lesson from Baptist Catechism questions 32-34. I will not rehash all of that teaching here. I do think it would be helpful, though, to remind you of Baptist Catechism 34. It asks, What is effectual calling?, and answers, Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel. So, here in Baptist Catechism 35, the question is, what benefits come to those who are effectually called, that is to say, to those who embrace, or have faith in, Jesus Christ?
Secondly, it is important to know that the word “benefits” means blessings or advantages. So the question is, what blessings come to those who have faith in Christ?
Thirdly, notice that this question focuses our attention on the benefits those who have faith in Christ enjoy in this life. Question 40 will ask, What benefits do believers receive from Christ at their death? Question 41 will ask, What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection? With the help of these questions and answers we will learn that Christ blesses his people with many blessings now, at the moment of death, on the last day, and for all eternity.
Fourthly, notice that Baptist Catechism 35 lists three main benefits enjoyed in this life by those who have faith in Christ. They are justification, adoption, and sanctification. I like to think of these as fountainhead blessings. They are the main blessings that Christ gives his people, but from them, many other blessings flow. And that is what our catechism means when it says, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them.
Fifthly, notice that Baptist Catechism questions 36-39 will elaborate on this question and answer. Question 36 asks, What is justification? Question 37 asks, What is adoption? Question 38 asks, What is sanctification? And finally, Question 39 asks, What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification?
Question 36: What is justification?
Answer: Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.
Let’s now move on to question 36. It asks, what is justification? Answer: Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.
It would be difficult to overstate just how important the answer to this question about justification is. Those who have studied theology and who have some knowledge of church history will know that differences of opinion over the question of justification were at the heart of the Protestant Reformation. Is justification something we earn by our good works or obedience, or is it received by the grace of God alone through faith in Christ alone? The Reformed were insistent that we are justified by the grace of God alone through faith in Christ alone, and that is what our catechism teaches. As usual, every word and phrase in this brief answer is important. Let us now consider the answer with care.
Firstly, our catechism tells us who justifies. It says that justification is an act of God’s free grace. We will learn what justification is in just a moment. For now, it is very important to see that, whatever it is, it is something that God does. Justification is not something that we do. We do not, in any way, shape, or form, justify ourselves or contribute to our justification. Justification is an act of God. When our catechism says that justification is an act, it is to be understood that it happens in a moment. In other words, justification is not a work in progress. Those who are justified, go from being not justified at all to fully justified in a moment. Lastly, justification is said to be an act of God’s free grace. This means it is a gift freely given by God. In no way is it a wage that can be earned.
Romans 3:23-24 clearly teaches this. It says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 3:23–24, ESV). Now listen also to Romans 4:4-6: “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works…” (Romans 4:4–6, ESV). In the first passage, God’s Word clearly states that justification is a gift from God. In the second passage, Paul makes the simple point that wages are earned, but gifts can only be received. Justification is a gift from God. We cannot in any way earn it. It can only be received.
Secondly, our catechism tells us what justification is. Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us…
Three aspects of justification are mentioned here.
One, when God justifies a sinner he graciously pardons all their sins. To pardon is to forgive, absolve, or excuse. “Pardon”, it should be noted, is a legal term. When we think of justification, it is right to picture a courtroom with God as the judge. When God justifies a sinner, he pardons them. This means, he forgives all their sins and declares them to be not guilty. Ephesians 1:7 says, “In [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…” (Ephesians 1:7, ESV). How is it possible for God to pardon guilty sinners and yet remain just? It is possible because Jesus Christ paid the penalty for the sins of his people when he died on the cross. His blood was poured out as an atonement for the sins of God’s elect (see Romans 3:26).
Two, when God justifies a sinner he imputes the righteousness of Christ to them. To impute is to attribute or accredit. Jesus Christ stands righteous before God all on his own. Never did he sin. He was faithful to do what God comma nded him to do. But we must remember that Christ lived, died, and rose again, not for himself only, but for all whom the Father gave to him in eternity. When God justifies a sinner, the righteousness of Christ is imputed or given to them. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV). This principle of imputation should sound familiar to you. We encountered it for the first time when we talked about Adam’s fall into sin and how that affected the whole human race. Adam lived as a federal head of the human race. His sin and guilt were imputed to all he represented. Jesus Christ is also a federal head. His righteousness is imputed to all he represents. This is what Paul teaches in Romans 5:19, saying, “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19, ESV).
