Baptist Catechism 48 & 49

Q. 48. What is the preface to the Ten Commandments?

A. The preface to the Ten Commandments is in these words; “I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” (Exodus 20:2)

Q. 49. What doth the preface to the Ten Commandments teach us?

A. The preface to the Ten Commandments teacheth us, that because God is the Lord, and our God and Redeemer, therefore we are bound to keep all His commandments. (Deut 11:1)

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 10:12–11:1

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good? Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Yet the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven. You shall therefore love the LORD your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always.” (Deuteronomy 10:12–11:1, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

In the weeks and months to come we will be learning all about the Ten Commandments. We learn what they are, what they require, and what they forbid. As you know, the Ten Commandments contain a summary of God’s moral law. God’s moral law is for all men living in all times and places. All men have this law written on their hearts. All men are bound to keep it. And all men will be judged by this law on the last day, if not in Christ. More was said about this in previous sermons. But I hope you would also agree with me that God’s people – those who have been redeemed by God, and who bear his name – have a special kind of obligation to obey their God. 

Really, this is what the preface, or the introduction, to the Ten Commandments teaches. All people have an obligation to obey God’s revealed will, that is to say, his moral law. Why? Because God is our Creator, and we are his creatures – we were made in his image, to know, worship, and serve him. But if we are in Christ – if we have been rescued by him and washed clean by his blood – then we have a special kind of obligation to keep God’s law, for God is not only our Creator, but is also our Redeemer. This is true for all who have faith in Christ, and this was pictured in an earthy way amongst the Hebrews in the days of Moses when they were redeemed from Egyptian bondage.  

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The Catechism Explained

Question 48 of our catechism asks, “What is the preface to the Ten Commandments?” A preface is an introduction that sets the tone for what will follow. And the answer to question 48 is simply a quotation of Exodus 20:2: “The preface to the Ten Commandments is in these words; ‘I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (Exodus 20:2). That is how the Ten Commandments are introduced in Exodus 20:2. 

By the way, you have probably noticed that the English found in our catechism is Old English. That is because this document was written a long time ago, originally in the 17th century. Parents, you are free to modernize the language for your children if you’d like. As a church, we have decided to retain the original because altering documents foundational to an institution such as catechisms and confessions can be tricky business. If you wish to memorize the preface to the Ten Commandments, or the Ten Commandments themselves using the language of the ESV or some other modern Bible translation, that would be fine. The point is that we learn what these questions and answers mean, for the Christian faith is summarized here – the gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed in this document. Hopefully, we can also put these questions and answers to memory, for that will help us in our learning.  

But let us think about Exodus 20:2 for a moment and the preface to the Ten Commandments that is found there. What was the setting? Who was speaking? And to whom? These are important questions.  

Well, if you know the story of the Exodus you know that it was God who was speaking. Moses had gone up on Mount Sinai and received the Ten Commandments from God. The scriptures tell us that these words were written on tablets of stone by God. And Moses brought these tablets down to the people of Israel who, not long before this, were rescued from Egypt. If you wish to know more about that story, you should read the second book of the Bible, called Exodus. 

So these words that we are considering are God’s words. And they were delivered in this form to Israel. These were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The small clan of Jacob had grown to a very large multitude over the span of hundreds of years as they lived, and eventually, suffered, in Egypt. When the time was right, God rescued them. He brought them out from Egyptian bondage through Moses his servant. He brought them out by sending ten plagues. He led them into the wilderness. And when they were trapped with the Red Sea on one side, and the army of Egypt on the other side, God led them through the Sea by parting the waters. The Hebrews walked on dry land through waters of judgment. As the Egyptians pursued them, the waters of judgment fell upon them and consumed them. Finally, God lead them through the wilderness and brought them to Mount Sinai where he entered into a special, national, covenant with them and give them his law. First, he gave them a summary of his moral law in the Ten Commandments. And afterward, he gave them civil and ceremonial laws which, though they were based on the moral law, were additions to it, and were unique to Old Covenant Israel as a nation.    

