Themes on Lord’s Day 21

Bremmer

The work of the Holy Spirit in God’s church

1. Christ gathers the church through him

2. He builds in her the communion of saints

3. He gives her the forgiveness of sins

R. Bredenhof

“I belong to Christ’s community of the forgiven.”

1. Christ’s grace and my comfort

2. Christ’s gifts and my calling

G. VanPopta

The Son of God gathers his church, a community of forgiven sinners.

1. The Gatherer

2. The Gathering

3. The Forgiven

C. Bouwman

God the Holy Spirit gathers Christ’s redeemed into one body.

1. The holy catholic church

2. The communion of saints

3. The forgiveness of sins

B. Holwerda

Outside the church there is no salvation

Because the church:

1. Is the gathering of Christ

2. Is the communion of saints

3. Possesses the forgiveness of sins

K. Dijk

The confession of the church as the house of God.

1. Who builds this house

2. How he builds this house

3. Why he builds this house

The church as God’s work

1. The work of the Father

2. The work of the Son

3. The work of the Holy Spirit

We confess the beauty of the church

1. In her unity

2. In her holiness

3. In her catholicity

4. In her Christ-likeness

J. Kok

God’s hidden work of grace

1. In the beauty of the church

2. In the power of the communion of saints

3. In the certainty of the forgiveness of sins

The work of the Son of God through the Holy Spirit

1. In the world

2. In the church

3. In the heart of his people

Three names for the Son of God

1. Shepherd (QA 54)

2. Head (QA 55)

3. Surety (QA 56)

The Church and Christ

1. The church confesses him as her only Head

2. The church finds in him alone her unity

3. The church holds him firmly as her only righteousness.