Question 127

What is the sixth petition?

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” That is, since we are so weak in ourselves that we cannot stand a moment; and besides this, since our mortal enemies, the devil, the world, and our own flesh, cease not to assault us (Matt. 26;41); do thou, therefore preserve and strengthen us, by the power of thy Holy Spirit, that we may not be overcome in this spiritual warfare, but constantly and strenuously may resist our foes, until at last we obtain a complete victory (Eph. 3;14-16).

flesh is weak.— John 15;5.—1 Pet. 5;8.—Luke 22;31, 32.—Eph. 6;12.—Prov. 1;10.—Gal. 5;17.—James 1;14.—John 15;19.

Eph. 3;14-16.—For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.—2 Cor. 12;7, 8.—Eph. 6;10-13.—1 Thess. 3;13.—1 Thess. 5;23.—Rom. 16;20.

Scripture references for paragraph 1

Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.

Matthew 26:41
41“Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Ephesians 3:14-16
14... for this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
15from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
16I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being,

John 15:5
5I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

1 Peter 5:8
8Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Luke 22:31
31Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat.

Luke 22:32
32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Ephesians 6:12
12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Proverbs 1:10
10My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them.

Galatians 5:17
17For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want.

James 1:14
14But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.

John 15:19
19If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.

2 Corinthians 12:7
7or because of these surpassingly great revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

2 Corinthians 12:8
8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.

Ephesians 6:10-13
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.

1 Thessalonians 3:13
13so that He may establish your hearts in blamelessness and holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:23
23Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your entire spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 16:20
20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Source and edition

Heidelberg Catechism. RCA English, E. R. Good & Bro., Tiffin, 1879. RCA English, E. R. Good & Bro., Tiffin, 1879

Public Domain (historic text); CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikisource transcription). Source transcription.

Transcription licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0.

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