Questions 1-20
Q1: Why are we here on earth? What's our purpose?
A. Our purpose is to show how amazing God is (1) and to enjoy being with Him forever (2).
(1) I Cor. 10:31; Rom. 11:36
(2) Ps. 73:25-28
Q2: What instructions has God given us so we can show how great He is and experience joy in Him?
A. The Word of God, the Bible, which has two parts - the Old and New Testaments (1), is the only guide that teaches us how to show how great God is and how to experience joy in Him (2).
(1) II Tim. 3:16; Eph. 2:20
(2) I John 1:3-4
Q3: What is the main thing that the Bible teaches us?
A. The Bible mostly teaches us what we should believe about God and what God wants us to do (1).
(1) II Tim. 1:13; 3:16
Q4: What is God?
A. God is a Spirit, (1) infinite, (2) eternal, (3) and unchangeable, (4) in his being, (5) wisdom, (6) power, (7) holiness, (8) justice, goodness, and truth. (9)
(1) John 4:24
(2) Job 11:7-9
(3) Ps. 90:2
(4) James 1:17
(5) Exod. 3:14
(6) Ps. 147:5
(7) Rev. 4:8
(8) Rev. 15:4
(9) Exod. 34:6-7
Q5: Is there more than one God?
A. There is only one God, the living and true God. (1)
(1) Deut. 6:4; Jer. 10:10
Q6: How many persons are there in the Godhead?
A. There are three parts of God: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. But they are all one God, equally powerful and glorious (1).
(1) I John 5:7; Matt. 28:19
Q7: What are God's plans?
A. God's plans are His big ideas that will last forever, made just the way He wants, to show how great He is. He has already figured out everything that's going to happen (1).
(1) Eph. 1:4, 11; Rom. 9:22-23
Q8: How does God make His plans happen?
A. God makes His plans happen by creating everything and taking care of it all.
Q9: What is the work of creation?
A. God's work of creation means that God made everything from nothing, just by saying it, in six days, and everything He made was really good (1).
(1) Gen. 1; Heb. 11:3
Q10: How did God make people?
A. God made people, boys and girls, to be like Him, with knowledge, goodness, and holiness. He also let them be in charge of all the animals (1).
(1) Gen. 1:26-28; Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:24
Q11: What does it mean when we say God takes care of everything?
A. God's works of care mean that He lovingly (1), wisely (2), and strongly (3) takes care of all His creations and everything they do (4).
(1) Ps. 145:17
(2) Ps. 104:24; Isa. 28:29
(3) Heb. 1:3
(4) Ps. 103:19; Matt. 10:29-31
Q12: What special way did God take care of people when He first created them?
A. When God first made people, He made a special promise with them. He asked them to always obey Him perfectly and told them not to eat from a certain tree, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He also told them that if they didn't listen and ate from that tree, they would die (1).
(1) Gal. 3:12; Gen. 2:17
Q13: Did our first parents stay the same as when God first made them?
A. No, our first parents, who could make their own choices, didn't stay the same. They did something wrong against God and changed from how they were when God first made them (1).
(1) Gen. 3:6-8, 13; Eccles. 7:29
Q14: What is sin?
A. Sin is when we don't listen to God's rules or when we do something that breaks God's rules. (1)
(1) I John 3:4
Q15: What was the wrong thing that our first parents did that changed them from how they were when God first made them?
A. The wrong thing that the first people did was eating the fruit from the tree that God told them not to eat from (1).
(1) Gen. 3:6, 12
Q16: Did everyone fall when Adam first sinned?
A. Yes, when Adam, the first man, broke his special promise with God, it affected everyone. Because Adam was the first dad for all people, his mistake caused everyone who came after him to also break the covanent (1).
(1) Gen. 2:16-17; Rom. 5:12; I Cor. 15:21-22
Q17: What happened to people because of the first big sin they made?
A. Because of the first big sin, people ended up in state of sin and misery. (1)
(1) Rom. 5:12
Q18: What does it mean that people fell into a sinful state?
