Q. 1. What is your only comfort in life and death?
A. That both in soul and body,1 whether I live or die,2 I am not my own, but belong entirely to my most faithful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.3 By His most precious blood making full satisfaction for all my sins,4 He has delivered me from all the power of the devil,5 and so preserves me6 that outside the will of my heavenly Father, not so much as a hair may fall from my head;7 yes, all things must serve for my safety.8 By His Spirit also, He assures me of everlasting life,9 and makes me ready and prepared10 so that from now on I may live to Him.
1 1 Cor. 6:19; 1 Thess. 5:10 2 Rom. 14:8 3 1 Cor. 3:23 4 1 Peter 1:18–19; 1 John 1:7; 2:2 5 1 John 3:8; Heb. 2:14–15 6 John 6:39 7 Matt. 10:30; Luke 21:18 8 Rom. 8:28 9 2 Cor. 1:12; 5:5; Eph. 1:13–14 10 Rom. 8:24–25
Q. 2. What must you know in order to enjoy this comfort and live and die happily?
A. Three things. First, the greatness of my sin and misery. Second, how I am delivered from all sin and misery. Third, the thanks I owe to God for this delivery.3
1 Luke 24:47; Rom. 3:23 2 Rom. 8:15; 1 Cor. 6:11; Titus 3:3–8 3 Matt. 5:16; Rom. 6:11–13; Eph. 5:10; Titus 2:11–12; 1 Peter 2:9; 3:10–12
THE FIRST PART
Of Man’s Misery
Q. 3. How do you know about your misery?
A. From the law of God.1
1 Rom. 3:20; 5:20; 7:5, 13
Q. 4. What does the law of God require of us?
A. God’s law requires of us what Christ summarizes in His teaching to us in Matthew 22:37–40. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.a 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.”
a Luke 10:27 includes “and all your strength.”
Q. 5. Are you able to keep all these things perfectly?
A. No.1 By nature I am prone to hate God and my neighbors.2
1 Rom. 3:10, 23; 1 John 1:8 2 Rom. 8:7; Eph. 2:3; Titus 3:3
Q. 6. Did God, then, make man so wicked and perverse?
A. No,1 He made man good and in His own image,2 that is, in true righteousness and holiness,3 so that we might rightly know God our Creator, love Him with all our hearts, live with Him in eternal happiness, and praise and magnify Him.4
1 Gen. 1:31 2 Gen. 1:26–27 3 Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10 4 2 Cor. 3:18
Q. 7. Where does man’s wicked nature come from?
A. From the fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve.1 For this reason our nature is so corrupt that we are all conceived and born in sin.2
1 Rom. 5:12, 18–19 2 Gen. 5:3; Ps. 51:5
Q. 8. Are we so corrupt that we are completely unable to do any good and are prone to all kinds of evil?
A. Yes, we are corrupt and prone to evil unless we are born again by the Holy Spirit.1
1 Gen. 6:5; Job 14:4; 15:16; Isa. 53:6; John 3:5
Q. 9. Doesn’t God, then, do man an injustice by requiring in the law what we are not able to perform?
A. No, God made man able to keep the law.1 But man, at the instigation of the devil2 and by his own stubbornness, robbed himself and all his descendants of those divine graces.3
1 Eccl. 7:29 2 Gen. 3 3 Rom. 5:12–21
Q. 10. Does God let this stubbornness and rebellion of man go unpunished?
A. No. He is dreadfully angry1 toward the sins we are born with and the sins we ourselves commit. In just judgment, He punishes man with both present and eternal punishment, as He pronounces: “Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.”2
1 Rom. 5:12 2 Deut. 27:26; Gal. 3:10
Q. 11. Isn’t God also merciful?
A. Yes, very much so! He is merciful,1 but He is also just.2 Therefore, His justice requires that sin committed against the divine majesty of God should also be punished with extreme, that is, everlasting punishment both in body and soul.
1 Ex. 34:6; Ps. 5:4–6 2 Ex. 20:5
THE SECOND PART
Of Man’s Redemption
Q. 12. Since, then, we are subject both to temporal and eternal punishments by the righteous judgment of God, is there any way we may be delivered from these punishments and be reconciled to God?
A. God will have His justice satisfied.1 Therefore, it is necessary that we satisfy it either by ourselves or by another.2
1 Ex. 20:5, 7; 23:7 2 Rom. 8:3
Q. 13. Are we able to satisfy God’s justice by ourselves?
A. Not one bit. Instead, we increase our debt every day.1
1 Job 9:2–3; 15:15; Matt. 6:12
Q. 14. Is there any mere creature in heaven or on earth able to satisfy it for us?
A. No. First, God will not punish one creature for sin another man has committed. Second, a mere creature cannot sustain the wrath of God against sin and deliver others from it.1
1 Job 4:18; 25:5; Ps. 130:3; Heb. 2:14–18; 10:5–10
Q. 15. What kind of mediator and deliverer must we seek for then?
A. One who is very man and perfectly righteous, yet in power above all creatures, that is, one who also is very God.1
1 Isa. 7:14; 53:11; Jer. 23:6; Rom. 8:3; 1 Cor. 15:25; 2 Cor. 5:14; Heb. 7:16
Q. 16. Why is it necessary that this mediator be very man and also perfectly just?
A. Because the justice of God requires that the same human nature that has sinned must pay the penalty for his sin.1 But he who is himself a sinner cannot pay for the sins of others.2
