Lord’s Day 1
“Q & A 1
Q. What is your only comfort
in life and in death?
A. That I am not my own,
but belong—
body and soul,
in life and in death—
to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.
He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.
He also watches over me in such a way
that not a hair can fall from my head
without the will of my Father in heaven:
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.
Because I belong to him,
Christ, by his Holy Spirit,
assures me of eternal life
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on to live for him.”
Notice the differences between Calvinism and Arminianism as shown by The Heidelberg Catechism which teaches Calvinism (a/k/a Reformed doctrine):
1. Calvinism speaks of belonging to Christ; Arminianism speaks of free will and freedom to chose or reject Christ including freedom even to later change your mind.
2. Calvinism speaks of Christ blood as shed only for the Elect, by itself effective to redeem and make full payment for all of the Elect’s sins; Arminianism speaks of Christ’s blood as shed for everyone, by itself ineffective to redeem and save anyone, unless man exercises his free will to chose and believe in Christ, but many if not most (for whom Christ died) go to hell, according to Arminians.
3. Calvinism recognizes the tyranny of the devil; Arminianism claims man is free.
4. Calvinism trusts God’s preservation of the saint; Arminianism teaches that man can fall from grace and lose his salvation if he does not keep his faith till death.
5. Calvinism focuses on God and comforts and assures the believer of salvation; Arminianism focuses on man and causes the believer to be insecure and to focus on his own faith and his own works till death.
6. Calvinism makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for Him (irresistable grace); Arminianism pleads with me to try harder to live for Him (obstructable grace).
7. Calvinism teaches that all things must work together for my salvation; Arminianism teaches that I must work all things for my salvation.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 