God will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 1 Tim. 2,4.
QUESTIONS.
1. Which is the second work of the Holy Ghost mentioned in our Catechism? 2. With what does the Holy Ghost enlighten us? 3. What are His gifts? 4. What has the Holy Ghost by His call kindled in us? 5. Whose children are we through faith? 6. What is God's will regarding His children? (1 Cor. 3,16.) 7. What does the word "sanctify" mean? 8. Who performs this work in us? 9. What do we, by the grace of the Holy Ghost, begin to hate? 10. Whom do we begin to love? 11. What must even true believers confess? 12. What do we therefore daily ask of God? 13. And what does the Holy Ghost daily grant us? 14. Which is the last work which the Holy Ghost performs in us? 15. Since when has He kept us in the true faith? 16. How long has He promised to keep us in the faith? 17. In whom will the Holy Ghost perform this work He has begun in us? 18. What is the gracious will of God toward all men? 19. What is the reason that not all men are saved? 20. Whose fault is it that they are lost? 21. By whose work alone are we saved?
LESSON 34.
The Third Article.
REVIEW LESSON.
1. In the Third Article of our Creed we learn about the Holy Ghost, about His person and His work. We confess that we believe in the Holy Ghost. In whom alone should we believe? What do we therefore confess of the Holy Ghost when we say that we believe in Him? How can we prove from Holy Scripture that the Holy Ghost is true God? 1 Cor. 3,16. Which divine work is ascribed to the Holy Ghost?
2. In whom do we believe according to the First Article? In whom according to the Second Article? And in whom according to the Third Article? In how many Persons of the Godhead do we believe, according to our Creed? There are three distinct Persons in whom we believe. We believe in them; what, therefore, are they? All these three persons are the true God. In whose name have we been baptized? On what occasion did these three divine Persons reveal themselves to us? How did they reveal themselves at the baptism of Christ? The Father is God, the Son is God, and tho Holy Ghost is God; how many Gods are there? In how many Persons did the one true God reveal Himself? Who, therefore, is the one true God? What do we call God because He is one and has revealed Himself in three Persons?—Why is the third Person of God called the Holy Ghost? The Holy Ghost makes us holy; what do we call this work of the Holy Spirit?
3. What has Christ done for our salvation? What has He gained for us in order to save us? What is now the one thing necessary for our salvation? What becomes of us if we do not come to Jesus and accept what He has merited for us? How do we come to Jesus and accept all that He offers us?—Believe in Jesus Christ, your Savior; that is the only way to heaven. But what must we confess concerning our believing and coming to Christ? Why can we not by our own reason and strength believe in Christ or come to Him? What do we read Eph. 2,1? Wo are dead in trespasses and sins. A dead person cannot do anything to raise himself from death to a new life. As far as we are concerned, we are lost and condemned creatures. Who took pity on us? Whom did God send to raise us from the death of our sins? To whom does the Holy Ghost bring us? Do we and can we help Him to perform this work in us? Whose work alone is it? By what is the Holy Ghost moved to bring us to Christ, our Lord, and thus to save us?
4. The Holy Ghost alone can bring us to Christ. Our Catechism tells us how the Spirit of God performs this work in us. What do we confess in the Third Article about this work of the Holy Ghost? The Holy Ghost has called me. In which parable does Christ Himself explain what this means? As this rich man had prepared a supper for His guests, so Christ has prepared, as it were, a supper for us, for all men. What is this supper which Christ has prepared for all men? In what manner did He prepare everything for our salvation? Who now calls us to the salvation Christ has prepared? What does the Holy Ghost say to us in this call? We come to our Lord and to the meal He has prepared for us by believing in Him. The Holy Ghost calls and invites us to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and be saved.—By what means does the Holy Ghost call and invite us to Christ, to faith in Him? Who, generally, are the servants He sends out to call us to Christ by the Gospel? But who is it that really calls us when we hear the Gospel?—The Holy Ghost calls us by the Gospel. He says to us, Come to your Lord and be saved. What are we not able to do by our own strength when the Holy Ghost calls us? What does the Holy Ghost give us in calling us? What does He call forth in us by His call? What do we call this work of the Spirit? Who alone performs conversion in us? The Holy Ghost brings us to Christ, or converts us, only through the Gospel. When can the Holy Ghost not perform this work in us? What should we therefore diligently do?
5. What is the second work of the Holy Ghost? With what does the Holy Ghost enlighten us? What are His gifts?—The Holy Ghost sanctifies me; what does that mean? The Holy Ghost sanctifies us in the true faith. Whose children are we through faith? What is God's will toward His children? 1 Thess. 4,3. Who performs this work in us? The Holy Ghost dwells in our heart, and renews and sanctifies it. What do we hate now by the power He has granted us? Whom do we begin to love?—Our sanctification in this life is never perfect. What must also the children of God confess? What do they therefore ask of their Lord every day? But what does the Holy Ghost daily give them? Against whom do the children of God daily struggle and fight? In whose strength do they more and more overcome the devil, the world, and their own sins?—Which is the last work performed in us by the Holy Ghost? Since when has the Holy Ghost kept us in the true faith? How long has He promised to keep us with Christ?—In whom is the Holy Ghost willing to perform His work to the end in order to save them? What is God's gracious will towards all men? What additional proof can you give for the fact that God desires all men to be saved? How is it that not all men are saved? Whose fault is it that those are lost who are condemned? By whose grace and work alone are we saved?