Date: Wed, 1 Feb 1995 10:11:44 +0100
Reply-To: t.benschop@pobox.ruu.nl
Sender: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel
From: Teus Benschop
Subject: Catechism, 2
Question:
How many things are necessary for thee to know, that you enjoying real
comfort may live and die happily?
Answer: Three: first, how great my sins and miseries are; the second, how
I may be delivered from all my sins and miseries; the third, how I shall
express my gratitude to God for such deliverance.
This is an important question. Life is full of sorrows: days of grief and
distress; of mourning and woe. Moses says "The days of our years are
threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore
years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off,
and we fly away." (Ps.90:10) The cause of this is that we are submitted
to the judgement of God, and that the earth is cursed because of our
sins. But now, there is one consolation, which exceeds and takes away all
sorrows. Should we not seek that consolation? You could ask, how you
could get this comfort. That is also the thing where our question is
dealing with. What do you need to know to live enjoying real comfort, and
to die happily? To get the consolation of God, we need three main things
to know:
1. How great our sins and miseries are.
2. How we may be delivered from all our sins.
3. How we shall express our gratitude to God for such deliverance.
So, our answer makes mention of three things to know: our miseries, our
deliverance and our gratitude. You can find these three things in many
places of the Scriptures.
In the next text, taken from Psalm 32, you see that David had knowledge
of those three points.
Miseries Vs.3-5 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my
roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was
heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of
summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine
iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my
transgressions unto the LORD.
Deliverance 5 And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
Gratitude 6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in
a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of
great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
Also the writer of Psalm 116 experienced those three things:
Miseries Vs.3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of
hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.
Deliverance 4 Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I
beseech thee, deliver my soul.
Gratitude 5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is
merciful.
He knew his miseries for he was compassed with sorrows of death, even the
pains of hell got hold upon him. Then he called upon the LORD, saying:
Deliver my soul! After God had delivered him, he expressed his gratitude,
saying: The LORD is gracious, righteous and merciful.
This knowledge, which we need to have, must not be a knowledge only with
our reason. For such knowledge gives no consolation. The knowledge which
gives consolation is an experienced knowledge. You need to have
thoroughly experienced your miseries, before you will appreciate the
deliverance. And you need to have had the deliverance of so great
miseries, in order that you can be really grateful to God. The
experienced knowledge, that comforts.
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Chr-Exp, a Christian explanation of the Tanach and the New Testament
Editor: Teus Benschop - t.benschop@pobox.ruu.nl
No copyrights on this publication
Institution Practical Bible-education, the Netherlands
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file: /pub./resources/text/ipb-e/cate: cat-002.txt
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