What is Our Only Hope?

The situation of death is so dire that we only have one hope. Most of us feel this and know it to be true. Yet the Bible tells us that our situation in life is equally as dire because, in its present state, it leads to death, and death is hopeless. Yet there is hope. What is that hope? "What is our only hope in life and death?" That's the first question of the New City Catechism.

Before getting to that question, we might ask, "What is a catechism?" A catechism is a collection of questions and answers that help teach key principles within the Christian faith. It's a way to study and learn. The Reformers and Puritans wrote catechisms to help teach disciples proper theology. They were also popular for instructing children. Catechisms fell out of popularity in the Church when the Church transitioned to the seeker-sensitive and church-growth movements and tossed educating and discipling Christians out the window. Thanks to more modern catechisms like the New City Catechism or the work of RefToons to animate old catechisms like the Westminster Catechism or the Baptist Catechism, catechisms are making a comeback.

At Redeeming Life Church, we've used the New City Catechism and the RefToons cartoon Baptist Catechism. The New City Catechism was put together by Tim Keller, Sam Shams, and The Gospel Coalition. Alistair Begg and Truth for Life highly promoted it. We've found it helpful, and it's nice that it comes to us through a free phone app and website.

With all that out of the way, let's return to our first question. "What is our only hope in life and death?"

Here's a video Pastor Bryan Catherman did to answer this question, using the New City Catechism: