A Catechism for Girls and Boys

A1: God made me (Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:7; Ecclesiastes 12:1; Acts 17:24-29).

A2: God made all things (Genesis 1; Acts 14:15; Romans 11:36; Colossians 1:16).

A3: For his own glory (Psalm 19:1; Jeremiah 9:23-24; Revelation 4:11).

A4: By loving him and doing what he commands (Ecclesiastes 12:13; Mark 12:29-31; John 15:8-10; 1 Corinthians 10:31).

A5: Because he made me and takes care of me (Romans 11:36; Revelation 4:11; Daniel 4:37).

A6: There is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Jeremiah 10:10; Mark 12:29; Acts 17:22-31).

In three persons (Matthew 3:16-17; John 5:23; John 10:30; John 14:9-10; John 15:26; John 16:13-15; 1John 5:20; Revelation 1:4-5).

A8: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; 2Corinthians 13:14; 1Peter 1:2; Jude 20-21).

A9: God is a Spirit, and does not have a body like men (John 4:24; 2Corinthians 3:17; 1Timothy 1:17).

A10: God is everywhere (Ps 139:7-12; Jer 23:23-24; Acts 17:27-28).

A11: No. I cannot see God, but he always sees me (Exodus 33:20; John 1:18; 1Timothy 6:16; Psalm 139:1-5: Proverbs 5:21; Hebrews 4:12-13).

A12: Yes. Nothing can be hidden from God (1Chronicles 28:9; 2Chronicles 16:9; Luke 12:6, 7; Romans 2:16).

A13: Yes. God can do all his holy will (Psalm 147:5; Jeremiah 32:17; Daniel 4:34-35; Ephesians 1:11).

A14: In the Bible alone (Job 11:7; Psalm 119:104; Isaiah 8:20; Matthew 22:29; 2Timothy 3:15-17).

A15: Holy men who were taught by the Holy Spirit (1Peter 1:20-21; Acts 1:16; 2Timothy 3:16; 1Peter 1:10-11).

A16: Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:18-25; Genesis 3:20; Genesis 5:1-2; Acts 17:26; 1Timothy 2:13).

A17: God made the body of Adam out of the ground and formed Eve from the body of Adam (Genesis 2:7; Genesis 21-23; Genesis 3:19; Psalm 103:14).

A18: He gave them souls that could never die (1 Corinthians 15:45: Ecclesiastes 12:7; Zechariah 12:1).

A19: Yes. I have a soul that can never die (Matthew 10:28; Mark 8:34- 38; Mark 12:30).

A20: Because the Bible tells me so (Matthew 10:28; Mark 8:34-38; Mark 12:30).

A21: My soul Includes all of me that should know and love God (Mark 8:34-38; Ephesians 3:16-19).

A22: He made them holy and happy (Genesis 1:26-28; Psalm 8:4-8).

A23: No. They sinned against God (Genesis 3:1-7; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Hosea 6:7).

A24: Eating the forbidden fruit (Genesis 2:16-17; Genesis 3:6).

A25: Because they did not believe what God had said (Genesis 3:1-6; cf. Hebrews 11:6).

A26: The devil tempted Eve, and she gave the fruit to Adam (Genesis 3:1-13; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1Timothy 2:13-14; cf. Revelation 12:9).

A27: Instead of being holy and happy, they became sinful and miserable (Genesis 3:14-24; Genesis 4:1-24; James 1:14-15).

A28: All mankind is born in a state of sin and misery (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12; Romans 5:18-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; 1 John 5:19).

A29: A sinful nature (1 Kings 8:46; Psalm 14:2-3; Psalm 58:3; Ecclesiastes 9:3; Matthew 15:18-20; John 2:24-25; Romans 8:7).

A30: Sin is any transgression of the law of God (1 John 3:4; Romans 3:20; James 2:9-11).

A31: Doing what God forbids (1Samuel 13:8-14; 1Samuel 15:22-23; Hosea 6:7; Romans 1:21-32).