So this is the setting. In brief, this law – the summary of God’s moral law – was given by God to Israel, after he rescued them from Egypt to be his special people on earth. The first words spoken were,  “I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (Exodus 20:2). 

The words, “I am the LORD thy God” were meant to remind Isarel that God is their Creator. In other words, this phrase would have reminded them of the story of creation that is told in Genesis 1 and 2 where God is first revealed by the names God (ʾelohiym) and LORD (YHWH). And the words, “which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” would have reminded them of the marvelous work of redemption that the LORD had just accomplished to free them from Egyptian bondage. 

So then, the preface to the Ten Commandments effectively communicates the relationship that exists between God and Isarel: God said, Israel, I am the LORD your God. I am your Creator and your Redeemer. Obey me, therefore. Here is my law. 

Question 49 of our catechism communicates this by asking, “What doth the preface to the Ten Commandments teach us?” Answer: “The preface to the Ten Commandments teacheth us, that because God is the Lord, and our God and Redeemer, therefore we are bound to keep all His commandments.”

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Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, young and old, if I were to ask you the question, why should we obey God’s law? What would you say? 

If your response is this: we ought to obey God’s law to earn God’s love, to earn his favor, or to earn eternal life from him, then you have not understood the message of the Bible, nor the gospel of Jesus Christ contained within. We cannot earn anything from God by obeying his law. Why? Because Adam broke God’s law and the covenant of works that God made with him, and we are born in Adam, and in Adam’s guilt. Also, we ourselves have violated God’s law in thought, word, and deed,  all stand guilty before him, therefore. 

This is what Paul means when he says, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in [God’s] sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20, ESV). And a little later in that same passage, he says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, ESV). And in another place, he says, “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23, ESV). Ever since the fall it is impossible for men and women to earn God’s love, to earn his favor, or to earn eternal life through obedience to the law for the simple reason that we are all born in sin and do ourselves sin. The law condemns us as lawbreakers, therefore. 

As we study the Ten Commandments in the months to come I will remind you of this truth often.  Is the law good? Yes, it is! Should we strive to keep God’s law? Yes, indeed. But not to earn God’s love nor our salvation. That is impossible. And one way that I will remind you of this limitation of the law is by taking you to the catechism questions that immediately follow the section on the Ten Commandments.

After a prolonged study of the Ten Commandments, Q. 87 will ask, 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. 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. Q. 90 asks, 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. And finally, Q. 91 asks, What is faith in Jesus Christ? A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the Gospel. 

Why should we keep God’s law? Not to be saved! Now that we are fallen, salvation can only be received as free gift from God through faith in Jesus Christ the Savior. Notice, the duty which God requires of man “to escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin” is not obedience to the moral law, but “faith in Jesus Christ” and “repentance unto life”. 

Back to the question. Why should we keep God’s law, then? Answer: because God is our Creator and our Redeemer. It is only right for creatures to obey the law of their Creator – it is their natural duty. And it is only right that the redeemed obey the law of their Redeemer out of gratitude for all that has graciously been done for them. 

Brothers and sisters, young and old, if it was right for Old Covenant Israel to obey their LORD and God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage (Exodus 20:2), how much more should we obey the LORD our God, now that we have been redeemed, not through Moses, but by Christ; not from Egypt, but from the power of sin, the fear of death, and from the kingdom of Satan itself; and not unto the land of Canaan, but unto the new heavens and earth in which righteousness dwells. Indeed, our motivation to keep God’s revealed will should be greater, because our redemption is greater. And more than this, the summary of the moral law which was written on stone in the days of Moses, is written on the heart of all who have faith in Christ by the working of the Spirit. So then, our motivation is greater because our gratitude is greater, and so is our ability, for in Christ we have been renewed in the mind and heart and set free as it pertains to our will. 

