Question 67: Do the Word and the Sacraments then direct our faith to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as the only ground of salvation?

Question 67: Do the Word and the Sacraments then direct our faith to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as the only ground of salvation?

A: Yes. The Holy Spirit not only teaches us through the Word, but also assures us through the holy sacraments that our salvation rests entirely in Christ's death for us on the cross.

Sacraments include baptism and the Lord's Supper, both of which focus on union with Jesus Christ's death on the cross and resurrection. Being united with the death and resurrection of the cross confirms that believers, too, died with Jesus on the cross and were resurrected with his resurrection.

As the catechism reveals, the doctrine speaks only of death on the cross, and without mention of resurrection, it is only half-true. The salvation of the saints is incomplete if they remain on the cross. Without the resurrection, death on the cross becomes meaningless. If a believer does not currently believe in the resurrection, they remain on the cross.


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