The Trinity Catechism was produced by the elders of Trinity Fellowship Churches to be used by individuals, families, and churches seeking to grow in Christ. Historically, catechisms are a complement to a confession of faith, combining doctrine and more practical matters of the Christian life.
Catechisms can be helpful in a variety of ways. They have great benefit if they are read as part of a person's devotional time with the Lord, reading a question or two at a time as a daily or weekly habit. The catechism (or a portion of it) could be memorized so that key doctrines are more accessible. For family worship, a person might read the question, have his family read the answer, and then they could together look up the Scriptures listed (or some of them) for further discussion. In a church a question or two could be read as part of the Lord’s day gathering. Teaching through the catechism could also be the subject of a discipleship class. For all these settings, the Scripture references are provided to support each question and answer and also to allow for further study of the topics.
The Trinity Catechism, like The Trinity Confession of Faith, is built on the work of others. Of the 104 questions, about half are taken from other catechisms. Forty-two come directly from the 1647 Westminster Shorter Catechism, six from Benjamin Keach's 17th century Baptist Catechism, four from John Piper’s 1986 A Baptist Catechism,*** one is from the 1563 Heidelberg Catechism, twenty-nine come from the WSC but with sometimes significant changes, and the remaining twenty-two are original with The Trinity Catechism.
May the Lord use this means of grace to build up his people for the glory of his name.
The elders of TFC
June 2024
*** Our questions 6, 77, 85, and 87, come from John Piper’s questions 5, 89, and 105–106, respectively (A Baptist Catechism, DesiringGod.org, January, 1986).
Table of Contents
Our Chief End and Comfort
1. Who is the first and greatest of all beings?
God is the first and greatest of all beings.
- Psalm 8:1; 97:9; Isaiah 44:6
2. What is the chief end of man?
Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.
- 1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 11:36; Psalm 73:25-28
3. What is our only comfort in life and death?
Our only comfort is that we, with body and soul, both in life and death, are not our own, but belong to our faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully paid for all our sins, and delivered us from all the power of the devil; and so preserves us that apart from the will of our heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from our heads. Yes, all things must work together for our salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures us of eternal life and makes us sincerely willing and ready, from now on, to live for him.
- Romans 14:7-8; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 3:23; Titus 2:14; 1 Pet 1:18-19; 1 John 2:2; Hebrews 2:14; John 10:28; Matthew 10:29-31; Romans 8:3-4, 16, 28
God the Creator
4. How do we know there is a God?
God reveals himself in creation and all people know there is a God, but a saving knowledge of God comes only through the Word and Spirit of God.
- Psalm 19:1-2; Romans 1:18-20; 2 Timothy 3:15; 1 Corinthians 2:9-14
5. What is the Word of God?
The Word of God is the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. They are inspired by God and so without error, sufficient for faith and godly living, and authoritative in all they teach.
- 2 Peter 1:21; Psalm 19:7; 2 Timothy 3:16–17
6. How do we know that the Bible is the Word of God?
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. Yet, only the Spirit of God, bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in our hearts, is able to persuade us fully that the Bible is the Word of God.
- 1 Corinthians 2:6–7, 13; Psalm 119:18, 129; Acts 10:43; 26:22; 18:28; Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 19:7–9; John 16:13–14; 1 Peter 1:23–25
7. What do the Scriptures principally teach?
The Scriptures principally teach what we are to believe concerning God and what duty he requires of us.
- 2 Timothy 3:16–17; John 20:30–31; Acts 24:14; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Ecclesiastes 12:13
8. What is God?
God is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
- John 4:24; Job 11:7–9; Psalm 90:2; James 1:17; Exodus 3:14; Psalm 147:5; Revelation 4:8; 15:4
9. Are there more gods than one?
There is only one living and true God.
- Deuteronomy 6:4; Jeremiah 10:10
10. How many persons are there in the Godhead?
There are three persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one God, the same in essence and equal in power and glory.
- Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; John 14:9; Acts 5:3–4; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14
11. What is God’s decree?
God’s decree is his ordaining from eternity whatever comes to pass, all according to his own good pleasure and for his own glory.
