A Catechism For Boys And Girls
By Erroll Hulse
Part 1 – Questions about GOD, MAN, and SIN
Q1 Who made you?
A. God made me.
Q2 What else did God make?
A. God made all things.
Q3 Why did God make you and all things?
A. For His own glory.
Q4 How can you glorify God?
A. By loving Him and doing what He commands.
Q5 Why ought you to glorify God?
A. Because He made me and takes care of me.
Q6 Are there more gods than one?
A. There is only one God.
Q7 In how many persons does this one God exist?
A. In three persons.
Q8 Who are they?
A. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Q9 Who is God?
A. God is a Spirit, and doesn’t have a body like men.
Q10 Where is God?
A. God is everywhere.
Q11 Can you see God?
A. No. I cannot see God, but He always sees me.
Q12 Does God know all things?
A. Yes. Nothing can be hidden from God.
Q13 Can God do all things?
A. Yes. God can do all His holy will.
Q14 Where do you learn how to love and obey?
A. In the Bible alone.
Q15 Who wrote the Bible?
A. Holy men who were taught by the Holy Spirit.
Q16 Who were our first parents?
A. Adam and Eve.
Q17 Of what were our first parents made?
A. God made the body of Adam out of the ground and formed Eve from the body of Adam.
Q18 What did God give Adam and Eve besides bodies?
A. He gave them souls that could never die.
Q19 Have you a soul as well as a body?
A. Yes. I have a soul that can never die.
Q20 How do you know that you have a soul?
A. Because the Bible tells me so.
Q21 In what condition did God make Adam and Eve?
A. He made them holy and happy.
Q22 Did Adam and Eve stay holy and happy?
A. No. They sinned against God.
Q23 What is sin?
A. Sin is any transgression of the law of God.
Q24 What is meant by transgression?
A. Doing what God forbids.
Q25 What was the sin of our first parents?
A. Eating the forbidden fruit.
Q26 Why did they eat the forbidden fruit?
A. Because they did not believe what God had said.
Q27 Who tempted them to this sin?
A. The devil tempted Eve, and she gave the fruit to Adam.
Q28 What happened to our first parents when they had sinned?
A. Instead of being holy and happy, they became sinful and miserable.
Q29 What effect did the sin of Adam have on all mankind?
A. All mankind is born in a state of sin and misery.
Q30 What do we inherit from Adam as a result of this original sin?
A. A sinful nature.
Q31 What does every sin deserve?
A. The anger and judgment of God.
Q32 Can anyone go to heaven with this sinful nature?
A. No. Our hearts must be changed before we can be fit for heaven.
Q33 What is a change of heart called?
A. Regeneration.
Q34 Who can change a sinner’s heart?
A. The Holy Spirit alone.
Q35 What is righteousness?
A. It is God’s goodness.
Q36 Can anyone be saved by his own righteousness?
A. No. No one is good enough for God.
Scripture References
Q1 Gen1:26,27; 2:7; Eccl 12:1; Acts 17:24-29
Q2 Gen 1 esp. vv 1 & 31; Acts 14:15; Rom 11:36; Col 1:16
Q3 Psa 19:1; Jer 9:23,24; Rev 4:11; 5:13
Q4 Eccl 12:13; Mark 12:29-31; John 15:8-10; 1 Cor 10:31
Q5 Rom 11:36; Rev 4:11; cf. Dan 5:23
Q6 Deut 6:4; Jer 10:10; Mark 12:29; Acts 17:22-31
Q7 Matt 3:16,17; John 5:23; 10:30; 14:9,10; 15:26;
16:13-15; 1 John 5:20; 2 John 9; Rev 1:4,5
Q8 Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14; 1 Pet 1:2; Jude 20 & 21
Q9 John 4:24; 2 Cor 3:17; 1 Tim 1:17
Q10 Psa 139:7-12; Jer 23:23,24; Acts 17:27,28
Q11 Exo 33:20; John 1:18; 1 Tim 6:16; Psa 139 esp. vv 1-5; Prov 5:21; Heb 4:12,13 Q12 1 Chron 28:9; 2 Chron 16:99; Luke 12:6,7; Rom 2:16
Q13 Psa 147:5; Jer 32:17; Dan 4:34,35; Eph 1:11
Q14 Job 11:7; Psa 119:104; Isa 8:20; Matt 22:29; 2 Tim 3:15-17
Q15 2 Pet 1:20,21; Acts 1:16; 2 Tim 3:16; 1 Pet 1:10,11
Q16 Gen 2:18-25; 3:20; 5:1,2; Acts 17:26; 1 Tim 2:13
Q17 Gen2:7,21-23;3:19;Psa103:14
Q18 1 Cor 15:45; Eccl 12:7; Zech 12:1
Q19 Matt 10:28; Mark 8:34-38; 12:30
Q20 See references for Q19
Q21 Gen. 1:26-28; Psa 8:4-8
Q22 Gen 3:1-7; Eccl 7:29; Hosea 6:7
Q23 1 John 3:4; Rom 3:20; James 2:9-11
Q24 1 Sam 13:8-14; 15:22,23; Hosea 6:7; Rom 1:21-32
Q25 Gen 2:16,17; 3:6
Q26 Gen 3:1-6; cf. Heb 11:6
Q27 Gen 3:1-13; 2 Cor 11:3; 1 Tim 2:13,14; cf. Rev 21:9
Q28 Gen 3:14-24; 4:1-24; James 1:14,15
Q29 Psa 51:5; Rom 5:12,18,19; 1 Cor 15:21,22; 1 John 5:19
Q30 1 Kings 8:46; Psa 14:2,3; 58:3; Eccl 9:3; Matt 15:18-20; John 2:24,25; Rom 8:7 Q31 Deut 17:26; Rom 1:18; 2:2; Gal 3:10; Eph 5:6
Q32 Jer 31:33,34; Ezek 36:25-27; John 1:12,13; 3:1-10; 1 John 5:1,4,18
Q33 Titus 3:5-7
Q34 John 3:3; Rom 8:6-11; 1 Cor 2:9-14; 2 Thess 2:13,14; Titus 3:5-6 Q35 Exo 33:19; 34:6; Psa 33:5; Hosea 3:5; Rom 11:22
Q36 Prov 20:9; Eccl 7:20; Rom 3:10-23
Part 2 – Questions about SALVATION
Q37 What is a covenant?
A. An agreement between two or more persons.
Q38 What is the covenant of grace?
A. The agreement God the Father made with Christ concerning His elect people to save them from their sins.
Q39 What did Christ undertake in the covenant of grace?
A. To keep the whole law for His people, and to suffer the punishment due to their sins.
Q40 Did our Lord Jesus Christ ever sin?
A. No. He was holy, blameless, and undefiled.
Q41 How could the Son of God suffer?
A. Christ, the Son of God, took flesh and blood, that He might obey and suffer as a man.
Q42 What is meant by the atonement?
A. Christ satisfying divine justice, by His sufferings and death, in the place of sinners.
Q43 What did God the Father undertake in the covenant of grace?
A. To justify and sanctify those for whom Christ should die.
Q44 What is justification?
A. It is God regarding sinners as if they had never sinned.
Q45 What is sanctification?
A. It is God making sinners holy in heart and conduct.
Q46 For whom did Christ obey and suffer?
A. For those whom the Father had given Him.
Q47 What kind of life did Christ live on earth?
A. A life of perfect obedience to the law of God.
Q48 What kind of death did Christ die?
A. The painful and shameful death of the cross.
Q49 Who will be saved?
A. Only those who repent of sin and believe in Christ.
Q50 What is it to repent?
A. To be sorry for sin, and to hate and forsake it because it is displeasing to God.
Q51 What is it to believe in Christ?
A. To trust in Christ alone for salvation.
Q52 Can you repent and believe in Christ by your own power?
A. No. I can do nothing good without God’s Holy Spirit.
Q53 How can you receive the Holy Spirit?
A. God has told us that we must pray to Him for the Holy Spirit.
Q54 How were godly persons saved before the coming of Christ?
A. By believing in the Savior to come.
Q55 How did they show their faith?
A. By offering sacrifices on God’s altar.
Q56 What did these sacrifices represent?
A. Christ, the Lamb of God, who was to die for sinners.
Q57 What does Christ do for His people?
A. He does the work of a prophet, a priest, and a king.
Q58 Why is Christ a prophet?
A. Because He teaches us the will of God.
Q59 Why is Christ a priest?
A. Because He died for our sins and prays to God for us.
Q60 Why is Christ a king?
A. Because He rules over us and defends us.
Q61 Why do you need Christ as a prophet?
A. Because I am ignorant.
Q62 Why do you need Christ as a priest?
A. Because I am guilty.
Q63 Why do you need Christ as a king?
A. Because I am weak and helpless.
Scripture References
Q37 e.g. 1 Sam 18:3; Matt 26:14,15
Q38 Psa 2:7,8; 40:6-8; 89:3,4; John 6:37-39; 17:6; Heb 13:20; Titus 1:2; 2 Tim 1:9; Eph 3:11 Q39 Rom 8:3,4; Gal 4:4,5; Heb 9:14,15
Q40 Luke 23:47; Heb 7;26; 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5
Q41 John 1:14; Rom 8:3; Gal 4:4; Phil 2:7,8; Heb 2:14,17; 4:15
Q42 Mark 10:45; Acts 13:38,39; Rom 3:24-26; 5:8,9; 2 Cor 5:19-21; Gal 3:13; 1 Pet 3:18 Q43 Rom 8:29-33; Heb 10:9,10; 1 Cor 1:8,9; Phil 1:6;
1 Thess 4:3,7
Q44 Zech 3:1-5; Rom 3:24-26; 4:5; 8:33; 2 Cor 5:21; Heb 8:12
Q45 John 17:17; Eph 2:10; 4:22-24; Phil 2:12,13; 1 Thess 5:23
Q46 Isa 53:8; Matt 1:21; John 10:11,15,16,26-29; 17:9; Heb 2:13 Q47 Matt5:17;Rom10:4;1Pet2:21,22
Q48 Psa 22; Isa 53; the gospel records
Q49 Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3,5; Acts 2:37-41; 16:30,31; 20:21; 26:20 Q50 Luke 19:8-10; Rom 6:1,2; 2 Cor 7:9-11; 1 Thess 1:9,10
Q51 John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim 2:5; 1 John 5:11,12
Q52 John 3:5,6; 6:44; Rom 8:2,5,8-11; 1 Cor 2:9-14; Gal 5:17,18; Eph 2:4-6
Q53 Luke 11:9-13; John 4:10; 16:24
Q54 John 8:56; Gal 3:8,9; 1 Cor 10:1-4; Heb 9:15; 11:13
Q55 Exo 24:3-8; 1 Chron 29:20-25; Heb 9:19-23; 10:1; 11:28
Q56 Exo 12:46 (cf. John 19:36); Heb 9 and 10; John 1:29; 1 Cor 5:7; 1 Pet 1:19 Q57 Heb 1:1-3; 5:5-10; Rev 1:5; Matt 13:57; John 18:37
Q58 Deut 18:15,18; John 1:18; 4:25; 14:23,24; 1 John 5:20
Q59 Psa 110:4; 1 Tim 2:5,6; Heb 4:14-16; 7:24,25; 1 John 2:1,2
Q60 Psa 2:6-9; Matt 28:18-20; Eph 1:19-23; Col 1:13,18; Rev 15:3,4
Q61 Job 11:7; Matt 11:25-27; John 6:67-69; 17:25,26; 1 Cor 2:14-16; 2 Cor 4:3-6 Q62 Prov 20:9; Eccl 7:20; Rom 3:19-23; Heb 10:14,27,28; 1 John 1:8,9
Q63 John 15:4,5; 2 Cor 12:9; Phil 4:13; Col 1:11; Jude 24,25
Part 3 – Questions about THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Q64 How many commandments did God give on Mount Sinai?
A. Ten commandments.
Q65 What are the ten commandments sometimes called?
A. God’s moral law.
Q66 What do the first four commandments teach?
A. Our duty to God.
Q67 What do the last six commandments teach?
A. Our duty to our fellow men.
Q68 What is the sum of the ten commandments?
A. To love God with all my heart, and my neighbor as myself.
Q69 Who is your neighbor?
A. All my fellow men are my neighbors.
Q70 Is God pleased with those who love and obey Him?
A. Yes. He says, “I love them that love Me.”
Q71 Is God pleased with those who do not love and obey Him?
A. No. “God is angry with the wicked every day.”
Q72 What is the first commandment?
A. The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
Q73 What does the first commandment teach us?
A. To worship God only.
Q74 What is the second commandment?
A. The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven 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: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them: for I, the LORD thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments.
Q75 What does the second commandment teach us?
A. To worship God in the right way, and to avoid idolatry.
Q76 What is the third commandment?
A. The third commandment is, Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.
Q77 What does the third commandment teach us?
A. To reverence God’s name, word, and works.
Q78 What is the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Q79 What does the fourth commandment teach us?
A. To keep the Sabbath holy.
Q80 What day of the week is the Christian Sabbath?
A. The first day of the week, called the Lord’s Day.
Q81 Why is it called the Lord’s Day?
A. Because on that day Christ rose from the dead.
Q82 How should the Sabbath be kept?
A. In prayer and praise, in hearing and reading God’s Word, and in doing good to our fellow man.
Q83 What is the fifth commandment?
A. The fifth commandment is, Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Q84 What does the fifth commandment teach us?
A. To love and obey our parents.
Q85 What is the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill.
Q86 What does the sixth commandment teach us?
A. To avoid hatred.
Q87 What is the seventh commandment?
A. The seventh commandment is, Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Q88 What does the seventh commandment teach us?
A. To be pure in heart, language, and conduct.
Q89 What is the eighth commandment?
A. The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not steal.
Q90 What does the eighth commandment teach us?
A. To be honest and not to take the things of others.
Q91 What is the ninth commandment?
A. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Q92 What does the ninth commandment teach us?
A. To tell the truth and not to speak evil of others.
Q93 What is the tenth commandment?
A. The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.
Q94 What does the tenth commandment teach us?
A. To be content with what we have.
Q95 Can any man keep these ten commandments perfectly?
A. No mere man, since the fall of Adam, ever did or can keep the ten commandments perfectly.
Q96 Of what use are the ten commandments to us?
A. They teach us our duty, and show us our need of a Savior.
Scripture References
Q64 Exo 20:1-17; Deut 5:1-22
Q65 Luke20:25-28;Rom2:14,15;10:5
Q66 Deut 6:5,6; 10:12,13
Q67 Deut 10:19; Micah 6:8; cf. Gal 6:10
Q68 Deut 6:1-15;11:1; Matt 22:35-40; James 2:8 Q69 Luke 10:25-37; 6:35
Q70 Prov 8:17; Exo 20:6
Q71 Psa 7:11; Mal 2:17; Prov 6:16-19
Q72 Exo 20:3; Deut 5:7
Q73 Isa 45:5,6; Matt 4:10; Rev 22:8,9
Q74 Exo 20:4-6; Deut 5:8-10
Q75 Isa 44:9-20; 46:5-9; John 4:23,24; Acts 17:29
Q76 Exo 20:7; Deut 5:11
Q77 Isa 8:13; Psa 29:2; 138:2; Rev 15:3,4
Q78 Exo 20:8-11; 23:12; Deut 5:12-15
Q79 Lev 19:30; 23:3; Isa 58:13,14
Q80 Acts 20:7; Rev 1:10
Q81 Matt 28:1; Mark 16:9; Luke 24:1-6; John 20:1
Q82 Isa 58:13,14; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:2; Luke 4:16; Matt 12:10-13 Q83 Exo 20:12; Deut 5:16
Q84 Matt 15:3-6; Eph 6:1-3; Col 3:20
Q85 Exo 20:13; Deut 5:17
Q86 Matt 5:21-24; 1 John 3:15
Q87 Exo 20:14; Deut 5:18
Q88 Matt 5:27,28; Eph 5:3,5; Phil 4:8,9
Q89 Exo 20:15; Deut 5:19
Q90 Exo 23:4; Prov 21:6,7; Eph 4:28
Q91 Exo 20:16; Deut 5:20
Q92 Psa 15:1-3; Zech 8:16; 1 Cor 13:6; James 4:11
Q93 Exo 20:17; Deut 5:21; Rom 7:7
Q94 Phil 4:11; 1 Tim 6:6-8; Heb 13:5
Q95 Prov 20:9; Eccl 7:20; Rom 3:19,20; James 2:10; 1 John 1:8,10 Q96 1 Tim 1:8-11; Rom 3:20; Gal 3:24
Part 4 – Questions about PRAYER
Q97 What is prayer?
A. Prayer is talking with God.
Q98 In whose name should we pray?
A. Only in the name of Christ.
Q99 What has Christ given to teach us to pray?
A. The Lord’s Prayer.
Q100 Can you repeat the Lord’s prayer?
A. 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.
Q101 How many petitions are there in the Lord’s Prayer?
A. Six.
Q102 What is the first petition?
A. “Hallowed by thy name.”
Q103 What do we pray for in the first petition?
A. That God’s name may be honored by us and all men.
Q104 What is the second petition?
A. “Thy kingdom come.”
Q105 What do we pray for in the second petition?
A. That the gospel may be preached in all the world, and believed and obeyed by us and all men.
Q106 What is the third petition?
A. “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
Q107 What do we pray for in the third petition?
A. That men on earth may serve God as the angels do in heaven.
Q108 What is the fourth petition?
A. “Give us this day our daily bread.”
Q109 What do we pray for in the fourth petition?
A. That God will give us all things needful for our bodies.
Q110 What is the fifth petition?
A. “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.”
Q111 What do we pray for in the fifth petition?
A. That God will pardon our sins, and help us to forgive those who have sinned against us.
Q112 What is the sixth petition?
A. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Q113 What do we pray for in the sixth petition?
A. That God will keep us from sin.
Scripture References
Q97 Gen 17:22; 18:33; Neh 1:4-11; 2:4; Matt 6:6; Rom 8:26,27 Q98 John14:13,14;16:23,24;Heb4:14-16
Q99 Matt 6:5-15; Luke 11:1-13
Q102 Matt 6:9; Luke 11:2
Q103 Psa 8:1; 72:17-19; 113:1-3; 145:21; Isa 8:13
Q104 Matt 6:10; Luke 11:2
Q105 Matt 28:19,20; John 17:20,21; Acts 8:12; 28:30,31; 2 Thess 3:1 Q106 Matt 6:10; Luke 11:2
Q107 Psa 67; 103:19-22; John 9:31; Rev 4:11
Q108 Matt 6:11; Luke 11:3
Q109 Psa 145:15,16; Prov 30:8,9; 1 Tim 4:4,5
Q110 Matt 6:12; Luke 11:4
Q111 Psa 51; Matt 5:23,24; 18:21-35; 1 John 4:20,21
Q112 Matt 6:13; Luke 11:4
Q113 1 Chron 4:10; Psa 119:11; Matt 26:41
Part 5 – Questions about THE WORD, THE CHURCH, AND THE ORDINANCES
Q114 How does the Holy Spirit bring us to salvation?
A. He uses the Bible, which is the Word of God.
Q115 How can we know the Word of God?
A. We are commanded to hear, read, and search the Scriptures.
Q116 What is a church?
A. An assembly of believers meeting together under the preaching of the Word of God.
Q117 What two ordinances did Christ give to His church?
A. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Q118 Why did Christ give these ordinances?
A. To show that His disciples belong to Him, and to remind them of what He has done for them.
Q119 What is baptism?
A. The dipping of believers into water, as a sign of their union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
Q120 What is the purpose of baptism?
A. To show believers that God has cleansed them from their sins through Jesus Christ.
Q121 Who are to be baptized?
A. Only those who repent of their sins and believe in Christ for salvation.
Q122 Should babies be baptized?
A. No, because the Bible neither commands it nor gives any examples of it.
Q123 What is the Lord’s Supper?
A. The eating of the bread and drinking of wine to remember the sufferings and death of Christ.
Q124 What does the bread represent?
A. The body of Christ, broken for our sins.
Q125 What does the wine represent?
A. The blood of Christ, shed for our salvation.
Q126 Who should partake of the Lord’s Supper?
A. Only those who repent of their sins, believe in Christ for salvation, and love their fellow men.
Scripture References
Q114 1 Thess 1:5,6; 2:13; 2 Tim 3:15,16; James 1:18; 1 Pet 1:22,23 Q115 1 Pet 2:2; Rev 3:22; Matt 21:42; 22:29; 2 Tim 3:14-17
Q116 Matt 18:20; Acts 2:42
Q117 Matt 28:19; 1 Cor 11:23-26
Q118 Matt 28:19; 1 Cor 11:24-26
Q119 John 3:23; Acts 2:41; 8:12,35-38; Col 2:12
Q120 Acts 22:16; Col 2:11-14
Q121 Acts 2:37-41;8:12; 18:8; 19:4,5
Q123 Mark 14:22-24; 1 Cor 11:23-29
Q124 Matt 26:26; 1 Cor 11:24
Q125 Matt 26:27,28; 1 Cor 11:25
Q126 Matt 5:21-24; 1 Cor 10:16,17; 11:18,20,27-33; 1 John 3:14-17; 4:9-11
Part 6 – Questions about THE LAST THINGS
Q127 Did Christ remain in the tomb after His crucifixion?
A. No. He rose from the tomb on the third day after His death.
Q128 Where is Christ now?
A. In heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father.
Q129 Will Christ come again?
A. Yes. On the last day, He will come to judge the world.
Q130 What happens to men when they die?
A. The body returns to dust, and the soul goes into the world of spirits.
Q131 Will the bodies of the dead be raised to life again?
A. Yes. “There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.”
Q132 What will happen to the wicked on the day of judgment?
A. They shall be cast into hell.
Q133 What is hell?
A. A place of dreadful and endless punishment.
Q134 What will happen to the righteous on the day of judgment?
A. They shall live with Christ forever, in a new heaven and a new earth.
Scripture References
Q127 Luke 24:45-47; 1 Cor 15:3,4
Q128 Rom 8:34; Heb 1:3; 10:12; 12:2
Q129 Matt 25:31-46; 2 Thess 1:7-10; 2 Tim 4:1
Q130 Gen 3:19; Eccl 12:7; 2 Cor 5:1-6
Q131 Acts 24:14,15; John 5:28,29; Dan 12:2
Q132 Psa 9:16,17; Luke 12:5; Rev 20:12-15
Q133 Matt 25:46; Mar 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-31
Q134 Isa 66:22; 1 Thess 4:16,17; 2 Pet 3:10-13; Rev 21:1-4