By Mike Peek

Question 107 : What doth the conclusion the Lord's prayer teach us? Answer: The conclusion of the Lord's prayer, which is, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever, Amen." teacheth us, to take our encouragement in prayer from God only, and in our prayers to praise him, ascribing kingdom, power and glory to him. And, in testimony of our desire, and assurance to be heard, we say, Amen. Dear Neighbor, When the Westminster Puritan’s wrote their confession and this catechism, they did so from the English Version authorized by King James. The King James Bible was translated by the Puritans from the Textus Receptus. All early English translations of the Bible, except for Wycliffe’s, (The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 was translated into English from the Latin Vulgate) were translated into English from the Textus Receptus. The Textus Receptus was a Greek New Testament by Erasmus in 1516. Erasmus was a Dutch philosopher and Christian scholar. Since t...

Question 106: What do we pray for in the sixth petition? Answer: In the sixth petition, which is, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," we pray, That God would either keep us from being tempted to sin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted. Dear Neighbor, I agree with the Westminster Puritans in praying that God would “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” we are praying that God would keep us from being tempted and deliver us when we are tempted. However, I also believe that it goes much further than delivering us when we are tempted because evil can come from the world and the people around us, and we need protection from these as well.  Temptation comes from three sources: Satan The World The Flesh When we ask God to keep us from temptation, we are asking God to protect us from Satan, the world and our own flesh. And we ask God to deliver us from evil, we are asking him to deliver us from these same three. Just as Satan, th...

Question 105: What do we pray for in the fifth petition? Answer: In the fifth petition, which is, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors," we pray, That God, for Christ's sake, would freely pardon all our sins; which we are able to be rather encouraged to ask, because by his grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others. Dear Neighbor, We should confess our sins to God in prayer and confess what we are holding in our heart against others. When we consider all that that God has done for us in forgiving our sins; then we realize that we cannot, nor should not hold a grudge against another. This is not to say that we should not hold others accountable but we should forgive.  Jesus said, Luke 17:3-4, “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” If someone sins, the believer is to show him his fault in p...

Question 104: What do we pray for in the fourth petition? Answer: In the fourth petition, which is, "Give us this day our daily bread," we pray, That of God's free gift we may receive a competent portion of the good things of this life, and enjoy his blessing with them. Dear Neighbor, We all have needs; both physical and spiritual needs. We need to be feed by the Word and we need to be feed with food for our stomachs. I man is both a physical and spiritual being. With our daily bread we will die. Some are starving, they are receiving a portion of bread but it is not enough. The bread that I speak of is both physical and spiritual. To be truly alive and healthy we need physical bread for the body and spiritual bread for the soul. Some are physically fat but are spiritually starved. We should pray and ask God to give us what we need and give thanks to God for the good things that he has blessed us with.  Proverbs 30:8-9 says: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me n...

Question 103: What do we pray for in the third petition? Answer: In the third petition, which is, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven," we pray, That God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven. Dear Neighbor, When we pray, we should not pray for our will, but for God’s will, as the Lord Jesus Christ did during the night preceding his suffering and death. Jesus prayed to the Father God: “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” (Lk. 22:42) We should petition God, not for our will, but for his will to be done. All are saved by the grace of God alone, through faith, in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Of ourselves we can do nothing good. The apostle Paul wrote: “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.” (Rom. 7:18) Therefore, we must pray for Go...

Question 102: What do we pray for in the second petition? Answer: In the second petition, which is, "Thy kingdom come," we pray, That Satan's kingdom may be destroyed; and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it; and the kingdom of glory may be hastened. Dear Neighbor, The coming of the kingdom of God is the greatest and deepest desire of my heart. It was not always my deepest desire but has been since the day God gave me a new heart, with a new desire.  In his book, City of God , Augustine wrote about the reality of two kingdoms. There are two kingdoms side by side. There is the kingdom of man, ruled by Satan, and the kingdom of God, ruled by Jesus Christ. A day and hour is coming in which God will judge the world in righteousness through Jesus Christ. Satan will be vanquished and the kingdom of man will be no more. As believers, we are to pray for the advancement of God’s kingdom. Some have said that it is sin to ...