- Psalm 115:3; Ephesians 1:4; Ephesians 1:11; Romans 9:22–23; Daniel 4:35; Romans 11:36
12. How does God execute his decree?
God executes his decree through his works of creation and providence.
- Genesis 1:1–3; Psalm 148:7–8; Isaiah 40:26; Daniel 4:35; Matthew 6:26; Acts 4:24–28; Revelation 4:11
13. What is God’s work of creation?
God’s work of creation is his making all things out of nothing by the word of his power. He did this in six days, and it was all very good.
- Genesis 1:1, 31; Hebrews 11:3
14. How did God create us?
God created us male and female after his own image in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. He gave us an immortal soul and dominion over the creatures. We are each either a man or a woman according to his good purposes for us.
- Genesis 1:26–28; Genesis 2:7–8; Genesis 2:15–18; Genesis 2:21–23; Colossians 3:10; Ephesians 4:24; Romans 2:14–15; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Matthew 10:28
15. What does it mean to be a man?
A man is created a biological male by God to work, cultivate, and keep what is entrusted to him. Spiritually, he is a son, brother, and father; and these are potentially true in his body as well.
- Genesis 2:7–8; Genesis 2:15; Genesis 2:24; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Ephesians 6:4; Philippians 2:22; 1 Timothy 5:1; 1 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Corinthians 11:8–9
16. What does it mean to be a woman?
A woman is created a biological female by God to help, nurture, and bring life to those given to her. Spiritually, she is a daughter, sister, and mother; and these are potentially true in her body as well.
- Genesis 2:18; Genesis 2:21; Genesis 2:23–24; Genesis 3:20; Romans 16:13; 1 Timothy 5:2
17. What is distinctive of a man and a woman in marriage?
Marriage is between one man and one woman. In a marriage, the husband is the head of the wife, and he is called to love her as Christ loved the church and also to honor and understand her; and the wife is called to love, respect, and submit to her husband, and she is also to adorn herself with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.
- Genesis 2:24; 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:25–27; 1 Peter 3:7; Ephesians 5:22; Ephesians 5:33; Titus 2:4; 1 Peter 3:4
18. What is God’s purpose for marriage?
God created marriage as a mystery that reflects Christ’s relationship with the Church. It is a covenant ordained at creation. It is for the mutual help, joy, and comfort of husband and wife in prosperity and adversity. It is the exclusive relationship for sexual intimacy and union, for the procreation of children who are to be brought up in the Lord, and for protection from sexual temptation.
- Ephesians 5:31–32; Genesis 2:24; Proverbs 31:12; Song of Songs 1:2; Song of Songs 4:10; Malachi 2:15; Ephesians 6:4; 1 Peter 3:7; 1 Corinthians 7:3–5
19. What are God's works of providence?
God's works of providence are his holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures and all their actions, ordering them and all things for his own glory.
- Genesis 8:22; Psalm 145:17; Isaiah 28:29; Matthew 10:29–31; Acts 17:26; Hebrews 1:3; Romans 11:36
Sin and the Fall
20. In God’s providence, what covenant relationship did he establish with Adam, the first man?
God established a covenant of works with Adam and his descendants, which promised life if he obeyed and death if he disobeyed.
- Genesis 2:16–17; Hosea 6:7; Galatians 3:12; Romans 5:12
21. Did Adam keep this covenant?
Adam did not keep this covenant, but through the devices of Satan he sinned when he freely chose to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
- Genesis 3:1–6; James 1:13–15
22. What was the result of eating this fruit?
Because Adam sinned, sin and death came to all humanity; our natures became corrupted, which is called original sin, leading inevitably to the whole array of our actual sins; and the creation itself was cursed.
- Genesis 2:16–17; Genesis 3:17–19; Romans 5:12
23. What is sin?
Sin is any lack of conformity to, or transgression of, the law of God.
- 1 John 3:4; Romans 2:14–16; Romans 14:23; Romans 8:7–8
24. What is the penalty for such sin?
The just penalty for all sin is God’s judgment and eternal wrath and also temporal consequences that God brings.
- Ephesians 5:6; Galatians 3:10; Lamentations 3:39; Matthew 25:41; Galatians 6:7
Christ the Redeemer
25. Do all experience these effects of sin?
Though all experience consequences for Adam’s sin, God in his mercy chose to establish a covenant of grace to bring salvation to his chosen people through a Redeemer.
- Genesis 3:15; Genesis 15:6; Habakkuk 2:4; Isaiah 54:10; Ezekiel 37:26–27; Ephesians 2:4–5; Galatians 3:24–29
26. What is this covenant of grace?
The covenant of grace is God’s promise to save his elect through the Redeemer given by God to men, the man Christ Jesus. This covenant is first revealed in the Garden and then more fully throughout the Bible until its most complete expression in the new covenant. It is founded in the eternal covenant transaction made between the Father and the Son regarding the redemption of the elect.
- Genesis 3:15; Genesis 15:6; Ephesians 1:3–6; Hebrews 11:4–7; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 8:6–13; Psalm 2:7–8; Isaiah 42:1
27. What is true of this Redeemer?
The only Redeemer of God’s chosen people is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the eternal Son of God who became man and continues to be both God and man, two distinct natures in one person forever.
- 1 Timothy 2:5–6; John 1:14; Galatians 4:4; Romans 9:5; Luke 1:35; Hebrews 7:24–25
28. What offices does Jesus Christ execute as our Redeemer?
He executes the offices of prophet, priest, and king, both in his humiliation and his exaltation.
- Psalm 2:6; Isaiah 9:6–7; Acts 3:22; Hebrews 12:25; Hebrews 5:5–7; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 12:25; Matthew 21:5
29. How does Christ execute the office of prophet?
Christ is prophet by being the Word of God and revealing to us by his word, incarnation, and Spirit what God is like and what is his will for our salvation and obedience.
- Matthew 5:21–22; Matthew 5:27–28; John 1:18; John 14:26; John 15:15; John 20:30–31; 1 Peter 1:10–12
30. How does Christ execute the office of priest?
Christ is priest by offering himself as a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, by reconciling us to God, and by making continual intercession for us.
- Hebrews 2:17; Hebrews 7:24–25; Romans 3:23–26; Romans 5:10
31. How does Christ execute the office of king?
Christ is king by ruling over us and all things, by conquering all his enemies, by defending us, and by causing us to submit joyfully to him.
- Matthew 11:27; Matthew 28:18; Isaiah 33:22; Isaiah 32:1–2; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Revelation 19:16
32. What was Christ’s humiliation?
Christ’s humiliation was his being born in a low condition under the law; undergoing the miseries of this life; facing the wrath of God and the cursed death of the cross; being buried; and continuing under the power of death for a time.
- Luke 2:7; Galatians 4:4; Hebrews 12:2–3; Isaiah 53:2–3; Luke 22:44; Matthew 27:46; Philippians 2:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4; Acts 2:24–27; Acts 2:31
33. What is Christ’s exaltation?
Christ’s exaltation is his rising again from the dead on the third day, ascending into heaven, sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and coming again to judge the world on the last day.
- 1 Corinthians 15:4; Acts 1:9; Ephesians 1:20; Acts 1:11; Acts 17:31
The Holy Spirit and the Order of Salvation
34. How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?
We are made partakers of redemption by the work of the Holy Spirit, who applies Christ’s redemption to us.
- John 3:5; Ezekiel 36:25–27; 1 Corinthians 12:3
35. Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead, equal in power, glory, majesty, and deity with the Father and the Son.
- Genesis 1:2; Psalm 104:30; Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3–4
36. How does the Holy Spirit apply Christ’s redemption to us?
The Spirit applies redemption through his effectual call by giving us a new heart, working faith in us, and uniting us to Christ. This call is irresistible, removes our opposition to the gospel, and causes us to embrace Christ as our own.
- Romans 8:30; Ezekiel 36:25-27; John 1:12-13; John 3:5; Romans 10:17; Colossians 2:11–12; John 6:44–45; 2 Thessalonians 2:13–14
37. What is the gospel?
The gospel is the good news of Christ’s victory over sin, death, and the devil through his righteous life, atoning death, victorious resurrection, present reign, and imminent return. Through faith in him we are saved from God’s wrath, forgiven of our sins, made new creations, adopted as sons and daughters, and kept for eternity.
