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Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 10:34:25 +0200
Reply-To: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel
Sender: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel
From: Teus Benschop
Subject: Catechism, 21
To: Multiple recipients of list CHR-EXP
Q. What believe you when you say: "I believe in God the Father,
Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth"?
A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who of nothing
made heaven and earth, and still upholds them by his providence, is my
God and Father, for Christ his Son's sake.
When you say: "I believe in God the Father", then in the first place,
you believe that He is God, that is, He is eternal. He was from
eternity, He is always, and He will be until all eternity. When Moses is
praying unto God in Psalm 90, he says unto God in verse two: "Before the
mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and
the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." When we,
people who are but for a short while on this earth, think about God's
eternity, we surely will tremble. Such a high God, Who is from
everlasting to everlasting. Sure, this is incomprehensible for us, yet,
we believe it.
Secondly, we believe that God is the eternal Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus is the Son of God; so, God is His Father.
He was from everlasting His Father, and will be so for always. This is
another incomprehensible thing for us. But, because God is almighty,
infinite, these things are well possible by Him.
Thirdly, we believe that God created heaven and earth. To create is
something else than to make. We, people, can make something, but we
always need some material to make it from. God, however, created. That
is, He made heaven and earth out of nothing. In the Bible, it is but one
sentence: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
(Genesis 1:1) Indeed, for God, to create heaven and earth, He only needs
to say a word. When He says "Be", than all will be. The angel also
"sware by him that liveth for ever and ever (that is God), who created
heaven (that is our Lord), and the things that therein are, and the
earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things
which are therein. (Revelation 10:6)
God, having once created heaven and earth, will not forget His
handiwork. After He created heaven and earth, He also upholds them by
His providence. He daily cares for the whole creation. When He but takes
back His hands for a short moment, the people die, and the beasts, and
all the rest will perish. God continually upholds the earth and the
heaven. He makes the sun shine. He makes the earth turn. He keeps the
stars in their proper place. He gives the raven food, when it cries unto
its Maker. He makes the grass come forth out the ground. He gives us
bread, clothing, and a place to dwell in.
Further, when you believe in God the Father, you also believe that
He is your Father. Through His Son Christ, the believers are adopted as
God's children. Jesus Christ is God's natural Son, but the righteous
believers are His adopted sons and daughters.
Q. What believe you when you say: "And in Jesus Christ his only
begotten Son, our Lord"?
A. That Jesus Christ is the eternal and only son of the Father,
co-essential with God the Father, and the Holy Ghost.
When I say: "I believe also in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our
Lord", I believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal and only Son of the
Father. That is it, what Christ is saying. Listen to God's Son, when He
is speaking about His birth: "When there were no depths, I was brought
forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the
mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth." (Proverbs
8:24,25) Here, the eternal Son of God is speaking. He is born, says He,
before the creation of the earth. Before the mountains were settled, He
says, I was born. I was brought forth before the hills, says Jesus
Christ.
Because Christ is God's Son, He is also God. There is, however but
one God, no more. Yet, God has a Son, Who also is God. Because there is
one God, and because there is some plurality in the one Godhead, we
believe that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, are one God.
They are, however, distinguished by their Names. There is but one
Father. There is but one Son. There is but one Holy Ghost There are no
three Gods, but one. Who believes this, can also understand many other
parts of the Scripture. Who, however, denies this, must distort the
Scriptures to maintain his error. Maybe the heretics believe in more
Gods, but we don't. Maybe the heretics and the ungodly deny Christ as
God's Son, but we don't.
I believe, therefore, that Jesus Christ is co-essential with God
the Father. That is, He is in essence the same with God. There is one
God, consisting in the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
God's Son must be God, because He says of Himself in Proverbs
8:24,25, that He was there before the creation. We know, that before the
creation, there was nothing but God. All what existed before the
creation, was God. So, Christ, existing before the creation, was God.
Listen to what is said of Jesus: "These things saith the Son of
God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like
fine brass." (Revelation 2:18) The Son of God has His eyes like unto a
flame of fire. Everybody will once see Him. Who loves Him will be
extremely happy with His coming, but the ungodly, and the unbelievers
will be extremely afraid.
Reader, I assure you: Once you will see the Son of God with His
eyes like unto a flame of fire. He is at the moment looking at you, from
heaven. Once He will come, and summon you before the judgement-seat.
With His eyes, which are like unto a flame of fire, He will pierce you.
Nothing will be hid from Him. I give you the following advice for your
benefit: "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish [from] the way,
when his wrath is kindled but a little." (Psalms 2:12)
Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him. (Psalms 2:12)
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Teus Benschop | t.benschop@pobox.ruu.nl | editor of the list Chr-Exp
"A Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel"
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