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Heidelberg Catechism, Question 32

Question 32

But why art thou called a Christian?

Because I am a member of Christ by faith (Gal. 2;20); and thus am partaker of his anointing (1 Cor. 1;21); that so I may confess his name (Matt. 10;32), and present myself a living sacrifice of thankfulness to him (Rom. 12;1); and also, that with a free and good conscience I may fight against sin and Satan in this life (Eph. 6;11, 12); and afterwards reign with him eternally, over all creatures (2 Tim. 2;12).

Scripture references for paragraph 1

Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.

Galatians 2:20

20I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Colossians 2:6

6Therefore, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in Him,

Colossians 2:7

7rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

1 Corinthians 6:17

17But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:27

27Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it.

1 Corinthians 1:21

21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

1 John 2:27

27And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.

2 Corinthians 1:21

21Now it is God who establishes both us and you in Christ. He anointed us,

2 Corinthians 1:22

22placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come.

Isaiah 59:21

21“As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit will not depart from you, and My words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and grandchildren, from now on and forevermore,” says the LORD.

Matthew 10:32

32Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven.

1 Peter 2:9

9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Romans 10:9

9that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 12:1

1Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

1 Peter 2:5

5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 6:11

11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.

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.

Romans 6:12

12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires.

Romans 6:13

13Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.

1 Peter 5:8

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

1 Peter 5:9

9Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.

1 Timothy 1:18

18Timothy, my child, I entrust you with this command in keeping with the previous prophecies about you, so that by them you may fight the good fight,

2 Timothy 2:12

12if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us;

Revelation 3:21

21To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Revelation 2:10

10Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

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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