 Q. 48. What is the preface to the Ten Commandments?

A. The preface to the Ten Commandments is in these words; “I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” (Exodus 20:2)

Q. 49. What doth the preface to the Ten Commandments teach us?

A. The preface to the Ten Commandments teacheth us, that because God is the Lord, and our God and Redeemer, therefore we are bound to keep all His commandments. (Deut 11:1)

Baptist Catechism 44-47

Q. 44. 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)

Q. 45. 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)

Q. 46. Where is the moral law summarily comprehended?

A. The moral law is summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments. (Deut. 10:4; Matt. 19:17)

Q. 47. What is the sum of the Ten Commandments?

A. The sum of the Ten Commandments is, to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbor as ourselves. (Matt. 22:36-40; Mark 12:28-33)

Scripture Reading: Matthew 22:34–40

“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’” (Matthew 22:34–40, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

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Baptist Catechism 44

Last week we entered into the third and final large section of the catechism when we considered question 44, which asks, “What is the duty which God requireth of man?” Answer: “The duty which God requireth of man, is obedience to His revealed will.” “Duty” means responsibility or obligation. So the question is this, what does God expect man to do? What is man’s obligation before God? What is his responsibility or duty?

In that sermon, I pointed out that this is a very important question, and it is also very timely. And by timely I mean, it is the right question to ask at this point in our catechism given all that we have learned. And what have we learned? Well, in brief, we have learned about God! We have learned that God – the Triune God (BC 8, 9), who is “infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth” (BC 7) – is our Creator. He is the creator of all things seen and unseen. He has given us life, and he sustains us continuously. More than this, we have also learned that, though we have sinned against God, he has redeemed us. God the Father has accomplished our redemption through Son and he effectively applies it benefits to his elect by the working of the Holy Spirit. So then, in questions 7 through 43 we have learned all about God our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. 

If you have been paying attention to this teaching; if you have believed it in the mind and received it in the heart; if you have grasped, at least to some degree, the glory of God and his goodness to us in Christ Jesus, then you will agree that this is the right question to ask: “What is the duty which God requireth of man?” In other words, how should I respond to this Holy and Awesome God and to the marvelous grace that he has shown to me in redeeming me from bondage to sin? This is the question that a creature should ask his Creator. And I suppose it could be said that this is, even more so, the question that one who has been redeemed should ask his Redeemer. We ought to respond to God, our Creator, and Redeemer, saying, I’m grateful. I owe you everything.  What do you, O God, require of me?

The question is fitting. It is timely. Again the answer: “The duty which God requireth of man, is obedience to His revealed will.” 

So then, what do we owe to our Creator and Redeemer? Out of reverence for him and gratitude for all he has done for us through Christ to redeem us, we owe him “obedience”. Obedience to what? Our catechism is right to say, obedience to his revealed will.

When we speak of God’s will, we are speaking of his command or decree. And his will may be considered in two ways. 

First, we may speak of God’s hidden or secret will. This is God’s will or decree concerning all that will come to pass in history. Why is it called “secret” or “hidden”? Because God has not revealed it to us! What will happen tomorrow? We don’t know! The future is a mystery to us. But does God know what will happen tomorrow? Yes! And he knows not only because he can see the future, but because he has decreed what will happen in the future. We call this decree his “hidden will”. The biblical teaching concerning God’s decree was summarized for us way back in Baptist Catechism 10: “What are the decrees of God?” A: “The decrees of God are His eternal purpose, according to the counsel of His will, whereby for His own glory, He has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.”

Notice, we are not called to obey God’s hidden will. How could we? For it has not been revealed or told to us! But we are called to obey God’s revealed will, that is to say, his laws or commandments which he has given to us. And that is the second way we speak of God’s will. His revealed will is his law. 

