II. La loi — Le 27e dimanche
The Divine Pattern of Rest
The Sabbath is established as a reflection of God's own rest, intended to guide us into a life of continual meditation on His works.
177. M: But what does the reason mean that our Lord gives here—that we must rest as he did? E: After creating all his works in six days, he set aside the seventh to reflect on them.1 And to lead us more readily to do this, he sets his own example before us. For nothing is more desirable than to be conformed to him. We must meditate on the works of God continually. M: Are we required to meditate on the works of God at all times, or is one day a week enough? S: That should be done every day, but because of our weakness, one day is specifically set apart for it.✦2 And that is the order I spoke of.3
Order in the Assembly
The Sabbath serves the community through public worship, instruction, and the merciful provision of rest for those in service.
On the ordering of the days 179. Minister: What order, then, should we follow on this day? Examiner: It is that the people gather to be taught the truth of God, to offer common prayers, and to bear witness to their faith and religion. 180. Minister: How do you understand that this commandment is also given to provide relief for servants? Examiner: To provide some rest for those who are under the authority of others. And likewise, it serves the common order, because everyone becomes used to working the rest of the time when there is a day of rest.4
Fulfillment in Christ
The ceremonial aspects of the Sabbath are fulfilled in Christ, whose death and resurrection provide the true rest for the believer.
181. Minister: Now let’s talk about how this commandment applies to us. Student: As for the ceremony, it’s been abolished (Colossians 2:16), because we have the fulfillment in Jesus Christ. 182. M: How? E: It is that our old self is crucified by the power of his death, and that by his resurrection we rise to newness of life (Romans 6:6).✦5
Living the Sabbath Truth
Believers honor the Sabbath by participating in the life of the Church and by ceasing from their own works to live under Christ's rule.
183. M: So what does that leave us with? C: That we follow the order established in the Church for hearing the Lord's Word, participating in public prayers, and sharing in the sacraments.6 And that we don't go against the spiritual order that exists among the faithful.7 184. M: And as for the figure—doesn't it do us any good? E: Yes, it certainly does.8 For we must reduce it to the truth.9 That is, as true members of Christ, we should leave our own works behind so that we can surrender ourselves to his rule.10
Read the original Latin
177. M : Mais que veut dire la raison qu'allègue ici notre Seigneur, qu'il nous faut reposer comme il a fait? E : Après avoir créé toutes ses oeuvres en six jours, il a dédié le septième à la considération d'icelles. Et pour nous mieux induire à ce faire, il nous allègue son exemple. Car il n'y a rien tant désirable que d'être conformes à lui.
Méditation des oeuvres de Dieu doit être continuelle 178. M : Faut-il toujours méditer les oeuvres de Dieu, ou s'il suffit d'un jour la semaine? E : Cela se doit faire chacun jour, mais à cause de notre infirmité, il y en a un certain spécialement député. Et c'est la police que j'ai dite.
De la police des jours 179. M : Quel ordre donc doit-on garder en ce jour? E : C'est que le peuple s'assemble pour être instruit en la vérité de Dieu, pour faire les prières communes et rendre témoignage de sa foi et religion.
180. M : Comment entends-tu que ce commandement est donné aussi pour le soulagement des serviteurs? E : Pour donner quelque relâche à ceux qui sont en la puissance d'autrui. Et pareillement cela sert à la police commune, car chacun s'accoutume à travailler le reste du temps quand il y a un jour de repos.
181. M : Maintenant disons comment ce commandement s'adresse à nous. E : Touchant la cérémonie, elle est abolie (Colossiens 2:16), car nous avons l'accomplissement en Jésus-Christ.
182. M : Comment? E : C'est que notre vieil homme est crucifié par la vertu de sa mort, et que par sa résurrection nous ressuscitons en nouveauté de vie (Romains 6:6).
183. M : Qu'est-ce donc qui nous en reste? E : Que nous observions l'ordre constitué en l'Église pour ouïr la Parole du Seigneur, communiquer aux prières publiques et aux sacrements. Et que nous ne contrevenions pas à la police spirituelle qui est entre les fidèles.
184. M : Et de la figure, ne nous profite-t-elle rien? E : Si fait bien. Car il nous la faut réduire à la vérité. C'est qu'étant vrais membres de Christ, nous délaissions nos oeuvres propres pour nous permettre à son gouvernement.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Gen.2.2-Gen.2.3;Exod.20.8-Exod.20.11 — And God finished on the seventh day His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. Gen.2.3 — And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all His work which God created to do. Exod.20.8 — Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exod.20.9 — Six days you shall labor and do all your work. Exod.20.10 — but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God; on it you shall not do any work—you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. Exod.20.11 — For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the day of the Sabbath and made it holy.
- ↩Rom.6.6;Rom.6.4 — We know this: our old self was crucified with him, so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we might no longer be enslaved to sin. Rom.6.4 — Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we might walk in newness of life.
Notes
- 1 ↩Middle French « icelles » points back to « ses oeuvres » (his works); rendered as « them ».
- 2 ↩French infirmité here means human frailty/weakness, not illness in the medical sense.
- 3 ↩French police here means order, arrangement, or public regulation of practice (as in the next heading, De la police des jours), not modern law enforcement.
- 4 ↩French police commune means public/civic order and shared social discipline, not a modern police force; rendered as "common order," matching the chapter's police des jours.
- 5 ↩French «vieil homme» is the Pauline «old man» (Rom 6:6); rendered «old self» for modern readability while keeping the theological sense of the unrenewed nature crucified with Christ. «Par la vertu de» = by the power/efficacy of, not moral virtue.
- 6 ↩communiquer aux: older French for partaking in / sharing in (public prayers and sacraments), not 'communicating' in the modern sense.
- 7 ↩police spirituelle: 16th-century Reformed usage for spiritual polity/discipline (church order), not civil police.
- 8 ↩Middle French « Si fait bien » affirms against a negative question: not a bare yes, but ‘yes, on the contrary / yes indeed it does.’
- 9 ↩« réduire … à la vérité » means bring the ceremonial figure over to the spiritual reality it points to, not ‘reduce’ in a dismissive sense.
- 10 ↩« nous permettre à son gouvernement » is archaic French for yielding/entrusting ourselves to Christ’s governance; rendered ‘yield ourselves to his rule.’
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