1 Rom. 5:12, 17 2 1 Peter 3:18; Heb. 7:26
Q. 17. Why must He also be very God?
A. So that He might by the power of His Godhead sustain in His body the burden of God’s wrath1 and might recover and restore to us the righteousness and life which we lost.2
1 Isa. 55:3, 8; Acts 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18 2 John 3:16; Acts 20:28; 1 John 1:2; 4:9–10
Q. 18. Who is this mediator who is both very God and a truly perfect and righteous man?
A. Our Lord Jesus Christ,1 who became God’s wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption for us.2
1 Matt. 1:23; Luke 2:11; John 14:16; 1 Tim. 2:5; 3:16 2 1 Cor. 1:30
Q. 19. How do you know this?
A. From the gospel which God first made known in the garden of Eden,1 then spread abroad by the patriarchs and prophets,2 then foreshadowed by sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law,3 and lastly accomplished by His only begotten Son, Christ our Lord.4
1 Gen. 3:15 2 Gen. 22:18; 49:10–11; Acts 3:22; 10:43; Rom. 1:2; Heb. 1:1 3 John 5:46; Heb. 10:7ff 4 Rom. 10:4; Gal. 3:24; 4:4; Heb. 13:8
Q. 20. So is salvation restored by Christ to all mankind who perished in Adam?
A. Not to all, but only to those who by true faith are united to Him and receive His benefits.1
1 Ps. 2:12; Isa. 53:11; John 1:12; 3:36; Rom. 11:20; Heb. 4:2; 10:39
Q. 21. What is faith?
A. It is not only a knowledge, in which I accept everything as true that God has revealed to us in His Word;1 but is also an assured trust2 kindled in my heart by the Holy Spirit3 through the gospel,4 in which I rest in God assured that forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness, and life is given not only to others, but also to me—and that this is given freely by the mercy of God because of the merits of Christ alone.5
1 Heb. 11:1–3; Gal. 2:20; James 2:19 2 Rom. 4:16; 5:1; 10:10 3 Matt. 16:17; John 3:5; Acts 10:45; Gal. 5:22; Phil. 1:19 4 Mark 16:16; Acts 16:14; Rom. 1:16; 10:17; 1 Cor. 1:21 5 Acts 10:42–43; Rom. 3:24–25
Q. 22. What must a Christian believe?
A. Everything that is promised to us in the gospel, as summarized briefly in the Apostles’ Creed—the catholic and undoubted confession of faith of all true Christians:
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. He descended into hell;a the third day He rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty, from whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholicb church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
a Not that He (that is, Christ) went into the place of the damned, but that He went absolutely into the state of the dead. See Dr. Ussher on Christ, in his A Body of Divinity, page 174, and Mr. Perkins on the Creed.
b There is a catholic church—and by catholic, we mean no more than the universal church, who are chosen from mankind to everlasting life by the Word and Spirit of God.
Q. 23. Into how many parts is the Apostles’ Creed divided?
A. It is divided into three parts: God the eternal Father and our creation, the Son and our redemption, and the Holy Spirit and our sanctification.
Q. 24. Since there is only one substance of God,1 why can we speak of three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?
A. Because God has revealed Himself in His Word, that these three distinct persons are the one true eternal God.2
1 Deut. 6:4; Isa. 44:6; 1 Cor. 8:4; Eph. 4:6 2 Ps. 110:1; Isa. 61:1; Matt. 3:16–17; 28:19; Luke 4:18; John 14:26; 15:26; 2 Cor. 13:14; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 2:18; Titus 3:5–6; 1 John 5:7
God the Father
Q. 25. What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”?
A. I believe in the everlasting Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who created heaven and earth and all that exists out of nothing;1 He also upholds and rules all of this by His eternal counsel2 and providence. I believe this God is my God and Father for Christ’s sake.3 Therefore, I trust in Him and rely on Him,4 and I do not doubt that He will provide everything necessary both for my soul and body.5 But also, whatever adversity He sends me in this troublesome life is for my safety6 because as God Almighty, He is able to do it, and as a bountiful Father, He is willing to do it.7
1 Gen. 1:1–2; Job 33:4; Ps. 33:6; Isa. 45:7; Acts 4:24; 14:15 2 Ps. 104:3; 115:3; Matt. 10:29; Rom. 11:36; Heb. 1:3 3 John 1:12; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:5–6; Eph. 1:5 4 Ps. 55:23 5 Matt. 6:26; Luke 12:22 6 Rom. 8:28 7 Isa. 46:4; Rom. 8:38–39; 10:12
Q. 26. What is the providence of God?
A. Providence is the almighty and ever-present power of God1 in which he upholds and governs, as with His hand, heaven and earth2 and all creatures in it. He rules them so that those things which grow on the earth, as well as rain and drought, fruitfulness and barrenness, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty—nothing comes rashly or by chance, but by His fatherly counsel and will.3
1 Ps. 94:9; Isa. 29:15; Ezek. 8:12; Acts 17:25 2 Heb. 1:2–3 3 Prov. 22:2; Jer. 5:24; John 9:3; Acts 14:17
Q. 27. How does this knowledge of the creation and providence of God help us?
A. It helps us to be patient in adversity,1 to be thankful in prosperity,2 and to have, from now on, our chief hope3 rest in God our most faithful Father. We can be sure that there is nothing which may withdraw us from His love.4 For all creatures are so much in His power that without His will they can neither move or be moved.5
1 Job 1:21; Rom. 5:3 2 Deut. 8:10; 1 Thess. 5:18 3 Rom. 5:4–5 4 Rom. 8:19, 38 5 Job 1:12; 2:6; Prov. 21:1; Acts 17:27
God the Son
Q. 28. Why is the Son of God called “Jesus,” meaning a “Savior”?
A. Because He saves us from our sins,1 and because salvation is not to be sought, nor can it be found, in anyone else.2
1 Matt. 1:21 2 Acts 4:12; Heb. 7:25
Q. 29. Do those who seek happiness and safety in saints,a or in themselves, or elsewhere, believe in the only Savior Jesus?