You know, one thing I have noticed over the years is that people sometimes get this backward. The obsess over knowing God’s hidden will while ignoring God’s revealed will. Even Christians can fall into the trap of obsessing over questions like this: “what is God’s plan for my life”, or “what does the future hold for me”, while failing to do that which God has clearly commanded.  Jesus had something to say about that in Matthew 6:25: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on… do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:25–33, ESV). That’s really marvelous, isn’t it? Jesus is saying, don’t obsess over the future. Don’t be anxious about things outside of your control. Instead, trust God as it pertains to these things, and focus instead on living in obedience to God while seeking to further his Kingdom.  

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Baptist Catechism 45-47

Questions 45 through 47 of our catechism clarify which law we are obligated to obey and where it is found. 

First, in question 45 we are rightly taught that God revealed his will, or law, by first writing it on the heart of man at creation. Q 45: “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.” You would do well to notice that Romans 2:14-15 and 5:13-14 are listed as proof texts for this Q&A. Romans 2:14-15 teaches that God wrote his law on man’s heart at creation, and Romans 5:13-14 teaches that the God’s law was in fact in the world prior to the giving of the Ten Commandments at Sinai. The point is this: God’s law was not given for the first time when it was written on those stone tablets and given to Israel through Moses. No, God’s law was first written on the heart of man when God created him. Adam knew right from wrong, and good from evil because God made him in his image. Man has God’s moral law written on his heart. He knows right from wrong. Now, granted, man is now fallen. This law is now badly bent out of shape, marred, distorted, and suppressed so that men by nature love what is evil and flee from what is good. But it is important for us to confess that God made man with this capacity to know right from wrong, and that man was upright in the beginning. 

Secondly, question 46 connects the moral law of God (which was written on man’s heart at the beginning and is universal and unchanging) with the Ten Commandments that were written on stone and given to Israel at Sinai. Q 46: “Where is the moral law summarily comprehended?” A: “The moral law is summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments.” That question and answer are worded very carefully to guard against error. 

One, it is clear that there is a connection between the moral law and the Ten Commandments written on stone. Do you wish to know God’s moral law which is for all people living in all times and places? Then you should go to the Ten Commandments, for there the moral law is comprehended or known. 

Two, it is also important to notice that the moral law and the Ten Commandments are not equated. If they – the moral law and the Ten Commandments –  were the exact same thing the question would have been more direct, perhaps something like this: Where do we find the moral law? And the answer would have simply been, in the Ten Commandments. Instead, the question and answer are more nuanced. “Where is the moral law summarily comprehended?” A: “The moral law is summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments.” 

“Summarily comprehended” means summarized in a way that is clear and knowable. It is important that the question and answer be phrased in this way for two reasons. 

One, there are some things stated in the Ten Commandments that were unique to Old Covenant Israel, and are not, therefore, for all people living in all times and places. In other words, not everything stated in the Ten Commandments is to be regarded as “moral law”. Take for example the preface, which mentions Israel’s redemption from Egypt. Consider also the commandment to observe the Sabbath on the seventh day. Also, remember the blessings attached to the keeping of the fifth commandment, namely, blessings in the land that would be given to Israel. And do not forget the curses attached to the breaking of the second commandment, namely, God’s “visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep [his] commandments” (Exodus 20:5–6, ESV). The point is this, the moral law and the Ten Commandments are not to be equated because there are some things stated with them that were unique to Isarel, and are not for all people living in all times and places. Nevertheless, the moral law is comprehended within the Ten Commandments. 

Two, the phrasing of this question and answer is important because the Ten Commandments are to be regarded as a summary of the moral law. In other words, the Ten Commandments do not say all that can possibly be said about living in a way that is right before God but function as a summary. The implications must be fleshed out. This will be demonstrated beautifully in questions 45 through 89 as our catechism will follow this pattern with each one of the Ten Commandments. What is the _____ commandment? What does this commandment require? What does this commandment forbid? You will notice that we are not only going to memorize the Ten Commandments. We will also, with the help of Srcripture, tease out the implications or necessary consequences, of each commandment. For example, the fifth commandment, honor your father and mother, “requireth the preserving the honor, and performing the duties, belonging to everyone in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals.” The Scriptures clearly teach that this is the implication of the fifth commandments, which is to be regarded as a summary of God’s moral law. 

