NCC 25

Question 25 Does Christ’s death mean all our sins can be forgiven?

Yes, because Christ’s death on the cross fully paid the penalty for our sin, God graciously imputes Christ’s righteousness to us as if it were our own and will remember our sins no more.

Start by writing all my sins on the board.

lies....21k

theft....

lust

selfishness

idolatry

hatred/bitterness

pride (constant)

Laziness

Greed

“Certified sinner”

Now on this side of the board I write the things that are good.....so I told the truth, I did my chores.....but what does Scripture say about my own righteounsess?? Filthy Rags.

So where does that leave me??

Q 19 and 20

Is there a way to escape God’s punishment and be brought back into God’s favor? Yes! God reconciles us to himself by a redeemer

Who is the redeemer? The only redeemer is the Lord Jesus Christ

And what did JEsus do? That’s noa catechism question, but its relevent for this.

Let’s go to 2 Cor 5.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Again....substitutionary atonement stuff.

Colossians 2:13–15 ESV

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

If someone goes under the knife to remove a cancerous tumor, what is one of the first questions that that you might have when you wake back up?

Did you get all of it? You left nothing behind? Because we know that cancer, if we don’t get it all, it grows back and it does so with a vengeance.

When Jesus reconciled us to the Father, he got all of it! He didn’t forgive part of our sin and then just sit back and go “well I wonder how we will get on now, this should be interesting to watch”

No he got it all! He took care of every bit of it! Gone.

But it that all he did?

Philippians 3:7–9 ESV

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 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 9 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—

It’s not just a slate wiped clean. We are given the positive righteousness of Christ.

I think I may have used this quote in past week, I can’t remember. But J Gresham Machen on his death bed sent one final telegram:

So thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope Without It.