- Isaiah 52:7; Colossians 2:15; Mark 1:15; Romans 1:16–17; Romans 3:23–25; 1 Corinthians 15:1–5
38. What happens in our heart as a result of this effectual calling?
When God calls us in this way, we respond with faith and repentance, and then we experience justification, adoption, progressive sanctification, and all the benefits connected to these.
- Romans 8:30; Ephesians 1:5; 1 Corinthians 1:26; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Galatians 3:26
39. What is justification?
Justification is an act of God's free grace, which is received by faith alone. In it he pardons all our sins and declares us to be righteous in his sight because of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us.
- Acts 10:43; Romans 3:23–26; Romans 4:5–8; Romans 5:17–19; 2 Corinthians 5:19; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:8–9
40. What is adoption?
Adoption is an act of God's free grace by which we are made sons of God, fellow heirs with Christ, and we receive the Spirit of adoption to cry out, “Abba! Father!”
- John 1:12; 1 John 3:1; Romans 8:16–17; Galatians 4:4–6
41. What is progressive sanctification?
Progressive sanctification is a work of God’s free grace by which we are enabled more and more to die to sin and live to righteousness and be renewed after the image of God. Though God is the author of all spiritual life and change, we must strive to be holy, for he is holy.
- 1 Peter 2:24a; Romans 6:19; Romans 6:22; Ephesians 4:22–24; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 1 Peter 1:15–16
The Benefits of Our Salvation in Life, Death, and the Resurrection
Questions 42-4742. What benefits do we experience in this life as a result of our justification, adoption, and progressive sanctification?
These works of the Spirit bring with them communion with God, assurance of his love, peace in our conscience, joy in the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and the grace to persevere to the end.
- 1 John 1:3; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 5:22–23; Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 12:7; 1 Peter 1:5
43. What spiritual gifts can we experience in this life?
Since all the gifts of the Spirit found in the New Testament continue in this present age, God in his kindness might give any of these to us according to his boundless grace and the need of the moment. We are to desire them earnestly and never to despise them.
- Luke 11:13; Ephesians 4:7–14; 1 Corinthians 12:4–7; 1 Corinthians 14:1; 1 Corinthians 14:39; 1 Thessalonians 5:19–21
44. What benefits do we receive from Christ at death?
At death our souls are made perfect in holiness and immediately go to the very presence of God. Our bodies rest in their graves until the resurrection.
- Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; Job 19:26
45. What benefits do we receive from Christ at the resurrection?
At the resurrection we are raised up bodily in glory, acquitted on the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God for all eternity.
- 1 Corinthians 15:43; Matthew 25:23; Matthew 10:32; 1 John 3:2; 1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:17–18
46. What happens to the wicked at death?
At death the souls of the wicked are cast into the torments of hell, and their bodies lie in their graves until the resurrection and day of judgment.
- Luke 16:22–24; John 5:28
47. What will happen to the wicked at the resurrection and day of judgment?
At the resurrection the wicked dead are raised, their souls uniting with their bodies. Then follows the judgment, when all the wicked shall be sentenced to unspeakable torments with the devil and his angels forever.
- Daniel 12:2; John 5:28–29; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Matthew 25:41
Our Duty Toward God
48. What duty does God require of us?
Our duty is to obey God’s revealed will.
- Micah 6:8; Ecclesiastes 12:13; Psalm 119:4; Romans 2:14–15; John 14:15
49. How does Jesus summarize this duty toward God?
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
- Matthew 22:37–40
50. How do we fulfill the first commandment to love God?
A: God calls us to love him by delighting in him, obeying him, and worshiping him with all our thoughts, words, and deeds.
- Psalm 37:4; John 14:15; Romans 12:1–2
51. How do we fulfill the second greatest commandment to love our neighbors?
God calls us to love our neighbors by doing good works, showing compassion, evangelizing, and doing no wrong to them, all for the glory of God.