Three, when God justifies a sinner he graciously accepts them as righteous in his sight. We have learned in earlier lessons that we are not righteous in God’s sight because of our sins. But when God justifies a sinner, he sees them as righteous.
These three aspects of justification can be illustrated by a man wearing filthy clothes. He is in no condition to stand before the King. But the King wishes to bring the man into his presence. So the King commands that his servants remove his filthy clothes, bathe him, and give him a new set of clothes — gleaming white garments — taken from the closet of his only Son. In this way, through the process of removing the old dingy garments and replacing them with new, gleaming white garments, the man is made acceptable to the King. When the King looks upon the man now, it’s as if he is looking upon the radiant purity of his own Son. This is what happens in justification. Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us.
Thirdly, our catechism tells us how justification is received. It is a gift, remember. Gifts cannot be earned. They must be received. How is this gracious gift of justification received? Our catechism is very right to say, by faith alone.
In Philippians 3:8-9, Paul the Apostle speaks of the incredible worth of justification. There he also tells us how it is received. He says, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith…” (Philippians 3:8–9, ESV). I trust you can see that justification is not a wage to be earned, but a gift from God that can be received through faith in Christ alone. Faith is the open hand that receives the gift of justification that is offered to sinners in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Question 37: What is adoption?
Answer: Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God.
Let us now move on to question 37. It asks, What is adoption?, and answers, Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God.
If justification should cause us to think of a courtroom with God as judge, adoption should cause us to think of a dining room with God as Father. Justification is legal. Adoption is legal, too, but in the end it is familial. God justifies sinners, not to send them away as pardoned orphans. No, he justifies them so that he might adopt them into his family. If justification seems somewhat cold to you, the doctrine of adoption will fix that. Adoption is warm, loving, relational, and familial. Those who have faith in Christ are not only justified, they are also adopted into the family of God.
What is adoption? Notice a few things.
Firstly, our catechism tells us who adopts. Adoption, we are told, is an act of God’s free grace. Like with justification, adoption is something God does. We do not adopt ourselves or contribute to our adoption in any way. And like with justification, adoption is an act. When our catechism says that adoption is an act, it is to be understood that it happens in a moment. In other words, adoption is not a work in progress. Also, adoption is said to be an act of God’s free grace. This means it is a gift freely given by God. In no way can it be earned.
Secondly, our catechism describes the result of adoption as being received into the number. This means those who believe in Christ are numbered as one of God’s children. Our catechism lists John 1:12 as a proof text. It says, “But to all who did receive [Christ], who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12, ESV).
Thirdly, our catechism tells us that those who are adopted by God and received into the number have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. Romans 8:14-17 is listed as a proof text. There Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, saying, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:14–17, ESV). According to this text, those adopted by God through faith in Christ have the privilege of calling God, “Father”. The Spirit comforts the believer by testifying to their spirit (or soul) that they are children of God. And as children of God, we are heirs of God — co-heirs of Christ. An heir inherits the riches of another. Children are typically heirs of their parents. If the parent is wealthy, the children will inherit the wealth of their parents when the parent passes away. Here, Paul reminds us that we are heirs of God. This is a metaphorical way of saying that God bestows his riches and blessings on his children. More precisely, God the Father blessed Christ the Son when he raised him from the dead and transferred him to glory. And all who have faith in Christ are co-heirs with Christ.
Some may wonder why adoption is necessary. Are we not God’s children by nature? Well, there is a sense in which God is the Father of all. He is the Father of all in that he is the creator and sustainer of all. But we cannot forget about man’s fall into sin. When Adam sinned, mankind’s relationship to God changed. No longer are we by nature beloved children. To use the language of Paul from Ephesians 2:3, we are now “by nature children of wrath”. This is why adoption is necessary. When a sinner trusts in Christ, they are justified, forgiven, and cleansed, so that they might be adopted as God’s beloved children.
Question 38: What is sanctification?
Answer: Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.
Now we come to the third main benefit enjoyed in this life by those who have faith in Christ: sanctification. Question 38 of our catechism asks, What is sanctification?, and answers, Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.
