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The Pattern of Sound Words A Baptist
Catechism Edited by Massimo Lorenzini Preface The Purpose of the Catechism, the Chief End
of Man, the Existence of God 1 – 3 Unit 1 The Inspired Word of God, the Scripture: The Only Rule of Christian Faith and Practice
4 – 7 I. The Sufficiency of Scripture .......................................................
4 II. The Reliability of Scripture........................................................
5 III. The Priority of Knowing Scripture...........................................
6 IV. The Principal Content of Scripture...........................................
7 Unit 2 The Eternal Glory and Mighty Works of God: The Sum of Christian Faith 8 – 44 I. The Doctrine of God............................................................
8 – 10 II. The Doctrine of God’s Original Creation...........................
11 – 24 A.
The Doctrine of God’s Decrees..................................
11 – 12 B.
The Doctrine of Creation............................................ 13 – 14 C.
The Doctrine of D.
The Doctrine of Sin..................................................... 17 – 24 III. The Doctrine of Redemption from Sin.............................
25 – 44 A.
The Accomplishment of Redemption.......................... 25 – 32 B.
The Application of Redemption.................................. 33 – 40 C.
The Consummation of Redemption............................. 41 – 44 Unit 3 The Revealed Will of God: The Sum of Christian Duty 45 – 118 Introduction: The
General Identity of Man’s Duty...................... 45 I. God’s Moral Law: The Ten Commandments...................
45 – 91 Introduction:
The Priority and Summation of God’s Law……. A.
The General Concept of the Decalogue..................... 45 – 50 B.
The Exposition of the Decalogue............................... 51 – 87 C.
The Transgression of the Decalogue.......................... 88 – 91 II. God’s Gospel..................................................................
92 – 118 Introduction.............................................................................
92 A.
The Requirements: Faith and Repentance.................. 93 – 94 B.
The Outward Provisions: the Means of Grace………………. (The
Word, the Ordinances, and Prayer)........................ 95 – 118
To “catechize” means to teach biblical truth in an orderly way. This edition is a revision of “The Baptist Catechism” first published by Baptists in 1693 in London, England. It is patterned after the well-known reformed Westminster Shorter Catechism. This current version is sent forth with the prayer that God would use it to establish contemporary Christians in the foundational doctrines of biblical faith and practice.
For a more thorough introduction to catechism in general and this edition in particular, see The Value of Catechism.
Question 1: What do you learn
from the catechism? Answer: I learn that the affairs of my soul are of the greatest importance, and ought to employ my highest concern. Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Matthew 16:26; 1 Timothy 1:5 Question 2: What is the chief
end of man? Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Scripture: 1 Corinthians
10:31; Psalm Comment: “Glorify” does not mean make glorious. It means to reflect or display as glorious. Other words you could use for “end” are “goal” or “purpose.” Question 3: How do we know
there is a God? Answer: The internal witness of conscience and reason and the external witness of creation and providence plainly declare that there is a God; but His Word and Spirit only do effectually reveal Him to us for our salvation. Scripture: Romans Comment: The answer
distinguishes two kinds of knowledge: one is natural knowledge or general
revelation (“the internal and external witness”) which cannot save; the other
is spiritual knowledge or special revelation which can save when energized by
the Spirit of God. Natural knowledge is accessible to all people and thus makes
all people accountable to honor and thank God. Spiritual knowledge is possessed
only by those whose natural blindness has been overcome by the Spirit of God
with the Word of God (1 Corinthians Question 4: What is the Word
of God? Answer: The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments (OT and NT), being given by divine inspiration, are the Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice. Scripture: 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; Isaiah 8:20; Matthew 5:17- 18; 1 Corinthians 2:13; Psalm 19:7-8. Comment: “Scriptures” is a special word for the “writings” of the OT and NT. Perhaps you will want to explain that the OT deals with God’s Word that came before Jesus was born; and the NT is the Word of God that came after Jesus was born. “Infallible” means it will never lead us astray in what it teaches. It is true and does not err. It can be trusted. “Faith” refers to right thinking and beliefs; and “practice” refers to right doing. We measure our beliefs and actions by the standard of the Bible. “Inspiration” means that it is God-breathed: by His Spirit He guided His spokesmen to speak His word in their language. Question 5: How do we know
