6-5-15 Heidelberg 12-15

4Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 5But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, (Romans 2:4-5)

Thoughts: We owe God a debt of gratitude for life.  But instead of gratitude, we give God pride, selfishness, thoughtlessness, sexual immorality, greed, and other sins.  So instead of worship, we think we are doing God a favor just by not being as evil as we could be.  We are in debt and, instead of paying it back we pile up more and more as if we have never ending credit.  Christ is the only one with infinite resources from His divine worth to pay off our debt to God.  Today Greece cannot pay its debt to the European Union.  The longer it faces debt, the worse the debt gets.  Ironically the EU is owed and the EU is prolonging and enhancing the debt.  Greece needs someone with enough resources to step in- or those with the resources to forgive enough debt for them to make it.  We cannot pay our debt to God and no mere creature can pay it for us.  Yet God cares and sent Christ to bring hope and reconciliation.  

Q & A 12

Q. According to God’s righteous judgment we deserve punishment both now and in eternity:
how then can we escape this punishment and return to God’s favor?

A. God requires that his justice be satisfied.1 Therefore the claims of this justice
must be paid in full, either by ourselves or by another.2

1 Ex. 23:7; Rom. 2:1-11
2 Isa. 53:11; Rom. 8:3-4

Q & A 13

Q. Can we make this payment ourselves?

A. Certainly not. Actually, we increase our debt every day.1

1 Matt. 6:12; Rom. 2:4-5

Q & A 14

Q. Can another creature—any at all— pay this debt for us?

A. No. To begin with, God will not punish any other creature for what a human is guilty of.1Furthermore, no mere creature can bear the weight of God’s eternal wrath against sin

and deliver others from it.2

1 Ezek. 18:4, 20; Heb. 2:14-18
2 Ps. 49:7-9; 130:3

Q & A 15

Q. What kind of mediator and deliverer should we look for then?

A. One who is a true1 and righteous2 human, yet more powerful than all creatures,

that is, one who is also true God.3

1 Rom. 1:3; 1 Cor. 15:21; Heb. 2:17
2 Isa. 53:9; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:26
3 Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Jer. 23:6; John 1:1

Prayer: Thank you God that you, whom we owe, pay off our debt out of your great and infinite worth and love.  

3/18/12- Not Able to Make Payment

26- 3/18- 4^th Sunday in Lent- HDBG- 12-15

Q. 12. Since, then, by the righteous judgment of God we have deserved temporal and eternal punishment, how may we escape this punishment, come again to grace, and be reconciled to God?

A. God wills that his righteousness be satisfied; therefore, payment in full must be made to his righteousness, either by ourselves or by another.

Q. 13. Can we make this payment ourselves?

A. By no means. On the contrary, we increase our debt each day.

Q. 14. Can any mere creature make the payment for us?

A. No one. First of all, God does not want to punish any other creature for man’s debt. Moreover, no mere creature can bear the burden of God’s eternal wrath against sin and redeem others from it.

Q. 15. Then what kind of mediator and redeemer must we seek?

A. One who is a true and righteous man and yet more powerful than all creatures, that is, one who is at the same time true God.

¹² But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. ¹⁴ For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (Hebrews 10:12-14)

Thoughts: We are broke and the bill is due.  We are facing eviction.  We are facing foreclosure.  We have exhausted all our resources.  We cannot make our payment to our landlord… uh, our Lord.  Our sin has shut the door.  The good news God breaks down the door and comes to us and offers us a mansion- all we have to do is believe his gift is real.  If we refuse to believe and walk away we lose it.  If we refuse to believe and still try to earn our way out of our eviction, it will not happen.  We must trust in Him and give up our ways- and agree to do things His way. In the end, we are dependent not on any president, or the real estate market to provide for our ultimate needs- but on God.  

Prayer: This Lent, Lord, help me to repent of my sin and go your way.  Give me listening ears to you and your Word.