A. No, for although they boast themselves of Him as their only Savior, they deny the only Savior Jesus.1 For either Jesus is not a perfect savior, or those who in true faith accept this Savior have in Him2 all they need for their salvation.
a “Saints” here does not refer to believers, but to those formally recognized by Catholic and Orthodox Churches after death.
1 1 Cor. 1:13, 30 2 Isa. 9:6; 43:11, 25; John 1:16; Col. 1:19–20; 2:10; Heb. 12:2
Q. 30. Why is He called “Christ,” that is, the “Anointed One”?
A. Because He was ordained by the Father and anointed with the Holy Spirit1 to be the chief Prophet and Teacher,2 who has revealed to us the secret counsel and all the will of His Father concerning our redemption;3 the High Priest,4 who redeemed us5 by the one and only sacrifice of His body and continually makes intercession to His Father for us;6 and a King,7 who rules us by His Word and Spirit, and defends and maintains the salvation which He purchased for us.8
1 Ps. 45:7; Heb. 1:9 2 Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22 3 Matt. 11:27; John 1:18; 15:15 4 Heb. 7:21 5 Rom. 3:24; 5:9–10; Heb. 10:12 6 Heb. 7:25 7 Ps. 2:6; Luke 1:33 8 Matt. 28:18
Q. 31. But why are you called a Christian?
A. Because by faith I am a member of Jesus Christ1 and a partaker of His anointing,2 that I may both confess His name3 and present myself to Him as a living sacrifice of thankfulness,4 and also in this life fight against sin and Satan with a free and good conscience,5 and afterward enjoy an everlasting kingdom with Christ.6
1 Acts 11:26; 1 Cor. 6:15 2 1 John 2:27 3 Matt. 10:32 4 Rom. 12:1; Heb. 13:15; 1 Peter 2:5; Rev. 5:8 5 Rom. 6:12–13; 1 Tim. 1:18–19 6 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 1:6
Q. 32. Why is Christ called the only begotten Son of God, when we also are the sons of God?
A. Because Christ alone is the eternal Son, of the same nature as the eternal Father,1 while we are but sons adopted by the Father by grace for Christ’s sake.2
1 John 3:16; Rom. 8:3; Heb. 1:2–3 2 John 1:12; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:6; 1 John 1:3
Q. 33. Why do we call Christ “our Lord”?
A. Because by redeeming and ransoming both our body and soul from sin, not with gold or silver, but with His precious blood, and delivering us from all the power of the devil, He has set us free to serve Him.1
1 Rom. 14:9; 1 Cor. 6:20; Eph. 1:7; 1 Tim. 2:5–6; 1 Peter 1:18
Q. 34. What do you believe when you say that He was “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary”?
A. I believe that the Son of God, who is and continues to be the true and everlasting God,1 took the very nature of man,2 of the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary,3 through the working of the Holy Spirit,4 so that He might be the true Seed of David,5 like His brothers in all things except for sin.6
1 John 20:28; Rom. 9:5; 1 John 5:20 2 Isa. 7:14; 9:6; John 1:14 3 Gal. 4:4 4 Matt. 1:20 5 Rom. 1:3 6 Phil. 2:7; Heb. 4:15; 7:26
Q. 35. What is the benefit you receive by Christ’s holy conception and nativity?
A. That He is our mediator and covers my sins,1 in which I was conceived, with His innocence and perfect holiness so that they may not be seen by God.2
1 Heb. 2:16–17; 4:15 2 Ps. 32:1; Rom. 8:3–4; 1 Cor. 1:30
Q. 36. What do you believe when you say Jesus “suffered”?
A. I believe that the entirety of the time Jesus lived on the earth, and especially at the end of it, He sustained the wrath of God, in both His body and soul,1 against the sin of all mankind. He did this so that by His passion, as the only propitiatory sacrifice,2 He might deliver our body and soul from everlasting damnation and purchase for us the favor of God, righteousness, and eternal life.
1 Isa. 53:12; 1 Peter 2:4; 3:18 2 1 John 2:2; 4:10
Q. 37. Why did He suffer “under Pontius Pilate” as His judge?
A. He suffered so that, being innocent1 and condemned before a civil judge,2 He might deliver us from the severe judgment of God which remained for all men.3
1 Luke 23:14; John 19:4 2 Ps. 69:4; John 15:25 3 Isa. 53:4–5; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13
Q. 38. Is it more beneficial that He was “crucified,” hung on the cross, than if He had suffered any other kind of death?
A. Yes. By His crucifixion I am assured that He took upon Himself the curse due to me, since death on a cross was cursed by God.1
1 Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13
Q. 39. Why was it necessary for Christ to humble Himself to the point of death?
A. Because the justice and truth of God could not be satisfied for our sins by any other means,1 except by the very death of the Son of God.2
1 Gen. 2:17 2 Phil. 2:8; Heb. 2:9, 14–18
Q. 40. Why was He “buried”?
A. So that He might show that He was truly dead.1
1 Matt. 27:59–60; Luke 23:53; John 19:38; Acts 13:29
Q. 41. But since Christ died for us, why do we also have to die?
A. Our death is not a satisfaction for our sins, but the abolishing of sin and our entering into eternal life.1
1 John 5:24; Rom. 7:24; Phil. 1:23
Q. 42. What other benefits do we receive by the death of Christ?
A. That by virtue of His death our old man is crucified, slain, and buried together with Him1 (as pictured in holy baptism). From then on evil lusts and desires may not reign in us,2 but we may offer ourselves to Him as a sacrifice of thanksgiving.3
1 Rom. 6:6 2 Rom. 6:12 3 Rom. 12:1
Q. 43. Why does the creed add that “He descended into hell”?
A. That in my greatest pains and most grievous temptations I may support myself with this comfort: that my Lord Jesus Christ has delivered me—by the unspeakable distresses, torments, and terrors of His soul, into which He was plunged both in His life and then especially when He hung on the cross—from the torments of hell.1
1 Isa. 53:10; Matt. 27:46 . Not that He (that is, Christ) went into the place of the damned, but that He went absolutely into the place of the dead. See Dr. Ussher in his A Body of Divinity, 174, and Mr. Perkins on the Creed.
