I. Des articles de la foi — Le 16e dimanche
The Imperfect Church
The Church remains in a state of struggle and imperfection while awaiting full union with Christ.
The Church Is Still Imperfect 99. M: But this holiness you attribute to the Church—is it perfect right now? E: No, not while she is still struggling in this world.1 There are always remnants of imperfection that will never be removed until she is fully joined to her Head, Jesus Christ, by whom she is sanctified.✦2
The Nature of the Church
The Church is understood both as a visible community and as the invisible company of the elect.
100. M: And is there any way to know this Church other than by believing in it? E: There is indeed a visible Church of God, as He has given us the marks by which we can recognize it.34 But here what is properly meant is the company of those God has chosen to save, which cannot be fully seen with the eye.
The Remission of Sins
Forgiveness is a free gift of God's grace, fully paid for by Christ rather than earned by human works.
101. Minister: What follows from this? Student: “I believe in the forgiveness of sins. ” On the forgiveness of sins 102. Minister: What do you understand by the word “forgiveness”? Student: That through His free goodness, God forgives and releases His faithful from their faults, so completely that those faults are not brought into account before His judgment to be punished.5 103. M: From this it follows that we do not earn God's forgiveness by satisfactions.6 Elder: Indeed. For the Lord Jesus has made the payment and has borne the penalty for it. On our part, we can offer no recompense at all; instead, we must receive the pardon for all our misdeeds through God's pure liberality.
Communion and Salvation
Forgiveness is found within the communion of the Church, outside of which there is no hope of salvation.
Forgiveness of sins is only in the Church 104. Minister: Why do you place this article after the Church? E: Because no one obtains pardon for their sins unless they are first incorporated into the people of God and persevere in unity and communion with the body of Christ, and so are a true member of the Church. 105. M: So outside the Church, there is only damnation and death. E: That is certain. Anyone who separates from the community of the faithful to form their own sect cannot hope for salvation as long as they remain divided.7
Read the original Latin
L'Église encore imparfaite 99. M : Mais cette sainteté que tu attribues à l'Église, est-elle maintenant parfaite? E : Non pas, cependant qu'elle bataille en ce monde. Car il y a toujours des reliques d'imperfection, lesquelles ne seront jamais ôtées, jusqu'à ce qu'elle soit pleinement conjointe à son Chef Jésus-Christ, duquel elle est sanctifiée.
100. M : Et cette Église ne se peut-elle autrement connaître qu'en la croyant? E : II y a bien Église de Dieu visible, selon qu'il nous a donné les enseignes pour la connaître. Mais il est ici parlé proprement de la compagnie de ceux que Dieu a élus pour les sauver, laquelle ne se peut pas pleinement voir à l'oeil.
101. M : Que s'ensuit-il? E : « Je crois la rémission des péchés. »
De la rémission des péchés 102. M : Qu'entends-tu par ce mot de « rémission »? E : Que Dieu pat sa bonté gratuite remet et quitte à ses fidèles leurs fautes, tellement qu'elles ne viennent point en compte devant son jugement pour les en punir.
103. M : De cela il s'ensuit que nous ne méritons pas par satisfactions que Dieu nous pardonne. E : Voire. Car le Seigneur Jésus a fait le payement et en a porté la peine. De notre part, nous ne pouvons apporter aucune récompense, mais faut que recevions par la pure libéralité de Dieu pardon de tous nos méfaits.
Rémission des péchés n'est sinon en l'Église 104. M : Pourquoi mets-tu cet article après l'Église? E : Pour ce que nul n'obtient pardon de ses péchés, que premièrement il ne soit incorporé au peuple de Dieu et persévère en unité et communion avec le corps de Christ, et ainsi qu'il soit vrai membre de l'Église.
105. M : Ainsi, hors de l'Église, il n'y a que damnation et mort. E : Il est certain. Car tous ceux qui se séparent de la communauté des fidèles pour faire secte à part ne doivent espérer salut cependant qu'ils sont en division.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Eph.1.22-Eph.1.23 — And he put all things under his feet, and gave him as head over all things to the church. Eph.1.23 — which is his body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.
Notes
- 1 ↩Middle French « cependant que » here means « while / as long as », not modern « however ».
- 2 ↩« reliques d'imperfection » = remaining traces/remnants of imperfection, not physical saints' relics; « Chef » is the christological Head of the Church.
- 3 ↩Source reads «II y a»; translated as the intended «Il y a» (“there is”).
- 4 ↩«enseignes» rendered as “marks” (outward signs by which the Church is recognized), not as instructional teaching.
- 5 ↩Source reads «pat sa bonté»; almost certainly a typo for «par sa bonté» (“by his goodness”). Translated from that corrected reading.
- 6 ↩« Satisfactions » keeps the Reformation technical term for human works offered as amends for sin, not a vague sense of personal contentment.
- 7 ↩Middle French « cependant qu'ils sont en division » is temporal (‘while / so long as they are in division’), not concessive ‘however’.
Catechism of the Church of Geneva (Le catéchisme de l'Église de Genève) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit