SCRIPTURE ALONE
We know God by two means:
First, by the creation, preservation, and government
of the universe,
since that universe is before our eyes
like a beautiful book
in which all creatures,
great and small,
are as letters
to make us ponder
the invisible things of God:
his eternal power
and his divinity,
as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20.
All these things are enough to convict men
and to leave them without excuse.
Second, he makes himself known to us more openly
by his holy and divine Word,
as much as we need in this life,
for his glory
and for the salvation of his own.
(Belgic Confession Art. 2)
We receive all these books
and these only
as holy and canonical,
for the regulating, founding, and establishing
of our faith.
(Belgic Confession Art. 5)
Let us thank God for the holy Word.
We thank you, God, for your Word. We thank you for the special care this shows you have for us and our salvation.
(Belgic Confession Art. 3)
GRACE ALONE
It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
(Ephesians 2:8)
Without my deserving it at all,
out of sheer grace
God grants and credits to me
the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ.
(Heidelberg Catechism A 60)
Let us thank God for grace.
We thank you, God, for your grace. We thank you that you do not treat us as our sins deserve, that you do not repay us according to our iniquities.
(Psalm 103:10)
FAITH ALONE
It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
(Ephesians 2:8)
All I need to do
is to accept this gift of God with a believing heart.
(Heidelberg Catechism A 60)
Let us thank God for faith.
We thank you, God, for the gift of faith.
We thank you for faith
that embraces Jesus Christ,
with all his merits,
and makes him its own,
and no longer looks for anything
apart from him.
(Belgic Confession Art. 22)
CHRIST ALONE
The angel said to Joseph, "Give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
(Matthew 1:21)
Jesus saves us from our sins. Salvation cannot be found in anyone else; it is futile to look for any salvation elsewhere.
(Heidelberg Catechism A 29)
Let us thank God for Jesus.
We thank you, God, for Jesus. We thank you that we have in Jesus all that we need for our salvation.
(Heidelberg Catechism A 30)
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY
What is the chief end of man?
To glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
(Westminster Shorter Catechism Q & A 1)
Let us, then, glorify God. Let us glorify God for Scripture, for grace, for faith, for Jesus.
Song: "To God Be the Glory"
(PsH 632)
This responsive reading was prepared by Adrian Dieleman for use in an annual Reformation Day rally in Waupun, Wisconsin.