that the Bible is the Word of God? Answer: The Bible evidences itself to be God’s Word by the heavenliness of its doctrine, the unity of its parts, and its power to convert sinners and to edify saints. But only the Spirit of God can make us willing to agree and submit to the Bible as the Word of God. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:6-7,13-16; Psalm 19:7-9; 119:18,129; Acts 10:43; 26:22; 18:28; Hebrews 4:12; Romans 15:4; John 16:13,14; 1 John 2:20-27; 2 Corinthians 3:14-17; 4:4, 6. Comment: “Heavenliness”
refers to the fact [that] the teachings of Scripture are of such a nature that
they cannot be explained by mere human resources. They bear the marks of the
supernatural. “No man ever spoke like this Man!” (John 7:46). The “unity of its
parts” has to do especially with the way all Scripture points to Christ. “To Him
all the prophets witness” (Acts While we may be moved and
persuaded by the testimony of men and the many evidences in support of
Scripture such as: Supernatural predictions in prophecy that are precise,
detailed, and accurate; Supernatural unity displayed in the diversity of
authors, settings, and topics yet converging on a unity of testimony;
Supernatural insight and answers to the big questions of life that is
consistent with the way we experience and perceive the world and in a way that
is internally cohesive; Supernatural accuracy and correspondence to archaeology
and history along with unimpeachable testimony and tremendous manuscript
evidence; Supernatural impact that transcends time and culture to radically
transform sinners into saints; and supernatural survival through time and
persecution. Ultimately, the deciding factor in someone coming to a full
persuasion and assurance that the Bible is God’s Word is an inward work of the
Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts in a way that is
immediate and unassailable. It is the reception of divine light to see the
majesty of God manifest in the Scriptures themselves. Our belief that the Bible
is from God rests ultimately on the testimony of God and not of man. John
16:13-14; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12; 1 John 2:20, 27; 5:6-13 For a more thorough exposition of these arguments in support of the Bible, see “Has God Spoken: How Can We Know the Bible is from God?” at www.frontlinemin.org/bibledefense.asp. Question 6: May all men make
use of the Scriptures? Answer: All men are not only permitted, but commanded and exhorted, to read, hear, and obey the Scriptures. Scripture: John 5:39; Luke
16:29; Acts Question 7: What do the
Scriptures mainly teach? Answer: The Scriptures
mainly teach what man is to believe about God and what duty God requires of man
in His law; and in His gospel how men are reconciled to God through a Mediator. Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; John 20:31; Acts 24:14; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Ecclesiastes 12:13. Question 8: What is God? Answer: God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. Scripture: John 4:24; Psalm 89:14; 90:2; 147:5; James 1:17; Revelation 4:8; Exodus 34:6, 7; 1 Timothy 1:17; Numbers 23:19. Comment: Ask what “infinite” means (there is no limit to how great He is!). What does “eternal” mean? (He never had a beginning and will never have an ending!) Talk about how God can respond to us and yet not be “changeable.” (His character never changes; He always acts consistently on the same principles. Even His responses to us are known and planned long before so that His purposes are unchanging.) Question 9: Are there more
Gods than one? Answer: There is only one living and true God. Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4; Jeremiah 10:10; Psalm 96:4-5. Comment: There are “gods” which are idols, but they are not “living.” And there are “gods” which are angels or demons, but they are not “true” God, that is they are not eternal, infinite and unchanging. Only one God is living and true. Question 10: How many persons
are there in the Godhead? Answer: There are three persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one God, the same in essence, equal in power and glory. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:11; 8:6; John 1:1; 10:30; 14:9; 20:28; Acts 5:3,4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:3. Comment: The word “Godhead” is needed because we shouldn't say that there are three persons in God. No, there are three persons who are God. Nor should we say that there are three Gods. There is one God. They are distinct persons with special roles in creation and redemption. But they are in perfect harmony and are, in ways beyond our comprehension, perfectly One God. Question 11: What are the