Q. 44. How does the resurrection of Christ benefit us?
A. First, by His resurrection He vanquished death,1 so that He might make us partakers of the righteousness which He won for us by His death. Second, we are now also resurrected by His power to a new life.2 Lastly, the resurrection of our head, Christ, is a pledge to us of our glorious resurrection.3
1 Rom. 4:25; 1 Peter 1:3–4, 21 2 Rom. 6:4; Col. 3:1 3 Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 15:22–23
Q. 45. What does it mean that Christ “ascended into heaven”?
A. That Christ, while His disciples looked on, was taken up from the earth into heaven,1 and there He remains for our sake,2 until He comes again to judge the living and the dead.3
1 Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9 2 Rom. 8:34; Eph. 4:10; Col. 3:1; Heb. 4:14; 7:25; 9:11 3 Matt. 24:30; Acts 1:11
Q. 46. But isn’t Christ with us until the end of the world, as He promised?
A. Christ is truly God and truly man, so in His human nature He is not currently on earth;1 but in His divinity, majesty, grace, and Spirit He is never apart from us.2
1 Matt. 26:11; John 16:18; 17:11; Acts 3:21 2 Matt. 28:20; John 14:17; 16:13; Eph. 4:8
Q. 47. Does this mean the two natures in Christ are pulled apart, since it implies that His humanity isn’t everywhere His divinity is?
A. No. Since Christ’s divinity is incomprehensible and present everywhere,1 this means that His divinity is beyond the bounds of His human nature—and yet is present in His human nature and is personally united to it.2
1 Jer. 23:23–24; Acts 7:48–49; 17:27 2 Matt. 28:6; Col. 2:9
Q. 48. How does the ascension of Christ into heaven benefit us?
A. First, He makes intercession to His Father in heaven for us.1 Second, we have our own flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that Christ who is our head will lift us, His members, up to Himself.2 Third, He sends us His Spirit as a pledge between Him and us,3 so that by the Spirit’s powerful working we seek not earthly but heavenly things, where Christ Himself is seated at the right of God.5
1 Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1–2 2 John 14:2; 20:17; Eph. 2:6 3 John 14:16; 16:7; 2 Cor. 5:5; Eph. 1:13–14 4 Phil. 3:14; Col. 3:1 5 Eph. 1:20; Phil. 3:20
Q. 49. Why is it also said that He “sits at the right hand of God”?
A. Because Christ has ascended into heaven to show that He is the head of His church,1 by whom the Father governs all things.2
1 Eph. 1:20–23; 5:23; Col. 1:18 2 Matt. 28:18; John 5:22
Q. 50. What benefit is this glory of Christ, our head, to us?
A. First, that through His Holy Spirit He pours on us, His members, heavenly graces,1 and that He shields and defends us by His power against all our enemies.2
1 Eph. 4:16 2 Pss. 2:9; 110:2; John 10:28; Eph. 4:8
Q. 51. What comfort do you have by the coming of Christ again to “judge both the living and the dead”?
A. That in all my miseries and persecutions, I look with my head lifted up,1 for the same Christ who yielded Himself to the judgment of God for me, and took away all curses from me, will come as Judge from heaven to throw all His and my enemies into everlasting pains.2 He will also translate me with all His chosen to Himself, into heavenly joys and everlasting glory.3
1 Luke 21:28; Rom. 8:23; Phil. 3:20; Titus 2:13 2 Matt. 25:41; 2 Thess. 1:6–10 3 Matt. 25:34; 1 Thess. 4:16–18; Jude 24–25
God the Holy Spirit
Q. 52. What do you believe concerning the Holy Spirit?
A. First, that He is true and co-eternal God, existing alongside the eternal Father and the eternal Son.1 Second, that He is also given to me,2 to make me a partaker of Christ and all His benefits through true faith,3 to comfort me,4 and to abide with me forever.5
1 Gen. 1:2; Isa. 48:16; Matt. 28:19; Acts 5:3–4; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19 2 John 14:16 3 1 Cor. 6:17; 1 Peter 1:2; 4 4 Acts 9:31 5 John 14:16; 1 Peter 4:14
Q. 53. What do you believe concerning the “holy catholic church” of Christ?
A. I believe that the Son of God1—from the beginning to the end of the world2—gathers, defends, and preserves for Himself, by His Spirit and Word,3 out of all mankind,4 a people chosen to everlasting life5 who agree in true faith.6 I believe that I am a living member of that people7 and will remain so forever.8
1 Eph. 1:10–13 2 John 10:10; Rom. 3:25 3 Isa. 59:21; Matt. 16:18; Rom. 1:16; 10:14–17; Eph. 5:26 4 Gen. 26:4 5 Rom. 8:29–30 6 Matt. 16:16–18; Eph. 4:3–6 7 2 Cor. 13:5; 1 John 3:21 8 1 John 5:20
Q. 54. What do the words “the communion of saints” mean?
A. First, that believers one and all, as members of Christ the Lord, have communion with Him and share in all His treasures and gifts.1 Second, that everyone should readily and cheerfully bestow the gifts and graces which they have received to the common use and safety of all.2