A. The sinful state means that people carry the guilt of Adam's first sin, they lost their perfect goodness, and their whole nature became corrupt, which we often call Original Sin. It also includes all the wrong things that people do because of this (1).
(1) Rom. 5:12, 19; 5:10-20; Eph. 2:1-3; James 1:14-15; Matt. 15:19
Q19: What does it mean that people fell into a state of suffering?
A. Because people fell from grace, they lost their connection with God (1), are under His wrath and curse (2), and now they have to face all kinds of troubles in life, death, and even the eternal suffering of hell (3).
(1) Gen. 3:8, 10, 24
(2) Eph. 2:2-3, Gal. 3:10
(3) Lam. 3:39; Rom. 6:23, Matt. 25:41, 46
Q20: Did God let everyone stay in their sad and sinful state?
A. God, out of his own free will, chose some people to have eternal life (1) since the beginning of time. He made a special promise to save them from a life of sin and suffering, and to bring them to a life of salvation by a Redeemer (2).
(1) Eph. 1:4
(2) Rom. 3:20-22; Gal. 3:21-22
Questions 21-40
Q21: Who is the Redeemer of God's chosen people?
A. The only one who can save God's chosen people is the Lord Jesus Christ (1), who is the eternal Son of God and became man (2). He is both God and a person at the same time, but is still one person forever (3).
(1) I Tim. 2:5-6
(2) John 1:14; Gal. 4:4
(3) Rom. 9:5; Luke 1:35; Col. 2:9; Heb. 7:24-25
Q22: How did Jesus, who is the Son of God, become man?
A. Jesus, the Son of God, became human by taking on a real body (1) and a rational soul (2). He was made in the belly of Mary, His mother, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and was born from her (3), but He never sinned (4).
(1) Heb. 2:14, 16; 10:5
(2) Matt. 26:38
(3) Luke 1:27, 31, 35, 42; Gal. 4:4
(4) Heb. 4:15; 7:26
Q23: What jobs does Jesus do as our Redeemer, the one who saves us?
A. As our Redeemer, Jesus does three important jobs. He is a prophet, a priest, and a king. He did these jobs when he was humble and when he was lifted high (1).
(1) Acts 3:21-22; Heb. 12:25. Cf. II Cor. 13:3; Heb. 5:5-7; 7:25; Ps. 2:6; Isa. 9:6-7; Matt. 21:5; Ps. 2:8-11
Q24: How does Jesus do the job of a prophet?
A. Jesus does the job of a prophet by using His words and Spirit to show us how God wants us to be saved (1).
(1) John 1:18; I Peter 1:10-12; John 15:15; 20:31
Q25: How does Jesus do the job of a priest?
A. Jesus does the job of a priest by giving Himself as a sacrifice one time to make things right with God (1), to bring us back to God again (2), and by always interceding for us (3).
(1) Heb. 9:14, 28
(2) Heb. 2:17
(3) Heb. 7:24-25
Q26: How does Jesus do the job of a king?
A. Jesus does the job of a king by making us part of His kingdom (1), by ruling over us (2) and protecting us (3), and by defeating all the enemies that are against Him and us (4).
(1) Acts 15:14-16
(2) Isa. 33:22
(3) Isa. 32:1-2
(4) I Cor. 15:25, Ps. 110
Q27: How was Jesus humiliated?
A. Jesus was humbled or brought low by being born in a simple, lowly place (1), by following all the laws (2), by going through tough times in life (3), by facing God's anger (4), and by dying a cursed death on the cross (5); He was also buried (6) and stayed dead for a little while (7).
(1) Luke 2:7
(2) Gal. 4:4
(3) Heb. 12:2-3; Isa. 53:2-3
(4) Luke 22:44; Matt. 27:46
(5) Phil. 2:8
(6) I Cor. 15:3-4
(7) Acts 2:24-27, 31
Q28: How much was Jesus lifted high or honored?
A. Jesus came back to life on the third day (1), He went up into heaven (2), He is sitting at the right hand of God the Father (3), and He will come back to judge the world on the last day (4).
