# 37 and 38 from Shorter Catechism

[JimfromOhio]

My wife and I are having a Sunday school class this Sunday, studying the Shorter Catechism. The questions we will be facing this weekend are:

Q. 37. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?
A. The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory;and their bodies, being still united in Christ, do rest in their graves, till the resurrection.

Q. 38. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?
A. At the resurrection, believers, being raised up in glory,shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity.

Let me know what your thoughts are. Any input you may have will be helpful !!

Thanks

 

[frumanchu]

My wife and I are having a Sunday school class this Sunday, studying the Shorter Catechism. The questions we will be facing this weekend are:

Q. 37. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?
A. The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory;and their bodies, being still united in Christ, do rest in their graves, till the resurrection.

Q. 38. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?
A. At the resurrection, believers, being raised up in glory,shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity.

Let me know what your thoughts are. Any input you may have will be helpful !!

Thanks

These are great topics for conversation!

With Q. 37, this is an excellent opportunity to dispell the commonly held belief in "soul sleep" whereby one minute we're on our death bed and the next we "wake up" at the resurrection. Our souls (to be understood as our conscious selves) will go immediately into the direct presence of God.

With Q. 38, you have an opportunity if you so choose to point out that this answer flatly rejects contemporary eschatology. It directly ties the "resurrection" (when the bodies of believers in Christ rise) to the "day of judgement" (when they are acknowledged and aquitted). Point being that the historical Reformed position does not allow for anything but a post-tribulational rapture and strongly argues against premillennialism.

Another important focus is that it should not be overlooked that both questions are directed at the benefits received from Christ. It is only as a benefit of His atoning sacrifice and passive/active obedience that we experience the opportunity to be in the direct presence of God (37) and be declared justified at the judgement (38).

Just a few observations...hope they help

 

[JimfromOhio]

These are great topics for conversation!

With Q. 37, this is an excellent opportunity to dispell the commonly held belief in "soul sleep" whereby one minute we're on our death bed and the next we "wake up" at the resurrection. Our souls (to be understood as our conscious selves) will go immediately into the direct presence of God.

With Q. 38, you have an opportunity if you so choose to point out that this answer flatly rejects contemporary eschatology. It directly ties the "resurrection" (when the bodies of believers in Christ rise) to the "day of judgement" (when they are acknowledged and aquitted). Point being that the historical Reformed position does not allow for anything but a post-tribulational rapture and strongly argues against premillennialism.

Another important focus is that it should not be overlooked that both questions are directed at the benefits received from Christ. It is only as a benefit of His atoning sacrifice and passive/active obedience that we experience the opportunity to be in the direct presence of God (37) and be declared justified at the judgement (38).

Just a few observations...hope they help

Thanks.. That's what I was looking for. Something to use as "discussion" in class. We have a very good group of people always asking odd questions that we Calvnist face all the time. I will use them as part of our discussion.

Jim