1 Rom. 8:32; 1 Cor. 1:2; 6:17; 12:21; 1 John 1:3 2 1 Cor. 12:21; Phil. 2:4–6
Q. 55. What do you believe concerning “the forgiveness of sins”?
A. I believe that God, because of the satisfaction made by Christ,1 will not remember my sins2 or the sinful corruption within me, which I must fight all my life. Rather, He freely gives me the righteousness of Christ so that I do not come into judgment at any time.3
1 2 Cor. 5:19, 21; 1 John 2:2 2 Ps. 103:3–4; 10–12; Jer. 31:34; Rom. 7:24–25 3 John 3:18; Rom. 8:1–3
Q. 56. What comfort do you have by “the resurrection of the body”?
A. I take comfort knowing that my soul, after it departs from my body, will be taken up to Christ immediately.1 I also take comfort in knowing that my body will be resurrected by the power of Christ, be united to my soul once again, and be made like the glorious body of Christ.2
1 Luke 23:43; Phil. 1:23 2 Job 19:25–26; 1 Cor. 15:53; Phil. 3:21; 1 John 3:2
Q. 57. What comfort do you take from the phrase about “the life everlasting”?
A. I take comfort knowing that I already experience the beginning of everlasting life,1 and that after this life I will also enjoy full and perfect joy,2 when I will forever magnify God. This joy is a blessedness that surely no eye has seen, no ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined.3
1 2 Cor. 5:1–3 2 John 17:3; Jude 24–25 3 1 Cor. 2:9
Q. 58. What benefit is there to you when you believe all these things in the Apostles’ Creed?
A. That before God I am righteous in Christ, and that I am an heir of eternal life.1
1 John 3:36; Rom. 1:17; 3:22, 24, 25, 28; 5:1; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8–9
Q. 59. How are you righteous before God?
A. Only by faith in Christ Jesus. Although my conscience accuses me that I have grievously trespassed against all God’s commandments, and have not kept one of them,1 and that I am still prone to all evil,2 yet if I embrace these benefits of Christ with a true confidence and persuasion of mind,3 the full and perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ4—without any merit of my own5—is imputed and given to me7 from the mere mercy of God.6 He grants these to me as if I had never committed any sin, nor had ever been a sinner, but rather as if I myself had been perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me.8
1 Rom. 3:9 2 Rom. 7:23 3 John 3:18; Rom. 3:22 4 1 John 2:1 5 Rom. 3:24; Eph. 2:8–9; 1 John 2:2 6 Rom. 4:4–5; 2 Cor. 5:19 7 Titus 3:5 8 2 Cor. 5:21
Q. 60. Why do you affirm that you are made righteous by faith only?
A. I please God not because of the worthiness of my faith, but because the satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ alone is my righteousness before God,1 and I cannot take hold of it or apply it to myself any other way except by faith.2
1 1 Cor. 1:30; 2:2 2 1 John 5:10
Q. 61. Why can’t our good works be righteousness, or some part of righteousness, before God?
A. Because the only righteousness which can stand God’s judgment must be in every point perfect and compliant with the law of God.1 Even the best of our works are imperfect in this life and defiled with sin.2
1 Deut. 27:26; Gal. 3:10 2 Isa. 64:6
Q. 62. How is it that our good works merit nothing, since God promises that He will give a reward for them both in this life and in the life to come?
A. This reward is not given by merit, but as a gift of grace.1
1 Luke 17:10
Q. 63. But doesn’t this doctrine make people careless and ungodly?
A. No. Those who are grafted into Christ through faith will bear the fruits of thankfulness.1
1 Matt. 7:18; John 15:5
The Sacraments
Q. 64. Since faith alone makes us partakers of Christ and His benefits, where does this faith come from?
A. From the Holy Spirit,1 who kindles it in our hearts by the preaching of the gospel2 and other ordinances,3 and confirms it by the use of the sacraments.4
1 John 3:5; Eph. 2:8; 3:16–17; Phil.1:29 2 Rom. 10:17 3 Eph. 3:16–17; Heb. 4:16 4 1 Cor. 10:16; 1 Peter 3:21
Q. 65. What are the sacraments?
A. Sacraments are sacred signs and seals set before our eyes and instituted by God for this purpose: that He may declare and confirm the promise of His gospel to us. In this gospel He freely gives forgiveness of sins and everlasting life to everyone, individually, who believes in the sacrifice of Christ which He accomplished once for all on the cross.1
1 Matt. 28:19–20; 1 Cor. 10:16; Rom. 6:3–6; Heb. 10:10
Q. 66. Are both the Word and the sacraments intended to lead our faith to the sacrifice of Christ finished on the cross as the only ground of our salvation?
A. Yes. The Holy Spirit teaches us by the gospel, and assures us by the sacraments, that the salvation of all of us stands in the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ offered for us upon the cross.1
1 Rom. 6:3; 1 Cor. 11:23–26; Gal. 3:27
Q. 67. How many sacraments has Christ instituted in the New Testament?
A. Two. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Baptism
Q. 68. What is baptism?
A. Baptism is immersing or dipping a person in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, by those who are rightly qualified by Christ to baptize others.1
1 Matt. 3:16; 28:19–20; John 3:23; Acts 8:38–39; Rom. 6:4
Q. 69. Who are the proper subjects of this sacrament?
A. Those who profess repentance toward God, and faith in and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ.1
1 Acts 2:38; 8:36–37
Q. 70. Are infants to be baptized?
A. No, by no means, for we do not have a command for or an example of infant baptism in the entire Word of God.
Q. 71. Do the Scriptures anywhere expressly forbid the baptism of infants?
A. It is sufficient that God’s divine written revelation commands the baptizing of believers1—or else we make ourselves wiser than what is written. Nadab and Abihu were not forbidden to offer strange fire, yet for doing so they incurred God’s wrath because they were commanded to take fire from the altar.2
1 Matt. 28:18–19; Mark 16:16 2 Lev. 9:24; 10:1–3
Q. 72. May the infant children of believers under the gospel be baptized just as the infant children of Abraham under the law were circumcised?
