Feb 24
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Baptist Catechism 6
Q. 6. What things are chiefly contained in the Holy Scriptures?
A. The Holy Scriptures chiefly contain what man ought to believe concerning God, and what duty God requireth of man. (2 Tim. 3:16,17; John 20:31; Acts 24:14; 1 Cor. 10:11; Eccles. 12:13)
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Introduction
Question 6 of our catechism asks, What things are chiefly contained in the Holy Scriptures?
“Chiefly” means mainly, or supremely. So the question is, what are the Holy Scriptures mainly about?
Our catechism has been teaching us about the Holy Scriptures. First, we learned that God has revealed the truth about himself in a general way in the world that he has made and in a much more specific way through his Word (see BC 3). Next, we learned that the “Holy Scriptures made up of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, and the only certain rule of faith and obedience” (BC 4). After that, we learned that the Holy Scriptures are for all men and women. “All men are not only permitted, but commanded and exhorted, to read, hear, and understand the Holy Scriptures” (BC 5). Now our catechism attempts to tell us, concisely, what the Holy Scriptures are mainly about. This is a difficult task, don’t you think? The Holy Scriptures are long and complex. How could we possibly say what they are mainly about in only a few words? I think the answer that our catechism gives is very good. Again, “The Holy Scriptures chiefly contain what man ought to believe concerning God, and what duty God requireth of man.”
So the teaching of Holy Scripture is here divided into two main categories.
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What Man Ought To Believe Concerning God
First, the Scriptures teach us what we should believe concerning God. I think this is a perfect summary of the main message of the Bible. The Bible teaches us about God and all things in relation to him.
Who is God? What is God? What are his attributes? God reveals himself to us in the Holy Scriptures. We should read the Scriptures to discover who God is.
Furthermore, we may ask, what has God done? What are his acts? And the Scriptures reveal what God has done. In the Scriptures, we find the record of God’s act of creation. In the Scriptures, we learn that God providentially upholds and governs the world he has made. In the Scriptures, we also learn of God’s act of redemption, and the application of that redemption to God’s elect in time. So then, the Scriptures teach us about God and what he has done.
And the Scriptures also teach us about who we are in relation to God. Humans are made in the image of God. We were created to know God, to commune with him, and to enjoy him. After God created man he entered into a covenant of life with man so that man might relate to God, but man broke the covenant. Adam sinned against God, and all of humanity sinned with him. But God has mercifully provided a redeemer, Christ the Lord. We are reconciled to God through faith in Christ and are made partakers of a New Covenant, the Covenant of Grace.
Our catechism is right. The Scriptures are mainly about God. They tell us who he is and what he has done. The Scriptures also tell us the truth about who we are in relation to him.
You should know that questions 7-43 of our catechism will expand upon the first part of the answer given in response to question 6. The Scriptures mainly tell us what we are to believe concerning God, and our catechism is mainly about that too. In questions 7-43 we will learn all about:
God: His Nature, Decrees, Creation, Providence, And Covenant (7-15)
Sin: Man’s Alienation From God By His Fall Into Sin (16-22)
Redemption Accomplished By God Through Christ The Son (23-31)
Redemption Applied By God Through The Spirit (32-43)
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What Duty God Requireth Of Man
Two, the Scriptures teach “what duty God requireth of man.” “Duty” means obligation or responsibility. What is man obligated to do before God? The Scriptures reveal it.
Questions 44-114 will teach us about the duty that God requires of man.
Question 44 asks, “What is the duty which God requireth of man?”
A. “The duty which God requireth of man, is obedience to His revealed will.” (Micah 6:8; Eccles. 12:13; Ps. 119:4; Luke 10:26-28)
Question 45 asks, “What did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience?”
A. “The rule which God at first revealed to man for his obedience, was the moral law.” (Rom. 2:14,15; 5:13,14)
Question 46 asks, “Where is the moral law summarily comprehended?”
A. “The moral law is summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments.” (Deut. 10:4; Matt. 19:17)
In questions 47-86 we will find teaching on the Ten Commandments. We will learn what they are, what they require of us, and what they forbid. God’s moral law is used as a light to our feet in this section.
Question 87 then asks, “Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?”
A. “No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but daily break them in thought, word, or deed.” (Eccles. 7:20; Gen. 6:5; Gen. 8:21; 1 John 1:8; James 3:8; James 3:2; Rom. 3:23)
Question 88 asks. “Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous?”
A.”Some sins in themselves and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others.” (Ezekiel 8:13; John 19:11; 1 John 5:16)
Q. 89 asks, “What doth every sin deserve?”
A. “Every sin deserveth God’s wrath and curse, both in this life, and in that which is to come.“(Eph.5:6; Gal. 3:10; Prov. 3:33; Ps. 11:6; Rev. 21:8)
Here in questions 87-89, God’s moral law is used as a disciplinarian to show us our sin. The news is bad.
Question 90 brings us relief: “What doth God require of us, that we may escape His wrath and curse, due to us for sin?” A. To escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption. (Acts 20:21; Acts 16:30,31; 17:30)
So what is the answer to the question, what is the duty that God requires of man? Really, it is twofold.
One, now that we are fallen and in sin, we must turn from our sin and trust in Christ!
Two, having been forgiven by Christ, we are to keep God’s law out of gratitude for what God has done through Christ to save us and from a heart renewed and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
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Conclusion
“What things are chiefly contained in the Holy Scriptures?” Our catechism is correct. “The Holy Scriptures chiefly contain what man ought to believe concerning God, and what duty God requireth of man.” (2 Tim. 3:16,17; John 20:31; Acts 24:14; 1 Cor. 10:11; Eccles. 12:13)
