- #GC1 What is the chief end of human life? To know God.
- #GC2 Why do you say that? Because He created us and placed us in this world to be glorified in us. And it is indeed right that our life, of which He Himself is the beginning, should be devoted to His glory.
- #GC3 What is the sovereign good of man? The same thing.
- #GC4 Why do you hold that to be the sovereign good? Because without it our condition is more miserable than that of brute-beasts.
- #GC5 Hence, then, we see that nothing worse can happen to a man than to live without God? It is so.
- #GC6 What is the true and right knowledge of God? When we know Him in order that we may honour Him.
- #GC7 How do we honour Him aright? We put our reliance on Him, by serving Him in obedience to His will, by calling upon Him in all our need, seeking salvation and every good thing in Him, and acknowledging with heart and mouth that all...
- #GC8 To consider these things in order, and explain them more fully---what is the first point? To rely upon God.
- #GC9 How can we do that? First by knowing Him as almighty and perfectly good.
- #GC10 Is this enough? No.
- #GC11 Why? Because we are unworthy that He should show His power in helping us, or employ His goodness toward us.
- #GC12 What more then is required? That we be certain that He loves us, and desires to be our Father, and Saviour.
- #GC13 How do we know that? By His Word, in which He declares His mercy to us in Christ, and assures us of His love toward us.
- #GC14 Then the foundation for true reliance upon God is to know Him in Jesus? Christ [John 17:3] That is true.
- #GC15 What then briefly is the substance of this knowledge? It is contained in the Confession of Faith used by all Christians. It is commonly called the Apostles' Creed, because it is a summary of the true faith which has always been held in Christ's Church, a...
- #GC16 Recite it. I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate...
- #GC17 In order to expound this confession in detail, into how many parts do we divide it? Into four principal parts.
- #GC18 What are they? The first is about God the Father; the second about His Son Jesus Christ, which also includes the whole history of our redemption; the third is about the Holy Spirit; the fourth is about the Church, a...
- #GC19 Since there is but one God, why do you mention the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are three? Because in the one essence of God, we have to look on the Father as the beginning and origin, and the first cause of all things; then the Son, who is Eternal Wisdom; and the Holy Spirit who is His vir...
- #GC20 You mean then that there is no objection to our understanding that these three persons are distinctly in one Godhead, that therefore God in not therefore divided? Just so.
- #GC21 Now repeat the first part? "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth."
- #GC22 Why do you call Him Father? It is with reference to Christ who is His eternal Word, begotten of Him before time, and being sent into this world was demonstrated and declared to be His Son. But since God is the Father of Jesus Ch...
- #GC23 In what sense do you mean that He is Almighty? That does not mean that He has a power which He does not exercise, but that He disposes all things by His Providence, governs the world by His will, ruling all as it seems good to Him.
- #GC24 You mean that the power of God is not idle, but consider rather that His hand is always engaged in working, so that nothing is done except through Him, with His permission and His decree? It is so.
- #GC25 Why do you add that He is Creator of heaven and earth? Because He has manifested Himself to us by works [Ps 104; Rom 1:20] we ought to seek Him in them. Our mind cannot comprehend His essence. But the world is for us like a mirror in which we may contempl...
- #GC26 Do you not understand by "heaven and earth" all other creatures Yes indeed; under these two words all are included, because they are all heavenly and earthly.
- #GC27 But why do you call God a Creator only, seeing that it is much more to uphold and preserve creatures in their state, than to have once created them? This term does not signify that God brought His works into being at a single stroke, and then left them without a care for them. We ought rather to understand, that as the world was made by God in the...
- #GC28 But what about wicked men and devils Are they also subject to Him? Although He does not guide them by His Holy Spirit, nevertheless He curbs them by His power, so that they cannot budge unless He permits them. He even constrains them to execute His will, although it...
- #GC29 What good do you derive from the knowledge of this fact? Very Much. It would go ill with us if devils and wicked men had power to do anything in spite of the will of God. Moreover we could never be at rest in our minds if we were exposed to them in danger,...
- #GC30 Let us now come to the second part? "And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord", etc.
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