A. No. Abraham had a command from God to circumcise his infant children, but believers have no command to baptize their infant children under the gospel.
1 Gen. 17:9–12
Q. 73. Since some say that infants of believers are in the covenant of grace with their parents, just as Abraham’s infant children were circumcised under the law, why may they not be baptized under the gospel?
A. By asserting that the infants of believers are in the covenant of grace, they must mean the covenant of grace (1) absolutely considered, and if so, then there is no total and final apostasy of any infant seed of believers from the covenant, and all must be saved.1
1 Jer. 32:38–40; John 10:28
Or (2) they must mean it conditionally, that when children come to years of maturity, by true faith, love, and holiness of life, taking hold of God’s covenant of grace, they shall have the privileges of it. If this is their meaning, then what spiritual privilege do the infant children of believers have more than the infant children of unbelievers, if they live also to years of maturity, and by true faith and love take hold of God’s covenant? Furthermore, would not the seal of the covenant belong as much to the children of unbelievers as to the children of believers? Yes, since the infant children of the unbeliever sometimes come to embrace God’s covenant, and the infant children of the believer do not, which is often seen to the sorrow of many godly parents.2
2 Isa. 56:3–8; John 3:16; Acts 10:34–35
(3) Suppose all the infant children of believers are absolutely in the covenant of grace; yet believers under the gospel ought no more to baptize their infant children than Lot was to circumcise himself or his infant children, if he had males as well as females—although he was related to Abraham, a believer, and in the covenant of grace— since circumcision was limited to Abraham and his immediate family. If the infant children of believers are absolutely in the covenant of grace, we may bring infants to the Lord’s Table because the same qualifications are required in the correct administration of baptism as for the Lord’s Supper.3
3 Acts 2:41–42
(4) The covenant made with Abraham had two parts: first, a spiritual component, which consisted in God’s promising to be a God to Abraham and all his spiritual seed4 who believed as Abraham the father of the faithful did,5 whether they were circumcised or uncircumcised. And this was signified in God’s accepting such as His people who were not of Abraham’s seed, but bought with his money, and this promise was sealed to Abraham by circumcision, that through Jesus Christ (whom Isaac typified) the Gentiles, the uncircumcision who believed,6 should have their faith counted as righteousness, as Abraham’s was before he was circumcised.7
4 Gen. 17:19, 21; 21:10; Gal. 4:30 5 Acts 2:39; Rom. 9:7–8 6 Gal. 3:16, 28–29 7 Rom. 4:9–14
Second, this promise consisted of a temporal component. Thus, God promised that Abraham’s seed would enjoy the land of Canaan, and have plenty of outward blessings,8 so He sealed this promise by circumcision.9 Circumcision also distinguished the Jews as being God’s people from all the nations of the Gentiles, which were not yet the seed of Abraham. But when the Gentiles came to believe and by faith became the people of God as well as the Jews, then circumcision, that distinguishing mark, ceased. The distinguishing mark of being the children of God is now faith in Christ and circumcision of the heart.10 Therefore, whatever claim there may be to baptize the infants of believers avails nothing, whether they are the children of believers, or they are in the covenant, or that the infant seed of Abraham, a believer, was circumcised. Circumcision was also limited to the family of Abraham—all others, though believers, are excluded. Circumcision was also limited to the eighth day, and whatever claim might be made, it was not to be done before or after. It was limited to males, so if baptism came in the place of circumcision and is the seal of the covenant under the gospel, as circumcision was under the law, only males may be baptized. Just as under the law circumcision had particular regulations, so it is under the gospel concerning baptism. These regulations concerning baptism depend purely upon the will of the Lawgiver, that Prophet to whom we would do well to listen.11 He determines to whom, when, and how baptism is to be administered.
8 Gen. 12:6–7; 13:15–17; 15:16, 18 9 Gen. 17:8–11 10 John 1:12; Rom. 2:28–29; Gal. 3:26–28; Phil. 3:3 11 Acts 3:22
Q. 74. How are you encouraged and assured in baptism that you are a partaker of the only sacrifice of Christ?
A. Because Christ commanded the outward washing of water,1 joining this promise to it: that just as I am washed outwardly from the filthiness of the body with water, I am also certainly washed by His blood and Spirit from all uncleanness of my soul, that is, from all my sins.2
1 Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38 2 Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:4; 16:16; Luke 3:3; Rom. 6:3
Q. 75. What does it mean to be washed with the blood and Spirit of Christ?
A. It is to freely receive from God forgiveness for our sins because of the blood of Christ which He shed for us in His sacrifice on the cross,1 and also to be renewed by the Holy Spirit, and through His sanctifying us to become members of Christ, so that we may more and more die to sin, and live holy and without blame.2
1 Ezek. 36:25; Zech. 13:1; Heb. 12:24; 1 Peter 1:2; Rev. 1:5 2 John 1:33; 3:5; Rom. 6:4; 1 Cor. 6:11; 12:13; Col. 2:12
Q. 76. Where does Christ promise us that He will just as certainly wash us with His blood and Spirit as we are washed with the water of baptism?
A. In the institution of baptism, which says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”1a This promise is repeated again when Scripture calls baptism the washing of the new birth2 and forgiveness of sins.3
a The original lists Mark 16:16 here.