- Luke 10:29–37; Romans 13:10; 1 Corinthians 10:31–33
52. What other commandments help us to know how to love God and our neighbors?
The Ten Commandments teach us how to love God and our neighbors.
- Exodus 20:1–17
53. Which of these commandments are specifically about loving God and which are about loving our neighbors?
The first four teach us about loving God, and the last six teach us about loving our neighbors.
- Romans 13:8–10
54. What is the preface to the Ten Commandments?
“And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.’”
- Exodus 20:1–2
55. What does the preface teach us?
It teaches us that God is God over all; he is our God by his covenant mercies; and he is our Redeemer. Therefore, we are bound to keep his commandments.
- Exodus 3:14; Deuteronomy 11:1; 1 Peter 1:15–19
56. What is the first commandment?
“You shall have no other gods before me.”
- Exodus 20:3
57. What does the first commandment require?
It requires us to know and acknowledge God to be the only true God, and our God, and to worship and glorify him accordingly. Nothing and no one else is to be the object of the worship that he alone deserves.
- 1 Chronicles 28:9; Deuteronomy 26:17; Matthew 4:10; Psalm 29:2; Romans 1:21–25
58. What is the second commandment?
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God.” (Exod 20:4–5b)
- Exodus 20:4–6
59. What does the second commandment require?
It requires the worship of God in all the ways prescribed in his Word, and it forbids the worship of God by images or in any other way not prescribed in his Word.
- Deuteronomy 4:23–24; Deuteronomy 12:32; Matthew 28:20
60. What is the third commandment?
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.”
- Exodus 20:7
61. What does the third commandment require?
It requires revering and forbids profaning or misusing God's names, titles, attributes, ordinances, word, and works in our thoughts and words, whether alone or with others.
- Psalm 148:13; Leviticus 19:12; Psalm 29:2; Isaiah 52:5; Matthew 6:9; Malachi 1:6–7
62. What is the fourth commandment?
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God." (Exod 20:8–10a)
- Exodus 20:8–11
63. What does the fourth commandment require?
It requires that we regularly gather with God's people to worship him in ways pleasing to him, live in the good of Christ's Sabbath rest now as we await our glorious rest to come, and perform our labor with diligence in the fear of God.
- Hebrews 10:24–25; Acts 20:7; Hebrews 4:1–11; Colossians 3:23
64. What is the fifth commandment?
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”
- Exodus 20:12
65. What does the fifth commandment require?
It requires that we honor our father and mother as is appropriate to their position and authority, and this is blessed by God. Further, we are to honor all those in authority over us.
- 1 Peter 2:17; Titus 3:1; Ephesians 5:22-6:9; Hebrews 13:17
66. What is the sixth commandment?
“You shall not murder.”
- Exodus 20:13
67. What does the sixth commandment require?
It forbids any unlawful taking of a life, our own or any other. Neither are we to be sinfully angry, which is murder in the heart. Instead, we are to protect the life of our neighbor when it is in our power to do so and avoid anything that leads to his harm.
- Matthew 5:21–26; Deuteronomy 24:19; Luke 10:33–34; Romans 13:9–10
68. What is the seventh commandment?
“You shall not commit adultery.”
- Exodus 20:14
69. What does the seventh commandment require?
It requires that we be sexually pure in thought, word, and deed; and that we highly honor the institution of marriage. We are also to protect the sexual purity of others when it is in our power to do so.
- Matthew 5:27–30; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Timothy 2:9–10
70. What is the eighth commandment?
“You shall not steal.”
- Exodus 20:15
71. What does the eighth commandment require?
It requires that we not steal the property of another directly or through deception. Instead, we are to live lives of productive labor and be generous toward those in need.
- Proverbs 11:1; Ephesians 4:28
72. What is the ninth commandment?
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
- Exodus 20:16
73. What does the ninth commandment require?
It forbids speaking lies about others or slandering a person’s good name. Instead, we are to speak truth in love whenever we speak.
- Deuteronomy 19:16–21; Ephesians 4:15; Ephesians 4:25; Proverbs 14:5; Proverbs 14:25; Proverbs 22:1
74. What is the tenth commandment?
You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor’s.
