Q: What is the law of God stated in the Ten Commandments?

A: You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below—you shall not bow down to them or worship them. You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Honor your father and your mother. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony. You shall not covet.

Why did God give us the law? Does he simply expect us to follow a set of rules? God is our creator and he intimately knows exactly what we need to flourish.  When He gave us the law, He revealed to us his character. To break the commandments is to go against the very nature of God. And because we were made in God’s image, when we break the law, we go against our own nature. The first four commandments are vital to our relationship with God. The last six are vital to our relationship with each other.  Because we are sinful in Adam, we cannot help but break the law of God.  But because Christ redeems us, we are made perfect in him.  As 2 Corinthians 5:17 states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Since the Spirit is within us, we are free from bondage to sin and given exactly what we need to trust our Father’s wisdom; ie to keep the commandments.

This is week 8 of 52 catechism readings from New City Catechism. Christ Community is reciting an entry from the catechism each Sunday in 2013.

Q: What does the law of God require?

A: Personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience; that we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength; and love our neighbor as
ourselves. What God forbids should never be done and what God commands
should always be done.

Perfect obedience can only be grasped if we have complete understanding of the Gospel message. Our obedience does not buy us salvation. Ephesians 2:8-10 states “ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Our identity in Christ has nothing to do with intelligence, strength,
ability, or effort on our part. God showed us grace by sending Jesus
to take our punishment, and to perfectly obey in our place. Because of this gift we are empowered by
the Holy Spirit to obey God’s commands. Our personal obedience, imperfect but sincere, was made possible because God saved us and because we are made perfect in Jesus. As we rest in God’s justification of us, we can freely obey God’s commands. To truly be able to seek obedience is to truly accept the gospel message.

This is week 7 of 52 catechism readings from New City Catechism. Christ Community is reciting an entry from the catechism each Sunday in 2013.

Q: How can we glorify God?

A: We glorify God by enjoying him, loving him, trusting him, and obeying his will, commands, and law.

What does it mean to glorify something or someone? Merriam-Webster defines glorify as bestowing honor, praise or admiration on someone or something. In this week’s New City Catechism video, Joshua Harris suggests that we all know how to glorify. We do it everyday. We tell everyone about how the iPhone 5 has this cool panoramic feature, or we tell them about how the latest blockbuster is worth the $10. We praise sermons, books and television. We show off our new clothes, cars and gadgets. We praise our husbands and wives. We brag about our children’s accomplishments.

Why do we glorify God? Because he created us, the shining star of his creation, to glorify him. He built the intriguing world around us, making all things for his glory. And when we were still sinners, God sent his only Son to die for us.  There is no one and no thing that is more worthy of our praise. So how can we display that glory? Take time this week to consider how you give glory to things you care about. Harris suggests that one of the most powerful ways we can give glory to God is by obeying him. When we obey joyfully, it shows God (and others) that we love him and trust his plan for our life. We do it because we know he loves us despite our actions and intentions, and this truth causes our love for him to grow. We will mediate on this week’s catechism together on Sunday!

This is week 6 of 52 catechism readings from New City Catechism. Christ Community is reciting an entry from the catechism each Sunday in 2013.

Q: What else did God Create?

A: God created all things, by his powerful Word, and all his creation was very good; everything flourished under his loving rule.

This question points to several places in Scripture. The opening line of Genesis states, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” It is impossible to fathom the size of the universe and everything that is contained in it! Genesis also says that everything that God created was very good. When we look at the New Testament, we learn that Christ created the cosmos. The beginning of John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This verse is further confirmed by Colossians 1:16-17, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”  Christ created and sustains all things. The creation is under his loving, benevolent care. Man is the crown of creation because we are made in the image of God. Because we are a restored people, we have the image of Christ. Because we have the image of Christ, we can rest in his goodness as he controls all of life and are free to thrive under him.

This is week 5 of 52 catechism readings from New City Catechism. Christ Community is reciting an entry from the catechism each Sunday in 2013.