Heidelberg Catechism
Lord’s Day 8, Q 26
June 13, 2021
What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”?
That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who of nothing made heaven and earth with all that is in them,1 who likewise upholds, and governs them by His eternal counsel and providence,2 is for the sake of Christ, His Son, my God and my Father,3 in whom I so trust as to have no doubt that He will provide me with all things necessary for body and soul;4 and further, that whatever evil He sends upon me in this valley of tears, He will turn to my good;5 for He is able to do it, being Almighty God,6 and willing also, being a faithful Father.7
[1] Gen. 1:31; Ps. 33:6; *Col. 1:16; *Heb. 11:3. [2] Ps. 104:2–5; Matt. 10:30; Heb. 1:3; Ps. 115:3; *Acts 17:24–25. [3] Jn. 1:12; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:5–7; Eph. 1:5; *Eph. 3:14–16; *Matt. 6:8. [4] Ps. 55:22; Matt. 6:25–26; Lk. 12:22–24; Ps. 90:1–2. [5] Rom. 8:28; *Acts 17:27–28. [6] Rom. 10:12. [7] Matt. 7:9–11; *Num. 23:19.We believe in God, but what do we believe about him? I have often thought that we should examine potential pastors with one simple question, “Tell me about God.” If they could not talk accurately and edifyingly about God for one hour, they fail. So, what do you believe about God? The Apostles Creed is a good place to start.
God the Father is the eternal Father. Since before eternity past God has been the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. There has never been a time when Christ was not; despite what the Arians claim. They have forever existed in a fellowship of love and light. Fatherhood is an essential part of God; it has always defined him. God is not the ‘father’ of all mankind. He has created all and rules over all, but is not the father of all. Only those who believe in Jesus are given the right to be called the children of God (John 1:12).
God the Father is the creator. Out of nothing, He spoke the universe into existence by the power of His Word. Ex nihilo – Latin for out of nothing (Hebrews 11:3). He started with nothing and with it, He made all things. We can reform and reshape the substance of what God has made, but we cannot call things into existence from nothing.
God the Father sustains the universe. He upholds and fuels its continual existence. We don’t think about this very often but it should amaze us as much as the original creation. Our God sustains billions of stars spanning countless light-years. Everything has its unique place and function. All creation serves God’s design and they fulfill God’s purpose. Including us.
God the Father governs us by his eternal counsel and providence. “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’ (Isaiah 46:9-10).
Does God really sovereignly decree all things for me? Yes, everything that happens to me comes from my Father’s hand. We can call God our Father! God becomes our father as we are united to Christ through faith. Just as a Father does, God provides for us, chides, teaches, and grows us to maturity in Christ. God, like Job understood, gives what we experience as both good and bad. More on this later.
God the Father is faithful. We trust him for all that we need for both soul and body, and God provides. We need have no doubt that God will fail in his role as father and provider. He may lead down bumpy roads, but he leads, he provides, he cares, and he has a purpose in it all. He provides what is necessary for us to fulfill our purpose in His grand design to display His glory. He does not fulfill our dreams nor meet all our wants and desires. Confusion here drains the life out of faith.
God the Father sends evil. What? That can’t be right, can it? “I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity;I am the Lord, who does all these things” (Isaiah 45:7). There is no one like God; no one comparable to God. He has no equal, no competition. There is no dualism or eternal struggle between the good god and the bad god. There is only one God, and He can work with evil and form something good with it, and not get his hands dirty in the process. God contains and controls evil so that it serves his purposes. Think again of Job. The evil that came to Job was limited by God and made purposeful by God. “All things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
God the Father guides us through this valley of tears. This fallen world is saturated with tears. The pain and destruction of sin is real and it is evil. We each experience unequal measures of the evils of a sinful world. Yet, the measure of evil that I experience in this world God my Father uses for my good. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). And again, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).
Yet, how is that possible? How can God turn evil into good? There are many promises of God that seem impossible to us. Namely, “I will give you new spiritual bodies.” “I will raise you from the dead.” “I will turn the evil that you experience into a blessing for you.” I do not understand the math on this, nor can I fully explain it. The eternal God is still a mystery to me in many ways. But, I know him as almighty. Nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). None can change His mind nor thwart His purpose. If he says it He will do it. And He is Father – He would do anything good for his children.