Doctrinal Standards WSC #22 (1 of 2 weeks)

• Q. How did Christ, the Son of God, become man?
• A. Christ, the Son of God, became man by assuming a real body and a reasoning soul. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Him; yet He was sinless.

Memory Verses

• ^“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, ESV).

Scripture

• Study Passage: Luke 1:26-38
• Support Passages: John 1:1-18; Philippians 2:5-11; I Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:15; I John 1:1-4, 4:1-3
• Bible Story: Luke 2:1-20

Thoughts

• We can learn much about God’s love, grace and mercy when we understand what it meant for Jesus Christ to come to us in the form of a man. Philippians 2:4–8 provides us with a glimpse into the humility, sacrifice, and love of our God, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
•  “When the Catechism speaks of a ‘true body,’ it means that Jesus took unto himself the same kind of body that we ourselves possess (expect for sin). This point is stressed because of a heresy known as ‘Docestim.’ In early Christian history there were some who held that Christ only seemed (or appeared) to have a physical body. They said that God could not really have a human body, that He could not really suffer and die.” ^[1]
• “When the Catechism says that Jesus had a ‘reasonable soul,’ it means that just as we have a body and a soul, so Christ also had a human soul as well as a human body. In the early history of the Church there were those who admitted that Jesus had a ‘true body,’ but did not admit that He also had a ‘reasonable soul.’ They thought that the divine nature (Christ as God) took the place of a soul within His body. But this too is a denial of that which Scripture clearly teaches, and of that which is necessary to our salvation. Just as the Bible speaks of Christ’s hunger, thirst, pain, etc. (which prove that he had a human body), so it also speaks of his feeling sorrow, and grief, and of his increasing in wisdom etc. (which prove that He also had a reasonable soul). As the Bible says, ‘Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted (Hebrews 2:17–18, ESV).” ^[2]

Discussion Questions

• What kind of suffering did Christ subject himself to by becoming a man?
• What kind of temptations do you think Jesus experienced?
• What do you think it was like to be a part of Jesus physical family?
• Can Jesus sympathize or understand the temptations and hard times we face? Explain.
• How is the love of God revealed by the fact that Jesus the Son of God came to this earth as a man?

Tags: Westminster Shorter Catechism

Posted in Study Guides Westminster Shorter Catechism Family Devotional Guidelines Phil Anady John 1 Luke 1 Luke 2
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There will be no youth this week since everyone is off from school. I encourage you to take some time this week and reflect on what Christ experienced and accomplished on the cross for all who have and will believe in Him. I also encourage you to join us for our Resurection Sunday worship service at the Vanderschuit’s home to worship and honor our Lord in rememberance of that glorious day! See our website for more details.

Have a great week off.

Posted in Youth Phil Anady
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Review Doctrinal Standards #11-21

WSC #11

Q. What is God’s providence?
A. God’s providence is His completely holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing every creature and every action.

WSC #12

Q. What did God’s providence specifically do for man whom He created?
A. After the creation God made a covenant with man to give him life, if he perfectly obeyed; God told him not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil or he would die.

WSC #13

Q. Did our first parents remain as they were created?
A. Left to the freedom of their own wills, our first parents sinned against God and fell from their original condition.

WSC #14

Q. What is sin?
A. Sin is disobeying or not conforming to God’s law in any way.

WSC #15

Q. By what sin did our first parents fall from their original condition?
A. Our first parents’ sin was eating the forbidden fruit.

WSC #16

Q. Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first disobedience?
A. Since the covenant was made not only for Adam but also for his natural descendants, all mankind sinned in him and fell with him in his first disobedience.

WSC #17

Q. What happened to man in the fall?
A. Man fell into a condition of sin and misery.

WSC #18

Q. What is sinful about man’s fallen condition?
A. The sinfulness of that fallen condition is twofold. First, in what is commonly called original sin, there is the guilt of Adam’s first sin with its lack of original righteousness and the corruption of his whole nature. Second are all the specific acts of disobedience that come from original sin.

WSC #19

Q. What is the misery of man’s fallen condition?
A. By their fall all mankind lost fellowship with God and brought His anger and curse on themselves. They are therefore subject to all the miseries of this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever.

WSC #20

Q. Did God leave all mankind to die in sin and misery?
A. From all eternity and merely because it pleased Him God chose some to have everlasting life. These He freed from sin and misery by a covenant of grace and brought them to salvation by a redeemer.

WSC #21

Q. Who is the redeemer of God’s chosen ones?
A. The only redeemer of God’s chosen is the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who became man. He was and continues to be God and man in two distinct natures and one person forever.

Memory Verses

“Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men” (Romans 5:18, ESV).

Study Passage: Romans 5:12-21

Thoughts

This should be a time of reflection, assessment, and re-teaching.

There are a couple of different ways to approach this review lesson. First, the review questions and answers could be made into a game that forces the students to remember what they have learned while assessing their understanding. Another idea is to quiz each student on each of the 11 questions making sure to encourage and celebrate their accomplishments. Last, it would be beneficial to review each of the question and answers, drawing out their central truths and discussing how they are connected.

A common theme in the catechism questions (#11-21) is the doctrine of sin and the doctrine of salvation. Questions 12-19 explain original sin and the devastating affects sin had on Adam and Eve and has had on every individual since the Fall. Questions 20 and 21 explain how salvation which God provides through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is a display of God’s many attributes. Through our salvation God’s glory is shown and is given all the praise.

Discussion Questions

• Explain how sin first entered the world?
• Who is affected by the sin of Adam and Eve?
• What affects (spiritually and physically) does sin have on a person?
• Does man have the ability to follow Jesus on their own? Explain
• Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Explain
• Scripture says salvation is only by God’s grace, it’s a gift from God, and we receive it through faith. What is grace and faith?
• Jesus is referred to as a redeemer, ransom, and mediator. What do these words tell us about Jesus and what He did on the cross?

Tags: Westminster Shorter Catechism

Posted in Study Guides Westminster Shorter Catechism Family Devotional Guidelines Phil Anady Romans 5
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This Thursday, we are going to examine how Jesus Christ, through His death, is our Passover Lamb. The Passover is one of “seven holidays” discussed throughout the Bible, in both the Old and New Testament. However, only in one place, the twenty-third chapter of Leviticus, are all seven holidays listed in chronological sequence. These seven holidays are called ‘the feast of the Lord.’ That expression indicates that these holidays are God’s holidays – They belong to Him – in contrast to man’s holidays. They are quite literally, ‘the feasts of the Lord’ (Lev 23:4). And only on His terms and at His invitation can men participate in them and enter into their benefits.” God has given His people (initially the Jews but now it includes those of faith) these feasts and celebrations so that we can learn and be reminded of the great things God has done and is doing. The feasts of the Lord require active participants and worship through the use of our sight, taste, touch, smell, and hearing. Our Lord understands that we learn and remember more when we use all of our senses in worshiping Him.

The seven feasts of the Lord consist of the Passover, the Feast of Unleaven Bread, Feast of Firstfruits, Feast of Weeks, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Scripture reveals that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of each of these feasts. Thus, we have the benefit of clearly seeing the complete story God is teaching through each feast.

This Thursday, we will examine how Jesus Christ fulfilled the Passover feast. We will see how the Last Supper was actually a Jewish Passover Seder and that the bread and cup Jesus gave His disciples (as recorded in Matthew 26) is in Jewish Seder tradition the third of four cups of wine called the Cup of Redemption. This is the “cup” that Jesus fulfilled on the cross. Praise God!

Understanding all the feasts of the Lord in greater detail and knowing how Jesus is the fulfillment of them brings so much more excitement, life, and clarity to the scriptures. Lord willing we will spend more time exploring is deep truths.

I’m really excited about sharing this with you all. I hope to see you there!

Just a reminder that next week there will be no youth due to spring break.
God Bless,
-Phil

Tags: fulfillment, Passover, seder

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Doctrinal Standard WSC #21

• Q. Who is the redeemer of God’s chosen ones?
• A. The only redeemer of God’s chosen is the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who became man. He was and continues to be God and man in two distinct natures and one person forever.

Memory Verses

• “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him” (Colossians 1:21–22, ESV).

Study Passage: Colossians 1:9-23

Support Passages: Luke 1:26-35, Colossians 2:8-12, Hebrews 2, Hebrews 7:23-28

Bible Story: John 9

Thoughts

• Jesus did not give up His human nature after His death and resurrection, for He appeared to His disciples as a man after the resurrection, even with the scars of the nail prints in His hands. He had ‘flesh and bones’ (Luke 24:39) and ate food (Luke 24:41-42). Later, when He was talking with His disciples, He was taken up into heaven, still in His resurrected human body, and two angels promised that He would return in the same way.” Scripture indicates that “Jesus did not temporarily become man, but that His divine nature was permanently united to His human nature, and He lives forever not just as the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, but also as Jesus, the man who was born of Mary, and as Christ, the Messiah and Savior of His people. Jesus will remain fully God and fully man, yet one person, forever (Pg. 542-543).
• Colossians provides interesting insight into some of the roles of Jesus Christ as the second person of the Trinity. He had an active part in creation. He is actively holding all of creation together. He is the head of the church. He is the first one to have a resurrected body. He is the one who has reconciled man with God.
• Jesus Christ through His death and resurrection has made it possible to be reconciled or reunited with God the Father. As a result of Christ’s death and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit man is able to reunite with God in a relationship that once was lost because of sin. Because of the imputed righteousness and the perfect mediation of Jesus Christ we have access to our God the Father.

