Sunday, April 10, 2005

Caspar Olevianus, A Firm Foundation, Question 44 (translated by Lyle D. Bierma [more info])

Q. Why do you believe in Jesus, the Son of God?

A. First, seeing as the Son is of one substance and like glory with the Father, I rightly place my trust in Him. As the Scriptures testify, "I and the Father are one" [Jn 10.30], and "You believe in God, believe also in me" [Jn 14.1]. See also Ro 9 and 1Ti 1.

Second, I believe this because it is the Father's command that we believe in the Son. We are firmly to trust Him that through Him and for His sake this salvation comes to us and we are received into grace, heard, and saved. For the command of the Father from heaven, "This is my beloved Son, in whom my soul is well pleased" [Mt 3.17], carries with it the promise that through His Son His heart is pleased with us. We hear the Son explain the command and promise of the Father as follows: "This is the will of the Father, who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him has everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (Jn 6.40). The Father is so serious about this command that He attaches eternal punishment to it for those who do not obey it: "He who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (Jn 3.36). Likewise Jn 8.24: "If you will not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." See also 1Jn 2.

Thus I confess that I believe in the Son of God, that from the heart I submit to this command and gracious promise of the Father, and that I desire, miserable and unworthy though I be, to be accepted for the sake of this eternal Son. I also confess that I do not wish to add to my manifold sins this greatest sin of all -- the rejection of the Son of God. Rather, I heartily desire to withstand all unbelief and to submit to the command of the Father to listen to the Son and trust Him. In this Son He will be pleased with me, as St. Paul says, "In Him you are complete" (Col 2.10).

[Question & answer Copyright 1995 Lyle D. Bierma]

Have you ever stopped to put your own confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior into words? Your own words, not someone else's? If you haven't, it is a good exercise. That's essentially what Olevianus is doing with this question, albeit in a general, formalized setting. You can start with just writing the account of when you first believed, as narrative or a story. Remember what happened, and record the event. If you want to expand from there with a more confession-like statement that formally puts forth what you believe, feel free to do so (Here's an example from fellow supakoo dude Eli). It doesn't have to be super-formal.

What's my story? Well ... parts of it are in this article. But for me, the basics why I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior are:

Eternal life is found in Jesus Christ alone.
Salvation from sin* is found in Jesus Christ alone.
He redeems me.
He restores me into right relationship with the Father.
Through Jesus Christ, I am adopted into the family of the Father.
Without Jesus Christ, the Father will reject me and I will be subject to the Father's wrath.


* The totality of our depraved, sinful nature and its manifestation in specific sins.

Post Author: Rico
Sunday, April 10, 2005 4:37:59 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00) 

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