We have an important question in this Lords day. This question in the catechism asks "what does it profit you now that you know all these things?" (All the Gospel in a "nut shell" that includes Creator, Son, His death and cross, the new heavens, working in the church, etc.) The idea is not the knowledge that you know and can recite, but a knowledge that you can build confidently on with faith and the profit is a SPIRITUAL one whereby we can live in this world (not just a "feeling") with knowledge and confidence in MY salvation!

There are three basic concepts here. Righteousness, righteousness by grace, and God giving us to understand it by faith.

1. Righteousness: To be right according to God's law. A fulfilling of it! In conformity with that law.

2. We interject justification here as it is imputed unto us and we are made righteous and is ALWAYS the work of God! God imputes righteousness by faith. It is ONLY the work of God and He justified us in Christ from all ETERNITY! And God saw us in Christ from all eternity giving us His Son in the fullness of time and it is the gospel of His grace preached throughout all time...from the old testament church that was on an I.O.U. and to us today and throughout all the ages.

Who of us would say we have no sin or do everything perfectly? If we were to build our righteousness we would wind up in hell! Be assured of this very fact. It is ALL by grace and of God! In that grace He redeems us in His Son. He made Christ as a sacrifice to the slaughter and slaughtered Him for US! God put our stripes on His back and by His stripes we are healed!

God works this through means. That's why it has to be by faith! Through reformers God brought it to the fore once again. Martin Luther found no peace because the church taught it was based on man's work and a "thunderbolt" came down- It IS and WAS by FAITH ONLY! It isn't because we have faith that we are saved but because we BELIEVE Christ and Him crucified by MEANS of faith! Faith is the means whereby we know Him and know we are saved by Him! Faith is the means that we know Him and know we are saved by Him! Again, it is the means we know our salvation...faith is NOT our salvation in and of itself.