The Apostles Creed and the Almighty Nature of God the Father:
Lord's Day 10 (Heidelberg Catechism)
Compiled by Marissa Namirr and Joy Dudley
The Creed begins this way:
“I believe in God the Father Almighty…”
Caspar Olevianus, co-author of the Heidelberg Catechism, in discussing the almighty nature of God, affirms this Christian conviction,
He says,
It is in the context of God’s power and omnipotence that the Reformers understood God’s care and providence for His creatures and most especially for His beloved children. Reference Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 1, in which we are thus comforted: "...that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation," in addition to Lord's Day 10:
27.
Q. What do you understand by the providence of God?
A.God's providence is
his almighty and ever present power,
whereby, as with his hand, he still upholds
heaven and earth and all creatures,
and so governs them that
leaf and blade,
rain and drought,
fruitful and barren years,
food and drink,
health and sickness,
riches and poverty,
indeed, all things,
come to us not by chance
but by his fatherly hand.
28.
Q. What does it benefit us to know that God has created all things and still upholds them by
his providence?
A. We can be patient in adversity,
thankful in prosperity,
and with a view to the future
we can have a firm confidence
in our faithful God and Father
that no creature shall separate us
from his love;
for all creatures are so completely in his hand
that without his will
they cannot so much as move.
To prove the point, the writers call to mind this grand assurance from the pen of the Apostle Paul:
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8)
And from the Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism, Ursinus writes:
"It is necessary that the doctrine of the creation of all things and of the providence of God shall be known and held:
On account of our consolation and salvation, that we may by this means be led, in the first place, to exercise patience in adversity; for whatever comes to pass is by the will and counsel of God, and is profitable for us, that we ought patiently to bear.
But all things, even those that are evil, happen by the counsel and will of God, and are profitable unto us. Therefore we ought to bear these patiently, and in all things consider and recognize the fatherly will of God towards us. Secondly, that in prosperity we may be thankful to God for the benefits received: for from whom we receive all good things, temporal as well as spiritual, great as well as small, to him we ought to be grateful. Now it is from God, the author of all good gifts, that we have all that we enjoy. Therefore we ought to be thankful to him, that is, we ought to acknowledge and celebrate his benefits. For gratitude bases itself upon the will and justice of God; and so consists in acknowledging and celebrating his benefits towards us, and in making suitable returns for the same. Thirdly, that we may entertain a good hope in regard to all things which may hereafter befall us so as to rest fully assured that {164} if God by his providence has so far delivered us out of past evils, he will also in future make all things subservient to our salvation, and never so desert us that we perish. In short, the ends of the doctrine of divine providence are: the glory of God patience in adversity thankfulness in prosperity, and hope in regard to future things.
Hebrews: 1: 3 – he is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and ***he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high... [emphasis mine].
In closing, meditate on the gracious providence of God *our Father, the Almighty by reading Article 13 from the Belgic Confession.
"This doctrine gives us unspeakable comfort
since it teaches us
that nothing can happen to us by chance
but only by the arrangement of our gracious
heavenly Father,
who watches over us with fatherly care,
sustaining all creatures under his lordship,
so that not one of the hairs on our heads
(for they are all numbered)
nor even a little bird
can fall to the ground
without the will of our Father.20
In this thought, we rest,
knowing that God holds in check
the devils and all our enemies,
who cannot hurt us
without divine permission and will."
Meditation Monday #3: "I believe in God the Father Almighty..." : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK2aGjyshiw&t=34s&ab_channel=Marissa
Sourced Material:
1. Heidelberg Catechism: http://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/
2. THE COMMENTARY OF DR. ZACHARAIAS URSINUS ON THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM: http://www.rcus.org/.../UrsinusZ_HC-Commentary-17-NEW-HC.pdf
3. Know the Creeds and Councils (KNOW Series): Justin S. Holcomb
4. We Believe: Recovering the Essentials of the Apostles' Creed: Michael Horton
5. An Exposition of the Apostles’ Creed: by Caspar Olevianus
No comments:
Post a Comment