The twenty-fifth question in our catechism is: “Can anyone decide to become a preacher or minister?” The answer is: “No. A person must be called and ordained by the church to become a preacher or minister of the sacraments.” cf. 1 Timothy 5:22; Jeremiah 23:21; Mark 3:14 as well as 2 Timothy 2:2 and Article…
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The twenty-fourth question in our catechism is: “Can a general council of the church be in error?” The answer is: “Yes. General Councils are not infallible, since they are human assemblies, and not every member may be governed by the Spirit and Word of God. They may err, and sometimes have erred, even in the…
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The twenty-third question in our catechism is: “Can a denomination be in error?” The answer is: “Yes. The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches are in error, both in matters of liturgy and life, as well as in matters of doctrine.” cf. Romans 11:20-22; Revelation 2:14,16,20 and Article 19.
The twenty-second question in our catechism is: “What authority does the church have?” The answer is: “The Church has authority to establish liturgy and it has authority in controversies of doctrine. However, the Church may not ordain anything contrary to Gods’ word, nor may it so make one part of Scripture contradict another.” cf. 1…
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The twenty-first question in our catechism is: “What is the visible church?” The answer is: “The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful believers in which the pure word of God is preached and the sacraments are administered according to Christ’s commands.” cf. 1 Corinthians 11:23-25; Acts 2:41, 42, 47 and also 1…
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The twentieth question in our catechism is: “Can someone be saved by a sincere faith in another religion?” The answer is: “No one can be saved by a sincere faith in another religion, since salvation is found only in the name of Jesus Christ” cf. John 3:36; John 14:6; Acts 4:12 and Article 18.
The nineteenth question in our catechism is: “What is election or predestination?” The answer is: “Election to life is the eternal purpose of God, whereby he has committed before the beginning of the world to saving those whom he has chosen in Christ.” cf. 1 Peter 1:2; Ephesians 1:4; Romans 8:29-30 and Article 17.
The eighteenth question in our catechism is: “Are works done before justification good works?” The answer is: “No. Works done before justification are not properly good works, nor are they pleasing to God, because they do not come from faith in Jesus Christ.” cf. Isaiah 64:6; Luke 18:11-14 and Article 13.
The seventeenth question in our catechism is: “What are good works?” The answer is: “Good works are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification. They always spring from a true and living faith, so that by them, a true and living faith may be recognised as easily as a tree can be discerned by…
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The sixteenth question in our catechism is: “What is the true doctrine of justification?” The answer is: “The true doctrine of justification is that we are counted righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord Jesus Christ by faith, and not for our own works or what we deserve.” cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21;…
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