A32: The anger and judgment of God (Deuteronomy 27:26; Romans 1:18; Romans 2:2; Galatians 3:10; Ephesians 5:6).

A33: Yes, he has given us his law both in our hearts and in writing (Romans 2:14-15).

A34: Ten commandments (Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:1-22).

A35: God’s moral law (Luke 20:25-28; Romans 2:14-15; Romans 10:5).

A36: Our duty to God (Deuteronomy 6:5-6; Deuteronomy 10:12-13).

A37: Our duty to our fellow men (Deuteronomy 10:19; Micah 6:8; cf. Galatians 6:10).

A38: To love God with all my heart, and my neighbor as myself (Deuteronomy 6:1-15; Deuteronomy 11:1; Matthew 22:35-40; James 2:8).

A39: All my fellow men are my neighbors (Luke 6:35; Luke 10:25-37).

A40: Yes. He says, “I love them that love me.” (Proverbs 8:17; Exodus 20:6; 1 John 4:7-16).

A41: No. “God is angry with the wicked everyday.” (Psalm 7:11; Malachi 2:17; Proverbs 6:16-19; 1 Corinthians 16:22).

A42: The first commandment is, “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7).

A43: To worship God only (Isaiah 45:5-6; Matthew 4:10; Revelation 22:8-9).

A44: The second commandment is, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:4-6; Deuteronomy 5:8-10).

A45: To worship God in the right way, and to avoid idolatry (Isaiah 44:9-20; Isaiah 46:5-9; John 4:23-24; Acts 17:29).

A46: The third commandment is, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” (Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11).

A47: To reverence God’s name, word, and works (Isaiah 8:13; Psalm 29:2; Psalm 138:2; Revelation 15:3-4).

A48: The fourth commandment is, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:8-11; 23:12; Deuteronomy 5:12-15).

A49: To keep the Sabbath holy (Leviticus 19:20; Leviticus 23:3; Isaiah 58:13-14).

A50: The first day of the week, called the Lord’s Day (Acts 20:7; Revelation 1:10).

A51: Because on that day Christ rose from the dead (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:9; Luke 24:1-6; John 20:1).

A52: In prayer and praise, in hearing and reading God’s Word, and in doing good to our fellow men (Isaiah 58:13-14; Acts 20:7; 1Corinthians 16:2; Luke 4:16; Matthew 12:10-13).

A53: The fifth commandment is, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16).

A54: To love and obey our parents (Matthew 15:3-6; Ephesians 6:1-3; Colossians 3:20).

A55: The sixth commandment is, “You shalt not murder” (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17).

A56: To avoid hatred, all that leads to it, and all that follows from it (Matthew 5:21-24; 1John 3:15; James 4:1-3).

A57: The seventh commandment is, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18).

A58: To be pure in heart, language and conduct (Matthew 5:27-28; Ephesians 5:3-5; Philippians 4:8-9).

A59: The eighth commandment is, “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 5:19).

A60: To be honest and not to take the things of others (Exodus 23:4; Proverbs 21:6-7; Ephesians 4:28).

A61: The ninth commandment is, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20).

A62: To tell the truth and not to speak evil of others (Psalm 15:1-3; Zechariah 8:16; 1Corinthians 13:6; James 4:11).

A63: The tenth commandment is, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21; Romans 7:7).

A64: To be content with what we have (Philippians 4:11; 1Timothy 6:6-8; Hebrews 13:5).

A65: No mere man, since the fall of Adam, ever did or can keep the ten commandments perfectly (Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:19-20; James 2:10; 1 John 1:8-10).

A66: They teach us our duty, make clear our condemnation, and show us our need of a Saviour (1Timothy 1:8-11; Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:24).

A67: No. Though he could justly have done so he has graciously entered into a covenant to save many (Romans 3:19-20; Romans 3:23-25; John 17:11-12; Isaiah 53:11).

A68: A covenant is an agreement between two or more persons (e.g., 1 Samuel 18:3; Matthew 26:14-15).

A69: It is an eternal agreement within the Trinity to save certain persons called the elect, and to provide all the means for their salvation (Genesis 17:1-8; Romans 11:27; Hebrews 10:16; Hebrews 13:20-21; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezra 36:25-28).

A70: Christ undertook to keep the whole law for his people, and to suffer the punishment due to their sins (Galatians 4:4-5; Hebrews 6:17-20; Hebrews 7:22; Hebrews 9:14-15; Hebrews 13:20-21).

A71: No. He was holy, blameless, and undefiled (Hebrews 7:26; Luke 23:47; Hebrews 4:15; 1Peter 2:22; 1John 3:5).

A72: Christ, the Son of God, took flesh and blood, that he might obey and suffer as a man (John 1:14; Romans 8:3; Galatians 4:4; Philippians 2:7-8; Hebrews 2:14-17; Hebrews 4:15).

A73: The atonement consists of Christ’s satisfying divine justice, by his sufferings and death, in the place of sinners (Mark 10:45; Acts 13:38-39; Romans 3:24-26; Romans 5:8-9; 2Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 3:13; 1Peter 3:18).

A74: Christ obeyed and suffered for those whom the Father had given him (Isaiah 53:8; Matthew 1:21; John 10:11; John 10:15-16, John 10:26-29; John 17:9; Hebrews 2:13).

A75: Christ lived a life of perfect obedience to the law of God (Matthew 5:17; Romans 10:4; 1Peter 2:21-22).

A76: Christ experienced the painful and shameful death of the cross (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53).

A77: Only those who repent of sin and believe in Christ will be saved (Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3,5; Acts 2:37-41; Acts 16:30-31; Acts 20:21; Acts 26:20).

A78: Repentance involves sorrow for sin, leading one to hate and forsake it because it is displeasing to God (Luke 19:8-10; Romans 6:1-2; 2Corinthians 7:9-11; 1Thessalonians 1:9-10).

A79: A person believes who knows that his only hope is Christ and trusts in Christ alone for salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1Timothy 2:5; 1John 5:11, 12).

A80: They believed in the Saviour to come (John 8:56; Galatians 3:8-9; 1Corinthians 10:1-4; Hebrews 9:15; Hebrews 11:13).

A81: They offered sacrifices according to God’s commands (Exodus 24:3-8; 1Chronicles 29:20-25; Hebrews 9:19-23; Hebrews 10:1; Hebrews 11:28).

A82: They were symbolic of Christ, the Lamb of God, who was to die for sinners (Exodus 12:46; cf. John 19:36; Hebrews 9; Hebrews 10; John 1:29; 1Corinthians 5:7; 1Peter 1:19).

A83: He does the work of a prophet, a priest, and a king (Hebrews 1:1-3; Revelation 1:5; Matthew 13:57; Hebrews 5:5-10; John 18:37).

A84: He teaches us the will of God, reveals God to us, and really was God in human flesh. (Deuteronomy 18:15; Deuteronomy 18:18; John 1:18; John 4:25; John 14:23-24; 1John 5:20).

A85: Because I am ignorant (Job 11:7; Matthew 11:25-27; John 6:67-69; John 17:25-26; 1Corinthians 2:14-16; 2Corinthians 4:3-6).

A86: He died for our sins and prays to God for us (Psalm 110:4; 1Timothy 2:5-6; Hebrews 4:14-16; Hebrews 7:24-25; 1John 2:1-2).

A87: Because I am guilty (Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:19-23; Hebrews 10:14; Hebrews 10:27-28; 1John 1:8-9).

A88: He rules over us and defends us (Psalm 2:6-9; Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 1:19-23; Colossians 1:13; Colossians 1:18; Revelation 15:3-4).

A89: Because I am weak and helpless (John 15:4-5; 2Corinthians 12:9; Philippians 4:13; Colossians 1:11; Jude 24-25).

