Geneva Catechism (41 - 50)

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Q. 41. What does his kingdom bestow upon us?

A. By means of it, obtaining liberty of conscience to live piously and holily, and, being provided with his spiritual riches, we are also armed with power sufficient to overcome the perpetual enemies of our souls-sin, the world, the devil, and the flesh.

Q. 42. To what is the office of priest conducive?

A. First, by means of it he is the mediator who reconciles us to the Father; and, secondly, access is given us to the Father, so that we too can come with boldness into his presence, and offer him the sacrifice of ourselves, and our all. In this way he makes us, as it were, his colleagues in the priesthood.

Q. 43. There is still prophecy.

A. As it is an office of teaching bestowed on the Son of God in regard to his own servants, the end is that he may enlighten them by the true knowledge of the Father, instruct them in truth, and make them household disciples of God.

Q. 44. All that you have said then comes to this, that the name of Christ comprehends three offices which the Father hath bestowed on the Son, that he may transfuse the virtue and fruit of them into his people?

A. It is so.

Q. 45. Why do you call him the only Son of God, seeing that God designs to bestow this appellation upon us all?

A. That we are the sons of God we have not from nature, but from adoption and grace only, in other words, because God puts us in that place, (John i. 1;) but the Lord Jesus who was begotten of the substance of the Father, and is of one essence with the Father, (Eph. i. 2) is by the best title called the only Son of God, because he alone is his Son by nature, (Heb. i. 1.)

Q. 46. You mean then, that this honour is proper to him, as being due to him by right of nature, whereas it is communicated to us by gratuitous favour, as being his members?

A. Exactly. Hence with a view to this communication he is called the First-born among many brethren. (Rom. viii. 29.)

Q. 47. In what sense do you understand him to be "our Lord ?"

A. Inasmuch as He was appointed by the Father to have us under his power, to administer the kingdom of God in heaven and on earth, and to be the Head of men and angels. (Col. i. 15, 18.)

Q. 48. What is meant by what follows?

A. It shows the manner in which the Son was anointed by the Father to be our Saviour-namely, that having assumed our nature, he performed all things necessary to our salvation as here enumerated.

Q. 49. What mean you by the two sentences-"Conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary ?"

A. That he was formed in the womb of the virgin, of her substance, to be the true seed of David, as had been foretold by the Prophets, and that this was effected by the miraculous and secret agency of the Spirit without human connection. (Ps. cxxxii. 11 ; Matt. i. I ; Luke i. 32.)

Q. 50. Was it of consequence then that he should assume our nature?

A. Very much so; because it was necessary that the disobedience committed by man against God should be expiated also in human nature. Nor could he in any other way be our Mediator to make reconciliation between God and man. (Rom. iii. 24; 1 Tim. ii. 5; Heb. iv. 15; v. 7.)

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