1
What is the most important purpose of your life?
The most important purpose of my life is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.
1 Corinthians 10:31Romans 11:36Psalm 73:25–28John 17:22, 24
Scripture proofs & commentaryReformed / Presbyterian · 1647
Westminster Shorter Catechism for Kids
The Westminster Shorter Catechism written for children ages 6–12. Each question and answer uses simple, clear language while faithfully teaching the same truths as the original.
2
What guide has God given us so we can glorify and enjoy him?
The Word of God, found in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, is the only guide to show us how to glorify and enjoy him.
2 Timothy 3:16Ephesians 2:201 John 1:3–4Deuteronomy 12:32Isaiah 8:20
Scripture proofs & commentary3
What do the Scriptures mainly teach?
The Scriptures mainly teach what we are to believe about God and what God requires us to do.
2 Timothy 1:13John 20:312 Timothy 3:16Micah 6:8Deuteronomy 10:12–13
Scripture proofs & commentary4
What is God?
God is a Spirit. He is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
John 4:24Job 11:7–9Psalm 147:5Psalm 90:2James 1:17Malachi 3:6Exodus 3:14Psalm 104:24Romans 11:33–34Revelation 1:8Genesis 17:1Revelation 4:8Isaiah 6:3Deuteronomy 32:4Exodus 34:6–7Psalm 117:2
Scripture proofs & commentary5
Is there more than one God?
There is only one God, the living and true God.
Deuteronomy 6:4Jeremiah 10:10Isaiah 44:6
Scripture proofs & commentary6
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 nature, equal in power and glory.
Matthew 28:192 Corinthians 13:14John 1:1John 10:30Acts 5:3–4
Scripture proofs & commentary7
What are the decrees of God?
The decrees of God are his eternal plan. According to his own will and for his own glory, he has planned everything that happens.
Ephesians 1:11Romans 11:36Daniel 4:35
Scripture proofs & commentary8
How does God carry out his decrees?
God carries out his decrees in the works of creation and providence.
Genesis 1:1Psalm 145:17Isaiah 28:29
Scripture proofs & commentary9
What is the work of creation?
The work of creation is God making all things out of nothing by the word of his power, in six days, and all very good.
Genesis 1:1Hebrews 11:3Genesis 1:31
Scripture proofs & commentary10
How did God create people?
God created people male and female, in his own image, with knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, and gave them rule over the other creatures.
Genesis 1:27Colossians 3:10Ephesians 4:24Genesis 1:28
Scripture proofs & commentary11
What are God's works of providence?
God's works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful care over all his creatures, ruling over everything they do.
Psalm 145:17Psalm 104:24Isaiah 28:29Hebrews 1:3Psalm 103:19Matthew 10:29–30
Scripture proofs & commentary12
What special act of providence did God show toward the first people he created?
When God created Adam, he made a covenant of life with him. God promised life if Adam perfectly obeyed, but told him not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, or he would die.
Galatians 3:12Genesis 2:17
Scripture proofs & commentary13
Did our first parents stay in the good condition God created them in?
No. Our first parents, left to their own free choice, fell from their good condition by sinning against God.
Genesis 3:6–8Ecclesiastes 7:29
Scripture proofs & commentary14
What is sin?
Sin is failing to obey God’s law or breaking God’s law.
1 John 3:4James 4:17
Scripture proofs & commentary15
What sin caused our first parents to fall?
The sin that caused our first parents to fall was eating the forbidden fruit.
Genesis 3:6Genesis 3:12–13
Scripture proofs & commentary16
Did all people fall when Adam first sinned?
Yes. God made the covenant with Adam not only for himself but for all his descendants. So all people sinned in Adam and fell with him in his first sin.
Romans 5:121 Corinthians 15:21–22
Scripture proofs & commentary17
What condition did the fall bring people into?
The fall brought all people into a condition of sin and misery.
Romans 5:12Genesis 3:16–19
Scripture proofs & commentary18
What is sinful about the condition people fell into?
