The Heidelberg Catechism (23) (Explained for Children)

All twelve articles of the Apostles' Creed have been dealt with, and now the believer is asked another question.

Question 59: What doth it profit thee now that thou believest all this?

Answer That lam righteous in Christ, before God, and an heir of eternal life.

In other words the question is asked, “What benefit is it for you that you believe all that is stated in these twelve articles?” And then the answer is given: to be righteous in Christ before God, signifying that God is the highest Judge, the righteous Judge. What does a judge do? He gives sentence if someone is guilty, or he frees him if he is innocent.

Here God acquits the believer, sets him free. Then he may say, “I no longer have any guilt before God, and therefore I will not be punished. All things are in order between God and me. I have peace with God. I am also an heir of eternal life.”

An heir is a person who receives an inheritance. For example, when parents die, the children may receive all that belonged to their father and mother. They receive an inheritance, and therefore they are the heirs. They receive all this without having to do anything for it. They do not have to earn it. Thus the believer says, “That is how I receive eternal life; I need do nothing to obtain it, nor do I earn it. I receive it because I am a member of Christ; I am His possession.”

Question 60: How art thou righteous before God?

Answer: Only by a true faith in Jesus Christ; so that, though my conscience accuse me, that I have grossly transgressed all the commandments of God, and kept none of them, and am still inclined to all evil; notwithstanding, God, without any merit of mine, but only of mere grace, grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ; even so, as if I never had had, nor committed any sin; yea, as if I had fully accomplished all that obedience which Christ has accomplished for me, inasmuch as I embrace such benefit with a believing heart.

He is asked how a sinful person can be acquitted by the Judge. Would that be honest? Has not a sinner earned punishment?

The believer answers, “It is true that I have transgressed all the commandments of God and kept none of them. My conscience tells me this and accuses me of it. It is the truth. Indeed, it is even worse than that, for I am still inclined to all evil. This means that the evil of sin is rooted in my heart. Just as a tree has its roots deep in the ground, so likewise evil is firmly rooted in my heart, and therefore I continue to sin. The evil in me desires this. How terrible my condition is. However, God grants me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ.”

This means that Christ has paid sufficiently for him. Nothing more needs to be done. That which He merited was merited for the believer. Christ is the Surety, and therefore God acquits the sinner, for He is a righteous and just Judge. God grants all this of mere grace. That believer says, “It is only by grace that I receive it, for I have not earned it. Now it is as if I have never committed any sin, as if I had come into the world sinless; indeed, as if I had always been obedient to God, just as obedient as Christ has been. What a wonder! What a great blessing!”

How is this received? You must think of a poor beggar. A beggar can receive something only when he holds out his hand. If he has no hands, he cannot receive it. Thus it is necessary that he have a hand, an empty hand. The believer says, “I am such a poor, sinful beggar. I have nothing. But I have been given a hand to receive something. The hand is true faith. I have received a believing heart from God. If I hold out that hand, that empty hand of faith, then I can receive everything that God gives me. Thus everything that Christ has merited can be received only by that hand of faith. Then I am a rich beggar!”

Thus we see that true faith is necessary. It is indispensable.

Question 61: Why sayest thou that thou art righteous by faith only?

Answer: Not that I am acceptable to God, on account of the worthiness of my faith, but because only the satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, is my righteousness before God; and that I cannot receive and apply the same to myself any other way than by faith only.

If one has true faith, do you not merit something with it? Does the Lord perhaps say that because you have true faith, therefore He will give you the benefits? No, you cannot merit anything with your faith. Has not Christ merited everything? That is the only reason that God will give it. Think once more of that beggar. You would not say to the beggar that because he stretched out his hand, he has merited something by doing so. No, the beggar merits nothing by holding out his hand. The hand is necessary only to receive something. Likewise faith is necessary to receive that which the Lord will give.

What is that true faith? You can read of that in Lord's Day 7.

Now you also know for what you must ask the Lord. You must ask if He will by the Holy Ghost give that true faith in your heart. Then you will be blessed and rich, even if faith is small and weak. The small hand of a small beggar is still a hand, just as much as the large hand of a large beggar.

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