Finally, we come to question 47 which asks, “What is the sum of the Ten Commandments?” Or to put it another way, what is the sum of the summary of God’s moral law? Answer: “The sum of the Ten Commandments is, to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbor as ourselves.” 

The proof texts cited here are Mattew 22:36-40 and Mark 12:28-33. These passages record for us Jesus’ answer to the question, “which is the great commandment in the Law?” And said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:36–40, ESV). 

Clearly, Jesus was summarizing the first four of the Ten Commandments when he spoke of the love we are to offer up to God, and the last six of the Ten Commandments when he spoke of the love we are to show to our neighbor. It should be remembered that this idea was not unique to Jesus. No, he was simply quoting the law of Moses, Deuteronomy 6:5, and Leviticus 19:18.

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Conclusion

So then, what duty does God require of man? A: Obedience to His revealed will. This reminds me of what Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, ESV).

And what did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience? He gave man his moral law. He wrote it on Adam’s heart at the time of creation. This is a part of what it meant for Adam and Eve to have been made in God’s image. 

And where is this moral law summarized for us so that it might be known? A: “The moral law is summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments.” 

And what is the sum of the Ten Commandments? A: The sum of the Ten Commandments is, to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbor as ourselves.“

May the Lord do two things for us. One, may he show us that we cannot keep this law but daily break it in thought, word, and deed, and therefore, are in need of a Savior, Christ the Lord. Two, may he give us faith in Christ along with a renewed mind, heart, and will so that we might do what God has commanded, out of gratitude for what he has graciously done for us as our Creator and Redeemer.

Baptist Catechism 44

Q. 44. What is the duty which God requireth of man?

A. The duty which God requireth of man, is obedience to His revealed will.

Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 12:13

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

From time to time I like to take a step back from our catechism to consider where we have been and where we are going. There is a structure to our catechism, and recognizing this structure can be very helpful. Now, it’s not as if the compilers of our catechism placed the 114 questions into these categories for us, but if you pay careful attention to the themes and their development, categories do clearly emerge. I’d like to share my outline of the catechism with you this afternoon. I think this broad overview will help us to better appreciate the individual questions and answers as we come to them.

I will admit that others might outline the catechism a little differently. And it is possible that their outline is better than mine. If I find that to be the case, I’ll alter my view. But as of right now, here is how I see it. 

Our catechism is most obviously divided into three major parts.

Questions 1 through 6 of our catechism make up the first part, and we may give it the heading, “First Things” or “Foundational Truths”.   Here in questions 1 through 6 foundational truths are established. Q. 1. Who is the first and chiefest being? Q. 2. Ought everyone to believe there is a God? Q. 3. How may we know there is a God? Q. 4. What is the Word of God? Q. 5. May all men make use of the Holy Scriptures? Q. 6. What things are chiefly contained in the Holy Scriptures? These questions are addressed first because it would be impossible to say anything meaningful or sure about God, his ways with man, and what he requires of us, without these foundational truths being established. 

Question 6 of our catechism is very important. Not only does it wrap up the “First Principles” section, but it also introduces parts two and three when it asks, “What things are chiefly contained in the Holy Scriptures?”, and then answers: “The Holy Scriptures chiefly contain what man ought to believe concerning God, and what duty God requireth of man.” The rest of the catechism teaches us about these two things: “what man ought to believe concerning God, and what duty God requireth of man.”

The second major part of the catechism is found in questions 7 through 43. Here we will find a  summary of what the Holy Scriptures teach concerning God, his nature, works, and dealings with man. 