1 Matt. 28:19 2 Titus 3:5 3 Acts 22:16
Q. 77. Is then the outward baptism in water the washing away of sins?
A. It is not.1 The blood of Christ alone cleanses us from all sin.2
1 Eph. 5:25–26; 1 Peter 3:21 2 1 Cor. 6:11; 1 John 1:7
Q. 78. Why then does the Holy Spirit call baptism the washing of the new birth and forgiveness of sins?
A. God speaks this way with great cause, not only to teach us that as the filth of our body is purged by water, so our sins are also purged by the blood and Spirit of Christ,1 but much more to assure us by this divine token and pledge that we are as surely washed from our sins with the inward washing as we are washed by the outward and visible water.2
1 1 Cor. 6:11; Rev. 1:5; 7:14 2 Mark 16:16; Gal. 3:27
Q. 79. What principle of Christ’s doctrine in the Holy Scripture follows baptism in order?
A. The laying on of hands.1
1 Heb. 6:1–2
Q. 80. What is the form and purpose of this ordinance?
A. Christ’s ministers laying their hands solemnly upon the head of the baptized, with prayer to Almighty God for an increase of the graces1 and gifts2 of the Holy Spirit, to enable us to hold fast the faith which we now visibly own, having entered into the church by holy baptism, and also be helped thereby to maintain a constant war against the world, flesh, and the devil.3
1 2 Tim. 1:6; Acts 2:38–39 2 John 14:16–18, 26; 16:7 3 Eph. 1:13–14
Q. 81. Is it the duty of every Christian to be under this practice?
A. Yes. It seems clear, if we first consider the practice of the New Testament saints. We read in Acts 8:12–19 that when the church in Jerusalem heard about the men and women who were baptized by Philip in Samaria, they sent Peter and John (two apostles) to them, who, when they arrived, laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.1 “What, them?” some may say. Were these they that were baptized which were men and women?
So likewise in Acts 19:6–7, when Paul came to Ephesus, he found certain disciples there who were baptized but had not heard whether there was any Holy Spirit, nor had knowledge of the promise of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Acts 1:4. So the apostle laid his hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit1. It is said the number of them was about twelve. Reason shows us from this text, and also in Acts 8 where Peter and John laid hands on men and women, that if there had been twenty times twelve, he would have laid his hands on them all, although it could be objected that we do not find the three thousand in Acts 2 under this ordinance, nor many others whom were baptized. As to the three thousand, it is plain enough they had been taught it, and no doubt did practice this ordinance, if we consider the apostle writing to the Jews in Hebrews 5, telling them they needed to be taught again the first principles of the oracles of God, one of which was laying on of hands.
As for others who were baptized, where this ordinance is not mentioned, we may also say many hundreds were baptized of whom we have no mention at all. Shall we conclude that many of the apostles were not baptized because it is not particularly mentioned? So we must conclude that the New Testament saints were not short in this point, although it was not always specified, for as much as it is called one of God’s oracles, as we all know the moral law was. That law is perpetually binding and universally obliging, and it was also called a principle of Christ’s doctrine,1 yes, one of the first principles. Not only that, but it is also called a foundation principle. This, with the other five, must be laid first in that foundation on which the superstructure of Christianity must be built. And would it not have been very unbefitting for the Jews—when God gave them Ten Commandments— to have excluded the fourth? Is it not also as unbefitting for any to exclude the fourth principle of laying on of hands, a practical principle of the doctrine of Christ and so practiced by the early Christians?
1 Heb. 1:2; Heb. 5:1–2; Acts 7:38
Q. 82. Did not the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit follow upon laying on of hands in the apostles’ time?
A. Yes, but not simply as the end of that ordinance, for that ordinance was appointed for the ordinary gifts of the Spirit until the end of the age; though it is true, God honored and crowned that ordinance with signs and wonders in the early days, as He did others of His appointment. For example, in Acts 4 the place was shaken as the effect of the church’s prayer. Preaching was also extraordinarily crowned when three thousand were converted with one sermon and in God’s giving the Holy Spirit to the house of Cornelius while Peter was preaching so that they spoke in tongues in Acts 10. God also crowned the holy ordinance of baptism extraordinarily when the Spirit came in the likeness of a dove and rested upon our Savior Christ as He came out of the water in Matthew 3, as a voice was heard from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”1 Also, the eunuch’s baptism was wonderfully confirmed to him in God’s taking away Philip as soon as he came up out of the water, so that he went away rejoicing.
Now, beloved, just as prayer, baptism, and preaching do not cease, though they are not as miraculously displayed as in the early days, neither does laying on of hands cease, applying the same logic, though it is not so crowned now as it was in the apostles’ days. Moreover, our brothers generally do hold that five of those principles in Hebrews 6 are the duty of every individual member to believe and practice, namely, every member—they say—ought to repent, believe, be baptized, and believe in the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. Why laying on of hands should be excluded from being the practice of every Christian—being a practical ordinance (the bare belief of it not being enough) among the universal principles of Christ’s doctrine—I never yet did, nor cannot see any good reason.
1 Matt. 3:17
The Lord’s Supper
Q. 83. How does the Lord’s Supper encourage and assure you that you are a partaker of that only sacrifice of Christ offered on the cross, and of all His benefits?