Notice a few things about sanctification.
Firstly, sanctification is said to be the work of God’s free grace. Who is the one who sanctifies? God sanctifies his people. And why does he sanctify? Our catechism is right to say that it is by his free grace. Like with justification and adoption, sanctification is a gift that God freely gives. It is not based upon anything deserving (meritorious) within us. But perhaps you noticed something a little different about sanctification. Whereas justification and adoption are said to be acts of God’s free grace, sanctification is a work of God’s free grace. This is an important observation. Justification and adoption are acts of God because God alone justifies and adopts his people, and he does these things in an instant. There is nothing ongoing or progressive about the acts of justification and adoption. But sanctification is a called work of God. I think we are to take this to mean that it is a work in progress and a work that God does in us, as we will soon see.
Secondly, our catechism describes what God does in those who have faith in Christ when he sanctifies them. Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, our catechism says.
This little phrase, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, is loaded with meaning. It should remind us of what Baptist Catechism 13 taught us about the original creation of man. How did God create man? Answer: God created man, male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. This phrase should also remind us of what Baptist Catechism 21 taught us about man’s fall into sin and its effects. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell? Answer: The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it. So, man’s nature was upright, perfect, and pure when God first made him, but when Adam fell into sin, human nature was corrupted. We should also remember Baptist Catechism 34. There we learned about effectual calling. What is effectual calling? Answer: Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel. When God effectually calls sinners, he gives them new life (see John 3). He enlightens the mind and renews the will. Stated differently, when God effectually calls a sinner, he gives them new birth to make them willing and able to believe. Without this regeneration or new birth, no one can turn from their sin and to Christ, for we are by nature, blind, deaf, and dead, spiritually because of sin (see Colossians 2:13). All of this is true. But it would be a mistake to think that God’s work of renewal is completed in an instant. No. Although effectual calling and regeneration are completed in an instant, God’s work of renewal is progressive and ongoing. It lasts a lifetime. This is what we call sanctification.
All of this can be compared to physical birth and growth. Effectual calling and regeneration can be compared to conception. At conception, a new human life is brought into the world in an instant. But there is a great deal of growth to take place after conception, and this may be compared to the spiritual process of sanctification. Sanctification is the process of spiritual renewal. It lasts a lifetime.
Thirdly, our catechism describes what those who are sanctified are enabled to do, by God’s grace. Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness. So you can see that sanctification is not only an act that God does to us but a work that God does in us. Stated differently, unlike with justification and adoption, we do have a role to play in our sanctification. In sanctification, God, by his grace, enables us more and more to die to sin and to live to righteousness. Who, I ask you, is to die to sin and live to righteousness? We are. This is a work that we must do. But it is a work that God, by his grace, enables us to do.
This is precisely what the Scriptures teach. Listen to Philippians 2:12-13. Here Paul exhorts Christians, saying, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12–13, ESV). Who obeys? Who is to work out their salvation with fear and trembling? Who is to will and work for God’s good pleasure? We are. But all of this is made possible by God’s work in us.
From time to time in this study through our catechism I have made mention of our confession of faith, the Second London Confession. Our catechism summarizes our confession, remember? Reading our confession alongside our catechism can be a very helpful exercise. In fact, I would recommend that you read Second London Confession chapters 10-13 alongside Baptist Catechism questions 34-38. Here in these sections, both documents deal with effectual calling, justification, adoption, and sanctification. I appreciate what our confession of faith says about sanctification. I’d like to read it to you now.
Chapter 13 of our confession is entitled Of Sanctification.
Paragraph 1 says, They who are united to Christ, effectually called, and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them through the virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection, are also farther sanctified, really and personally, through the same virtue, by His Word and Spirit dwelling in them; the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified, and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of all true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.
Paragraph 2 says, This sanctification is throughout, in the whole man, yet imperfect in this life; there abideth still some remnants of corruption in every part, whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war; the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.
Paragraph 3 says, In which war, although the remaining corruption for a time may much prevail, yet, through the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome; and so the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, pressing after an heavenly life, in evangelical obedience to all the commands which Christ, as Head and King, in His Word hath prescribed to them.
