“For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”
Romans 14:8
I’ve mentioned several times before how much I love the old Heidelberg Catechism for the way it distills the truth and hope of the Gospel (and if you’ve been paying attention, you know that Pastor Mike loves it even more than I do!). As we gathered to grieve the passing of our dear sister, Heather, into eternity this week, the first Question of the Heidelberg was much on my mind for the comfort it brings. In answer to the question, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” The catechism teaches us to respond:
That I am not my own,
but belong with body and soul,
both in life and in death,
to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.
He has fully paid for all my sins
with his precious blood,
and has set me free from all the power of the devil.
He also preserves me in such a way
that without the will of my heavenly Father
not a hair can fall from my head;
indeed, all things must work together for my salvation.
Therefore, by his Holy Spirit
he also assures me of eternal life
and makes me heartily willing and ready
from now on to live for him.
Resting in His comfort by faith in Christ!
Pastor Scott