Note: This is the final post from our intern, Hillary Smith. Hillary gave many hours to providing these insightful resources. Thank you, Hillary!

Q: What is idolatry?

A: Idolatry is trusting in created things rather than the Creator for our hope and happiness, significance and security.

Idolatry in the life of Christian did not disappear with the old practices of ancient religions. We  are no longer tempted to bow down to gold statues or carved faces, but our idols manifest themselves in more subtle ways. How secure does your savings account make you feel? How comforting is it to cast your worries on your spouse? How much does the praise of others affect your day? These things are not bad inherently.  Idolatry is when we let blessings from God become the object of our worship.  We fall in love with the created, not the Creator. God asks us to rely solely on him for security.

As last week’s speaker, Steve Lammers, said (in his relationship series with RUF), we are called to put our hope in God, not in the good things. God is the only lasting good on this planet. We are to seek our security, comfort, and fulfillment in Christ. We are to put our expectations in the new heaven and the new earth, because there is nothing that is ultimately secure except for Christ.

We cannot find our identity in anything in this world without suffering. How can we exchange the glory of the Lord for something that perishes? We are called to store up our treasure in heaven and to rely on Him for everything. We were created to worship only God, and disaster comes whenever we don’t. But the Lord is merciful. We are Gomer, constantly running to other lovers. And the Lord is Hosea, always bringing us back and restoring us. Hosea 2 creates a beautiful picture of our unfaithfulness and God’s loving mercy.

v17-20:

For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.

He will write his law on our hearts and make himself known to us. He has given us a covenant to restore us and heal this broken world and our sinful nature. Let us look forward to that glorious day and seek to honor Him above all else!

Last Sunday was week 17 of 52 catechism readings from New City Catechism. Christ Community is reciting an entry from the catechism each Sunday in 2013.

Q: What is sin?

A: Sin is rejecting or ignoring God in the world he created, rebelling against him by living without reference to him, not being or doing what he requires in his law—resulting in our death and the disintegration of all creation.

In the video this week, John Lin gives a vivid example of what breaking God’s law looks like. He describes a cliff and a commandment to “not walk off it”. Why do we not walk off of it? Because it would lead to death and destruction. Why would walking off a cliff lead to death? Because of the law of gravity. Gravity is something that simply is. We have to live in reference to it because it exists. The command to not walk off the cliff is a loving boundary that requires us to respect gravity. It is the same in our personal relationships with God. He gives us commands and guidelines that respect who He is.  They were given to us so that we could live our lives to their fullest capacity.  God’s character is revealed through the law, and when we sin we go against His nature.

Sin is rebelling against the law and not living in reference to God. Sin came into this world through one man and sentenced all men to death. But Jesus came so that eternal life could be obtained. He was destroyed on the cross for our sin, so that we might be reunited with God and be given the ability to follow his commands, however imperfectly, with joy. Romans 6:7-11 says:

“For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

This is week 16 of 52 catechism readings from New City Catechism. Christ Community is reciting an entry from the catechism each Sunday in 2013. To read commentaries and view a concise video teaching on each week, visit newcitycatechsim.com.

Q: Did God create us unable to keep his law?

A: No, but because of the disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, all of creation is fallen; we are all born in sin and guilt, corrupt in our nature and unable to keep God’s law.

In the beginning, God created man in the image of himself. Man was good and in perfect communion with God. So where does our self-centered nature come from?

Satan lied and told Adam and Eve that God couldn’t be trusted to provide. When man acted upon that lie, sin entered the world like a virus entering the body. In Romans 5, we are reminded that sin came into the world through one man and infected all of mankind.  Sin has tainted our ability to honor and glorify God above all else.  It has polluted our hearts, our minds and our souls.

God is love, even in the wake of our rebellion. He gave us hope through Christ, the second Adam. As David Bisgrove says in this week’s video, where the first Adam failed, the second succeeded. Where the first Adam brought death, disobedience and selfishness into the world, Jesus Christ brought life through his obedience and sacrifice on the cross. Romans 5:18-19 says:

“Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”

As we continually celebrate the Resurrection, let us also be reminded of Jesus’ obedience and of what he did for us on the cross!

This is week 14 of 52 catechism readings from New City Catechism. Christ Community is reciting an entry from the catechism each Sunday in 2013. To read commentaries and view a concise video teaching on each week, visit newcitycatechsim.com.

Q: What does God require in the ninth and tenth commandments?

A: Ninth, that we do not lie or deceive, but speak the truth in love. Tenth, that we are content, not envying anyone or resenting what God has given them or us.

At the end of James chapter 1, the author warns that anyone who claims to be religious but does not bridle his tongue deceives his heart and his religious devotion is worthless.  James later dedicates an entire passage to how much harm the tongue can do. The ninth commandment requires that we bridle the tongue with truth. If we aren’t careful, we can water down the truth and make it seem less important than it is, or think that a lie is merely impolite. We eclipse the truth of God by not recognizing that even a white lie is sin. The commandment is meant to convict us to not only tell what is true, but to do so in a loving and God-honoring way. The tenth commandment, like everything else, deals with our hearts. If our hearts are always grasping for what is not ours, it hurts us, it hurts the owner and it tells God his provision is not enough. When we are not content with our blessings, we question God’s care of his creation. In order to honor the tenth commandment we must restrain desire and rest in the things God has bestowed upon us. Both of these commandments require that we search our hearts. Let us glorify the Lord through our tongues and be grateful for what we have been given!

This is week 12 of 52 catechism readings from New City Catechism. Christ Community is reciting an entry from the catechism each Sunday in 2013.

In the Sermon on the Mount, the standards of the law are made much higher than we first assumed. In the video this week, Stephen Um states that the commandments are raised to the highest level. He refers to Luther’s quote,

“You cannot break any of the other commandments without breaking the first.”

The law not only gives a negative command (do not), but it leaves us with a positive implication. In Matthew 5, Jesus offers a deeper understanding of the law. Not only should we not murder, but we should radically love both friend and foe. When the Lord says not to commit adultery, it means not only that we shouldn’t cheat, but that we should remain faithful and recognize the covenantal commitment in our hearts.

But because we live in a fallen world, we cannot obey these perfectly. Jesus’ sacrifice fulfilled the obligations of the law perfectly. This made it possible for his obedience and righteousness to trickle down into our lives and gave us the ability to carry out the commands with confidence. Even when we stumble, we are assured that Jesus has already perfectly satisfied the law. We can strive for perfect obedience without fear, because we have already been saved through grace. God gave us freedom through the law and the sacrifice of the lamb. That we would live this week in light of that freedom!

This is week 11 of 52 catechism readings from New City Catechism. Christ Community is reciting an entry from the catechism each Sunday in 2013.