HC 5
Heidelberg Catechism
Q5. Can you keep all this perfectly?
No, I am inclined by nature to hate God and my neighbour.
Proof texts
- Rom. 3:10 — [10] as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
- Rom. 3:23 — [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
- 1 John 1:8 — [8] If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
- 1 John 1:10 — [10] If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
- Gen. 6:5 — [5] The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
- Gen. 8:21 — [21] And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.
- Jer. 17:9 — [9] The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
- Rom. 7:23 — [23] but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
- Rom. 8:7 — [7] For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.
- Eph. 2:3 — [3] among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
- Titus 3:3 — [3] For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.
For discussion
- The Assembly cited Rom. 3:10 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
- 11 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
- WSC Q13 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
- WLC Q21 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
Read alongside
WSC Q13 · WLC Q21 · WCF 6.1 · BC 4.1 · BC 4.2 · 1689 6.1 · 1689 6.2 · 1689 6.3 · 1689 6.4 · 1689 6.5