This is a wonderful description of sanctification. If you have been effectually called by God’s Word and Spirit to faith in Christ, you are justified and adopted. This is finished. Your justification and adoption cannot be increased or diminished. And if you are a justified and adopted child of God, God the Father is sanctifying you now, by his grace. You are being renewed in the whole man after the image of God. God is doing this work in you. By his Word and Spirit, he is enabling you to put to death the deeds of the flesh and to live a holy life before him. I do appreciate that our confession describes this as a war. Sometimes we win. Sometimes we lose. Sometimes the battle is really hard. But we believe the promise of God’s Word, “that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6, ESV). Thanks be to God, he will finish the work he started in us, by his grace.
Question 39: What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification?
Answer: The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Spirit, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end.
Much more could be said about the fountainhead blessings of justification, adoption, and sanctification. For the sake of time, we need to move on to Baptist Catechism 39. It follows up on the last sentence of the answer to Baptist Catechism 35 by asking, What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification? Answer: The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Spirit, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end.
Five benefits are mentioned. With just a little bit of reflection, I trust you will be able to see how each of these five benefits are related to the main benefits of justification, adoption, and sanctification.
Firstly, those who are justified and adopted, and are being sanctified by God’s grace through faith in Christ, may be assured of God’s love. To be assured of God’s love is to be confident and convinced that God loves you. There are a few things about assurance you should know. One, assurance is possible in this life. Two, this sense of assurance does not come to the Christian automatically. In other words, true Christians might sometimes doubt if God loves them. Three, Christians should pursue this sense of assurance. Four, this sense of assurance might sometimes be strong and at other times weak. Five, the reasons for a lack of assurance are many. The Second London Confession Of Faith devotes an entire chapter to this doctrine of assurance. I would encourage you to read it sometime soon. In chapter 18 paragraph 3, some reasons for the lack of assurance are listed. There we read, “True believers may have the assurance of their salvation [in a variety of] ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin which woundeth the conscience and grieveth the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation, by God’s withdrawing the light of his countenance, and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light, yet are they never destitute of the seed of God and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart and conscience of duty out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may in due time be revived, and by the which, in the meantime, they are preserved from utter despair.” That, I think, is a very good and helpful summary of the reasons this sense of assurance may sometimes be lost or diminished. Six, the ways of growing in your sense of assurance concerning God’s love for you are many. One, it is important to start, not by looking at yourself, but at Christ who lived, died, and rose again for you. God loves you in Christ, remember? Two, it is important to meditate on the promises found in God’s word. For example, John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, ESV). And in John 6:37 we hear Christ say, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37, ESV). Thirdly, it is good and right to pray to God and to ask him to give you this sense of assurance by his Holy Spirit. For it is the “Spirit himself [who] bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16, ESV). Fourthly, Christians should strive to obey God and avoid sin. Sin wounds the conscience. Obedience to God is evidence of our salvation. This is what John meant when he wrote, “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments” (1 John 2:3, ESV). That verse is about assurance. When we turn from sin and keep God’s commandments, it is powerful evidence that we have been reborn, justified, adopted, and are being sanctified. Stated negatively, when a Christian lives in unrepentant sin, it is no wonder they begin to doubt whether they are saved. Though true Christians do sin, they will not continue in it. Instead, they will struggle against it and should experience progress in their sanctification over time. We are not saved because we are sanctified. Instead, we are sanctified because we are saved. Our growth in holiness is a powerful testimony to our true salvation in Christ Jesus. Again, I do encourage you to read Second London Confession chapter 18. I also encourage you to read Benjamin Beddome’s comments on Baptist Catechism 39? I think they are very helpful. For now, I hope you can see how a proper understanding of the doctrines of justification, adoption, and sanctification will help you to grow in your sense of assurance of God’s love for you. First, these doctrines, when properly understood, should cause us to look away from ourselves to God and Christ to consider what God has done to save us from our sins. Only after this should we look at ourselves to consider the progress we have made in our sanctification as evidence of God’s redeeming work within us. And do not forget, your sanctification is by the grace of God too.