decrees of God? Answer: The decrees of God are His eternal purpose, according to the counsel of His will, whereby for His own glory, He has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass. Scripture: Ephesians 1:11; Romans 11:36; Daniel 4:35; Isaiah 46:10; Psalm 115:3; Amos 3:6. Comment: You might shorten it to: “God’s decrees are His own plans for history. And they always happen.” His purpose for the world is eternal because there never was a time when He didn’t know what He was going to do. His purpose accords with the counsel of His will—that is He did not consult anyone else. He thought it all up. All plans were made in order to maximize the display of His glory. Nothing falls outside the decrees of God. Question 12: How does God
execute His decrees? Answer: God executes His decrees in the works of creation and providence. Scripture: Genesis 1:1;
Revelation 4:11; Matthew Comment: Instead of “execute” you can say “perform” or “accomplish” or “bring about.” The word “providence” will be taken up in a later question. For now it refers to the way God preserves and governs all His creatures and all their actions (like the fall of a bird or the election of a president). It refers to God’s general rule over the world He has created. Question 13: What is the work
of creation? Answer: The work of creation is God’s making all things out of nothing, by the word of His power, in six days, and is all very good. Scripture: Genesis 1:1, 31; Hebrews 11:3; Exodus 20:11; Romans 4:17. Comment: Before creation there was only God in the holy fellowship of the Trinity. Therefore His creation is always different from ours: we start with something. Question 14: How did God
create man? Answer: God created man male and female, after His own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. Scripture: Genesis 1:27-28; Colossians 3:10; Ephesians 4:24. Comment: In saying that we were created after his image “in knowledge, righteousness and holiness,” we do not mean we know all God knows, nor that we are a fountain of righteousness and holiness the way He is. We mean that we were capable of sharing His knowledge and righteousness and holiness in a relationship of trust and love unlike any other creature under the angels. Question 15: What are God’s
works of providence? Answer: God’s works of providence are the holy, wise, and powerful acts in which He preserves and governs all His creatures, and all their actions. Scripture: Nehemiah 9:6; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3; Psalm 103:19; Matthew 10:29-30. Comment: It would be
helpful to discuss this with your child in relation to the common concept of “luck.”
Is there such a thing as luck in a world ruled by the providence of God? “The
lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly from the Lord” ( Question 16: What was the
condition in which man was first created? Answer: Man was created in a condition of sinlessness and happiness in which the Lord God entrusted him with the care for the Garden of Eden and forbade him to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon threat of death. Scripture: Genesis 2:15-17; Galatians 3:12; Romans 5:12. Comment: The “knowledge of good and evil” is the ability to judge independently what is beneficial (good) and harmful (evil) for yourself. What God is forbidding is that man should choose to be independent from God in his evaluation of things. He is commanding man to walk by faith in the wise and loving care of his heavenly Father. (See the use of this phrase in Genesis 3:5, 22; 2 Samuel 14:17; Isaiah 7:15; 2 Samuel 19:35.) Question 17: Did our first
parents continue in the condition in which they were created? Answer: Our first
parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the state of
innocence in which they were created, by sinning against God. Scripture: Genesis 3:1-7; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Romans 5:12. Question 18: What is sin? Answer: Sin is transgression of the revealed will of God which teaches that we are to act in perfect holiness from a heart of faith to the glory of God. Scripture: 1 John 3:4;
Romans Comment: Sin is any attitude or desire or action that explicitly breaks a commandment of Scripture, or comes from a heart of unbelief or is not done for the glory of God. Question 19: What was the sin
our first parents were guilty of? Answer: The sin our first parents were guilty of was their eating the forbidden fruit, which demonstrated their sinful desire to make choices and to live independently of God their Creator and rightful Ruler. Scripture: Genesis 3:6, 12-13. Question 20: Did all mankind
fall in Adam’s first sin? Answer: Because the prohibition regarding the forbidden fruit was given to Adam as a representative of mankind, he disobeyed not only for himself, but for his posterity; so that all mankind, descending from Adam by ordinary generation, sinned in him and fell with him in his first transgression. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; Romans 5:12, 18-19. Comment: God considered all mankind as being in Adam so that when Adam went bad we all went bad in him. The nature that we have by virtue of belonging to Adam's race is morally corrupt. We are under the wrath of God “by nature” (Ephesians 2:3) from the time we were conceived in the womb. This is why conversion and salvation must be much more than a “decision” for Christ. It must be a new creation, a rebirth, an exchange of hearts. Question 21: Into what
condition did the fall bring mankind? Answer: The fall brought mankind into a condition of sin and misery. Scripture: Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:18-19; 7:18; Isaiah 53:6; 64:6; John 3:6-7; Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 Corinthians 2:14. Question 22: What is the
sinfulness of that condition into which all mankind has fallen? Answer: The sinfulness of the condition into which all mankind fell is the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the lack of original righteousness, and the corruption of our whole nature (which is commonly called original sin), together with all actual transgressions which come from this nature. Scripture: Romans 5:19; 3:10; Ephesians 2:1; Isaiah 53:6; Psalm 51:5; Matthew 15:19. Comment: The Bible says
that “in Adam all die” (1 Corinthians Question 23: What is the
misery into which all mankind fell through Adam’s first sin? Answer: All mankind, by their fall, lost communion with God, are under His wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries of this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever. Scripture: Genesis 3:8, 24; Ephesians 2:3; Galatians 3:10; Romans 6:23; Matthew 25:41-46; Psalm 9:17. Comment: Keep in mind that "liable to" means that these miseries will indeed befall all people unless a special work of God's grace intervenes. Question 24: Did God leave all
mankind to perish in the condition of sin and misery? Answer: God, out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, having chosen a people to everlasting life, did establish a plan of salvation, to deliver them out of the condition of sin and misery, and to bring them into a condition of salvation, by a Redeemer. Scripture: Ephesians
1:3-4; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Romans Comment: The “plan of
salvation” is filled with sweet and precious hope. It refers to the free
decision, commitment, and covenant of God to employ all his omnipotence and
wisdom and love to rescue and glorify his people from sin and misery. It is
wholly initiated and carried through by God. It cannot fail. It is valid for all who believe. Whosoever will may come and enjoy this grace. And, since this “believing” and this “willing” is a work of God’s sovereign grace, those who believe and come are the elect, “chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). Thus the plan was sealed in the heart of God before the world was. This “plan of salvation” is the
cry of victory over all the battle strife in missions. The grace of God will
triumph! He is covenant-bound, oath-bound to save all those who are
foreordained to eternal life (Acts The battle cry of missions is, “The Lord has other sheep that are not of this fold: He must (covenant-bound!) bring them also. They will (sovereign grace!) heed his voice!” John 10:16. Question 25: Who is the
Redeemer of God’s elect? Answer: The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was and continues to be God and man, in two distinct natures and one person, forever. Scripture: Galatians 3:13;
1 Timothy 2:5; Question 26: How did Christ,
being the Son of God, become man? Answer: Christ, the Son of God became man by taking to himself a true body and a reasonable soul. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and was born of her, yet without sin. Scripture: Hebrews Comment: I am typing this on a personal computer. I have virtually no idea how it works. That it works I am certain. So it is with the “incarnation”—the “how” is (as the old theologians used to say) “ineffable.” We believe it because the Scriptures teach it and because it “works” to make sense out of God’s whole redemptive plan. Question 27: What offices does
Christ perform as our Redeemer? Answer: Christ, as our Redeemer, performs the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in His condition of humiliation and exaltation. Scripture: Acts Question 28: How does Christ
perform the office of a prophet? Answer: Christ performs the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. Scripture: John Question 29: How does Christ
perform the office of a priest? Answer: Christ performs the office of a priest by once offering himself as a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and to reconcile us to God; and by making continual intercession for us before God. Scripture: 1 Peter Question 30: How does Christ
perform the office of a king? Answer: Christ performs the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. Scripture: Psalm 110:1-2; Matthew 2:6; Luke 1:32-33; 1 Corinthians 15:25. Question 31: What do we mean
by Christ’s humiliation? Answer: By Christ’s humiliation we mean that he was born, and that in a low condition; that he was made under the law, and underwent the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross in order to bear the full penalty of the law as the sinner’s substitute; that he was buried, and continued under the power of death for a time. Scripture: Luke 2:7; Galatians 4:4; Isaiah 53:3; Luke 22:44; Matthew 12:40; 27:46; Philippians 2:8; Mark 15:45-6. Question 32: What do we mean
by Christ’s exaltation? Answer: By Christ’s exaltation we mean his rising again from the dead on the third day, ascending up into heaven, sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and coming to judge the world at the last day. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:4; Acts 1:11; Mark 16:19; Acts 17:31. Question 33: How are we made
partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ? Answer: We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effective application of it to us, by his Holy Spirit. Scripture: John 3:5, 6; Titus 3:5, 6. Question 34: How does the
Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ? Answer: The Spirit applies to us the redemption purchased by Christ, by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling. Scripture: 1 John 5:1;
Philippians 1:29; Ephesians 2:8; Acts Question 35: What is effectual
calling? Answer: Effectual calling
is the work of God's Spirit, to convince us of our sin and misery, to enlighten
our minds in the knowledge of Christ, to renew our wills, and thus persuade and
enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel. Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:9; John 6:44, 45; 16:8-11; Acts 2:37; 26:18; Ezekiel 36:26; Romans 8:30; 1 Corinthians 1:24; 12:3. Question 36: What benefits do
those who are effectually called receive in this life? Answer: Those who are effectually called receive in this life justification, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life accompany or flow from them. Scripture: Romans 8:30-32;
Galatians 3:26; 1 Corinthians Comment: We must distinguish effectual calling from the general call of the gospel. Not all who hear the gospel believe. But all who are effectually called by God do believe. The call creates what it commands. Question 37: What is
justification? Answer: Justification is an act of God's free grace, by which he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone. Scripture: Romans Question 38: What is adoption? Answer: Adoption is an act of God's free grace, by which we are received into the company of God's children and have a right to all the privileges of his sons. Scripture: 1 John 3:1; John 1:12; Romans 8:16, 17. Question 39: What is sanctification? Answer: Sanctification is the work of God's free grace by which we are renewed in the whole person after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness. Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Ephesians 4:23, 24; Romans 6:11. Question 40: What are the
benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption,
and sanctification? Answer: The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are, assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, fellowship with Christ, joy in the Holy Spirit, increase of grace, the privilege of prayer, and perseverance therein to the end. Scripture: Romans 5:1-5; Question 41: What benefits do
believers receive from Christ at death? Answer: At death the souls of believers are made perfect in holiness, and immediately pass into glory. Their bodies rest in their graves till the resurrection. Scripture: Hebrews 12:23; Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Luke 23:43; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; Isaiah 57:2; Job 19:26. Question 42: What benefits do
believers receive from Christ at the Resurrection? Answer: At the resurrection, believers are raised up in glory; they shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the Day of Judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity. Scripture: Philippians 3:20, 21; 1 Corinthians 15:42, 43; Matthew 10:32; 1 John 3:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Question 43: What shall be
done to the wicked at death? Answer: The souls of the wicked shall at death, be cast into the torments of hell, and their bodies lie in their graves till the resurrection and judgment of the great day. Scripture: Luke 16:22-4;
Daniel 12:2; John Question 44: What shall be
done to the wicked at the Day of Judgment? Answer: At the Day of Judgment, the bodies of the wicked, being raised out of their graves shall be sentenced, together with their souls, to unspeakable torments with the devil and his angels forever. Scripture: Daniel 12:2; John 5:28, 29; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:14-15. Question 45: What is the duty
which God requires of man? Answer: The duty which God requires of man is obedience to His revealed will. This obedience comes from faith in the promises of God. Scripture: Galatians 5:6;
1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:11; Romans 1:5; Comment: See questions 16-18. Question 46: What did God at
first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience? Answer: The rule which God at first revealed to man for his obedience was the moral law. Scripture: Romans Question 47: Where is the moral
law given in summary form? Answer: A summary form of the moral law is given in the Ten Commandments. Scripture: Hebrews 3:18-19; 4:2; Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 10:4; Romans 9:32. Question 48: What is the sum
of the Ten Commandments? Answer: The sum of the Ten Commandments is to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Scripture: Matthew
22:36-40; Mark Question 49: What is the
preface to the Ten Commandments? Answer: The preface to the
Ten Commandments is, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the Scripture: Exodus 20:2. Question 50: What does the
preface to the Ten Commandments teach us? Answer: The preface to the Ten Commandments teaches us that because God is the LORD, and our gracious Redeemer, we are bound to keep all His commandments for our good and God’s glory, by faith in His grace and power at work in us. Scripture: Deuteronomy 10:13, 16; 30:6. Question 51: Which is the
first commandment? Answer: The first commandment is, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Scripture: Exodus 20:3. Question 52: What is required
in the first commandment? Answer: The first commandment requires us to know and acknowledge God to be the only true God, and our God, and to worship and glorify him accordingly. Scripture: Joshua 24:15; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Deuteronomy 26:17; Psalm 29:2; Matthew 4:10. Question 53: What is forbidden
in the first commandment? Answer: The first commandment forbids us to deny or not to worship and glorify the true God as God and our God; and to give that worship and glory to any other, which is due unto him alone. Scripture: Joshua 24:27; Romans 1:20-21, 25; Psalm 14:1. Question 54: What are we especially
taught by these words, “before Me,” in the first commandment? Answer: These words “before Me,” in the first commandment teach us that God, who sees all things, takes notice of, and is much displeased with the sin of having any other God. Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:17, 18; Psalm 44:20-21; 90:8. Question 55: Which is the
second commandment? Answer: 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 nor 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 fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Scripture: Exodus 20:4-6. Question 56: What is required
in the second commandment? Answer: The second commandment requires the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances, as God has appointed in his word. Scripture: Deuteronomy 12:32; 32:46; Matthew 28:20. Question 57: What is forbidden
in the second commandment? Answer: The second commandment forbids the worshipping of God by images, or any other way that draws the heart away from his glory rather than toward His glory. Scripture: Romans 1:22,
23; Deuteronomy 4:15, 16; Colossians Question 58: What are the
reasons added to the second commandment? Answer: The reasons added to the second commandment are God’s holy jealousy for His name, and the zeal He has for His own worship. Scripture: Exodus 20:4-6; Exodus 34:14; 1 Corinthians 10:22. Question 59: Which is the
third commandment? Answer: 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.” Scripture: Exodus 20:7. Question 60: What is required
in the third commandment? Answer: The third commandment requires the holy and reverent use of God’s name, titles, attributes, ordinances, words, and works. Scripture: Psalm 29:2; 111:9; 138:2; Deuteronomy 32:1-4; 28:58-59; Matthew 6:9; Ecclesiastes 5:1; Job 36:24; Revelation 4:8; 15:3, 4. Question 61: What is forbidden
in the third commandment? Answer: The third commandment forbids all profaning and abusing of anything whereby God makes Himself known. Scripture: Exodus 20:7;
Malachi 1:6, 7; Leviticus 20:3; Question 62: What is the
reason added to the third commandment? Answer: The reason added to the third commandment is, that however the breakers of this commandment may escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not allow them to escape His righteous judgment. Scripture: Exodus 20:7;
Deuteronomy 28:58, 59; Malachi 2:2. Question 63: Which is the
fourth commandment? Answer: 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 the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” Scripture: Exodus 20:8-11. Question 64: What is required
in the fourth commandment? Answer: The fourth commandment requires the keeping holy to God such set times as He has appointed in His word, expressly one whole day in seven to be a holy Sabbath to Himself. Scripture: Leviticus 19:30; Deuteronomy 5:12. Question 65: Which day of the
seven has God appointed to be the weekly Sabbath? Answer: From the creation
of the world to the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of
the week to be the weekly Sabbath; but now the first day of the week is
observed both for rest and worship, in conformity to the example of Christ, and
the practice of His holy apostles. Scripture: Genesis 2:3; John 20:19; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2; Revelation 1:10. Question 66: How is the
Sabbath to be sanctified? Answer: One day in seven should be especially devoted to corporate worship and other spiritual exercises that restore the soul's rest in God and zeal for His name. It should provide physical refreshment and fit one for a week of devoted service to Christ. Scripture: Leviticus 23:3; Isaiah 58:13, 14; Matthew 12:1-14; Mark 2:27; Romans 14:5-6. Question 67: What is forbidden
in the fourth commandment? Answer: The fourth commandment forbids dishonoring the Lord’s Day by actions or thoughts that divert the soul from spiritual refreshment, or deprive the body of renewed energy or distract the mind from its special Sabbath focus on the Lord. Scripture: Ezekiel Question 68: What are the
reasons added to the fourth commandment? Answer: The reasons added to the fourth commandment are, God’s creating the world in six days and resting on the seventh and His blessing the Sabbath day. Scripture: Exodus 20:9-11; 31:16, 17; Genesis 2:2, 3. Question 69: Which is the fifth
commandment? Answer: The fifth commandment is, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” Scripture: Exodus 20:12. Question 70: What is required
in the fifth commandment? Answer: The fifth commandment requires that we preserve the honor and perform the duties which belong to every one in their various roles as authorities, subordinates, or equals. Scripture: Leviticus 19:32; 1 Peter 2:17; Romans 12:10; 13:1; Ephesians 5:21-22; 6:1, 5, 9; Colossians 3:19-22; 1 Thessalonians 5:12; Hebrews 13:7, 17. Question 71: What is forbidden
in the fifth commandment? Answer: The fifth commandment forbids neglecting or offending the honor and duty which belongs to every one in their various places and relations. Scripture: Proverbs 30:17; Romans 13:7, 8. Question 72: What is the
reason added to the fifth commandment? Answer: The reason added to the fifth commandment is a promise of long life and prosperity (as far as it shall serve God's glory and their own good), to all who keep this commandment. Scripture: Exodus 20:20; Ephesians 6:2, 3. Question 73: What is the sixth
commandment? Answer: The sixth commandment is, “You shall not murder.” Scripture: Exodus 20:13. Question 74: What is required
in the sixth commandment? Answer: The sixth commandment requires all lawful efforts to preserve our own life and the life of others. Scripture: Ephesians 5:29, 30; Psalm 82:3, 4; Proverbs 24:11, 12; Acts 16:28. Question 75: What is forbidden
in the sixth commandment? Answer: The sixth commandment forbids the taking of our own life, or the life of our neighbor unjustly, including whatever acts tend to this loss. Scripture: Genesis 4:10, 11; 9:6; Matthew 5:21-26. Question 76: Which is the
seventh commandment? Answer: The seventh commandment is, “You shall not commit adultery.” Scripture: Exodus 20:14. Question 77: What is required
in the seventh commandment? Answer: The seventh commandment requires that we preserve our own and our neighbor’s purity, in heart, speech, and behavior. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2; 2 Timothy 2:22; Matthew 5:28; 1 Peter 3:2. Question 78: What is forbidden
in the seventh commandment? Answer: The seventh commandment forbids all impure thoughts, words, and actions. Scripture: Matthew 5:28-32; Job 31:1; Ephesians 5:3, 4; Romans 13:13; Colossians 4:6. Question 79: Which is the
eighth commandment? Answer: The eighth commandment is, “You shall not steal.” Scripture: Exodus 20:15. Question 80: Which is required
in the eighth commandment? Answer: The eighth commandment requires that we pursue lawful and useful work to provide for our needs and for those unable to provide for themselves. Scripture: Ephesians 4:28; Proverbs 27:23; Leviticus 25:35; Deuteronomy 15:10; 22:1-4. Question 81: What is forbidden
in the eighth commandment? Answer: The eighth commandment forbids whatever would unjustly withhold or diminish a person’s possessions or attainments. Scripture: Malachi 3:8; Ephesians 4:28; Romans 13:7. Question 82: Which is the
ninth commandment? Answer: The ninth commandment is, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Scripture: Exodus 20:16. Question 83: What is required
in the ninth commandment? Answer: The ninth commandment requires that we maintain and promote truth between persons and that we preserve the good name of our neighbor and ourselves. Scripture: Zechariah 8:16; Acts 25:10; Ecclesiastes 7:1; 3 John 12; Proverbs 14:5, 25. Question 84: What is forbidden
in the ninth commandment? Answer: The ninth commandment forbids whatever dishonors truth, or injures our own, or our neighbor's good name. Scripture: Ephesians 4:25; Psalm 15:3; 2 Corinthians 8:20, 21. Question 85: What is the tenth
commandment? Answer: The tenth commandment is, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” Scripture: Exodus 20:17. Question 86: What is required
in the tenth commandment? Answer: The tenth commandment requires contentment with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of spirit towards our neighbor, and all that is his. Scripture: Hebrews 13:5; 1 Timothy 6:6; Romans 12:15; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; Leviticus 19:18. Question 87: What is forbidden
in the tenth commandment? Answer: The tenth commandment forbids all murmuring over our own condition and all envying or grieving at the good of our neighbor, and all inordinate affections for anything that is his. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:10; James 5:9; Galatians 5:26; Colossians 3:5. Question 88: Is any man able