A90: By His goodness and mercy, God the Father elected, and determined to justify, adopt and sanctify those for whom Christ should die (Exodus 33:18-19; Ephesians 1:3-5; Romans 8:29-33; Galatians 4:4-7; Hebrews 10:9-10; 1Corinthians 1:8-9; Philippians 1:6; 1Thessalonians 4:3; 1Thessalonians 4:7; 1Thessalonians 5:23-24).

A91: It is God’s goodness as revealed in his grace by choosing certain sinners for salvation (Ephesians 1:3-4; 1Thessalonians 1:4; 1Peter 1:1-2).

A92: It is God’s regarding sinners as if they had never sinned and granting them righteousness (Zechariah 3:1-5; Romans 3:24-26; Romans 4:5; Romans 5:17-19; Romans 8:33; 2Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 8:12; Philippians 3:9).

A93: It is God’s goodness as revealed in his law, and as honored in Christ’s perfect obedience to that law (Exodus 33:19; Exodus 34:6; Psalm 33:5; Hosea 3:5; Romans 11:22).

A94: No. No one is good enough for God (Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:10-23; Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 3:8-9).

A95: It is God’s goodness in receiving sinful rebels as his beloved children (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:5; Ephesians 5:1; Galatians 4:7, Galatians 4:31; 1 John 3:1-3).

A96: In sanctification God makes sinners holy in heart and conduct so that they will demonstrate his goodness in their lives (John 17:17; Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 4:22-24; Philippians 2:12-13; 1Thessalonians 5:23).

A97: No. It is certain and continual, but is complete only in heaven (Philippians 3:12-15; 2Peter 1:4-8; 1John 3:1-3).

A98: The Scripture says, “The flesh lusts against the Spirit so that you cannot do the things you would” (Galatians 5:17).

A99: Our hearts must be changed before we can be fit for heaven (Ephesians 4:17-24; Colossians 3:5-12).

A100: Only the Holy Spirit can change a sinner’s heart (John 3:3; Romans 8:6-11; 1Corinthians 2:9-14; 2Thessalonians 2:13-14; Titus 3:5-6).

A101: He regenerates, baptizes, and seals those for whom Christ has died (Ephesians 2:1-8; 1Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:13-14; Ephesians 4:30; 2Corinthians 1:22).

A102: It is a change of heart that leads to true repentance and faith (Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 2:5-8; 2Thessalonians 2:13).

A103: No. I can do nothing good without God’s Holy Spirit (John 3:5-6; John 6:44; Romans 8:2-11; 1Corinthians 2:9-14; Galatians 5:17-18; Ephesians 2:4-6).

A104: He puts them into the body of Christ by making them a living part of all those who truly believe in Him (1Corinthians 12).

A105: He comes to live within them to guarantee that they will receive the wonders God has promised those who love Him (Romans 8:9-11; Ephesians 1:13-14; Ephesians 4:30; 2Timothy 1:9; 2Corinthians 1:22).

A106: God has told us that we must pray to him for the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:9-13; John 4:10; John 16:24); but the evidence of His presence is seen most clearly in our trusting and loving the Lord Jesus Christ( Luke 12:8-10; John 3:3-5; John 3:16-21; 14:17-21; 1Corinthians 12:3; 1Peter 1:2; 1John 5:6-12).

A107: Prayer is talking with God (Genesis 17:22; Genesis 18:33; Nehemiah 1:4-11; Nehemiah 2:4; Matthew 6:6; Romans 8:26-27)

A108: We should pray in the name of the Lord Jesus (John 14:13-14; John 16:23-24; Hebrews 4:14-16).

A109: The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:5-15; Luke 11:1-13).

A110: “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.”

A111: Six.

A112: “Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2).

A113: That God’s name may be honored by us and all men (Psalm 8:1; Psalm 72:17-19; Psalm 113:1-3; Psalm 145:21; Isaiah 8:13).

A114: “Thy kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2).

A115: That the gospel may be preached in all the world, and believed and obeyed by us and all men (Matthew 28:19-20; John 17:20-21; Acts 8:12; Acts 28:30-31; 2Thessalonians 3:1).

