THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM CLASS THREE. Romans 3:19-20

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1 THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM CLASS THREE Romans 3:19-20 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. May the Lord add His blessing to the reading and to the hearing of His Word. Heidelberg Catechism Part One: Misery. ********** Lord s Day 2 Questions and answers

2 Part I: Human Misery Lord s Day 2 Q. 3. How do you come to know your misery? A. The law of God tells me.¹ ¹ Rom. 3:20; 7:7-25 Q. 4. What does God s law require of us? A. Christ teaches us this in summary in Matthew 22 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.¹* This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.² All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. ¹ Deut. 6:5 ² Lev. 19:18 *Earlier and better manuscripts of Matthew 22 omit the words and with all your strength. They are found in Mark 12:30. Q. 5. Can you live up to all this perfectly? A. No.¹ I have a natural tendency to hate God and my neighbor.² ¹ Rom. 3:9-20, 23; 1 John 1:8, 10 ² Gen. 6:5; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 7:23-24; 8:7; Eph. 2:1-3; Titus 3:3 2

3 1. God reveals in His Word what He wants us to do. 2. We do not and cannot do it. 3. Therefore we know we are sinners. It is the Law that reveals to man his sin, therefore, revealing our miserable condition. The Westminster Shorter Catechism says it this way: Q. 17. Into what estate did the fall bring mankind? A. The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. (Gen. 3:16-19, 23; Rom. 3:16; 5:12; Eph. 2:1) The Scriptures abound with judicial terms like righteousness, judgement, condemnation, and Law. These terms serve to define the relationship between Creator and creature; between God and man. We have a Ruler, and we are the ruled. Hence, the valid concept of law. The most frequently used OT word translated law is the Hebrew torah, which originally signified authoritative instruction (cf: Proverbs 1:8). Therefore, law comes to have a wider meaning and sense, as that of all instruction from the Word, and therefore, synonymous with the whole counsel of God s revealed will: His Word; commandments; ways; judgments; and precepts. (See Gen. 26:5, Deut 29:29; and especially throughout Ps 119). In the NT, we have the Greek nomas used for the word torah (cf: Deut 27:26 in Gal. 3:10). Let s clarify one point. When reading Scripture (or any piece of literature), there are certain rules we must have in place in order to interpret rightly. The two biggies are context and authorial intent; what is the intended meaning? For our purposes, the word law can be used in several different contexts. It can certainly be used in the context of the Mosaic legislation. In fact, as we get deeper into the Catechism, the instructors will take us through the law contained in the 10 commandments. So what is meant by Question 3, when I read that I come to know my misery - because the law of God 3

4 tells me? I will not hesitate to admit that when I read through Jesus sermon on the mount (Mat. 5-7), I am convicted of my sin God s law is there. When I read through the Book of Proverbs, I am convicted of sin - God s law is there. When I read the accounts of the Patriarchs, David, and Solomon, I am convicted of sin God s law is there. So it is safe to say that God s law is revealed on every page, much the same way that Luther said Christ s blood was sprinkled on every page. God s law is the Word of God. Certain facts become clear. We would know nothing of God, His character or His law, apart from His revelation. Therefore, certainly our predicament is not irremediable. It is God that brings our dead-beat bones to life and gives to us that which we cannot do for ourselves He reinstates us back into fellowship with Him the Gospel. So we have a kind of premise one: The Law. And we have premise two: The Gospel. Therefore: The Word of God, by law, judicially reveals my guilt. Therein lies my misery: I am a condemned man. But at the same time, another Word comes into play that of forgiveness. God does not abandon me in my illusions and my ignorance. He opens my eyes to the Law and the Gospel by the Word of God. In summary: When the Catechism speaks here of law, it is referring to the Word of God, and how His Word continually reveals to us our wretched condition. The Word of God clearly reveals to us how we have broken God s commands, and destroyed the relationship we so desperately need with our Creator. This relationship is what we need in order to have peace with God. It s astonishing to realize, that in the same way the Word of God reveals our misery, it also reveals His forgiveness. We therefore have two things at work within the same framework: The Law of God that pronouncing judgment, and the Gospel that pronounces our pardon and re-instatement. We certainly are in a desperate situation, and God, by His grace, sets us free. The Law, therefore, reveals what God requires of us. Gospel, on the other hand, is what God does for us. With the Law 4