- Exodus 20:17
75. What does the tenth commandment require?
It forbids any lust, envy, greed, or jealousy and requires that we be content with what the Lord has provided to our neighbors and to us.
- Colossians 3:5; Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 6:25–33; Romans 12:15; 1 Corinthians 13:4–5
Conversion and Baptism
76. Is anyone able to keep God’s commandments perfectly?
Since the fall, no mere person keeps the commandments of God perfectly. The unregenerate person lacks all ability, and the regenerate person will still sin until he is glorified.
- Ecclesiastes 7:20; Genesis 6:5; Genesis 8:21; James 3:2, 8; Romans 3:23; Galatians 5:17; 1 John 1:8–10
77. What then is the purpose of the law since the fall?
The law reveals the righteousness of God. For God’s people it also reveals his will, and for the ungodly it convicts of sin so they might be restrained in their sins and even brought to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Romans 3:31; Romans 3:19–20; Romans 7:7; 1 Timothy 1:8–9; Galatians 3:24
78. What is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?
Faith in Christ is a saving grace by which we believe what God says about Christ in his Word and then receive and rest upon Christ alone for salvation as he is offered to us in the gospel.
- Genesis 15:6; Ephesians 2:8–10; John 1:12
79. Are we saved by faith alone?
We are saved by faith alone, but true faith always leads to repentance and a life of good works.
- Ephesians 2:8–10; James 2:14–17
80. What is repentance?
Repentance is a saving grace by which we understand our sin and the mercy of God and turn from our sin to God to live fully pleasing to him.
- Acts 2:37–38; Joel 2:13; 2 Corinthians 7:10–11; Romans 6:17–18; Colossians 1:9–10
81. What act of obedience is to follow faith and repentance?
Baptism by immersion in water is to follow faith and repentance.
- Acts 2:41
82. What is baptism?
Baptism is immersion in water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and signifies our being grafted into Christ, receiving the benefits of the covenant of grace, and walking in newness of life.
- Matthew 3:16; Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3–4; 1 Peter 3:21
83. Who should be baptized?
Baptism should be administered to all those who sincerely profess faith in and submit to our Lord Jesus Christ and repentance towards God. No others should be baptized.
- 1 Peter 3:21; Acts 8:12; Acts 10:47–48
The Church
84. What act of obedience should follow baptism?
Those who are rightly baptized should join a visible and orderly church of Jesus Christ.
- Acts 2:41–42
85. What is the visible or local church?
The visible or local church is the organized community of professing believers in any time and place, which is marked by the preaching of the Word, administering the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and exercising church discipline.
- 1 Timothy 3:14–15; Acts 14:23; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 4:11–12; 2 Timothy 4:1–2; Matthew 16:19; Matthew 28:19–20
86. Whom does God set apart to lead a local church?
To lead a local church, God sets apart gifted and qualified men to serve as elders, who are also called pastors or overseers.
- Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:1–7; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:1–4
87. What is the invisible church?
The invisible church is the whole number of the elect who have been, are, or shall be gathered into one body under Christ the head.
- 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:22–23; John 10:16; John 11:51–52
88. What has God commanded the church to do when it gathers for worship?
A church when it gathers for worship is to read and preach the Word; partake of the sacraments; sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; pray; fellowship; practice the whole array of spiritual gifts; and be equipped for mission.
- Acts 2:42; Acts 20:7; 2 Timothy 4:1–2; Ephesians 5:18–19; 1 Timothy 2:1–2; 1 Peter 5:14; 1 Peter 4:10–11; 1 Corinthians 12:7; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Matthew 28:19–20
89. What is a sacrament, and what are the sacraments of the church?
A sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ, which is a visible sign of an invisible grace and a seal of the covenant of grace. The two sacraments are baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
- Romans 4:11; Matthew 28:19–20; 1 Corinthians 11:17–26
90. What is the Lord's Supper?
The Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ himself as a means for us to remember, participate in, and proclaim his death until he comes again. Through the simple act of eating the bread and drinking the cup in faith, we feast on Christ and affirm our union with him and each other.
