Sinclair Ferguson

We can be assured that we have a righteousness that is as righteous as His righteousness, because it is His righteousness.

And it's perfect, it's irreversible.

And it's ours through faith.

We make no contribution to it.

We receive him and we receive that righteousness.

And that was why there was such a bursting forth of assurance.

And I find, I think many Christians, it's just at that point that things begin to go wrong in their Christian lives and they turn back in upon themselves and they lose both the joy and assurance of Christian life.

because they're actually looking at the level of their sanctification for their assurance of justification.

And in a sense, they've turned the gospel on its head, clearly without realizing it.

Because if you said, what is the gospel?

Hopefully they would not say the gospel is I have done enough, but that Christ has done everything.

but how we articulate our theology and how we actually experience the Christian life sometimes can be very different.

And so that's one of the questions that, I mean, going back to your asking another question beyond the question of question number four, that pastorally in homes and families, as well as for catechists and ministers, the catechism became a real tool

to explore the Christian life and Christian faith in a very comprehensive way.

Yeah, I think the first thing to do is to get one.

And it's conceivable that somebody listening to our conversation might think, got to get the Shorter Catechism, got to charge full ahead.

We need to be patient, take our time and read it for ourselves and take time to taste it.

Take time even to notice the questions that you find particularly helpful, the answers you find particularly helpful.

You know, different ways of making your coffee.

There's the French press, you know, I'm in a hurry, boom.