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  Question 180. What is it to pray in the name of Christ? Answer. To pray in the name of Christ is to obey his command, to trust in his promise, and to ask for mercy for his sake, not by merely mentioning his name, but by obtaining from Christ and his mediation the courage, boldness, and strength to pray, and the hope that our prayers will be accepted. Jesus said to his disciples, John 14:13-14, “ Whatever you ask in my name (en tonomati ἐ ν τ ῷ ὀ νό ματ ί ) that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. ” En tonomati ( ἐ ν τ ῷ ὀ νό ματ ί ) means in my name. Since the name of Christ is Jesus, it means “ in Jesus. ” The word "whatever" is associated with the death of the cross, giving forgiveness of sins, and associated with the resurrection, giving life of resurrection. The meaning of "in Jesus" is "in Jesus who died on the cross and was resurrected." Jesus told his disciples to prea...

  Question 179. Should we pray to God alone? Answer. Since God alone can examine our hearts, hear our requests, forgive our sins, and grant the desires of all, and is the only object of faith and true worship, prayer, which is a special part of worship, should be offered to Him alone and to no one else. There are many gods in the world with the name of God. God is a common noun, and it is translated into the language of each country. Therefore, it is impossible to know whether the god translated into the language of that country is the father of Jesus Christ. Even if each person says that the god they believe in is God, it can be a different god. Therefore, prayers should be made only to the true God. It is true that the Israelites also worshipped and prayed to idols as God. God told the Israelites through the prophet Malachi that he had never received sacrifices. Even today, Jews belonging to the Jewish religion in Israel believe that the God they believe in is the true God. Howev...

  Question 178. What is prayer? Answer. Prayer is the offering up of our desires to God in the name of Christ, with the help of the Holy Spirit, confessing our sins and gratefully acknowledging His mercy. In Greek, prayer is euche and prosuke. Euche means the act of asking God for one's desires. It is a prayer for asking for one's needs, confessing one's sins, expressing one's feelings, etc. However, prosuke means meeting and talking with Christ who is present in one's soul. So it is maintaining an intimate relationship with God and seeking God's will. Today, the prayers of believers have been transformed into a faith of ups and downs, and the essence of prayer has been distorted. Prayer is a conversation with God in the heart in order to spread the gospel. All prayers must be connected to the gospel. There is a word about Prosche's prayer, which says to pray in a secret room. Matthew 6:6-8 "But you, when you pray, go into your room (tameiion) a...

Question 177. How do the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper differ? Answer. The sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper differ in this, that Baptism is administered with water, to be a sign and pledge of our regeneration and ingrafting into Christ, and is only administered to infants; whereas the Lord's Supper is administered often with bread and wine, to signify and represent Christ, the spiritual food of the soul, and to confirm our continual abiding and growing in him; and is only administered to those who are of age and ability to examine themselves. The difference between baptism and the Eucharist is in the covenant. Baptism is a ceremony to enter into the new covenant by signing the new covenant, and the Eucharist is a ceremony for the saints in the new covenant to remember the covenant and give thanks. The doctrine states that both are the seal of the same covenant, and baptism can be seen as the seal of the covenant, but since the Eucharist has already ...

Question 176. In what respects do baptism and the Lord's Supper agree? Answer. There are two things in which baptism and the Lord's Supper agree: God is the Author; the spiritual part of both is Christ and his benefits; both are the seals of the same covenant; both are to be administered by the ministers of the gospel, that is, by the pastors, and by no one else; and both are to continue to be administered in the church of Christ until the Lord comes again. The sacraments are divided into baptism and the Eucharist. Baptism is a ceremony to become God's people, and the Eucharist is a ceremony to commemorate becoming God's people. Baptism is being born again through water and the Holy Spirit, believing that we are united with Jesus Christ on the cross, die, and rise again. Therefore, God sends the Holy Spirit to make us God's people. And the Eucharist commemorates becoming God's people by breaking bread and drinking the cup to those who have become God's peopl...

Question 175. What is the duty of Christians after they have received the sacrament of the Lord's Supper?  Answer. It is the duty of Christians, after they have received the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, to seriously consider how they have behaved themselves in the ordinance, and what benefits they have received. If they have received any quickening and comfort, let them praise God, and pray for the continuation of this grace, and be careful not to backslide, and to perform their vows, and to endeavor to come to this ordinance often. But if they have no present benefit, let them examine more closely their preparation and bearing for the ordinance. If they can accept themselves before God and their own consciences in both, let them wait for the fruit in due time. But if they see that they have failed in either, let them humble themselves, and come to the ordinance of the Lord's Supper with more preparation. The Bible does not say anything about the duties of Christians aft...

Question 174. What is required of those who receive the sacrament at the time of the administration of the Lord's Supper?  Answer. It is required of those who receive the sacrament at the time of the administration of the Lord's Supper, that they look to God in that ordinance with all holy reverence and care; that they diligently observe the elements and acts of the sacrament, and carefully discern the Lord's body, and lovingly meditate on his death and sufferings, so that the work of grace may be strongly manifested in them; that they may examine themselves, be sorry for their sins, and long earnestly for Christ, and feed upon him by faith, as they hunger and thirst, and receive his fulness, and rely on his merits, and rejoice in his love, and be thankful for his grace; and so renew their covenant with God, and their love to all the saints. Colossians 3:1-3 “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand ...