Q. 1. What is your only
comfort, in life and in death?
A. That I belong--body and
soul, in life and in death--not to myself but to my faithful Savior, Jesus
Christ, who at the cost of his own blood has fully paid for all my sins and has
completely freed me from the dominion of the devil; that he protects me so well
that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head;
indeed, that everything must fit his purpose for my salvation. Therefore, by
his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me
wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.
Q.
2. How many things must you know that you may live and die in the blessedness
of this comfort?
A. Three. First, the
greatness of my sin and wretchedness. Second, how I am freed from all my sins
and their wretched consequences. Third, what gratitude I owe to God for such
redemption.