
Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 8
[For the next fifteen weeks, and the next thirty-five questions, the Heidelberg Catechism sets up camp in the Apostles' Creed. It's a simple approach, but a wise one; an awful lot of people say things on a weekly basis that they don't fully understand, and those of us who don't say them on a weekly basis are probably even more likely not to understand them. This Lord's Day, Heidelberg sets up the structure that will be occupying us through until June. The Creed is in three parts, reflecting not just the Triune God, but also the three major categories of God's gifts to us: Father/creation, Son/deliverance, and Spirit/sanctification.]
Q24. How are these articles divided?
A24. Into three parts:
God the Father and our creation;
God the Son and our deliverance;
and God the Holy Spirit and our sanctification.
Q25. Since there is only one divine being,
why do you speak of three:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
A25. Because that is how
God has revealed himself in his Word:
these three distinct persons
are one, true, eternal God.