It includes the guilt of Adam's first sin, the loss of the goodness people were created with, and the corruption of our whole nature—which is called original sin—along with all the actual sins that come from it.
Romans 5:12, 19Romans 3:10Ephesians 2:1–3James 1:14–15
Scripture proofs & commentary19
What is the misery of the condition people fell into?
All people by their fall lost friendship with God, are under his anger and curse, and deserve all the suffering of this life, death itself, and the punishment of hell forever.
Genesis 3:8, 24Ephesians 2:3Galatians 3:10Romans 6:23Matthew 25:41, 46
Scripture proofs & commentary20
Did God leave everyone to die in sin and misery?
No. Out of his good pleasure, God chose some from the very beginning for everlasting life. He entered into a covenant of grace to save them from sin and misery and bring them to salvation through a Redeemer.
Ephesians 1:42 Thessalonians 2:13Romans 3:20–22Galatians 3:21–22
Scripture proofs & commentary21
Who is the Redeemer of God's chosen people?
The only Redeemer of God's chosen people is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the eternal Son of God who became man, and so was and continues to be God and man—two natures in one person—forever.
1 Timothy 2:5–6John 1:14Galatians 4:4Romans 9:5Colossians 2:9Hebrews 7:24–25
Scripture proofs & commentary22
How did Christ, the Son of God, become man?
Christ became man by taking to himself a real human body and a real human soul. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary and born of her, yet without sin.
Hebrews 2:14, 17Philippians 2:7Luke 1:27, 31, 35Hebrews 4:15Hebrews 7:26
Scripture proofs & commentary23
What offices does Christ carry out as our Redeemer?
As our Redeemer, Christ carries out the offices of a prophet, a priest, and a king, both in his humble life on earth and in his glory in heaven.
Acts 3:22Deuteronomy 18:15Hebrews 5:5–6Psalm 2:6Isaiah 9:6–7
Scripture proofs & commentary24
How does Christ carry out the office of a prophet?
Christ carries out the office of a prophet by showing us, through his Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation.
John 1:18John 15:15John 14:26
Scripture proofs & commentary25
How does Christ carry out the office of a priest?
Christ carries out the office of a priest by offering himself once as a sacrifice to satisfy God’s justice and bring us back to God, and by always praying for us.
Hebrews 9:14, 28Hebrews 2:17Romans 5:10Hebrews 7:25Romans 8:34
Scripture proofs & commentary26
How does Christ carry out the office of a king?
Christ carries out the office of a king by bringing us under his rule, by ruling and protecting us, and by holding back and defeating all his and our enemies.
Psalm 110:3Matthew 2:6Isaiah 33:221 Corinthians 15:25Psalm 2
Scripture proofs & commentary27
What was Christ's humiliation?
Christ's humiliation was being born in a lowly condition, living under the law, suffering the miseries of this life and the anger of God, dying the cursed death of the cross, being buried, and staying under the power of death for a time.
Luke 2:7Galatians 4:4Isaiah 53:3Luke 22:44Matthew 27:46Philippians 2:8Galatians 3:131 Corinthians 15:3–4
Scripture proofs & commentary28
What is Christ's exaltation?
Christ's exaltation is his rising from the dead on the third day, going up into heaven, sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and coming to judge the world on the last day.
1 Corinthians 15:4Acts 1:9, 11Ephesians 1:20Acts 17:31Matthew 25:31–32
Scripture proofs & commentary29
How do we share in the salvation that Christ purchased?
We share in the salvation that Christ purchased by having his Holy Spirit apply it to us.
John 1:12Titus 3:5–6John 3:5–6
Scripture proofs & commentary30
How does the Holy Spirit apply to us the salvation Christ purchased?
The Holy Spirit applies Christ’s salvation to us by creating faith in us and joining us to Christ through his effectual calling.
Ephesians 2:8Ephesians 3:171 Corinthians 1:9
Scripture proofs & commentary31
What is effectual calling?
Effectual calling is the work of God's Spirit. He shows us our sin and misery, opens our minds to know Christ, and changes our hearts so that we are able and willing to receive Jesus Christ as he is offered to us in the gospel.
