Catechism is merely an anglicized version of the Greek word, katekeo, which simply means, “to instruct”. The word has come to be known as a style of instruction that teaches the essentials of the Christian faith. Most catechisms are based on a creed or statement of belief. They are usually named for the creed or the author of the catechism. The format of a series of memorized questions and answers is the same regardless of which catechism is used. Some catechisms differ in the wording because of the age level they are addressing. The primary difference is the doctrine that is taught. For example, a catechism for Presbyterians will differ in its statements regarding baptism than a catechism that reflects Baptist doctrine. A good catechism helps one to read the Bible theologically.
There is an app that coincides with the catechism that is available on the Apple App Store or on the Google Play Store for $1.99. The app helps children (and adults) practice the catechism in a fun and engaging way.
Contents
Questions about God, Man and Sin (1-37)
Questions about Salvation (38-72)
Questions about the Ten Commandments (73-104)
Questions about Prayer (105-121)
Questions about Word, Church and Ordinances (122-135)
Questions about the Last Things (136-145)
Click here to download this catechism as a PDF.
Questions about God, Man and Sin
1. Who made you?
God made me. (Gen 1:27)
2. What else did God make?
God made all things. (Gen 1:1)
3. Why did God make you and all things?
God made me and all things for his own glory. (Rom 11:36)
4. How can you glorify God?
I can glorify God by loving him and doing what he says. (Ecc 12:13)
5. Why should you glorify God?
I should glorify God because he made me and takes care of me. (Rev 4:11)
6. Is there more than one god?
No. There is only one God. (Deut 6:4)
7. In how many persons does this one God exist?
God exists in three persons. (John 15:26)
8. Who are they?
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matt 28:19)
9. What is God?
God is a Spirit, and does not have a body like man. (John 4:24)
10. Where is God?
God is everywhere. (Jer 23:23-24)
11. Can you see God?
No. I cannot see God, but he always sees me. (John 1:18)
12. Does God know all things?
Yes. Nothing can be hidden from God. (Prov 15:3)
13. Can God do all things?
Yes. God can do all his holy will. (Jer 32:17)
14. Where do you learn how to love and obey God?
We learn to love and obey God from the Bible alone. (1 John 2:4-5a)
15. Who wrote the Bible?
God let holy men who were taught by the Holy Spirit write the Bible. (2 Pet 1:21)
16. Who were our first parents?
Adam and Eve were our first parents. (1 Tim 2:13)
17. Of what were our first parents made?
God made Adam from the dust of the ground, and formed Eve from the body of Adam. (Gen 2:7, 21-22)
18. What did God give Adam and Eve besides bodies?
God gave Adam and Eve souls that could never die. (Ecc 12:7)
19. Do you have a soul as well as a body?
Yes. I have a soul that can never die. (Matt 10:28)
20. What is your soul?
My soul includes all of me that should know and love God. (Matt 22:37)
21. In what condition did God make Adam and Eve?
God made Adam and Eve holy and happy. (Gen 1:28)
22. Did Adam and Eve stay holy and happy?
No. They sinned against God. (Rom 5:12)
23. What was the sin of our first parents?
They sinned against God by eating the forbidden fruit. (Gen 2:16-17)
24. Why did they eat the forbidden fruit?
They ate the forbidden fruit because they did not believe what God had said. (Gen 3:6)
25. Who tempted them to this sin?
Satan tempted Eve, and she gave the fruit to Adam. (Gen 3:1)
26. What happened to our first parents when they sinned?
Instead of being holy and happy, they became sinful and miserable. (Gen 3:19)
27. What effect did the sin of Adam have on all people?
All people are born in a state of sin and misery. (Rom 5:19a)
28. What do we inherit from Adam as a result of original sin?
We inherit from Adam a sinful nature. (Ecc 9:3b)
29. What is sin?
Sin is failing to do what God commands. (1 John 3:4)
30. In what ways do we sin?
We sin in thought, word and deed. (Matt 15:18-20)
31. What does every sin deserve?
Every sin deserves the anger and punishment of God. (Rom 1:18)
32. Do we know what God requires of us?
Yes. He has given us his law both in our hearts and in writing. (Ps 119:11)
33. Can anyone go to heaven with this sinful nature?
No. Our hearts must be changed before we can be fit for heaven. (John 3:3,5)
34. What is a change of heart called?
Regeneration is a change of heart that leads to true repentance and faith. (Gal 5:22-23a)
35. Who can change a sinner’s heart?
Only the Holy Spirit can change a sinner’s heart. (Ez 36:26-27)
36. What is God’s righteousness?
God’s righteousness means that God always does what is right and is the final standard of what is right. (Deut 32:4)
37. Can anyone be saved by his own righteousness?
No. No one is good enough before God. (Rom 3:23)
Questions about Salvation
38. What is a covenant?
A covenant is an agreement between two or more people. (Gen 17:1-2)
39. What is the new covenant?
The new covenant is the agreement God made with his elect people to save them from their sins. (Jer 31:31-34)
40. What did Christ undertake in the new covenant?
Christ undertook to keep the whole law for his people and to suffer the punishment due for their sins. (Heb 9:15)
41. What did God the Father undertake in the new covenant?
The Father undertook to justify and sanctify those for whom Christ should die. (Rom 8:3-4)
42. Did our Lord Jesus Christ ever commit a sin?
No. Our Lord Jesus Christ was holy and without sin. (1 John 3:5)
43. How could the Son of God suffer the anger and judgment of God?
Christ, the son of God, became a man, that he might obey and suffer as a man. (Phil 2:5-8)
44. What is election?
Election is God’s goodness revealed in his grace by choosing certain sinners for salvation. (Eph 1:3-4)
45. What is adoption?
Adoption is God’s goodness in bringing repentant sinners into his own family and treating them as his beloved children. (John 1:12)
46. How do you know that you are God’s child?
I know that I’m God’s child because the Holy Spirit assures me and enables me to love God and other people. (Rom 8:16)
47. What is the atonement?
The atonement is Christ satisfying divine justice, by his sufferings and death in the place of sinners. (1 Pet 3:18)
48. What is justification?
Justification is God forgiving sinners and viewing them as righteous because they are in Christ. (2 Cor 5:21)
49. How can we be justified?
We can be justified only by trusting in Christ to take away our sins. (Rom 10:10)
50. What is sanctification?
Sanctification is God making sinners holy in heart and conduct so that they will demonstrate his goodness in their lives. (Eph 2:10)
51. Is this process of sanctification ever complete in life?
No. Sanctification is certain and continual, but is complete only in heaven. (Phil 1:6)
52. What connection is there between justification and sanctification?
Both justification and sanctification arise out of a union with Christ. (Eph 2:8-10)
53. For whom did Christ obey the law and suffer the anger and judgment of God?
Christ obeyed the law and suffered the anger and judgment of God for those whom the Father had given him. (John 10:11)
54. What kind of life did Christ live on earth?
Christ lived a life of perfect obedience to the law of God. (1 Pet 2:22)
55. What kind of death did Christ die?
Christ experienced the painful and shameful death of the cross. (Ps 22:16-18)
56. How can you be saved?
If you repent of your sin and believe in Christ, you will be saved. (Rom 10:9)
57. What does it mean to repent?
To repent means to be sorry for sin, and to hate and reject it because it is displeasing to God. (2 Cor 7:9-10)
58. What does it mean to believe or have faith in Christ?
A person who believes in Christ trusts him alone for salvation. (Acts 16:31)
59. Can you repent and believe in Christ by your own power?
No. I can do nothing good without God’s Holy Spirit. (1 Cor 2:14)
60. How can you receive the Holy Spirit?
God has told us that we must pray to him for the Holy Spirit, but the evidence of his presence is seen most clearly in our trusting and loving the Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph 1:13-14)
61. How does the Holy Spirit baptize believers?
The Holy Spirit puts them into the body of Christ by making them a living part of all those who truly believe in him. (1 Cor 12:13)
62. How does the Holy Spirit seal believers?
The Holy Spirit comes to live within them to guarantee that they will receive the riches God has promised for those who love him. (2 Cor 1:21-22)
63. How were godly persons saved before the coming of Christ?
They believed in the promise of God. (Heb 11:13)
64. How did they show their faith?
They offered sacrifices according to God’s commands. (1 Chron 29:20-22)
65. What did these sacrifices represent?
These sacrifices represent Christ, the Lamb of God, who was to die for sinners. (John 1:29)