A116: “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2).

A117: That men on earth may serve God as the angels do in Heaven (Psalm 67; Psalm 103:19-22; John 9:31; Revelation 4:11).

A118: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11; Luke 11:3).

A119: That God will give us all things needful for our bodies (Psalm 145:15-16; Proverbs 30:8-9; 1Timothy 4:4-5).

A120: “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us” (Matthew 6:12; Luke 11:4).

A121: That God will pardon our sins, and help us to forgive those who have sinned against us (Psalm 51: Matthew 5:23-24; Matthew 18:21-35; 1John 4:20-21).

A122: ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13; Luke 11:4).

A123: That God will keep us from sin (1Chronicles 4:10; Psalm 119:11; Matthew 26:41).

A124: He uses the Bible, which is the Word of God (1Thessalonians 1:5-6; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2Timothy 3:15-16; James 1:18; 1Peter 1:22-23).

A125: We are commanded to hear, read and search the Scriptures (1Peter 2:2; Revelation 3:22; Matthew 21:42; Matthew 22:29; 2Timothy 3:14-17).

A126: A church is an assembly of baptized believers joined by a covenant of discipline and witness who meet together regularly under the preaching of the Word of God (Matthew 18:20; Acts 2:42).

A127: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 28:19; 1Corinthians 11:24-26).

A128: To show that his disciples belong to him, and to remind them of what he has done for them (Matthew 28:19; 1Corinthians 11:24-26).

A129: The dipping of believers into water, as a sign of their union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection (John 3:23; Acts 2:41; Acts 8:12, Acts 8:35-38; Colossians 2:12).

A130: Baptism testifies to believers that God has cleansed them from their sins through Jesus Christ (Acts 22:16; Colossians 2:11-14).

A131: Only those who repent of their sins and believe in Christ for salvation should be baptized (Acts 2:37-41; Acts 8:12; Acts 18:8; Acts 19:4-5).

A132: No; because the Bible neither commands it, nor gives any example of it.

A133: At the Lord’s Supper, the church eats bread and drinks wine to remember the sufferings and death of Christ (Mark 14:22-24; 1Corinthians 11:23-29).

A134: The bread represents the body of Christ, broken for our sins (Matthew 26:26; 1Corinthians 11:24).

A135: The wine represents the blood of Christ, shed for our salvation (Matthew 26:27-28; 1Corinthians 11:25).

A136: The Lord’s Supper is for those only who repent of their sins, believe in Christ for salvation, receive baptism, and love their fellow men (Matthew 5:21-24; 1Corinthians 10:16-17; 1Corinthians 11:18-33; 1John 3:24-27; 1John 4:9-11).

A137: No. He rose from the tomb on the third day after his death (Luke 24:45-47; 1Corinthians 15:3, 4).

A138: Christ is in heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father (Romans 8:34; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 10:12; Hebrews 12:2).

A139: Yes. At the last day he will come to judge the world (Matthew 25:31-43; 2Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2Timothy 4:1).

A140: The body returns to dust, and the soul goes to be with God or to a place of suffering and waiting for judgment (Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 12:7; 2Corinthians 5:1-6; Hebrews 12:22,23; Philippians 1:23; 2Peter 2:9; Romans 2:5).

A141: Yes. ‘There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust’ (Acts 24:14-15; John 5:28-29; Daniel 12:2).

A142: They shall be cast into hell (Psalm 9:16-17; Luke 12:5; Romans 2:8-12; 2Thessalonians 1:8-9; Revelation 20:12-15).

A143: Hell is a place of dreadful and endless punishment (Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-31).

A144: They shall live with Christ for ever, Jn a new heaven and a new earth (Isaiah 66:22; 1Thessalonians 4;16-17; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 21:1-4).

A145: I should strive with all my energy to repent of sin and believe savingly in the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 13:23-24; John 6:27; Acts 16:31).