Forest Hill PCA Devotionals

Grace to Gratitude: Why Our Good Works Aren't Enough | Heidelberg Catechism Week 22, Day 1, Questions 62-63

Welcome to Week 22 of the Heidelberg Catechism Devotionals with Pastor Jason Van Bemmel from Forest Hill Presbyterian Church. This week, we pivot from the topic of God's grace to our response of gratitude, specifically exploring Questions 62 and 63.

Join us as we explore why our good works—even our best efforts—cannot serve as our righteousness before God. We will dive into Scripture (including Galatians, James, Isaiah, and Luke) to understand why salvation is through faith alone and how any reward for our works is simply a gift of God's amazing grace.

Pastor Jason Van Bemmel of Forest Hill Presbyterian Church leads a study on Question 61 of the Heidelberg Catechism. He explores the theological concept of imputed righteousness, explaining that believers are justified before God not because their faith itself has intrinsic saving merit, but because faith is the instrument used to lay hold of Jesus Christ's perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness. The session includes an opening prayer, a reading of relevant scriptures (1 Corinthians 1, Romans 10), and concludes with a closing prayer and the hymn "Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness."

Exploring Romans: Day 171 – Christian Liberty and Matters of Conscience (Romans 14)

Join Pastor Jason Van Bemmel from Forest Hill Presbyterian Church for a morning devotional set against the beautiful backdrop of Lake Blue Ridge, Georgia. In this episode of Exploring Romans, we read and study Romans 14, where the Apostle Paul addresses the early church's struggles with "adiaphora"—matters of indifference, such as dietary laws and holy days. Discover how we can navigate modern disagreements over matters of personal conscience by applying Paul's two overriding rules: always act in faith as unto the Lord, and always act in love toward your brothers and sisters in Christ.

If you have any questions or feedback, please email [email protected] or visit foresthillpca.org to learn more.

How can you be righteous before God?Heidelberg Catechism Question #60 answers this vital question. Join Pastor Jason Van Bemmel as we explore what the Bible says about our justification by faith before God.

Exploring Romans: Day 168 – Submission, Love, and Living in the Light (Romans 13)

Join Pastor Jason Van Bemmel from the beautiful North Georgia mountains for Day 168 of our Exploring Romans journey. In this daily devotional, we dive into Romans chapter 13 to uncover the practical applications of offering our bodies as "living sacrifices" in a fallen world.

Pastor Jason breaks down three essential directives outlined by the Apostle Paul: our relationship with earthly governments, our enduring debt to love one another, and the urgent call to live uprightly in the "daytime" by putting on the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this devotional, Pastor Jason Van Bemmel explores Heidelberg Catechism Question 59, which focuses on the benefits of believing the Apostle's Creed. He emphasizes two primary benefits: we are made righteous before God and we become heirs to eternal life. He highlights that this righteousness is not earned by our own works, but is instead a manifestation of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Furthermore, our status as heirs to eternal life is secured solely through the renewal of the Holy Spirit and Christ’s conquest over death.

Heidelberg Catechism Question #58 - The Life Everlasting

What comfort do you receive from the article about "the life everlasting"? In this devotional, Pastor Jason Van Bemmel of Forest Hill Presbyterian Church concludes the Apostles' Creed series by exploring Heidelberg Catechism Question 58. Discover the beautiful two-part promise of eternal life: the beginning of eternal joy we experience in our hearts right now, and the ultimate, perfect blessedness we will enjoy in the presence of God forever.

To learn more about Forest Hill Presbyterian Church or to get in touch, visit foresthillpca.org.

Exploring Romans: Chapter 12 - Living the Gospel

After eleven chapters of profound theology, Paul shifts to the practical: how do we live out the Gospel? In this episode of Exploring Romans, Pastor Jason Van Bemmel of Forest Hill Presbyterian Church walks through Romans 12 to explore the great pivot of the Christian life. Discover what it means to be a "living sacrifice," how to humbly use our diverse spiritual gifts within the body of Christ, and what genuine, hypocrite-free Christian love looks like in everyday life.

Heidelberg Catechism Question #57 - The Resurrection of the Body

What comfort does the resurrection of the body offer believers? In this devotional, Pastor Jason Van Bemmel of Forest Hill Presbyterian Church explores Heidelberg Catechism Question 57, looking at the glorious future promised to every child of God. Discover the two-fold hope of the Christian faith: the immediate, conscious joy of the soul being united with Christ upon death, and the ultimate, radiant resurrection of our physical bodies when Christ returns to make all things new.

To learn more about Forest Hill Presbyterian Church or to get in touch, visit foresthillpca.org.

Exploring Romans: Chapter 11 - The Gospel and the Jews

Has God rejected His people, Israel? By no means! In this episode of Exploring Romans, Pastor Jason Van Bemmel of Forest Hill Presbyterian Church dives into Romans Chapter 11 to explore the mystery of God's sovereign grace. Discover the profound analogy of the grafted olive tree and learn how the partial hardening of Israel ultimately opens the door for the fullness of the Gentiles. Join us as we marvel at the unsearchable judgments, rich mercy, and deep wisdom of God's saving plan.