66. What does Christ do for his people?
Christ does the work of a prophet, a priest, and a king. (Heb 1:1-3)
67. How is Christ our Prophet?
Christ our prophet teaches us the will of God, reveals God to us, and really was God in human flesh. (John 14:24)
68. Why do you need Christ as Prophet?
I need Christ as Prophet because I lack understanding. (1 Cor 2:14-16)
69. How is Christ our Priest?
Christ our priest died for our sins and pleads with God for us. (Heb 4:14-16)
70. Why do you need Christ as Priest?
I need Christ as Priest because I am guilty. (Ecc 7:20)
71. How is Christ our King?
Christ our king rules over us and defends us. (Col 1:13)
72. Why do you need Christ as King?
I need Christ as King because I am weak and helpless. (John 15:5)
Questions about the 10 Commandments
73. How many commandments did God give on Mt. Sinai?
God gave ten commandments on Mt. Sinai. (Exod 31:18)
74. What do the first four commandments teach?
The first four commandments teach our duty to God. (Deut 6:5)
75. What do the last six commandments teach?
The last six commandments teach our duty to our fellow men. (Lev 19:18)
76. What is the sum of the Ten Commandments?
The sum of the ten commandments is to love God with all my heart and my neighbor as myself. (Matt 25:35-40)
77. Who is your neighbor?
Everyone is my neighbor. (Phil 2:4)
78. Is God pleased with those who love and obey him?
Yes. God is pleased with those who love and obey him. (Prov 8:17)
79. Is God displeased with those who do not love and obey him?
Yes. God is displeased with those who do not love and obey him. (Rom 1:18)
80. What is the first commandment?
You shall have no other gods before me. (Exod 20:3)
81. What does the first commandment teach us?
To worship only God. (Matt 4:10)
82. What is the second commandment?
Do not make idols or worship them. (Exod 20:4-6)
83. What does the second commandment teach us?
To worship God in the right way and to not worship idols. (Acts 17:29)
84. What is the third commandment?
Do not use the name of God carelessly. (Exod 20:7)
85. What does the third commandment teach us?
To honor and respect God’s name, word, and works. (Ps 29:2)
86. What is the fourth commandment?
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. (Exod 20:8-11)
87. What does the fourth commandment teach us?
To rest in Christ alone for salvation. (Matt 11:28-29)
88. What day of the week is the Lord’s Day?
The first day of the week is called the Lord’s Day. (Rev 1:10a)
89. Why is it called the Lord’s Day?
It is called the Lord’s Day because on that day Christ rose from the dead. (Luke 24:1-6a)
90. How should the Lord’s Day be kept?
The Lord’s Day should be kept in prayer and praise, in hearing and reading God’s Word, and in doing good to my neighbors. (Heb 10:24-25)
91. What is the fifth commandment?
Honor your father and mother. (Exod 20:12)
92. What does the fifth commandment teach us?
To love and obey our parents. (Eph 6:1-3)
93. What is the sixth commandment?
Do not murder. (Exod 20:13)
94. What does the sixth commandment teach us?
To avoid hatred, all that leads to it, and all that follows from it. (1 John 3:15)
95. What is the seventh commandment?
Do not commit adultery. (Exod 20:14)
96. What does the seventh commandment teach us?
To be sexually pure in thought, word and deed. (1 Thess 4:3-5)
97. What is the eighth commandment?
Do not steal. (Exod 20:15)
98. What does the eighth commandment teach us?
To be honest and not to take the things of others. (Eph 4:28)
99. What is the ninth commandment?
Do not lie. (Exod 20:16)
100. What does the ninth commandment teach us?
To tell the truth and not to speak evil of others. (Col 3:9-10)
101. What is the tenth commandment?
Do not covet. (Exod 20:17)
102. What does the tenth commandment teach us?
To be content with what we have. (Heb 13:5)
103. Can anyone keep the Ten Commandments perfectly?
Nobody since the fall of Adam, except Jesus, ever did or can keep the Ten Commandments perfectly. (1 John 1:8)
104. Of what use are the Ten Commandments to us?
They teach us our duty, and show us our guilt and need of a Savior. (Rom 3:20-22a)
Questions about Prayer
105. What is prayer?
Prayer is talking with God. (Phil 4:6-7)
106. In whose name should we pray?
We should pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 14:13-14)
107. What has Christ given to teach us how to pray?
The Lord’s Prayer. (Matt 6:7-13)
108. How many requests are there in the Lord’s Prayer?
Six.
