Lesson #3—The Scriptures Teach

Shorter Catechism Q & A # 3

Q. What do the scriptures principally teach?

A. The scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.

Memorize Q & A—Exposition

By the action of the Holy Spirit the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments become our ‘text book’ teaching us the doctrines or truths upon which we build our understanding of who God is and what he requires of us in faith and obedience (John 16:13–14).

What does it mean?

1. Discuss “what it means to believe” [to be convinced], John 20:31; 2 Tim. 1:13.
2. Discuss “the required duty of a Christian” [obedience], Micah 6:8.

What is our practice?

Our actions should reveal our belief in Christ.

Give examples of fulfilling our duty in home, work, etc.

What is the relationship of faith and duty?

Quotes for thought and discussion:

“As the connection of these two, faith and obedience are joined together, because there is no true faith but what is followed with obedience, and no true obedience but what flows from faith. Faith is the loadstone of obedience, and obedience the touch stone of faith, as appears from Jam. 2. They that want faith cannot be holy; and they that have true faith, their faith will work by love.” (Thomas Boston)

“What a privilege it is to have in our hands a book every line of which was given by inspiration of God!—to have a divinely given history of the past, the present, and the future! Who can estimate aright such a privilege as this? As for the persistence of true Christianity and of righteousness in general down through the ages has been a fully trustworthy Bible in the hands of the common people.—We believe that the Bible as we now have it is complete, and that no new books are ever to be added. We believe this because the Bible gives us a sufficiently clear account of the relationship which exists between God and men, and of God’s plan of redemption as it has been worked out by Christ and is now being applied to His people by the Holy Spirit.” (Loraine Boettner, Studies in Theology)

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