5 pointing to Christ, in a sense, the law is the Gospel. The Gospel is the good news granting us peace, which God permits us to enjoy on earth (here and now), as we wait for the reality of the glory to come (but not yet), as fellow heirs with Christ (Romans 8). Let s look again at question four, and comment: Q. 4. What does God s law require of us? A. Christ teaches us this in summary in Matthew 22 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.¹* This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.² All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. ¹ Deut. 6:5 ² Lev. 19:18 *Earlier and better manuscripts of Matthew 22 omit the words and with all your strength. They are found in Mark 12:30. Here we have what God requires of us. In Matthew 22 we read of an account where Jesus silenced the Sadducees. It sounds like they had thought they would surely catch Him with a question on marriage and the resurrection. It also sounds like their plan included fronting him out publically, as there was a crowd present and listening. Well, as it turned out, Jesus turned their question back at them and they were silenced, and I m sure humiliated. Upon hearing about this, the Pharisees thought they would take a shot, and putting forth one of their own (who happened to be an expert in Mosaic Law), and asked the question which provides our answer here for question 4 of the Catechism. Jesus presents a short string of pearls, linking Deuteronomy 6:5 with Leviticus 19:18. 5

6 Notice, that Deut. 6:5- "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Looking it up in my Greek text¹, it looks like Jesus gives a little glimpse into the meaning of might. The word Jesus uses in Mat. 22:37 refers to our understanding, and the affections of the heart. This explains why in our English Bibles we have the word mind. Jesus put it this way in Mat. 22:37: And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' So, going to Mark 12:30, we have: AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH. A very brief word on textual criticism: The New Testament that was in use back in the 16 th Century apparently had that tag-end to Mat. 22:37 and with all your strength which would explain the footnote in the question referencing Mark 12:30. This is not suprising, due to the limited number of extant manuscripts available at that time for translating. The phrase Earlier and better manuscripts, simply refers to the many, many copies of the Bible, in whole or in part that have been discovered thanks to discoveries in Biblical Archeology, in the centuries following. These more recent discoveries of much older copies, shine a brighter light on textual studies. We can now come much closer to reproducing what was originally written. Remember, before the 15 th Century, all Scripture was copied by hand, and sometimes mistakes were made. In some cases, it is certain that scribes may have attempted to harmonize passages by adding a detail here or there. Perhaps this was the case here with Mt 22:37. Since the publication of the Heidelberg Catechism, the older manuscripts that have been found of Matthew, simply do not have this small tag-end. It s not a matter of if Jesus said these words, as we can be sure He did, by reading them in Mark. The question is simply a matter of accuracy. It s the evidence gleaned from the older manuscripts that lead us to believe that those last 5 words were 6

7 not in the original Gospel of Matthew that s the only issue. So. Did Jesus say those words? I m sure He did we read them in Mark. Did Matthew record them? No, I don t think so. Does it matter? Nope. Well, off the subject, I know. I ll throw that in for free ********** Back to our string of pearls: Jesus gives us Deuteronomy 6:5 and connects it to Leviticus 19:18. We are to Love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. A string of pearls! Note that if we keep Deuteronomy 6:5 perfectly, we will keep the first 4 of the 10 commandments perfectly, and if we love our neighbor as ourselves perfectly, we will keep the last 6 of the 10 commandments perfectly. Thus we have; the Moral Law Westminster Confession of Faith 19.2 After the fall this law continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness and was given, as such, by God on Mount Sinai in the Ten Commandments, written on two tablets.¹ The first four commandments establish our obligations to God and the remaining six our obligations to human beings.² ¹ Jas 1.25, 2.8,10-12, Rom , Dt 5.32, 10.4, Ex 34.1, Rom 3.19, Gal 3.12, Hos 6.7, Gn ; compare Rom , 1 Cor 15.22, Lk , and the covenants made with Noah and Abraham; Gn 1.26, Dt 30.19, Jn 7.17, Rv 22.17, Jas ² Mt , Ex

