Heidelberg Catechism Week 13

33. Q. Why is He called God's "only Son" when we also are God's children? A. Because Christ alone is the eternal, natural Son of God. We, however, are adopted children of God - adopted by grace through Christ.

34. Q. Why do you call Him "our Lord"? A. Because - not with gold or silver, but with His precious blood - he has set us free from sin and the tyranny of the devil, and has bought us, body and soul, to be His very own.

My reflections on the reading from the book...

Our natural condition in Adam is that we are "children of wrath and sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2-3). But Galatians 4:4-5 explains our adoption in Christ: "When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." DeYoung summarizes this gospel truth: "The wrath of God has been turned away from sinners because of the death of Christ so that we might be reconciled to God and brought into His family."

DeYoung: "For Jesus to be called God's only Son means that He shares equally in divinity, glory, and honor with the Father."

Christ can claim lordship over our lives for four reasons:

• by right of creation (He made us)
• by right of redemption (He saved us)
• by reason of preservation (He keeps us)
• with respect to ordination and appointment (God has exalted Christ and placed all things in subjection under His feet)