Secondly, those who are justified and adopted by God and are being sanctified by God’s grace through faith in Christ, should have peace of conscience. We should be at peace knowing that our sins have been forgiven and that we are clothed in Christ’s righteousness. Again, I will encourage you to read Beddome along with the scriptural proof texts he gives.
Thirdly, those who are justified and adopted by God and are being sanctified by God’s grace through faith in Christ, ought to have joy in the Holy Spirit. Psalm 32:1-2 comes to mind. There David says, “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit” (Psalm 32:1–2, ESV). To be blessed is to be truly and deeply happy or joyous. Those who are justified and adopted and are being sanctified in Christ have every reason to be joyous.
Fourthly, those who are justified and adopted by God and are being sanctified by God’s grace through faith in Christ will increase in grace. This means they will, by God’s grace, grow in maturity and holiness over time. This is one of the wonderful blessings that flows from justification, adoption, and sanctification in this life. In 2 Peter 3:18 we are exhorted to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18, ESV). And in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, we find a kind of benediction wherein the Apostle Paul blesses the Christians in Thessalonica, saying, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23, ESV).
Fifthly, those who are justified and adopted by God and are being sanctified by God’s grace through faith in Christ will persevere to the end. God will preserve his elect, and this he will do by graciously enabling his elect to persevere. Brothers and sisters, we must persevere in the faith. We must trust that God will preserve us. To quote again Philippians 1:6, we trust “that he who began a good work in [us] will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6, ESV).
If it is true that all who are justified, adopted, and sanctified will persevere to the end, how are we to understand those who profess faith in Christ and then fall away? I do believe that 1 John 2:19 addresses this question. There John speaks of those who have abandoned the faith, saying, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19, ESV). There is such a thing as a false profession of faith. Those who abandon the faith are to be regarded as false professors. It is not that they lost their justification, adoption, and sanctification, but that they never truly had these things. Their departure from the faith reveals that their religious profession was merely external all along.
Question 40: What benefits do believers receive from Christ at their death?
Answer: The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection.
As we move on to question 40, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that our focus shifts from the blessings those who are united to Christ by faith enjoy in this life, to the blessing enjoyed at the moment of death.
Question 40 asks, What benefits do believers receive from Christ at their death? Answer: The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection.
As we consider this answer, it should be remembered that human beings are body and soul. The body is the physical part of our nature. The soul is the invisible and spiritual part. The parts of the soul are the mind, affections, and the will the affections are the motions of the will).
Our catechism is right to teach that when those united to Christ by faith die, their soul is made perfect in holiness, and immediately passes into glory. Stated differently, at the moment of death, the souls of those who have faith in Christ go immediately into the presence of God in heaven. The phrase, “made perfect in holiness”, means that in this state of being, the Christian will no longer sin. The soul will be perfected. All of the remaining corruption will have been purged. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul the Apostle speaks of this great transition wherein the soul departs the body. In verse 8 he says, “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8, ESV). So, when the soul departs the body at the moment of death, it does not sleep or drift off into the abyss. Instead, the souls of those who have faith in Christ go into the very presence of God in heaven.
If the souls of believers go immediately into the presence of God at death, where do their bodies go? Our catechism is right to say, their bodies being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection. We will talk about the resurrection of the body in just a moment. For now, I wish to draw your attention to the little phrase, being still united to Christ. What is the meaning of this? The meaning is that Christ has redeemed his people as whole persons, body and soul. And though it is true that the bodies of the believers are at death laid in the grave, they are not abandoned there, for we are united to Christ as whole persons. The body of the believer is at death laid to rest in the grave. But it is not abandoned. It is still united to Christ. From there it will be raised.
Question 41: What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?
Answer: At the resurrection believers, being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged, and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed, both in soul and body, in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity.
Question 41 then asks, What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection? Answer: At the resurrection believers, being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged, and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed, both in soul and body, in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity.
When will this resurrection take place? It will happen on the last day when Christ returns to judge and to make all things new. Paul speaks of the resurrection of the believer in Romans 8:11, saying, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11, ESV). 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is also about the resurrection on the last day. There Paul says, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep [who have died], that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, ESV).