8 By the way as we discussed in Chapter One, here we have Jesus demonstrating one of our fundamental elements to orthodoxy: a link to the past. Here, Jesus demonstrates the orthodoxy of His summary of the law, with a link to the past - On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets (Mt. 22:40) Just an observation ****************** Q. 5. Can you live up to all this perfectly? A. No.¹ I have a natural tendency to hate God and my neighbor.² ¹ Rom. 3:9-20, 23; 1 John 1:8, 10 ² Gen. 6:5; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 7:23-24; 8:7; Eph. 2:1-3; Titus 3:3 A most disturbing thing to say! Here now, we enter into the subject of anthropology, or, the doctrine of man. However, we are not speaking of man generally in question 5, but rather, of man in relation to God. Oh, how I wish I could be free from this body of death! It s laid out for us so plain - I know that if I could just love God as the Law tells me I ought, then there would be no sin in my life. If we truly loved God with ALL our hearts, we would love our neighbor more than ourselves. But to make matters worse, I am a Christian, and I still feel enslaved to sin. I ve been redeemed, Jesus has secured my pardon. I still sin. The same sins. Repentance comes much harder-especially concerning those repeating sins. My only word for this my friends, is that we must pray unceasingly. Pray for a true repentence. Repentance with tears (remember that?). Remember-repentance is a grace to pray for. Repentance is alien to our sin nature, repentance comes from God, and by His grace alone are we even aware of our sin. The Heidelberg Catechism lays it out for us here: we come to know our sin and misery from the Word of God. Do you see the value of such a study? I do, and am thankful for the shoulders I stand on such as these, to learn from those who have gone before us, as we reap the fruits of their study and hard work. 8

9 But if you don t, then know this: you can do nothing to wiggle our way into God s good graces How often do you rock yourselves to sleep thinking we ve merited God s favor insome way? It s non-sense. This is what the concept of Misery is all about: The deep and wide effects of sin, and the burden of guilt. [Romans 7:14-25] In closing, let us take up the word perfectly. Man is bound to obey God perfectly. My wife came up with a great analogy of the bug-zapper. There was a time when man could walk with God. Man enjoyed fellowship with his Creator, and as God was holy, so was man. But as the text tells us in Genesis 3, man fell into sin, and we, in Adam, fell too. Now, we face the holiness of God. Now, we cannot stand in His presence. On the contrary, we are all like scurvy little spiders approaching the perimeter of the zapper. Feel the contrast; we are darkness, God is unapproachable light. Get a little too close, and: ZAP! 9

10 For Further Study: Baptist Confession 6.4 The actual sins that men commit are the fruit of the corrupt nature transmitted to them by our first parents. By reason of this corruption, all men become wholly inclined to all evil; sin disables them. They are utterly indisposed to, and, indeed, rendered opposite to, all that is good. Matt. 15:19; Rom. 8:7; Col. 1:21; Jas. 1:14 Belgic Confession. Article 17 We believe that our good God, by his marvelous wisdom and goodness, seeing that man had plunged himself in this manner into both physical and spiritual death and made himself completely miserable, set out to find him, though man, trembling all over, was fleeing from him. And he comforted him, promising to give him his Son, born of a woman, ¹ to crush the head of the serpent,² and to make him blessed. ¹ Gal. 4:4 ² Gen. 3:15 ¹ 21 st Ed. Eberhard Nestle s Novum Testamentum Graece. 10