Dear Neighbor, Question 101: What do we pray for in the first petition? Answer: In the first petition, which is, "Hallowed be thy name," we pray, That God would enable us and others to glorify him in all that whereby he maketh himself known; and that he would dispose all things to his own glory. It is for the glory of God and the Lamb that we pray. What is the purpose of all things? The purpose for all things is the glory of God. The very first question and answer in the Westminster Shorter Catechism: Question 1: What is the chief end of man? Answer: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever. Man was created to glorify God, and to enjoy God forever, but man sinned and fell short of his glory. However, it is for the glory of God, that God justified man. We are justified as a gift, by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, in Christ Jesus alone, for the glory of God alone, as it is written in Scripture alone. (cf. Rom. 3:10-26) We who are redeemed...

Dear Neighbor, Question 100: What doth the preface of the Lord's prayer teach us? Answer: The preface of the Lord's prayer, which is, "Our Father which art in heaven," teacheth us to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us; and that we should pray with and for others. When Jesus meet Mary Madeline in the garden, he said to her: “G o to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” (Jn. 20:17b) This indicates a change in covenant, for God’s covenant name in Israel was Yahweh or Jehovah, but we should understand God, not as the God who took us out of slavery in Egypt, but as a loving Father who elected us and Jesus Christ as a loving brother who died for us. Therefore, when you pray, pray to your Father who loves you, for he elected you before the foundation of the earth and adopted you as a son or daughter of God. However, we should not think of God a...

Dear Neighbor, Question 99: What rule hath God given for our direction in prayer? Answer: The whole Word of God is of use to direct us in prayer; but the special rule of direction is that form of prayer which Christ taught his disciples, commonly called The Lord's Prayer. Yesterday I mentioned that the pastor of Sylvania Church often reads Puritan prayers from The Valley of Vision . He also does something else that I think is very interesting; he prays from the psalms. He will take one of the psalms and pray it aloud, adapting it to the congregation for which he is praying. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, says: “ All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Therefore, the Westminster Puritans are correct in their assertion that the whole Word of God is useful to direct us in prayer. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, (cf.  Luke 11...

Dear Neighbor, My personal devotional time begins each morning with a recitation of a chapter out of the Gospel According to John; after this, I write a write a letter to God; after this, I read a portion of Scripture; after this, I write a letter to you. Prayer is very very important to me. I surround my prayer time with the Scriptures. The Puritans have much to teach us about prayer, for they were a prayerful people. In the liturgy of the worship service, at Sylvania Church, our pastor often reads a Puritan Prayer from the Valley of Vision; therefore, I believe that the Puritans have much that they can teach us about prayer.  The Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 98: What is prayer? Answer: Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies. I do not always do so, but several years ago, someone suggested to me to use the acronym A.C.T.S. while pra...

Question 97: What is required to be the worthy receiving of the Lord's supper? Answer: It is required of them that would worthily partake of the Lord's supper, that they examine themselves of their knowledge to discern the Lord's body, of their faith to feed upon him, of their repentance, love, and new obedience; lest, coming unworthily, they eat and drink judgement to themselves. This is a good and biblical answer, however, there is something missing from this answer. The thing missing is church membership. I do not mean membership in the particular local church in which a traveler might take part in the Lord’s Supper, but I mean membership in the church universal. We do not believe in Baptismal regeneration; therefore, this is not of which I am speaking. However, we do believe that Baptism is a church ordinance; therefore, Baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and the Lord’s Supper. Faith in Jesus Christ is the prerequisite to Baptism, believers...

Question 96: What is the Lord's supper? Answer: The Lord's Supper is a sacrament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to Christ's appointment, his death is showed forth; and the worth receivers are, not after a corporal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of his body and blood, with all his benefits, to their spiritual nourishment, and growth in grace. Dear Neighbor, I do not believe that this answer is sufficient. I believe “The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.” (BFM, Article 7b)  The Westminster Puritans believe that the Lord’s Supper is a sacrament but I believe that it is a symbolic act of obedience. Remember, the word sacrament implies that the act itself conveys grace to the believer. I do not believe that the act of receiving the Lord’s Supper conveys any grace t...

Question 95: To whom is baptism to be administered? Answer: Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him; but the infants of such as are members of the visible church are to be baptized. Dear Neighbor, I know by what means they came to this answer, but being men who spent much time in the Scripture, I do not understand how they held to it. There is much that we all do out of habit, and because others did it before us; but the truth is, the second part of this answer is fallacy. There is absolutely no instance of anyone being Baptized in Scripture except that of a believer.  I believe that the reformers were on the path to abandon the practice of infant baptism but they chickened out. Throughout the middle ages, and during the time of the reformation, the way that governments counted its citizenry was through church baptismal records. If only believers were baptized, not all persons born in...