2 Timothy 1:92 Thessalonians 2:13–14Acts 2:37Acts 26:18Ezekiel 36:26–27John 6:44–45Philippians 2:13
Scripture proofs & commentary32
What blessings do those who are effectually called receive in this life?
Those who are effectually called receive justification, adoption, sanctification, and the blessings that come with them.
Romans 8:30Ephesians 1:51 Corinthians 1:30
Scripture proofs & commentary33
What is justification?
Justification is an act of God's free grace in which he pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous in his sight. He does this only because the righteousness of Christ is imputed (credited) to us and received by faith alone.
Romans 3:24–252 Corinthians 5:21Romans 5:19Galatians 2:16Philippians 3:9
Scripture proofs & commentary34
What is adoption?
Adoption is an act of God's free grace in which we are welcomed into his family and given all the rights of the sons of God.
1 John 3:1John 1:12Romans 8:17
Scripture proofs & commentary35
What is sanctification?
Sanctification is the work of God's free grace in which we are made new in our whole person to be more like God, and are helped more and more to turn away from sin and live for what is right.
2 Thessalonians 2:13Ephesians 4:23–24Romans 6:4, 6Romans 8:1
Scripture proofs & commentary36
What blessings come with justification, adoption, and sanctification in this life?
The blessings that come with them in this life are: knowing God loves us, peace in our hearts, joy in the Holy Spirit, growing in grace, and being kept in the faith to the end.
Romans 5:1–2, 5Romans 14:17Proverbs 4:182 Peter 3:181 John 5:131 Peter 1:5
Scripture proofs & commentary37
What blessings do believers receive from Christ when they die?
When believers die, their souls are made perfectly holy and immediately go to be with God in glory. Their bodies, still belonging to Christ, rest in the grave until the resurrection.
Hebrews 12:232 Corinthians 5:1, 6, 8Philippians 1:23Luke 23:431 Thessalonians 4:14Isaiah 57:2Job 19:26–27
Scripture proofs & commentary38
What blessings do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?
At the resurrection, believers will be raised up in glory, openly welcomed and declared innocent on judgment day, and made perfectly happy in the full enjoyment of God for all eternity.
1 Corinthians 15:43Matthew 25:23Matthew 10:321 John 3:21 Corinthians 13:121 Thessalonians 4:17–18
Scripture proofs & commentary39
What duty does God require of us?
The duty God requires of us is to obey his revealed will.
Deuteronomy 29:29Micah 6:81 Samuel 15:22
Scripture proofs & commentary40
What rule did God first give to people for their obedience?
The rule God first gave to people for their obedience was the moral law.
Romans 2:14–15Romans 10:5
Scripture proofs & commentary41
Where is the moral law summed up?
The moral law is summed up in the Ten Commandments.
Deuteronomy 10:4Matthew 19:17–19
Scripture proofs & commentary42
What is the summary of the Ten Commandments?
The summary of the Ten Commandments is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Matthew 22:37–40
Scripture proofs & commentary43
What is the introduction to the Ten Commandments?
The introduction to the Ten Commandments is: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."
Exodus 20:2
Scripture proofs & commentary44
What does the introduction to the Ten Commandments teach us?
It teaches us that because God is the Lord, and our God and Redeemer, we are bound to keep all his commandments.
Luke 1:74–751 Peter 1:15–18
Scripture proofs & commentary45
What is the first commandment?
The first commandment is: "You shall have no other gods before me."
Exodus 20:3
Scripture proofs & commentary46
What does the first commandment require?
The first commandment requires us to know and accept God as the only true God, and our God, and to worship and glorify him as he deserves.
1 Chronicles 28:9Deuteronomy 26:17Matthew 4:10Psalm 29:2
Scripture proofs & commentary47
What does the first commandment forbid?
The first commandment forbids denying God, or refusing to worship and glorify the true God as God and our God. It also forbids giving to anything else the worship and glory that belong to him alone.
Psalm 14:1Romans 1:21Psalm 81:10–11Romans 1:25–26
Scripture proofs & commentary48
What do the words "before me" in the first commandment teach us?
