Der erste Teil: Von des Menschen Elend — 3. Sonntag
Created for Goodness
God originally created humanity in His own image to live in righteousness and eternal communion with Him.
Did God create humans to be so evil and corrupt? No. God created humans good and in His own image, which means: truly righteous and holy, so that they might rightly know God, their Creator, love Him from the heart, and live with Him in eternal bliss, praising and glorifying Him.
The Root of Corruption
Humanity's current sinful nature originated in the disobedience of Adam and Eve, poisoning our existence from the beginning.
Where does this evil and corrupt human nature come from? It comes from the fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, in the Garden. Our nature has been so poisoned that we're all sinners from the very beginning.
The Necessity of Rebirth
Without the intervention of the Holy Spirit, humanity is entirely inclined toward evil and incapable of good.
Are we so corrupt and twisted that we're completely incapable of doing any good and are inclined toward everything evil? Yes, unless we are reborn by the Spirit of God.
Read the original Latin
Hat denn Gott den Menschen so böse und verkehrt erschaffen? Nein. Gott hat den Menschen gut und nach seinem Ebenbild erschaffen, das bedeutet: wahrhaft gerecht und heilig, damit er Gott, seinen Schöpfer, recht erkenne, von Herzen liebe und in ewiger Seligkeit mit ihm lebe, ihn zu loben und zu preisen.
Woher kommt denn diese böse und verkehrte Art des Menschen? Aus dem Fall und Ungehorsam unserer ersten Eltern Adam und Eva im Paradies. Da ist unsere Natur so vergiftet worden, dass wir alle von Anfang an Sünder sind.
Sind wir aber so böse und verkehrt, dass wir ganz und gar unfähig sind zu irgendeinem Guten und geneigt zu allem Bösen? Ja, es sei denn, dass wir durch den Geist Gottes wiedergeboren werden.
Heidelberg Catechism (Heidelbergse Catechismus) 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