(1) I Cor. 15:4
(2) Mark 16:19
(3) Eph. 1:20
(4) Acts 1:11; 17:31
Q29: How do we get to share in the rescue that Jesus bought for us?
A. We get to be part of the redemption that Jesus bought for us when (1) it becomes real in our lives, and this is done by His Holy Spirit (2).
(1) John 1:11-12
(2) Titus 3:5-6
Q30: How does the Holy Spirit make the rescue that Jesus bought for us real in our lives?
A. The Holy Spirit makes the redemption that Jesus bought for us real in our lives by helping us to have faith (1) and by joining us to Jesus when He calls us (2).
(1) Eph. 1:13-14; John 6:37, 39; Eph. 2:8
(2) Eph. 3:17, I Cor. 1:9
Q31: What is effectual calling?
A. Effectual calling is when God's Spirit (1) helps us realize we've done wrong and feel sorry about it (2), helps us understand more about Jesus (3), and changes our hearts (4), so that we can say yes to Jesus who is freely given to us in the good news of the Bible (5).
(1) II Tim. 1:9; II Thess. 2:13-14
(2) Acts 2:37
(3) Acts 26:18
(4) Ezek. 36:26-27
(5) John 6:44-45; Phil. 2:13
Q32: What benefits do those who are effectually called receive in this life?
A. People who are truly called get to experience being made right with God (1), being adopted into God's family (2), and becoming more like God, along with many other good things that come from these (3).
(1) Rom. 8:30
(2) Eph. 1:5
(3) I Cor. 1:26, 30
Q33: What is justification?
A. Justification is when God, because he is gracious, forgives all our wrongdoings (1) and sees us as good in His eyes (2). This happens only because of the righteousness of Jesus that is given to us (3) and we receive it by faith alone (4).
(1) Rom. 3:24-25; 4:6-8
(2) II Cor. 5:19, 21
(3) Rom. 5:17-19
(4) Gal. 2:16; Phil. 3:9
Q34: What is adoption?
A. Adoption is when God, because He is so kind (1), invites us into His family and gives us the right to enjoy all the good things that His children get (2).
(1) I John 3:1
(2) John 1:12; Rom. 8:17
Q35: What is sanctification?
A. Sanctification is when God, because He is so kind (1), changes us completely to be more like Him (2), and helps us to say 'no' to doing wrong and 'yes' to doing right more and more (3).
(1) II Thess. 2:13
(2) Eph. 4:23-24
(3) Rom. 6:4, 6
Q36: What are the benefits that come from justification, adoption, and sanctification in this life?
A. The good things that come with being made right with God, being adopted into His family, and becoming more like Him in this life are being sure of God's love, peace of conscience (1), joy in the Holy Spirit (2), an increase of grace (3), and perseverance until the end (4).
(1) Rom. 5:1-2, 5
(2) Rom. 14:17
(3) Prov. 4:18
(4) I John 5:13; I Pet. 1:5
Q37: What good things do Christians receive from Jesus when they die?
A. When believers die, their souls become perfectly holy right away (1) and they go straight to heaven (2). Their bodies stay connected to Christ (3) and rest in their graves (4) until the resurrection (5).
(1) Heb. 12:23
(2) II Cor. 5:1, 6, 8; Phil. 1:23; Luke 23:43
(3) I Thess. 4:14
(4) Isa. 57:2
(5) Job 19:26-27
Q38: What good things do believers receive from Jesus when they are raised from the dead?
A. When believers are raised from the dead, they will be lifted up in glory (1), they will be openly seen and declared not guilty on the day of judgment (2), and they will be perfectly happy enjoying God (3) forever and ever (4).
(1) I Cor. 15:43
(2) Matt. 25:23; 10:32
(3) I John 3:2; I Cor. 13:12
(4) I Thess. 4:17-18
Q39: What does God want people to do?
A. What God asks people to do is to follow what He has told us He wants. (1)
(1) Micah 6:8; I Sam. 15:22
Q40: What was the first thing God showed people as the rule they should follow?
A. The first rule that God showed people to follow was the moral law. (1)
(1) Rom. 2:14-15; 10:5
Questions 41-60
Q41: Where is the moral law summarized?
A. The moral law is summarized in the Ten Commandments. (1)
(1) Deut. 10:4
Q42: What is the main point of the Ten Commandments?
A. The main point of the Ten Commandments is to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. (1)
(1) Matt. 22:37-40
Q43: What is the introduction to the Ten Commandments?
A. The introduction to the Ten Commandments is, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." (1)
(1) Exod. 20:2
Q44: What does the introduction to the Ten Commandments teach us?
A. The introduction to the Ten Commandments teaches us that because God is our Lord, our God, and the one who saves us, we should do what all His commandments say (1).
(1) Luke 1:74-75; I Pet. 1:15-19
Q45: What is the first commandment?
A. The first commandment says, "You should not put anything else before me as your God." (1)
(1) Exod. 20:3
Q46: What does the first commandment ask us to do?
A. The first commandment asks us to know and accept that God is the only real God and He is our God (1), and to worship and glorify Him in the right way (2).
(1) I Chron. 28:9; Deut. 26:17
(2) Matt. 4:10; Ps. 29:2
Q47: What does the first commandment tell us not to do?
A. The first commandment tells us not to ignore (1) or not to show love and respect to the real God as God (2) and our God (3), and not to show that love and respect to anyone or anything else but Him alone (4).
(1) Ps. 14:1
(2) Rom. 1:21
(3) Ps. 81:10-11
(4) Rom. 1:25-26
Q48: What special lesson do we learn from the words "before me" in the first commandment?
A. The words "before me" in the first commandment teach us that God, who sees everything, notices and is not happy when we treat anything else like it's our God (1).
(1) Ezek. 8:5-18
Q49: Which is the second commandment?
A. The second commandment says, "Don't make any statues or pictures of anything in the sky above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth. Don't bow down to them or serve them, because I, the Lord your God, am a God who wants all your love. I will punish the children of those who hate me for the wrong things their parents did, up to the third and fourth generation. But I will show kindness to thousands of generations of those who love me and follow my rules." (1)
(1) Exod. 20:4-6
Q50: What does the second commandment tell us to do?
A. The second commandment God gave us tells us to follow and respect all the special ways He told us to worship Him in the Bible (1).
(1) Deut. 32:46; Matt. 28:20; Acts. 2:42
Q51: What does the second commandment say we can't do?
A. The second commandment tells us not to show our love for God by making or using pictures or statues of Him. (1) It also tells us that we should only show our love for God in the ways that He has told us in the Bible. (2)
(1) Deut. 4:15-19; Exod. 32:5, 8
(2) Deut. 12:31-32
Q52: Why do we have the second commandment?
A. The reasons for the second commandment are because God is in charge of us (1), He made us (2), and He really wants us to worship Him in the right way. (3)
(1) Ps. 95:2-3, 6
(2) Ps. 45:11
(3) Exod. 34:13-14
Q53: What is the third commandment?
A. The third commandment is, "Don't misuse the name of the Lord your God: because God won't let anyone who uses His name wrongly get away with it." (1)
(1) Exod. 20:7
Q54: What does the third commandment ask us to do?
A. The third commandment asks us to use God's names (1), titles (2), qualities (3), special rules (4), words (5), and actions (6) in a respectful and special way.
(1) Matt. 6:9; Deut. 28:58
(2) Ps. 68:4
(3) Rev. 15:3-4
(4) Mal. 1:11, 14
(5) Ps. 138:1-2
(6) Job 36:24
Q55: What does the third commandment tell us not to do?
A. The third commandment tells us not to be disrespectful or use wrongly anything that shows us who God is (1).
(1) Mal. 1:6-7, 12; 2:2; 3:14
Q56: Why do we have the third commandment?
A. The reason we have the third commandment is because, even if people who break it don't get in trouble with other people, they won't be able to hide from God's fair judgment (1).
