1. In the Third Article of our Creed we learn about the Holy Ghost,
about His person and His work. We confess that we believe in the Holy
Ghost. In whom alone should we believe? What do we therefore confess of
the Holy Ghost when we say that we believe in Him? How can we prove
from Holy Scripture that the Holy Ghost is true God? 1 Cor. 3,16. Which
divine work is ascribed to the Holy Ghost?
2. In whom do we believe according to the First Article? In whom
according to the Second Article? And in whom according to the Third
Article? In how many Persons of the Godhead do we believe, according to
our Creed? There are three distinct Persons in whom we believe. We
believe in them; what, therefore, are they? All these three persons are
the true God. In whose name have we been baptized? On what occasion did
these three divine Persons reveal themselves to us? How did they reveal
themselves at the baptism of Christ? The Father is God, the Son is God,
and tho Holy Ghost is God; how many Gods are there? In how many Persons
did the one true God reveal Himself? Who, therefore, is the one true
God? What do we call God because He is one and has revealed Himself in
three Persons?--Why is the third Person of God called the Holy Ghost?
The Holy Ghost makes us holy; what do we call this work of the Holy
Spirit?
3. What has Christ done for our salvation? What has He gained for us in
order to save us? What is now the one thing necessary for our salvation?
What becomes of us if we do not come to Jesus and accept what He has
merited for us? How do we come to Jesus and accept all that He offers
us?--Believe in Jesus Christ, your Savior; that is the only way to
heaven. But what must we confess concerning our believing and coming to
Christ? Why can we not by our own reason and strength believe in Christ
or come to Him? What do we read Eph. 2,1? We are dead in trespasses and
sins. A dead person cannot do anything to raise himself from death to a
new life. As far as we are concerned, we are lost and condemned
creatures. Who took pity on us? Whom did God send to raise us from the
death of our sins? To whom does the Holy Ghost bring us? Do we and can
we help Him to perform this work in us? Whose work alone is it? By what
is the Holy Ghost moved to bring us to Christ, our Lord, and thus to
save us?
4. The Holy Ghost alone can bring us to Christ. Our Catechism tells us
how the Spirit of God performs this work in us. What do we confess in
the Third Article about this work of the Holy Ghost? The Holy Ghost has
called me. In which parable does Christ Himself explain what this
means? As this rich man had prepared a supper for His guests, so Christ
has prepared, as it were, a supper for us, for all men. What is this
supper which Christ has prepared for all men? In what manner did He
prepare everything for our salvation? Who now calls us to the salvation
Christ has prepared? What does the Holy Ghost say to us in this call? We
come to our Lord and to the meal He has prepared for us by believing in
Him. The Holy Ghost calls and invites us to believe in Jesus Christ, our
Lord, and be saved.--By what means does the Holy Ghost call and invite
us to Christ, to faith in Him? Who, generally, are the servants He sends
out to call us to Christ by the Gospel? But who is it that really calls
us when we hear the Gospel?--The Holy Ghost calls us by the Gospel. He
says to us, Come to your Lord and be saved. What are we not able to do
by our own strength when the Holy Ghost calls us? What does the Holy
Ghost give us in calling us? What does He call forth in us by His call?
What do we call this work of the Spirit? Who alone performs conversion
in us? The Holy Ghost brings us to Christ, or converts us, only through
the Gospel. When can the Holy Ghost not perform this work in us? What
should we therefore diligently do?
5. What is the second work of the Holy Ghost? With what does the Holy
Ghost enlighten us? What are His gifts?--The Holy Ghost sanctifies me;
what does that mean? The Holy Ghost sanctifies us in the true faith.
Whose children are we through faith? What is God's will toward His
children? 1 Thess. 4,3. Who performs this work in us? The Holy Ghost
dwells in our heart, and renews and sanctifies it. What do we hate now
by the power He has granted us? Whom do we begin to love?--Our
sanctification in this life is never perfect. What must also the
children of God confess? What do they therefore ask of their Lord every
day? But what does the Holy Ghost daily give them? Against whom do the
children of God daily struggle and fight? In whose strength do they more
and more overcome the devil, the world, and their own sins?--Which is
the last work performed in us by the Holy Ghost? Since when has the Holy
Ghost kept us in the true faith? How long has He promised to keep us
with Christ?--In whom is the Holy Ghost willing to perform His work to
the end in order to save them? What is God's gracious will towards all
men? What additional proof can you give for the fact that God desires
all men to be saved? How is it that not all men are saved? Whose fault
is it that those are lost who are condemned? By whose grace and work
alone are we saved?