Discussion Questions

• Explains the various roles are activities Jesus has or is actively participating in?
• Explain the two distinct natures of Jesus.
• What does reconciled mean?
• What are some examples of reconciliation?
• How has Jesus reconciled man with God?
• What part does man have in the reconciliation process?

Grudem, Wayne (1994). Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA; Zondervan Publishing House.

Tags: Catechism

Posted in Study Guides Catechism Family Devotional Guidelines Phil Anady Colossians 1 John 9 Luke
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Discussion Questions

• Who is Jesus?
• What does mediate mean?
• What are some every day examples?
• Who does Jesus mediate for and does He do it?
• How is Jesus our redeemer and ransom?
• Why is Jesus the only way to have fellowship with God the Father and get to Heaven?

Tags: Catechism, New Bible Dictionary, Wayne Grudem

Posted in Study Guides Catechism New Bible Dictionary Wayne Grudem Family Devotional Guidelines Phil Anady 1 Timothy 2 2 Kings 5 John 14
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This Thursday, I’m planning on approaching our discussions differently then previous weeks. Our students at Hemet High (as well as all our youth in the valley) have had to deal with some very traumatic tragedies over the lasts couple of months. Therefore, we are going to spend some time discussing life with all of its highs and lows and examine how we as Christians should act and respond to others during various trials. My plan is to let the Spirit lead on how long we discuss these issues. If it requires the whole time then we will proceed as He leads. If not, we will finish our discussion on the Atonement that we started last week.

God bless and I hope to see you there!

-Phil

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Doctrinal Standard WSC #20 (4 of 4 weeks)

• Q. Did God leave all mankind to die in sin and misery?
• A. From all eternity and merely because it pleased Him God chose some to have everlasting life. These He freed from sin and misery by a covenant of grace and brought them to salvation by a redeemer.

Memory Verses

• “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith…²⁹ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:26,29, ESV).

Study Passage: Hebrews 8

Support Passages: Hebrews 9 – 11

Bible Story: Numbers 21:4-9, John 3:14-16

Thoughts

• Scripture is very clear and Paul spent most of his missionary journeys reiterating the fact that salvation is attained by nothing but faith alone. One of the main differences between the Mosaic Covenant and the New Covenant is not the commands of God but rather the type of covenant. The Mosaic Covenant is primarily a covenant of Law. If you keep the commands you will be blessed. If you disobey the commands you will be cursed. While faith was most certainly a part of the Mosaic Covenant the main point of this covenant is to show that the works of man will never be good enough to meet the requirements of God. Whereas the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34) is considered a covenant of Grace. According to Jeremiah, in the New Covenant God actively places His word within the elect giving them faith and the ability to believe. This is what Paul is saying in Ephesians 2:8–9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
• Paul said, since salvation is a gift, a gracious act of God, we have no right to say that we did anything to deserve salvation. We cannot claim that we were more intelligent than others and, therefore, sought after God, that our sinfulness was less than that of others, that we did enough good to earn God acceptance. We can’t boast in the faith that we have. Hebrew says, “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”Therefore, if salvation comes only by faith, and if faith is a gift from God, our boasting should only be in the Lord who is at work in our lives.
• So what is man’s responsibility in light of God’s work in an individual’s life? The answer is rather simple, we are to respond in faith (trusting) being driven by the desires and convictions God is creating within us. God is the one giving life to our once dead souls, He is the one guiding, and providing the faith to respond to what He has called us to do.
  • John 16:7–8 (ESV) Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
  • Romans 8:14 (ESV) For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
  • Romans 12:3 (ESV)  For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
  • John 6:44 (ESV)  No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

Discussion Questions

• Explain what faith is?
• Ephesians 2:8–9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”If salvation is by faith but yet it’s not our own doing where does faith come from?
• If God is the “the founder and perfecter of our faith.” What is man’s responsibility in relating to God and in life in general?
• Even though Christians have a responsibility to live a holy life before God. How does it make you feel that God is the one actively perusing and growing us spiritually?
•   In light of what we have been studying the last few weeks can someone lose their salvation?

Tags: Westminster Shorter Catechism

Posted in Study Guides Westminster Shorter Catechism Family Devotional Guidelines Phil Anady Galatians 3 Hebrews 8 John 3:14 Numbers 21
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