(1) I Sam. 2:12, 17, 22, 29; 3:13; Deut. 28:58-59
Q57: What is the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment is, "Remember to keep the special rest day, called the Sabbath, holy or special. You can work for six days, but the seventh day is a rest day for God. On this day, you, your kids, helpers, pets, and any guests in your house should not work. Because in six days, God made everything like the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them, and He took a rest on the seventh day. So, God made the rest day special and blessed it." (1)
(1) Exod. 20:8-11
Q58: What does the fourth commandment ask us to do?
A. The fourth commandment asks us to keep certain times special for God, just like He told us in His Word. Specifically, we should keep one day out of every seven days as a special rest day for God. (1)
(1) Deut. 5:12-14
Q59: Which day of the week did God choose to be the special rest day?
A. From when everything started until Jesus came back to life, God picked the seventh day of the week as the special rest day. But since Jesus came back to life, the first day of the week is the special rest day for Christians, and it will stay that way forever (1).
(1) Gen. 2:2-3; I Cor. 16:1-2; Acts 20:7
Q60: How should we make the Sabbath day holy?
A. We can make the Sabbath day holy by not doing any work (1), not doing fun activities that we usually do on other days (2), and spending the whole day worshipping God, both in public and at home (3), unless we need to do something important or we're doing something kind for others (4).
(1) Exod. 20:8, 10; 16:25-28
(2) Neh. 13:15-19, 21-22
(3) Luke 4:16; Acts 20:7; Ps. 92 title; Isa. 66:23
(4) Matt. 12:1-31
Questions 61-80
Q61: What does the fourth commandment tell us not to do?
A. The fourth commandment tells us not to ignore or do the required duties carelessly (1), not to waste the day by being lazy (2), not to do anything wrong (3), and not to think, talk, or do unnecessary work or leisure activities. (4)
(1) Ezek. 22:26; Amos 8:5; Mal. 1:13
(2) Acts 20:7, 9
(3) Ezek. 23:38
(4) Jer. 17:24-26; Isa. 58:13
Q62: Why do we have the fourth commandment?
A. The reasons we have the fourth commandment are: God lets us use six days of the week for our own things (1), He says the seventh day is special for Him, He showed us an example, and He made the rest day special and blessed it (2).
(1) Exod. 20:9
(2) Exod. 20:11
Q63: What is the fifth commandment?
A. The fifth commandment is, "Respect your mom and dad; so you can live a long time in the place that God is giving you." (1)
(1) Exod. 20:12
Q64: What does the fifth commandment ask us to do?
A. The fifth commandment requires us to preserve the honor and fulfill the duties associated with each of our roles, whether we are superiors (1), inferiors (2), or equals. (3)
(1) Eph. 5:21
(2) I Pet. 2:17
(3) Rom. 12:10
Q65: What does the fifth commandment tell us not to do?
A. The fifth commandment tells us not to ignore or do anything that goes against the respect and duty that everyone should have in their own roles and relationships. (1)
(1) Matt. 15:4-6; Ezek. 34:2-4; Rom. 13:8
Q66: Why do we have the fifth commandment?
A. The reason we have the fifth commandment is a promise that those who follow this rule will have a long and happy life (as long as it's good for them and glorifies God). (1)
(1) Deut. 5:16; Eph. 6:2-3
Q67: What is the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment is, You shall not kill. (1)
(1) Exod. 20:13
Q68: What does the sixth commandment ask us to do?
A. The sixth commandment asks us to do everything we can that's lawful to keep ourselves (1) and other people (2) safe and alive.
(1) Eph. 5:28-29
(2) I Kings 18:4
Q69: What does the sixth commandment tell us not to do?
A. The sixth commandment tells us not to hurt ourselves or others so badly that it causes death, or do anything that could lead to that. (1)
(1) Acts 16:28; Gen. 9:6
Q70: What is the seventh commandment?
A. The seventh commandment is, "Do not commit adultery." (1)
(1) Exod. 20:14
Q71: What does the seventh commandment ask us to do?
A. The seventh commandment asks us to keep our own and other people's purity in our thoughts, words, and actions (1).
(1) I Cor. 7:2-3, 5, 34, 36; Col. 4:6; I Pet. 3:2
Q72: What does the seventh commandment tell us not to do?
A. The seventh commandment tells us not to have, say, or do anything that is not pure (1).
(1) Matt. 15:19; 5:28; Eph. 5:3-4
Q73: What is the eighth commandment?
A. The eighth commandment is, Do not steal. (1)
(1) Exod. 20:15
Q74: What does the eighth commandment ask us to do?
A. The eighth commandment asks us to get and increase our own and other people's things and money in a way that follows the rules. (1)
(1) Gen. 30:30; I Tim. 5:8; Lev. 25:35; Deut. 22:1-5; Exod. 23:4-5; Gen. 47:14, 20
Q75: What does the eighth commandment tell us not to do?
A. The eighth commandment tells us not to do anything that unfairly stops us or other people from getting or keeping things or money. (1)
(1) Prov. 21:17; 23:20-21; 28:19; Eph. 4:28
Q76: What is the ninth commandment?
A. The ninth commandment is, "Don't tell lies about other people." (1)
(1) Exod. 20:16
Q77: What does the ninth commandment ask us to do?
A. The ninth commandment asks us to always tell the truth to each other (1), and to protect our own and other people's good name (2), especially when giving testimony. (3)
(1) Zech. 8:16
(2) III John 12
(3) Prov. 14:5, 25
Q78: What does the ninth commandment tell us not to do?
A. The ninth commandment tells us not to do anything that hurts the truth or harms our own or other people's good name. (1)
(1) I Sam. 17:28; Lev. 19:16; Ps. 15:3
Q79: What is the tenth commandment?
A. The tenth commandment is, "Don't wish for your neighbor's house, don't wish for your neighbor's wife or husband, their helpers, their animals, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." (1)
(1) Exod. 20:17
Q80: What does the tenth commandment ask us to do?
A. The tenth commandment asks us to be completely happy with what we have (1), and to have a good and kind attitude towards our neighbors and everything that belongs to them. (2)
(1) Heb. 13:5; I Tim. 6:6
(2) Job 31:29; Rom. 12:15; I Tim. 1:5; I Cor. 13:4-7
Questions 81-100
Q81: What does the tenth commandment tell us not to do?
A. The tenth commandment tells us not to be unhappy with what we have (1), not to be jealous or sad when our neighbor is successful (2), and not to want too much of anything that belongs to them. (3)
(1) I Kings 21:4; Esther 5:13; I Cor. 10:10
(2) Gal. 5:26; James 3:14, 16
(3) Rom. 7:7-8; 13:9; Deut. 5:21
Q82: Can anyone follow God's commandments perfectly?
A. No, since people first did wrong, no one can follow God's commandments perfectly (1). Every day, people break these rules in their thoughts, words, and actions. (2)
(1) Eccles. 7:20; I John 1:8, 10; Gal. 5:17
(2) Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Rom. 3:9-21; James 3:2-13
Q83: Are all breaks of the law just as bad?
A. Some bad things we do are seen as worse than others by God, because of what they involve and other important factors. (1)
(1) Ezek. 8:6, 13, 15; I John 5:16; Ps. 78:17, 32, 56
Q84: What should happen for every sin we do?
A. Every sin should get God's anger and punishment, both in this life and the next one. (1)
(1) Eph. 5:6; Gal. 3:10; Lam. 3:39; Matt. 25:41
Q85: What does God ask us to do so we don't get His anger and punishment for our sin?
A. To not get God's anger and punishment for our bad actions, God asks us to believe in Jesus Christ, to be sorry for our bad actions and want to live better (1), and to use all the ways that Christ gives us to be saved. (2)
(1) Acts. 20:21
(2) Prov. 2:1-5; 8:33-36; Isa. 55:3
Q86: What is faith in Jesus Christ?
A. Believing in Jesus Christ is a special gift (1), where we accept and rely only on Him for being saved, just like He is shown to us in the gospel. (2)
(1) Heb. 10:39
(2) John 1:12; Isa. 26:3-4; Phil. 3:9; Gal. 2:16
Q87: What does it mean to repent and gain eternal life?
A. Repentance that leads to life is a saving grace (1), where a person who has done wrong, truly understands their mistakes (2) and appreciates God's kindness in Jesus (3). They feel really sorry and don't like their wrong actions, so they decide to stop doing them and turn to God (4) with a full intention to start living a new life that follows God's rules.
(1) Acts. 11:18
(2) Acts. 2:37-38
(3) Joel 2:12; Jer. 3:22
(4) Jer. 31:18-19; Ezek. 36:31
(5) II Cor. 7:11; Isa. 1:16-17
Q88: How does Jesus give us the good things that come from being saved?
A. The main ways that Jesus gives us the good things that come from redemption are His special rules, especially the Bible, special church ceremonies, and prayer; all of these work for the chosen people to bring salvation. (1)
(1) Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:42, 46-47
Q89: How does the Bible help bring salvation?
A. God's Spirit makes reading, but especially listening to the Bible being preached, a helpful way of making sinners understand and change, and of making them grow in holiness and comfort, through faith, to being saved. (1)
(1) Neh. 8:8; I Cor. 14:24-25; Acts 26:18; Ps. 19:8; Acts 20:32; Rom. 15:4; II Tim. 3:15-17; Rom. 10:13-17; 1:16
Q90: How should the word be read and heard so that it can lead to salvation?
A. For the Bible to help us be saved, we must listen to it carefully (1), get ready for it (2), and pray about it (3); accept it with faith and love (4), keep it in our hearts (5), and use it in our lives. (6)
(1) Prov. 8:34
(2) I Pet. 2:1-2
(3) Ps. 119:18
(4) Heb. 4:2; II Thess. 2:10
(5) Ps. 119:11
(6) Luke 8:15; James 1:25
Q91: How do the sacraments help us be saved?
A. The special church ceremonies help us be saved, not because they or the person doing them are special, but only because of Jesus' blessing (1) and His Spirit working in those who accept them with faith. (2)
(1) I Pet. 3:21; Matt. 3:11; I Cor. 3:6-7
(2) I Cor. 12:13
Q92: What is a sacrament?
A. A sacrament is a special ceremony that Jesus started, where we use physical things to show, make sure of, and give Jesus and the good things of the new covenant to believers. (1)
(1) Gen. 17:7, 10; Exod. 12; I Cor. 11:23, 26
Q93: Which are the sacraments of the New Testament?
A. The sacraments of the New Testament are, Baptism, (1) and the Lord's supper. (2)
(1) Matt. 28:19
(2) Matt. 26:26-28
Q94: What is baptism?
A. Baptism is a special ceremony where someone is baptized with water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (1). This shows and seals our joining with Christ, our sharing in the good things of the promise of grace, and our promise to belong to the Lord. (2)
(1) Matt. 28:19
(2) Rom. 6:4; Gal. 3:27
Q95: Who should be baptized?
A. Baptism should not be given to anyone who is not a part of the church that we can see, until they say they believe in Jesus and will obey Him (1). But, the babies of people who are members of the church that we can see should be baptized. (2)
(1) Acts 8:36-37; 2:38
(2) Acts 2:38-39; Gen. 17:10. Cf. Col. 2:11-12; I Cor. 7:14
Q96: What is the Lord's supper?
A. The Lord's Supper is a special ceremony where, by giving and getting bread and wine, like Jesus told us to, we remember His death; and those who take it, not in a physical and earthly way, but with faith, share in His body and blood, with all its good things, for their spiritual food and growth in grace. (1)
(1) I Cor. 11:23-26; 10:16
Q97: What do we need to do to be ready to take the Lord's Supper?
A. Those who want to take the Lord's Supper in a worthy way need to check themselves for their understanding to recognize the Lord's body (1), their faith to feed on Him (2), their being sorry for their sins (3), love (4), and new obedience (5); otherwise, if they take it in an unworthy way, they eat and drink judgment on themselves. (6)
(1) I Cor. 11:28-29
(2) II Cor. 13:5
(3) I Cor. 11:31
(4) I Cor. 10:16-17
(5) I Cor. 5:7-8
(6) I Cor. 11:28-29
Q98: What is prayer?