The words "before me" teach us that God sees everything, and he notices and is very displeased when people worship any other god.
Ezekiel 8:5–6Psalm 44:20–21
Scripture proofs & commentary49
What is the second commandment?
The second commandment is: "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth below or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to…
Exodus 20:4–6
Scripture proofs & commentary50
What does the second commandment require?
The second commandment requires us to receive, follow, and keep pure all the ways of worship that God has appointed in his Word.
Deuteronomy 32:46Matthew 28:20Acts 2:42
Scripture proofs & commentary51
What does the second commandment forbid?
The second commandment forbids worshipping God through images or in any way not commanded in his Word.
Deuteronomy 4:15–19Exodus 32:5, 8Deuteronomy 12:31–32
Scripture proofs & commentary52
What reasons are given for the second commandment?
The reasons given are: God’s authority over us, that we belong to him, and how strongly he cares about how he is worshipped.
Psalm 95:2–3, 6Psalm 45:11Exodus 34:13–14
Scripture proofs & commentary53
What is the third commandment?
The third commandment is: "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."
Exodus 20:7
Scripture proofs & commentary54
What does the third commandment require?
The third commandment requires us to use God’s names, titles, qualities, worship, Word, and works with holiness and respect.
Matthew 6:9Psalm 68:4Revelation 15:3–4Malachi 1:11, 14Psalm 138:1–2Job 36:24
Scripture proofs & commentary55
What does the third commandment forbid?
The third commandment forbids treating with disrespect anything by which God makes himself known.
Malachi 1:6–7, 12Malachi 2:2
Scripture proofs & commentary56
What reason is given for the third commandment?
The reason is that even if people who break this commandment escape punishment from other people, the Lord our God will not let them escape his righteous judgment.
1 Samuel 2:12, 17, 22, 291 Samuel 3:13Deuteronomy 28:58–59
Scripture proofs & commentary57
What is the fourth commandment?
The fourth commandment is: "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your servants, nor your animals, nor any visitor…
Exodus 20:8–11
Scripture proofs & commentary58
What does the fourth commandment require?
The fourth commandment requires us to keep holy the special times God has set apart in his Word—especially one whole day in seven as a holy Sabbath to him.
Deuteronomy 5:12–14Genesis 2:2–3Acts 20:71 Corinthians 16:1–2
Scripture proofs & commentary59
Which day has God set apart as the weekly Sabbath?
From the beginning of the world until Christ rose from the dead, God set apart the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath. Since Christ’s resurrection, the first day of the week is the Christian Sabbath, and it will be until the end of the world.
Genesis 2:2–3Psalm 118:24Matthew 28:1Mark 16:2John 20:19, 26Acts 20:7Revelation 1:10
Scripture proofs & commentary60
How should the Sabbath be kept holy?
The Sabbath should be kept holy by resting all day from everyday work and play that are fine on other days, and spending the whole time in worship of God, both with others and privately, except for things that must be done out of necessity and mercy.
Exodus 20:10Exodus 16:25–28Nehemiah 13:15–22Luke 4:16Acts 20:7Psalm 92:1–2Isaiah 58:13–14Matthew 12:1–13
Scripture proofs & commentary61
What does the fourth commandment forbid?
The fourth commandment forbids skipping or carelessly doing the duties it requires, and ruining the day through laziness or sinful behavior, or by giving unnecessary time to thoughts, words, or work about everyday things.
Ezekiel 22:26Amos 8:5Malachi 1:13Ezekiel 23:38Jeremiah 17:24, 27Isaiah 58:13
Scripture proofs & commentary62
What reasons are given for the fourth commandment?
The reasons are: God allows us six days of the week for our own work, he claims the seventh day as specially his, he set the example by resting, and he blessed the Sabbath day.
Exodus 20:9Exodus 20:11
Scripture proofs & commentary63
What is the fifth commandment?
The fifth commandment is: "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you."
Exodus 20:12
Scripture proofs & commentary64
What does the fifth commandment require?