On the last day when Christ returns, the dead in Christ will be raised bodily and reunited with their souls. Those who are alive when the Lord returns will be immediately glorified – they will be caught up to be with the Lord in the air. The final judgment will also occur on the last day. Listen to what our catechism teaches concerning the believer and the final judgment. Believers, being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged, and acquitted in the day of judgment, our catechism says. The words, “openly acknowledged” mean that believers will be openly acknowledged as the adopted children of God in Christ Jesus. The words “openly acquitted” mean that believers will be publicly declared to be not guilty. I trust you can see the connection between these things and the doctrines of justification adoption. Believers enjoy the benefits of justification and adoption in this life. On the last day, at the final judgment, believers will be openly (publically) acknowledged to be God’s children and openly (publically) acquitted or declared innocent. This is possible, remember, only because of what Christ has done.
Our catechism goes on to teach that it will be on this last day that believers will be made perfectly blessed. Will believers be blessed in the presence of God in their souls after they die and before the resurrection day? Yes. But they will not be perfectly blessed in that state of being, for they will be incomplete. As has been said, human beings are body and soul. To exist in the presence of God in the soul will be a great blessing, but it will fall short of perfection. Everything will be brought to perfection on the last day when our bodies are raised and reunited with our souls.
On the last day, the believer will be made perfectly blessed, both in soul and body, in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity. Some, I am afraid, imagine that our eternal existence in the presence of God will be a spiritual, soulish, existence only. That is not true. Christ came to redeem us body and soul. In fact, he redeemed all of creation so that, in the end, there will be new heavens and earth (see Isaiah 65:17, Isaiah 66:22, 2 Peter 3:13). This is what is described in Revelation 21 where John says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…” (Revelation 21:1, ESV). Heaven is a spiritual place now, but Christ has earned a new heavens and earth. He has redeemed his people to dwell in the presence of God forever, body and soul.
Question 42: But what shall be done to the wicked at their death?
Answer: The souls of the wicked shall, at their death, be cast into the torments of hell, and their bodies lie in their graves, till the resurrection and judgment of the great day.
Question 43: What shall be done to the wicked, at the day of judgment?
Answer: At the day of judgment the bodies of the wicked, being raised out of their graves, shall be sentenced, together with their souls, to unspeakable torments with the devil and his angels for ever.
Questions 42 and 43 teach us about what the Bible says will happen to the wicked, that is to say, to those who do not have faith in Christ, at the moment of death and at the resurrection. These questions and answers may be viewed from two perspectives. On the one hand, they may be viewed as a warning to the non-believer concerning their destiny should they refuse to turn from their sins and to believe in Jesus and, therefore, die in their sins. On the other hand, these questions and answers may be viewed from the perspective of the believer in Jesus Christ to remind us of what it is that we have been saved from.
Question 42 asks, But what shall be done to the wicked at their death? Answer: The souls of the wicked shall, at their death, be cast into the torments of hell, and their bodies lie in their graves, till the resurrection and judgment of the great day. Question 43 asks, What shall be done to the wicked, at the day of judgment? Answer: At the day of judgment the bodies of the wicked, being raised out of their graves, shall be sentenced, together with their souls, to unspeakable torments with the devil and his angels for ever.
This is the clear teaching of Holy Scripture (see Luke 16:22-24, Revelation 20:12–13). In John 5:28 we hear Christ say, “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29, ESV). In 2 Thessalonians 1:9 Paul speaks of those who reject the gospel and die in their sins, saying, “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might…” (2 Thessalonians 1:9, ESV). These are the eternal miseries that Christ came to rescue his people from.
Conclusion
As we move this lesson toward a conclusion, I wish to leave you with this thought: These wonderful blessings that believers enjoy in this life, at death, and at the resurrection, were earned and are made available to us by Christ the Redeemer. We have come now to the end of the second major section of our catechism wherein we have been taught what we are to believe concerning God. I would encourage you to review questions 7 – 43 of our catechism. There you will be reminded of God’s creation and covenant, man’s fall into sin, the salvation that God has accomplished through Christ the Son, and applied to his elect by his Word and Spirit. As you consider this story, all of your attention should be directed toward Jesus Christ, the only Redeemer of God’s elect. I hope and pray that you are trusting in him.
Well, that will do it for this lesson. Until next time, abide in Christ.