And finally, in questions 44 through 114  we find the third major part, which is a summary of what the Holy Scriptures teach concerning mans duty or responsibility before God. Notice, we are considering question 44 this afternoon. It asks, “What is the duty which God requireth of man?” So then, you can see that we are now entering into the third and final section of the catechism. 

Clearly then, the catechism is divided into three major parts. Questions 1-6 establish “first principles”. Questions 7-43 tell us what man ought to believe concerning God, according to the Scriptures. And questions 44-114 tell us what duty God requires of man, according to the Scriptures. 

I would like to break the catechism down just a little bit more for you before briefly considering question 44. I think this will be helpful. 

Part one need not be broken down any further. It stands as a single unit. But part two can be divided into four sections. Remember, this entire section is telling us what we ought to believe concerning God. First, in questions 7 through 15 we are told about God, his nature, decrees, creation, providence, and covenant. Second, in questions 16-22 we are told about man’s alienation from God by his fall into sin. Now, some may object, saying, I thought this section was about God, but this is a section about man. Well, yes. It is about man. But more specifically, it is about man in relation to God. Third, in questions 23-31 we are told about the redemption accomplished by God through Christ. There in that section, Christ is identified as the redeemer of God’s elect. There, we are told about the incarnation, and the threefold offices of Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King. And there were are told about his humiliation and exaltation. Finally, in questions 32-43 we are told about how the redemption earned by Christ is applied by God to his elect through the Spirit. There we are told about effectual calling, the gift of faith, and the benefits that come to all who believe in Christ in this life, at death, and at the resurrection. At the end of that section, we are told about what Christ has saved us from, namely eternal condemnation. 

Notice two things about this second major section of our catechism running from questions 7 through 43. 

One, it is profoundly Trinitarian. After being taught about God as Trinity in questions 7-9, and after being told about man’s alienation from God in questions 16-22, then we are told about the accomplishment of our redemption by the Son of God incarnate, and the application of it in time to the elect of God by the Spirit.  Section two of our catechism is profoundly Trinitarian. 

Two, in questions 7 through 43 the gospel of Jesus Christ is presented in a redemptive-historical way. There in that section, we are told about God, creation, covenant, man’s fall into sin, the accomplishment of our redemption by Christ in time, and the application of the redemption that Christ has earned to sinners in time. And “how doth the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ?” Answer 33 says, “The Spirit applieth to us the redemption purchased by Christ, by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling.” Finally, the benefits that come to all who have faith are described – the benefits that come in this life, at death, and the resurrection. This is the good news of salvation through faith in Christ presented in a historical way. 

Question 44 then asks, “What is the duty which God requireth of man?” Answer: “The duty which God requireth of man, is obedience to His revealed will.”

Notice three things about Baptist Catechism 44: 

One, this question marks the beginning of the third major section of the catechism. Back in question 6 we were told that the Scriptures mainly teach “what man ought to believe concerning God, and what duty God requireth of man.” We have considered the first theme, now we are considering the second. 

Two, this question is the only reasonable question to ask after hearing about God, creation, covenant, man’s fall into sin, and the redemption that God has so graciously accomplished for us by Christ and applied by his Spirit. Having considered all that Christ has done for us, and having considered the wonderful benefits that come to those who have faith in Christ, the reasonable question to ask is, “What is the duty which God requireth of man?”  In other words, how should I respond to this salvation that has been freely given to me? Answer: we ought to obey God’s revealed will, that is to say, his law. 

This reminds me of what Jesus says in John 14:15: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” And listen to Jesus’ words to his disciples in John 15:9-11: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” Those who have been redeemed by Christ and effectually called by his Spirit so that they have faith, have had the love of Christ graciously set upon them. And how are they to respond to this love? With love! And what does it look like to abide in the love of Christ? Those who have been loved by Christ and who love him will strive to keep his commandments. 