The fifth commandment requires us to honor and do our duty toward everyone according to their place—whether they are above us, under our care, or equal to us.
Ephesians 5:21–22Ephesians 6:1, 5Romans 13:1Ephesians 6:9Romans 12:10
Scripture proofs & commentary65
What does the fifth commandment forbid?
The fifth commandment forbids neglecting or doing anything against the honor and duty we owe to others in their various positions.
Matthew 15:4–6Romans 13:8
Scripture proofs & commentary66
What reason is given for the fifth commandment?
The reason is a promise: God promises long life and blessing (as far as it serves his glory and their good) to all who keep this commandment.
Deuteronomy 5:16Ephesians 6:2–3
Scripture proofs & commentary67
What is the sixth commandment?
The sixth commandment is: "You shall not murder."
Exodus 20:13
Scripture proofs & commentary68
What does the sixth commandment require?
The sixth commandment requires us to do everything we properly can to protect our own life and the lives of others.
Ephesians 5:28–291 Kings 18:4
Scripture proofs & commentary69
What does the sixth commandment forbid?
The sixth commandment forbids taking our own life or the life of another person unjustly, or anything that leads to that.
Acts 16:28Genesis 9:6Matthew 5:22
Scripture proofs & commentary70
What is the seventh commandment?
The seventh commandment is: "You shall not commit adultery."
Exodus 20:14
Scripture proofs & commentary71
What does the seventh commandment require?
The seventh commandment requires us to be pure in heart, speech, and behavior—both ourselves and in how we treat others.
1 Corinthians 7:2–3, 51 Thessalonians 4:3–5
Scripture proofs & commentary72
What does the seventh commandment forbid?
The seventh commandment forbids all impure thoughts, words, and actions.
Matthew 5:28Matthew 15:19Ephesians 5:3–4
Scripture proofs & commentary73
What is the eighth commandment?
The eighth commandment is: "You shall not steal."
Exodus 20:15
Scripture proofs & commentary74
What does the eighth commandment require?
The eighth commandment requires us to do what we honestly can to help ourselves and others have what they need.
Genesis 30:301 Timothy 5:8Leviticus 25:35Deuteronomy 22:1–5Ephesians 4:28
Scripture proofs & commentary75
What does the eighth commandment forbid?
The eighth commandment forbids anything that unfairly takes away from or harms what we or others have.
Proverbs 21:17Proverbs 28:19Ephesians 4:282 Thessalonians 3:10
Scripture proofs & commentary76
What is the ninth commandment?
The ninth commandment is: "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."
Exodus 20:16
Scripture proofs & commentary77
What does the ninth commandment require?
The ninth commandment requires us to tell the truth, protect our own and our neighbor’s good name, and especially to be truthful when we are a witness.
Zechariah 8:163 John 1:12Proverbs 14:5, 25
Scripture proofs & commentary78
What does the ninth commandment forbid?
The ninth commandment forbids anything that hurts the truth or damages our own or our neighbor’s good name.
1 Samuel 17:28Leviticus 19:16Psalm 15:3
Scripture proofs & commentary79
What is the tenth commandment?
The tenth commandment is: "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his servant, or his animals, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
Exodus 20:17
Scripture proofs & commentary80
What does the tenth commandment require?
The tenth commandment requires us to be fully content with what we have, and to be happy for our neighbor and glad about what he has.
Hebrews 13:51 Timothy 6:6Job 31:29Romans 12:151 Timothy 1:51 Corinthians 13:4–7
Scripture proofs & commentary81
What does the tenth commandment forbid?
The tenth commandment forbids being unhappy with what we have, being jealous of what others have, and wanting things that belong to someone else.
1 Kings 21:4Esther 5:131 Corinthians 10:10Galatians 5:26James 3:14, 16Romans 7:7–8Romans 13:9Deuteronomy 5:21
Scripture proofs & commentary82
Can anyone perfectly keep God’s commandments?
No. Since the fall, no one is able to perfectly keep God’s commandments in this life. We all break them every day in thought, word, and deed.