Question 94: What is baptism? Answer: Baptism is a sacrament, wherein the washing with water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, doth signify and seal our ingrafting into Christ, and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engagement to be the Lord's. Dear Neighbor, Baptism is not a sacrament, whereas, by calling Baptism a sacrament, the word implies conveyance of grace. No one has been or ever will be sealed our ingrafted into Christ through the act of Baptism. However, Baptism is required for church membership, that you a believer may then take part in the activities of the church, but it does not give us the benefits of the covenant of grace, for all was given to us when we first believed.  Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which G...

Question 93: Which are the sacraments of the New Testament? Answer: The sacraments of the New Testament are, Baptism, and the Lord's supper. Dear Neighbor, I believe it of necessity that I once again define sacrament and ordinance. In answer to question 92, the Westminster Puritans said, “A sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ.” I agree that the Baptism and the Lord’s supper are ordinances instituted by Christ, and they are Holy because Christ instituted them, but for what purpose and to whom? This is the purpose of the questions that follow, but for now, let us once again define sacrament and ordinance. The authors of The Baptist Faith & Message define ordinance and sacrament thus: Ordinance means decree or command. The word sacrament implies that the act itself conveys grace to the believer. Both the Westminster Puritans and Baptist agree that the Lord Jesus Christ instituted Baptism and the Lord’s supper, and there are none but these. (cf. Mt. 28:19 & 1 Co...

Question 92: What is a sacrament? Answer: A sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ, wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and the benefits of the new covenant, are represented, sealed, and applied to believers. Dear Neighbor, As I said yesterday, I do not like the word sacrament being used of baptism and the Lord’s supper because the word sacrament implies that the act itself conveys grace to the participant. I, however, prefer to call them ordinances because an ordinance is a decree or command; therefore, I am pleased to read in answer to question 92 that the Westminster Puritans said, “A sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ.” However, I do not believe that the entire second half of the answer is correct: “wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and the benefits of the new covenant, are represented, sealed, and applied to believers.” I do not like the answer because it implies that the act itself conveys grace.  I knew when I began to write about the questio...

Question 91: How do the sacraments become effectual means of salvation? Answer: The sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not from any virtue in them, or in him that doth administer them; but only by the blessing of Christ, and the working of his Spirit in them that by faith receive them. Dear Neighbor, The word sacrament is derived from the ancient Roman religions of making and oath to and worshiping the gods; for this reason the Roman Catholic church adopted this word into the Christian faith. The Westminster puritans continued to use the word in their confession and catechisms; both longer and shorter catechisms. The Baptist decided to make a change and call them ordinances. It became excepted in Roman Catholicism that there was virtue in the ordinances and in the priest who administered them. I do not believe this to be true. I do not believe that Baptism and the Lord’s supper are acts that convey grace but are commands given by Christ as pictures and affirmation of grac...

Question 90: How is the Word to be read and heard, that it may become effectual to salvation? Answer: The the Word may become effectual to salvation, we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation, and prayer; receive it with faith and love, lay it up in our hearts, and practise it in our lives. Dear Neighbor, The bases for these final questions and answers is Acts 2:41-42 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Those who received the Word began to practice the Christian life! In the parable of the Sower and the Soils; (Mark 4:1-20) Jesus explained that there are four ways in which people receive the Word: People who hear, but do not receive the Word. People who hear, receive the Word, but do not lay it up in their hearts. People who hear, receive the Word, lay it up in their heart...

Question 89: How is the Word made effectual to salvation? Answer: The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word, an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort, through faith, unto salvation. Dear Neighbor, Yesterday, I wrote that the bases for these final questions in the Westminster Shorter Catechism were set in the answer to question 88; therefore, even if the answers deviate, we will not, for this is the bases, the establishment of the church of Jesus Christ. Acts 2:41-42 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. The apostle Paul wrote to his apprentice Timothy: “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.” (1 Tim. 4:13) Why? Because the apostle P...

Question 88 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism: “What are the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption?” Answer: “The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption, are his ordinances, especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.” Acts 2:41-42 “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” All of the remaining questions in the Westminster Shorter Catechism deal with the ordinances of the Word, sacraments and prayer. The proof text given for their answer to question 88 is Acts 2:41-42; therefore, I think it prudent that we return to this text when considering every answer to the end of the catechism. In Acts 2:41-42 we can see the workings of the early church....