Q. 20. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery?
A. God, having out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer.
Q. 21. Who is the Redeemer of God’s elect?
A. The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, forever.
Q. 22. How did Christ, being the Son of God become man?
A. Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her, yet without sin.
It was the summer of 1977. My family was on vacation with another family and we were taking a break from the beach to go see a movie. Initially unexcited about this decision (I wanted to go play putt putt golf), I was quickly captivated by a space battle and the boarding of a ship. On this ship, a young woman put a message into a robot (or droid, as they are called in the movie) and, though she is captured, the droid, along with another droid, manages to escape and somehow carries the message to the intended recipient. As the message plays, it ends with these famous lines: “Help me, Obi-Wan! You’re my only hope.”
Hope would end up being a major theme or motif of the entire Star Wars saga. And after the last couple of weeks in the Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC), you may feel the need for a ray of hope as well. The catechism paints a bleak picture of man’s estate following Adam’s initial transgression in the garden of Eden. Not only did he fall, but all mankind with him and thus all enter this life in an estate of sin and misery. The effects of this are wide-ranging and long-lasting.
But with question 20, the catechism makes a turn and, in this turn, hope begins to seep in. For there is another estate made possible for God’s people, an estate of salvation. In these questions, we learn:
-The transition from the estate of sin and misery into the estate of salvation is accomplished by the work of another. We are not able to make the move based on our own efforts or merits. It also rests on the gracious work of God from beginning to end.
-The means of this salvation is the Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Notice, he is not a redeemer, one of a number of possible redeemers. Instead, he is “the only” Redeemer. There is no other one through whom one can have access to the estate of salvation.
-In order to be the Redeemer, the eternal Son of God became man, such that He is fully God and fully man (“two distinct natures”), though one person. This becoming man or Incarnation is what we celebrate at Christmas. But notice that it is essential that this occur if He is to be the Redeemer. The Incarnation is a vital part of our salvation.
-Though fully man, He is without sin
Saints, what grand truths for us to contemplate as we enter Holy Week this Palm Sunday! Yes, we must confess our sinfulness but we must also consider our Redeemer. And as we consider Him, we are reminded that part of the reason He became man and took on flesh and blood was so that He could secure our redemption, our salvation by having that flesh torn and that blood shed on the cross. Yes, dear hearts, we have hope but it is a hope purchased at great cost. But because of the cost and the one who paid it, our hope is no mere wishful thinking but is rock solid. Our only hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness and that is the best foundation on which to build.