Ecclesiastes 7:201 John 1:8, 10Galatians 5:17Genesis 6:5Genesis 8:21Romans 3:9–21James 3:2–13
Scripture proofs & commentary83
Are all sins equally heinous?
No. Some sins are more heinous in the sight of God than others, because of what they are or the circumstances around them.
Ezekiel 8:6, 13, 15John 19:111 John 5:16
Scripture proofs & commentary84
What does every sin deserve?
Every sin deserves God’s anger and curse, both in this life and in the life to come.
Ephesians 5:6Galatians 3:10Lamentations 3:39Matthew 25:41
Scripture proofs & commentary85
What does God require of us so that we may escape his anger and curse for sin?
To escape God’s anger and curse for sin, God requires of us faith in Jesus Christ and repentance that leads to life, along with faithfully using all the ways Christ gives us the blessings of salvation.
Acts 20:21Mark 1:15John 3:16, 18Proverbs 2:1–5Proverbs 8:33–36Isaiah 55:3
Scripture proofs & commentary86
What is faith in Jesus Christ?
Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace in which we receive and rest on him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.
Hebrews 10:39John 1:12Isaiah 26:3–4Philippians 3:9Galatians 2:16
Scripture proofs & commentary87
What is repentance that leads to life?
Repentance that leads to life is a saving grace in which a sinner, truly seeing his sin and understanding God’s mercy in Christ, turns away from his sin with sorrow and hatred of it, and turns to God with a real desire and effort to obey him.
Acts 11:18Acts 2:37–38Joel 2:12Jeremiah 3:22Jeremiah 31:18–19Ezekiel 36:312 Corinthians 7:11Isaiah 1:16–17
Scripture proofs & commentary88
What are the ordinary ways Christ gives us the blessings of salvation?
The ordinary ways Christ gives us the blessings of salvation are his Word, the sacraments, and prayer. All of these are made effective for the salvation of God’s people.
Matthew 28:19–20Acts 2:42, 46–47Romans 10:17Romans 1:16
Scripture proofs & commentary89
How is God’s Word made effective for salvation?
The Spirit of God makes the reading, and especially the preaching, of the Word an effective way to convict and convert sinners, and to build up believers in holiness and comfort, through faith, leading to salvation.
Nehemiah 8:81 Corinthians 14:24–25Acts 20:322 Timothy 3:15–17
Scripture proofs & commentary90
How should we read and hear God’s Word so that it leads to salvation?
For God’s Word to lead to salvation, we must pay careful attention, prepare our hearts, and pray, receive it with faith and love, store it in our hearts, and live it out in our lives.
Proverbs 8:341 Peter 2:1–2Psalm 119:18Hebrews 4:22 Thessalonians 2:10Psalm 119:11Luke 8:15James 1:25
Scripture proofs & commentary91
How do the sacraments become effective for salvation?
The sacraments become effective for salvation not because of any power in them or in the person who leads them, but only by the blessing of Christ and the work of his Spirit in those who receive them by faith.
1 Peter 3:211 Corinthians 3:6–71 Corinthians 12:13
Scripture proofs & commentary92
What is a sacrament?
A sacrament is a holy act set up by Christ in which, by sensible (physical) signs, Christ and the blessings of the new covenant are pictured, sealed, and given to believers.
Genesis 17:7, 10Exodus 12Matthew 26:26–28Matthew 28:19
Scripture proofs & commentary93
What are the sacraments of the New Testament?
The sacraments of the New Testament are baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Matthew 28:19Matthew 26:26–28
Scripture proofs & commentary94
What is baptism?
Baptism is a sacrament in which washing with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is a sign and seal that we belong to Christ, share in the blessings of the covenant of grace, and promise to be the Lord’s.
Matthew 28:19Romans 6:4Galatians 3:27
Scripture proofs & commentary95
Who should be baptized?
Baptism should not be given to anyone outside the visible church until they declare their faith in Christ and obedience to him. But the children of church members should be baptized.
Acts 8:36–37Acts 2:38Acts 2:38–39Genesis 17:10Colossians 2:11–121 Corinthians 7:14
Scripture proofs & commentary96
What is the Lord’s Supper?
