I. Des articles de la foi — Le 18e dimanche
The Nature of True Faith
True faith is defined as a firm knowledge of God's love for us through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
What true faith is. Minister: Since we have the foundation that faith rests on, we can easily conclude from that what true faith is. Student: Indeed. It is a sure and firm knowledge of God's love toward us, as he declares himself through his Gospel to be our Father and Savior, by means of Jesus Christ.1
Faith as a Divine Gift
Faith is not a human achievement but a gift of the Holy Spirit who enlightens our hearts and seals God's promises within us.
112. M: Can we have it from ourselves, or does it come from God? Elder: Scripture teaches us that it's a special gift of the Holy Spirit, and experience confirms this as well.✦2 The Holy Spirit enlightens us. How? Because our understanding is too weak to grasp the spiritual wisdom of God revealed to us by faith, and our hearts are inclined toward distrust, or toward a perverse trust in ourselves or in created things. But the Holy Spirit enlightens us so that we can understand what would otherwise be incomprehensible to us, and strengthens us in certainty, sealing and impressing the promises of salvation on our hearts.
Justification by Faith Alone
Faith justifies the believer before God, as human works are insufficient to meet divine judgment.
It's faith that justifies us.✦ M: What good does this faith do us once we have it? E: It justifies us before God so that we may obtain eternal life.✦✦ 115. Minister: How is that, then? Is a person not justified by good works, living a holy life and according to God?✦ Elder: If someone that perfect were found, you could rightly call him righteous; but since we're all poor sinners, we have to look elsewhere for our standing if we're to answer God's judgment.3
Read the original Latin
Que c'est que vraie foi 111. M : Puisque nous avons le fondement sur lequel la foi est appuyée, nous pourrons bien de là conclure que c'est que la vraie foi. E : Voire. A savoir certaine et ferme connaissance de la dilection de Dieu envers nous, selon que par son Évangile il se déclare être notre Père et Sauveur, par le moyen de Jésus-Christ.
112. M : La pouvons-nous avoir de nous-mêmes, ou si elle vient de Dieu? E : L'Écriture nous enseigne que c'est un don singulier du Saint-Esprit, et l'expérience aussi le montre.
Le Saint-Esprit nous illumine 113. M : Comment? E : Pour ce que notre entendement est trop débile pour comprendre la sagesse spirituelle de Dieu, qui nous est révélée par la foi, et nos coeurs sont enclins à défiance, ou bien à fiance perverse de nous ou des créatures. Mais le Saint- Esprit nous illumine pour nous faire capables d'entendre ce qui autrement nous serait incompréhensible, et nous fortifie en certitude, scellant et imprimant les promesses de salut en nos coeurs.
C'est la foi qui nous justifie 114. M : Quel bien nous procède-t-il de cette foi, quand nous l'avons? E : Elle nous justifie devant Dieu pour nous faire obtenir vie éternelle.
115. M : Comment donc? L'homme n'est-il pas justifié par bonnes oeuvres, vivant saintement et selon Dieu? E : S'il s'en trouvait quelqu'un si parfait, on le pourrait bien nommer juste, mais en tant que nous sommes tous pauvres pécheurs, il nous faut chercher ailleurs notre dignité pour répondre au jugement de Dieu.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Eph.2.8;1Cor.12.3;Phil.1.29 — For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. 1Cor.12.3 — Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. Phil.1.29 — For to you it has been granted, on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer on his behalf.
- ↩Rom.3.28;Gal.2.16 — For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Gal.2.16 — yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Christ Jesus. So we also have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
- ↩Rom.3.20-Rom.3.28 — For by works of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. Rom.3.21 — But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets." Removes the heavier "being attested" without losing the participial sense. Rom.3.22 — For The righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, for there is no distinction. Rom.3.23 — For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Rom.3.24 — being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Rom.3.25 — whom God put forward as a mercy seat through faith in His blood, to show His righteousness because of the passing over of sins previously committed Rom.3.26 — This was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the one who justifies the person who has faith in Jesus." Better sentence order for hearing and clearer antecedent from v.25. Rom.3.27 — Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By works? No, but by the law of faith." "By" reads more naturally than repeated "through" in the courtroom argument. Rom.3.28 — For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
- ↩John.3.16;Rom.6.22-Rom.6.23 — For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. Rom.6.22 — But now, having been set free from sin and having become slaves to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end is eternal life. Rom.6.23 — For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- ↩Rom.3.20-Rom.3.28;Gal.2.16 — For by works of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. Rom.3.21 — But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets." Removes the heavier "being attested" without losing the participial sense. Rom.3.22 — For The righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, for there is no distinction. Rom.3.23 — For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Rom.3.24 — being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Rom.3.25 — whom God put forward as a mercy seat through faith in His blood, to show His righteousness because of the passing over of sins previously committed Rom.3.26 — This was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the one who justifies the person who has faith in Jesus." Better sentence order for hearing and clearer antecedent from v.25. Rom.3.27 — Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By works? No, but by the law of faith." "By" reads more naturally than repeated "through" in the courtroom argument. Rom.3.28 — For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Gal.2.16 — yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Christ Jesus. So we also have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
Notes
- 1 ↩French dilection names God's love toward us (dilectio); rendered as love per lexeme policy, not generic affection.
- 2 ↩French 'don singulier' = special/unique gift; rendered 'special gift' for modern readability while keeping the exclusivity of the Spirit's gift of faith.
- 3 ↩French dignité here is forensic standing/worthiness before God, not social rank; rendered as "standing".
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