A. Prayer is telling God what we want (1), for things that go along with what He wants (2), in Jesus' name (3), while saying we're sorry for our sins (4) and saying thank you for His kindness. (5)
(1) Ps. 62:8
(2) I John 5:14
(3) John 16:23
(4) Ps. 32:5-6; Dan. 9:4
(5) Phil. 4:6
Q99: What rule has God given us to use when we pray?
A. The whole Bible is helpful for guiding us in prayer (1); but the specific rule for how to pray is the prayer that Jesus taught His followers, which we often call The Lord's Prayer. (2)
(1) I John 5:14
(2) Matt. 6:9-13. Cf. Luke 11:2-4
Q100: What does the introduction to the Lord's prayer teach us?
A. The beginning of the Lord's Prayer (which is, "Our Father who art in Heaven") (1) teaches us to come to God with all holy respect and trust, like children to a parent, knowing that He can and wants to help us (2); and that we should pray for and with other people. (3)
(1) Matt. 6:9
(2) Rom. 8:15; Luke 11:13
(3) Acts. 12:5; I Tim. 2:1-2
Questions 101-107
Q101: What do we ask for in the first part of the prayer?
A. In the first part of the prayer (which is, "Hallowed be thy name") (1) we ask that God would help us and others to honor Him in all the ways He shows Himself (2); and that He would make all things bring Him glory. (3)
(1) Matt. 6:9
(2) Ps. 67:2-3
(3) Ps. 83
Q102: What do we ask for in the second part of the prayer?
A. In the second part of the prayer (which is, "Thy kingdom come") (1) we ask that Satan's kingdom may be destroyed (2); that the kingdom of grace may grow (3), that we and others may enter it and stay in it (4); and that the kingdom of glory may come quickly. (5)
(1) Matt. 6:10
(2) Ps. 68:1, 18
(3) Rev. 12:10-11
(4) II Thess. 3:1; Rom. 10:1; John 17:9, 20
(5) Rev. 22:20
Q103: What do we ask for in the third part of the prayer?
A. In the third part of the prayer (which is, May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven) (1) we ask, That God, by His grace, would help us to know, follow, and accept His will in all things (2), just like the angels do in heaven. (3)
(1) Matt. 6:10
(2) Ps. 67; 119:36; Matt. 26:39; II Sam. 15:25; Job 1:21
(3) Ps. 103:20-21
Q104: What do we ask for in the fourth part of the prayer?
A. In the fourth part of the prayer (which is, Give us this day our daily bread) (1), we ask, That we may get enough of the good things in life from God's generous gift, and enjoy His blessing with them. (2)
(1) Matt. 6:11
(2) Prov. 30:8-9; Gen. 28:20; I Tim. 4:4-5
Q105: What do we ask for in the fifth part of the prayer?
A. In the fifth part of the prayer (which is, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors") (1) we ask that God, because of Jesus, would freely forgive all our sins (2); we are encouraged to ask this because, with His help, we can forgive others from our heart. (3)
(1) Matt. 6:12
(2) Ps. 51:1-2, 7, 9; Dan. 9:17-19
(3) Luke 11:4, Matt. 18:35
Q106: What do we ask for in the sixth part of the prayer?
A. In the sixth part of the prayer (which is, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil) (1) we ask that God would either stop us from being tempted to do wrong (2), or give us the strength and guidance to beat temptation when it comes our way. (3)
(1) Matt. 6:13
(2) Matt. 26:41
(3) II Cor. 12:7-8
Q107: What does the ending of the Lord's Prayer teach us?
A. The ending of the Lord's Prayer (which is, For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen) (1) teaches us to get our strength for prayer from only God (2), and to give Him praise in our prayers, recognizing His kingdom, power, and glory (3). To show we want and believe that our prayers will be heard, we say, Amen. (4)
(1) Matt. 6:13
(2) Dan. 9:4, 7-9, 16-19
(3) I Chron. 29:10-13
(4) I Cor. 14:16; Rev. 22:20-21
