- #GC121 But after God has once received us, are the works which we do by His grace, not pleasing to Him? Yes, they are, in that He generously accepts them, not however in virtue of their own worthiness.
- #GC122 How is that Are they not accepted as worthy, seeing that they proceed from the Holy Spirit? No. For there is always some weakness in them, the weakness of our flesh, through which they are defiled.
- #GC123 By what means, the, are they made acceptable? It is by faith. That is to say, that a person is assured in his conscience that God will not examine him harshly, but covering his defects and impurities by the purity of Jesus Christ, He will regard...
- #GC124 But can we say from this that a Christian man is justified by works after God has called him, or that through them he merits the love of God, and so obtains eternal life? No. On the contrary, it is said that no man living will be justified in His sight (Ps 143:2). Therefore we have to pray that He will not enter into judgment with us, nor call us to account.
- #GC125 You do not mean therefore that the good works of believers are useless? No. For God promises to reward them fully, both in this world and in Paradise. But this comes from His gratuitous love toward us: moreover He buries all our faults, so as never to remember them.
- #GC126 But can we believe that we are justified, without doing good works? That is impossible. For to believe in Jesus Christ is to receive Him as He has given Himself to us. He promises not only to deliver us from death and restore us to favour with God His Father, through...
- #GC127 Faith, then, not only does not make us careless of good works, but is the root from which they are produced? It is so, and for this reason, the doctrine of the Gospel is comprehended in these two points, faith and repentance.
- #GC128 What is repentance? Dissatisfaction with and a hatred of evil and a love good proceeding from the fear of God, and inducing us to mortify our flesh, so that we may be governed and led by the Holy Spirit, in the service o...
- #GC129 But this second point we have mentioned concerning the Christian life? Yes, and we said that the true and legitimate service of God is to obey His will.
- #GC130 Why? Because He will not be served according to our own imagination, but in the way that pleases Him. II. The Law
- #GC131 What rule has He given us by which we may direct our life? His law.
- #GC132 What does it contain? It is divided into two parts: the first contains four commandments, the other six. Thus there are ten in all.
- #GC133 Who made this division? God Himself, who delivered it to Moses written on two table, and declared that it was reduced into ten words. (Exo 32:15; 34:29; Deu 4:13; 10:1).
- #GC134 What is the content of the first table? The Way of the true worship of God.
- #GC135 And the second? How we are to live with our neighbours, and what we owe them.
- #GC136 Repeat the first commandment? Hear, O Israel, I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage: thou shalt have no other gods before Me (Exo 20:2-3; Deu 5:6-7).
- #GC137 Explain the meaning? At first He makes a kind of preface for the whole law. For in calling Himself the Eternal and the Creator of the world, He claims authority to command. Then He declares that He is our God, in order th...
- #GC138 But is not that which He says after the deliverance from the land of Egypt, addressed particularly to the people of Israel? Yes, it does refer to the physical deliverance of Israel, but it also applies to us all in a general way, in that He has delivered our souls from the spiritual captivity of sin, and the tyranny of the...
- #GC139 Why does He mention this at the beginning of His law? To remind us how much we are bound to obey His good pleasure, and what gratitude it should be on our part if we do the contrary.
- #GC140 And what does He require briefly in this first commandment? That we reserve for Him alone the honour that belongs to Him, and do not transfer it elsewhere.
- #GC141 What is the honour due Him? To adore Him alone, to call upon Him, to have our affiance in Him, and all similar things due to His majesty.
- #GC142 Why is it said "Before my face" Since He who sees and knows all is the judge of the secret thoughts of men, it means that He wants to be worshiped as God, not only by outward confession, but also in pure trust and affection of heart...
- #GC143 Turn to the second Commandment? Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any form that is in heaven above, or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not do honour to them.
- #GC144 Does He entirely forbid us to make any image? No, but He forbids us to make any image with which to represent God, or to worship Him.
- #GC145 Why is it unlawful to represent God visibly? Because there is no resemblance between Him who is eternal Spirit and incomprehensible, and corporal, dead, corruptible and visible matter (Deu 4:15; Isa 40:7; Rom 1:23; Acts 17:24-25).
- #GC146 You think then that it does dishonour to His majesty to represent Him in this way? Yes.
- #GC147 What kind of worship is here condemned? When we come before an image intending to pray, or bow our knee before it; or to make any other sign of reverence, as if God were there showing Himself to us.
- #GC148 This does not mean that all sculpture or painting is universally forbidden, but only all images used in the service of God, or in worshiping? Him in visible things, or indeed for any abuse of them in idolatry of any kind whatsoever. That is so.
- #GC149 Now to what end shall we refer this commandment? With the first commandment, God declared that He alone, and no one beside Him, should be worshiped: so now He shows us the correct form of worship, in order that He may draw us away from all superstit...
- #GC150 Let us proceed? He adds a warning that He is the Eternal, our God, strong and jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children of them who hate Him, to the third and fourth generation.
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