Q. 1. What is your only comfort in life and death?

A. That both in soul and body,¹ whether I live or die,² I am not my own, but belong entirely to my most faithful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.³ By His most precious blood making full satisfaction for all my sins,⁴ He has delivered me from all the power of the devil,⁵ and so preserves me⁶ that outside the will of my heavenly Father, not so much as a hair may fall from my head;⁷ yes, all things must serve for my safety.⁸ By His Spirit also, He assures me of everlasting life,⁹ and makes me ready and prepared¹⁰ so that from now on I may live to Him.

Q. 2. What must you know in order to enjoy this comfort and live and die happily?

A. Three things. First, the greatness of my sin and misery.¹¹ Second, how I am delivered from all sin and misery.¹² Third, the thanks I owe to God for this delivery.¹³

1. 1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 1 Thessalonians 5:10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.  ↩︎
2. Romans 14:8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.  ↩︎
3. 1 Corinthians 3:23 and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.  ↩︎
4. 1 Peter 1:18–19 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 2:2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.  ↩︎
5. Hebrews 2:14–15 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 1 John 3:8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.  ↩︎
6. John 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. ↩︎
7. Matthew 10:30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Luke 21:18 But not a hair of your head will perish.  ↩︎
8. Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  ↩︎
9. 2 Corinthians 1:12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. 2 Corinthians 5:5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. Ephesians 1:13–14 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.  ↩︎
10. Romans 8:24–25 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.  ↩︎
11. Luke 24:47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Romans 3 ↩︎
12. John 4:41 And many more believed because of his word. Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Titus 3:3–8 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. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.  ↩︎
13. Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Romans 6:11–13 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. Ephesians 5:10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Titus 2:11–12 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 3:10–12 For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”  ↩︎