109. What is the first request?
Hallowed be your name. (Matt 6:9)
110. What do we pray for in the first request?
That God’s name may be honored by us and all people.
(Ps 145:21)
111. What is the second request?
Your kingdom come. (Matt 6:10)
112. What do we pray for in the second request?
That the gospel may be preached to the entire world, and believed and obeyed by us and all people. (Mark 1:14b-15)
113. What is the third request?
Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. (Matt 6:10b,c)
114. What do we pray for in the third request?
That people on earth may serve God as the angels do in heaven. (Ps 103:21)
115. What is the fourth request?
Give us this day our daily bread. (Matt 6:11)
116. What do we pray for in the fourth request?
That God will give us everything we need for our bodies and souls. (Phil 4:19)
117. What is the fifth request?
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (Matt 6:12)
118. What do we pray for in the fifth request?
That God would pardon our sins for Christ’s sake, and enable us to forgive those who have sinned against us. (Matt 6:14-15)
119. What is the sixth request?
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. (Matt 6:13)
120. What do we pray for in the sixth request?
That God will keep us from sin. (Matt 26:41)
121. What does prayer teach us?
Our complete dependence on God. (Heb 4:16)
Questions about Word, Church and Ordinances
122. How does the Holy Spirit bring us salvation?
He uses the Bible, which is the Word of God. (1 Pet 1:22-23)
123. How can we know the Word of God?
We are commanded to hear, read and search the Scriptures. (2 Tim 2:15)
124. What is a church?
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. (Acts 2:42)
125. What two ordinances did Christ give the church?
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. (Matt 28:19; 1 Cor 11:24-26)
126. Why did Christ give these ordinances?
Christ gave these ordinances to show that his disciples belong to him, and to remind them of what he has done for them. (Matt 28:19; 1 Cor 11:24-26)
127. What is baptism?
Baptism is the immersion of believers into water, as a sign of their union with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection. (Rom 6:3-4).
128. What does baptism represent?
Baptism represents to believers that God has cleansed them from their sins through Jesus Christ. (Col 2:11-12)
129. Who are to be baptized?
Only those who repent of their sins and believe in Christ for salvation should be baptized. (Acts 8:12)
130. Should babies be baptized?
No. Only those who give a credible profession of faith in Christ should be baptized. (Acts 2:38)
131. Does Christ welcome little children?
Yes. He invites little children to come to him by faith. (Luke 18:15-17)
132. What is the Lord’s Supper?
At the Lord’s Supper, the church eats bread and drinks wine to remember the sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 11:23-29)
133. What does the bread represent?
The bread represents the body of Christ, broken for our sins. (Matt 26:26)
134. What does the wine represent?
The wine represents the blood of Christ, shed for our salvation. (Matt 26:27)
135. Who should partake of the Lord’s Supper?
The Lord’s Supper is for those only who repent of their sins, believe in Christ for salvation, receive baptism and love one another. (1 Cor 11:27-33)
Questions about the Last Things
136. Did Christ remain in the tomb after his crucifixion?
No. He rose from the tomb the third day after his death. (1 Cor 15:3-4)
137. Where is Christ now?
Christ is in heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father. (Rom 8:34)
138. Will Christ come again?
Yes. At the last day he will come to judge the world. (Matt 25:31-32)
139. What happens to men when they die?
The body returns to dust, and the soul goes to be with God or to a place of suffering that awaits the resurrection for judgment. (Heb 9:27)
140. Will the bodies of the dead be raised to life again?
Yes. There will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the righteous and the wicked. (John 5:28-29)
141. What will happen to the wicked in the Day of Judgment?
They shall be cast into hell. (2 Thess 1:9)
142. What is hell?
Hell is a place of dreadful and endless punishment. (Matt 13:40-42)
143. What will happen to the righteous on the Day of Judgment?
They will live with Christ forever, in a new heaven and new earth. (Matt 13:43)
144. In the light of these truths, what should you do?
I should strive with all my energy to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and repent of my sin. (Acts 16:30-31)
145. What is the gospel?
Holy God, in love became perfect man to bear my blame, on the cross he took my sin and by his death I live again. (Titus 3:3-7)