- 1 Corinthians 11:23–26; 1 Corinthians 10:16
91. What is required for us to receive the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner?
We must receive the Lord’s Supper with sincere faith in Christ, true repentance, a discernment of the body of Christ, and unity of spirit with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
- 1 Corinthians 11:27–31; 1 Corinthians 5:8; 2 Corinthians 13:5; 1 Corinthians 11:17–22
The Lord’s Prayer
92. What is prayer?
Prayer is an offering of our hearts to God to lay before him our desires, needs, sins, thanksgivings, and adoration, all in the name of Christ and according to his will.
- 1 John 5:14; 1 John 1:9; Philippians 4:6; Psalm 10:17; Psalm 145:19; John 14:13–14
93. What prayer has been given to us to help us pray according to the Father’s will?
The Lord’s Prayer, which says, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (ESV, Matt 6:9–13)
The Lord’s Prayer, which says, “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (NKJV, Matt 6:9–13)
94. What does calling God, “our Father in heaven” teach us?
It teaches us to draw near to God with all holy fear and confidence, as children to a father who is able and ready to help us.
- Matthew 6:9; Psalm 103:13; Romans 8:15; Luke 11:13; Hebrews 4:16
95. What do we pray for in the first petition, “Hallowed by your name”?
In this we pray that we and all people would recognize God’s name as holy and live lives that glorify his name.
- Matthew 6:9; Psalm 115:1; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Peter 1:15–16
96. What do we pray for in the second petition, “Your kingdom come”?
In this we pray that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed, and that the kingdom of God may advance in our lives and in the world around us until it is fully manifested in the new heaven and new earth.
- Matthew 6:10; Psalm 68:1; Psalm 68:18; Matthew 6:33; Matthew 13:31–32; Revelation 12:10–11; Revelation 22:1–5
97. What do we pray for in the third petition, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”?
In this we pray that God by his grace would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven.
- Matthew 6:10; Psalm 103:20–21; Psalm 119:36; Matthew 26:39; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Hebrews 13:20–21
98. What do we pray for in the fourth petition, “Give us this day our daily bread”?
In this we pray that our daily needs would be met by God’s almighty hand and according to his perfect love and will.
- Matthew 6:11; Proverbs 30:8–9; 1 Timothy 6:6–8; Matthew 6:25–33; Matthew 4:4
99. What do we pray for in the fifth petition, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”?
In this we pray that God would freely pardon all our sins because of Christ’s sacrifice, and that this forgiveness would lead us to extend to others the mercy we ourselves have received.
- Matthew 6:12; Psalm 51:1–2; Psalm 51:7; Psalm 51:9; Matthew 18:33–35; Luke 11:4; Ephesians 4:32
100. What do we pray for in the sixth petition, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”?
In this we pray that God would strengthen us to battle the temptations that come to us from the world, the flesh, and the devil, and that we would increasingly put sin to death.
- Matthew 6:13; Matthew 26:41; Romans 8:3–4; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Galatians 5:17; Colossians 3:5
Our Mission and Great Longing
101. What is our mission as the Church until the return of Christ?
Our mission is to glorify God by making disciples of all nations through obedience to his Word, evangelism, good works, vocational fruitfulness, and establishing churches.
- Matthew 28:18–20; Matthew 5:16; Colossians 3:23; 1 Corinthians 10:31
102. How do we glorify God with our vocational fruitfulness?
We are to glorify God above all things by obeying his commands in our families, churches, workplaces, and societies.
- Romans 12:1–2; Ephesians 4:7–16; Ephesians 5:22–6:9; Colossians 3:12–4:1
103. How do local churches partner with the whole Church in fulfilling the Great Commission?
Local churches pray and share their resources and people in cooperation with the whole Church to make disciples and plant churches among all the peoples of the earth.
- Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:8; Acts 13:1–3; Romans 15:18–21; Ephesians 6:19; Philippians 1:3–7; Revelation 5:9–14; Psalm 67:1–7
104. What is our great longing as the Church?
Our great longing is for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will usher in a new heaven and a new earth where God will dwell with us forever, all sadness and sin will be banished, and worship will never end. Come, Lord Jesus!
- 1 Corinthians 16:22b; Revelation 21:1–4; Revelation 22:3c; Revelation 22:20