perfectly to keep the commandments of God? Answer: No mere man, since the fall, is able in this life, perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but daily falls short of inward and outward perfection. Scripture: Ecclesiastes 7:20; Genesis 6:5; 8:21; 1 John 1:8; James 3:2, 8; Romans 3:23; 7:15; Philippians 3:12. Question 89: What then is the
purpose of the law since the fall? Answer: The purpose of the law, since the fall, is to reveal the perfect righteousness of God that His people may know the path of faith that leads to life and that the ungodly may be convicted of their sin, restrained from evil, and brought to faith in Christ for salvation. Scripture: Psalm 19:7-11;
Romans Question 90: Are all
transgressions of the law equally heinous? Answer: Some sins in themselves and by reason of several aggravations are more heinous in the sight of God than others. Scripture: Ezekiel 8:13; John 19:11; 1 John 5:16. Question 91: What does every
sin deserve? Answer: Every sin deserves God’s wrath and curse both in this life and in that which is to come. Scripture: Ephesians 5:6; Galatians 3:10; Proverbs 3:33; Psalm 11:6; Revelation 21:8. Question 92: What way of escape has God revealed to
sinners that they may be saved from His wrath and curse due to them for their
sin? Answer: To escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God requires of us repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ with the diligent use of all the outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption. Scripture: Acts Question 93: What is faith in
Jesus Christ? Answer: Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, trusting Him to forgive our sins, and guide us to eternal joy, on the basis of His divine power and atoning death. Scripture: Hebrews 10:39;
John Question 94: What is
repentance unto life? Answer: Repentance unto life is a saving grace, by which a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, does, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it to God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience. Scripture: Acts 2:37; Joel 2:13; Jeremiah 31:18, 19; 2 Corinthians 7:10, 11; Romans 6:18. Question 95: What are the
outward and ordinary means by which Christ communicates to us the benefits of
redemption? Answer: The outward and
ordinary means by which Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption are
the reading and the preaching of the Word of God, and the ordinances as
additional means of building up believers in holiness and comfort, through
faith unto salvation. Scripture: Romans 10:17;
James 1:18; 1 Corinthians 3:5; Acts 14:1; Question 96: How is the Word
made effective for salvation? Answer: The Spirit of God makes the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word, an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort, through faith unto salvation. Scripture: Psalm 19:7; 119:11, 18; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 1 Peter 2:1-2; Romans 1:16. Question 97: How is the Word
to be read and heard that it may become effective for salvation? Answer: That the Word may
become effective for salvation we must receive it in faith expressed by
obedience and love to the glory of God. Scripture: Proverbs 8:34; 1 Peter 2:1-2; 1 Timothy 4:13; Hebrews 2:1, 3; 4:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:10; Psalm 119:11; James 1:21, 25. Question 98: What is the use
of baptism and the Lord’s Supper? Answer: Baptism and the
Lord's Supper are ordinances of Jesus Christ and are of use to set forth that
His disciples belong to Him, and to remind them of what He has done for them. Scripture: 1 Peter 3:21; 1
Corinthians 3:6-7; Question 99: How do Baptism and the Lord's Supper differ
from the other ordinances of God? Answer: Baptism and
the Lord's Supper differ from the other ordinances of God in that they were
specially instituted by Christ to represent and apply to believers the benefits
of the new covenant by visible and outward signs. Scripture: Acts Question 100: What is Baptism? Answer: Baptism is a holy ordinance, in which immersion in the water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, signifies our being joined to Christ and our sharing the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engagement to be the Lord's. Scripture: Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12; Galatians 3:27. Question 101: To whom is
Baptism to be administered? Answer: Baptism is to be administered to all those who actually profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ; and to none other. Scripture: Acts Question 102: Are the infants
of professing believers to be baptized? Answer: The infants of believers are not to be baptized; because there is neither command nor example in the Holy Scriptures, nor implication from them to baptize such. But baptism is made an expression of faith. Scripture: Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21; Galatians 3:26-27. Question 103: How is Baptism
rightly administered? Answer: Baptism is rightly administered by immersion, or dipping the whole body of the person in water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. |
