Weekly Emmaus City Culture Q&As | Introduction and Part 1, Q&A 1

Emmaus City Culture Q&As | Introduction and Part 1: God, Creation and Fall, Law

Welcome to 2014! In an effort to provide some thoughts about who God is from His Word from people who have gone before us in church history, we have taken some time to adapt Redeemer's New City Catechism with modern language. Special thanks goes to Tim Keller and his team for doing the heavy lifting. If you would like the original resources, here are the links:

New City Catechism Introduction

New City Catechism Website

New City Catechism PDF

Since we don't want this to be just information transfer, but life transformation by God's Word and Spirit, we purposely changed the word catechism to culture as we pray for God to help us creatively display and declare the good news of Jesus in our communities. 

Each week, we have adapted the questions and answers, along with the commentary and prayer. Our goal is to make these easily accessible for all ages, as well as those with various levels of education in Worcester. 

Cheers to 2014 and many becoming more like Jesus together.

Emmaus City Culture | Part 1, Q&A 1

Question 1
What is our only hope in life and death?

Answer 1 
That we are not our own but belong to God. 

Romans 14:7-8
For we don't live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it's to honor the Lord. And if we die, it's to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Commentary

If we, then, are not our own but the Lord’s, it is clear what we must run from, and where we must direct all the acts of our life. We are not our own: we should not let our reason or our will change our plans and actions. We are not our own: we should not set our goal to take the easy or quick road. We are not our own: as much as we can, we should not selfishly protect our time or possessions. We are God’s: we should live for Him and die for Him. We are God’s: we should let His wisdom and will rule all our actions. We are God’s: we should strive to live our life with one goal – to grow closer to Him. How much do we gain when we are taught we are not our own, when we don’t let our own reason rule us and humbly give ourselves to God. Because consulting our self-interest is the disease that most effectively leads to our death. Our only security and salvation is to be wise in nothing and to will nothing through ourselves but to follow the leading of the Lord alone.

Adapted from Institutes of the Christian Religion, edited by John T. McNeill, translated by Ford Lewis Battles, Library of Christian Classics (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), III.VII.I., 690. John Calvin (1509–1564): A theologian, administrator, and pastor, Calvin was born in France.

Prayer
Lord, here I am; do with me what You please, write me into Your story as You please: I give up myself to be by Your side. The ambitious woman gives herself for her own honor, but I give up myself to You; a man gives himself up to his pleasures, but I give up myself to You; a woman gives herself up to her idols, but I give myself to You, Lord. Lay any burden on me, only let Your everlasting arms be under me. I rest in Your will, I have learned to say amen to Your amen; You have a greater interest in me than I have in myself, and I give myself to You, to be at Your side, and to receive what impression You will make on me. Lord, have You not again and again said to me, ‘I am yours! To save you; My mercy is yours to pardon you; My blood is yours to cleanse you; My work is yours to justify you; My righteousness is yours to clothe you; My Spirit is yours to lead you; My grace is yours to enrich you; and My glory is yours to reward you’; and because of everything You do, I can only give myself to You. Here I am, do with me as seems good in Your own eyes. I know the best way is to give myself over to Your will, and to say amen to Your amen.

Adapted from "The Mute Christian Under the Smarting Rod" in The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks, edited by Rev. Alexander Balloch Grosart, Volume 1 (Edinburgh: James Nichol, 1866), 305–306. Thomas Brooks (1608–1680): An English Puritan preacher, Brooks studied at Cambridge University before becoming rector of a church in London.

Coming next week: Q&A 2: Who is God?

– Sully

Curiosity piqued? Something inside you being stirred? Go ahead and connect.