So then, I hope you agree that question 44 is most appropriate. After considering the love that has been lavished upon by God through Christ and by the Spirit to redeem us from the curse of sin and to bless us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, our impulse should be to ask, what does God require of us? Having been redeemed by him, justified, and adopted, I want to serve him, for I am grateful. What does he require? Again the answer: “The duty which God requireth of man, is obedience to His revealed will.”

The third thing I want you to recognize about question 44 is that it does not only state the appropriate response to the redemption that has been graciously earned and applied to us, but it does also set us up for yet another presentation of the gospel, l but in another way, namely, through a consideration of the law and the gospel. 

 Please allow me to very briefly break down this third major section of the catechism into two parts. Questions 44 through 114 are about the duty that God requires of man. 

First, in questions 45 through 89 we are taught about God’s moral law. Here we learn that God’s moral law was first written on Adam’s heart at creation. And here we also learn that this moral law is summarized for us in the Ten Commandments, the sum of those Ten Commandments being “to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbor as ourselves” (Baptist Catechism 47). Here in this section the meaning of the Ten Commandments is carefully and clearly explained. With each one of them our catechism asks, what is this commandment? And after that it asks, what does this commandment require and what does it forbid? So then, here in questions 45 through 89, we find very helpful teaching on God’s moral law. 

But at the end of this section, a very important question is asked. Question 87: “Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?” The answer is bad news. “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. Question 88 then  asks, “Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous?” Answer: “Some sins in themselves and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others. Question 89, which is the last question in this section that we are beginning to consider today, then asks. “What doth every sin deserve?” More bad news: “Every sin deserveth God’s wrath and curse, both in this life, and in that which is to come.”

So then, this entire section on God’s law which runs from questions 45-89 does two things. One, it tells us what duty God requires of man. And two, it condemns us. And this is exactly what the Scriptures say about God’s law. One, it does function as a light to our feet. It reveals to us how we ought to live and the way we should go. But the is also like a schoolmaster or a strict disciplinarian. It magnifies our sin and proves that we are guilty and in need of a Savior. 

That brings us to the second part of the third section of our catechism, where the gospel is proclaimed yet again. I think questions 90 through 92 are my favorite. Here is the gospel again: Question 90: “What doth God require of us, that we may escape His wrath and curse, due to us for sin?” Answer: “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.” Question 91: “What is faith in Jesus Christ?

Answer: “Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the Gospel.” Question 92: “What is repentance unto life?”

Answer: “Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience.”

Finally, our catechism concludes with a wonderful presentation of the outward and ordinary means of grace that God uses to give his people the benefits of the redemption that Christ has earned for us. These outward and ordinary means of grace are the Word of God (94-95), baptism (96-101), the Lord’s Supper (102-104), and prayer (105-114).

So, I hope you can see that the gospel of Jesus Christ is presented twice in our catechism. First, in a redemptive-historical way, and then a second time in a law-gospel way. Twice, our catechism presents “faith in Christ” alone as the way to salvation. First in question 33, and then again in question 90. 

 *****

Why have I taken the time to provide you with this sweeping overview of the structure and teaching of our catechism?

I hope that by seeing the structure, and especially by seeing the way in which the gospel of Jesus Christ is presented, not once, but twice, and in two different ways, you will be further motivated to use this great catechism in your own life, with your family, and to appreciate and support the preaching and teaching of these great doctrines within the church year after year and for decades to come.   

As you can see, these are not a random collection of 114 questions and answers intended to merely fill your mind with cold, hard, facts. No, here we have a succinct and beautifully warm presentation of the teaching of Holy Scripture concerning our great God, our miserable condition before him because of sin, and the marvelous grace that he has shown to us in providing a Redeemer, Christ the Lord.  This document urges the very thing that the Scriptures urge, namely, reconciliation with God the Father, through faith in the incarnate Son, by the working of the Holy Spirit. May we be faithful to proclaim the crucified and risen Christ in the years to come. May we be found mature in him when Christ returns or calls us home (Colossians 1:28).