The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament in which bread and wine are given and received as Christ commanded, showing his death. Those who receive it worthily share, not in a physical way but by faith, in his body and blood, with all his blessings, for their spiritual nourishment and growth in grace.
1 Corinthians 11:23–261 Corinthians 10:16
Scripture proofs & commentary97
What is needed to receive the Lord’s Supper in a worthy way?
Those who want to receive the Lord’s Supper worthily must examine themselves: Do they understand what the Lord’s body means? Do they have faith to trust in him? Have they repented? Do they love others? Are they living in obedience? Otherwise they may eat and drink judgment on themselves.
1 Corinthians 11:28–292 Corinthians 13:51 Corinthians 11:311 Corinthians 10:16–171 Corinthians 5:7–81 Corinthians 11:28–29
Scripture proofs & commentary98
What is prayer?
Prayer is telling God our desires for things that agree with his will, in the name of Christ, while confessing our sins and thanking him for his blessings.
Psalm 62:81 John 5:14John 16:23Psalm 32:5–6Daniel 9:4Philippians 4:6
Scripture proofs & commentary99
What guide has God given us for prayer?
All of God’s Word helps guide us in prayer, but the special guide is the prayer Christ taught his disciples, known as the Lord’s Prayer.
1 John 5:14Matthew 6:9–13Luke 11:2–4
Scripture proofs & commentary100
What does the opening of the Lord’s Prayer teach us?
The opening of the Lord’s Prayer—"Our Father in heaven"—teaches us to come to God with holy respect and confidence, like children coming to a father who is able and ready to help us. It also teaches that we should pray with and for others.
Romans 8:15Luke 11:13Acts 12:51 Timothy 2:1–2
Scripture proofs & commentary101
What do we pray for in the first request?
In the first request—"Hallowed be your name"—we pray that God would help us and others to honor him in everything by which he makes himself known, and that he would direct all things for his own glory.
Psalm 67:2–3Psalm 83:18Romans 11:36
Scripture proofs & commentary102
What do we pray for in the second request?
In the second request—"Your kingdom come"—we pray that Satan’s kingdom would be destroyed, that the kingdom of grace would grow, that we and others would be brought into it and kept in it, and that the kingdom of glory would come soon.
Psalm 68:1, 18Revelation 12:10–112 Thessalonians 3:1Romans 10:1John 17:9, 20Revelation 22:20
Scripture proofs & commentary103
What do we pray for in the third request?
In the third request—"Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"—we pray that God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to his will in all things, just as the angels do in heaven.
Psalm 67Psalm 119:36Matthew 26:392 Samuel 15:25Psalm 103:20–21
Scripture proofs & commentary104
What do we pray for in the fourth request?
In the fourth request—"Give us today our daily bread"—we pray that God would freely give us enough of the good things we need for this life and that we would enjoy his blessing with them.
Proverbs 30:8–9Genesis 28:201 Timothy 4:4–5
Scripture proofs & commentary105
What do we pray for in the fifth request?
In the fifth request—"Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors"—we pray that God, for Christ’s sake, would freely forgive all our sins. We are encouraged to ask this because by his grace we are able to forgive others from the heart.
Psalm 51:1–2, 7, 9Daniel 9:17–19Luke 11:4Matthew 18:35
Scripture proofs & commentary106
What do we pray for in the sixth request?
In the sixth request—"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"—we pray that God would either keep us from being tempted to sin or hold us up and rescue us when we are tempted.
Matthew 26:41Psalm 19:131 Corinthians 10:13Psalm 51:10, 12
Scripture proofs & commentary107
What does the ending of the Lord’s Prayer teach us?
The ending of the Lord’s Prayer—"For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen"—teaches us to find our encouragement in prayer from God alone, and to praise him in our prayers, giving him all the kingdom, power, and glory. And we say "Amen" to show that we truly desire and…
Daniel 9:4, 7–9, 16–191 Chronicles 29:10–131 Corinthians 14:16Revelation 22:20–21
Scripture proofs & commentary