A. Because Christ has commanded me and all the faithful to eat of this bread broken and to drink of this cup distributed in remembrance of Him. With this He has joined the promise that His body was as certainly broken and offered for me upon the cross, and His blood shed for me, as I see with my eyes the bread of the Lord broken to me and the cup given to me. Furthermore, my soul is no less assuredly fed to everlasting life with His body, which was crucified for me, and His blood, which was shed for me, than I receive and taste by the mouth of my body the bread and wine, the signs of the body and blood of the Lord, received at the hand of the minister.1
1 Matt. 26:27–28; Mark 14:22–24; Luke 22:16, 20; 1 Cor. 10:16–17; 11:23–25; 12:13
Q. 84. What does it mean to eat the body of Christ?
A. It means to embrace, by an assured confidence of mind, the whole passion and death of Christ and by it obtain forgiveness of sins and everlasting life.1 It also means that by the Holy Spirit, who dwells both in Christ and us, we are more and more united to His sacred body.2 Although He is in heaven and we are on earth,3 we are nevertheless flesh of His flesh and bone of His bones.4 And as all the members of our body are made alive by one soul, so we are also made alive and governed by one Spirit.5
1 John 6:35, 40, 47, 48, 50, 51, 53, 54 2 John 6:56 3 Acts 1:9; 3:21; 1 Cor. 11:26 4 John 14:23; 1 Cor. 6:15, 17, 19; Eph. 5:29, 30, 32; 1 John 3:24; 4.13 5 John 6:56–58; 15:1–6; Eph. 4:15–16
Q. 85. Where has Christ promised that He will give His body and blood to be eaten and drunk as surely as they eat this bread broken and drink this cup?
A. In the institution of the Supper, the words of which are these: “The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”1
1 Matt. 26:26ff; Mark 14:22ff; Luke 22:19; 1 Cor. 11:23ff
This promise is repeated by Paul, where he says, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”2
2 1 Cor. 10:16–17
Q. 86. Are the bread and wine then made the actual body and blood of Christ?
A. No. Just as the water of baptism is not turned into the blood of Christ, but is only a sign and pledge of those things that are sealed to us in baptism, so too is the bread of the Lord’s Supper not the actual body of Christ—even though it is called the body of Christ in keeping with the nature and language of sacraments.1
1 Matt. 26:28; Mark 14:24; 1 Cor. 10:16–17
Q. 87. Why then does Christ call the bread His body and the cup His blood, or the new covenant in His blood, and Paul calls the bread and wine the communion of the body and blood of Christ?
A. Christ, with good reason, teaches these words. He teaches us that as the bread and wine sustain the life of the body, so also His crucified body and shed blood are indeed the food and drink of our souls, in which they are nourished to eternal life.1 More than that, by this visible sign and pledge, He assures us that we are as certainly partakers of His body and blood,2 through the working of the Holy Spirit, as we do receive by the mouth of our body these holy signs in remembrance of Him. He also assures us that His sufferings and obedience are as certainly ours, as though we ourselves had suffered punishments for our sins and had satisfied God.
1 John 6:51, 55, 56 2 1 Cor. 10:16–17
Q. 88. What difference is there between the Lord’s Supper and the Roman Catholic Mass?
A. The Lord’s Supper testifies to us that we have perfect forgiveness of all our sins, on account of the only sacrifice of Christ, which He once fully accomplished on the cross.1 It also testifies that we, by faith, are grafted into Christ,2 who now according to His human nature is only in heaven at the right hand of His Father,3 and there will be worshiped by us.4 But in the Mass the living and the dead only have forgiveness of sins by the only sacrifice of Christ if He is also daily offered for them by their priests’ sacrifices. Further, it is taught that Christ is bodily under the forms of bread and wine, and therefore is to be worshiped in them. So the very foundation of the Mass is nothing but an utter denial of the only sacrifice and suffering of Christ Jesus, and a condemnable idolatry.
1 Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:19–20; John 19:30; Heb. 7:27; 9:12, 26, 28; 10:10, 12, 14 2 1 Cor. 6:17; 10:16–17; 12:13 3 Luke 24:5; John 20:17; Acts 7:55–56; Phil. 3:20; Col. 3:1; 1 Thess. 1:9–10; Heb. 1:3 4 John 4:21–24; Heb. 1:6, 8
Q. 89. Who should come to the table of the Lord’s Supper?
A. Only those who are truly sorrowful that they have offended God by their sins, and yet trust that these sins are pardoned for Christ’s sake, and who believe that whatever other weaknesses remain are covered by His suffering and death, and also desire more and more to go forward in faith and integrity of life. But hypocrites, and those who do not truly repent, eat and drink judgment on themselves.1
1 1 Cor. 10:21–22; 11:27ff
Q. 90. Should those who declare themselves in confession and lifestyle to be unbelievers, profane, and ungodly be admitted to the Lord’s Supper?
A. No. This would profane the ordinance of God and stir up the wrath of God against the whole congregation.1 Therefore, the church, using the keys of the kingdom of heaven, by the commandment of Christ and His apostles, inspired by the Holy Spirit, ought to exclude them from the Lord’s Supper until they repent and reform their lives.
1 1 Cor. 11:20–22, 34; cf. Ps. 50:1ff; Isa. 1:11ff; 66:3; Jer. 7:21ff
Q. 91. How should this ordinance of the Lord’s Supper be concluded?
A. In singing praises to God vocally and audibly for His great benefits and blessings to His church in the shedding of the most precious blood of His Son to take away their sin, the blessings of which are pointed out in this sacrament. Also, we find our Lord and His disciples concluded this ordinance in singing a hymn or psalm.1 If Christ sang, who was going to die, how much more cause to sing have we for whom He died? He died so that we might not eternally die, but live a spiritual and eternal life with Father, Son, and Spirit in inexpressible glory.
1 Matt. 26:30
Q. 92. We stated that those who in confession and life declare themselves to be unbelievers, profane, and ungodly should by the keys of the kingdom of heaven be kept from the Lord’s Supper. What, then, are the keys of the kingdom of heaven?
A. The preaching of the gospel and church discipline, by which heaven is opened to the believers and is shut against the unbelievers.1
1 Matt. 16:19; 18:18
Q. 93. How is the kingdom of heaven opened and shut by the preaching of the gospel?
A. The kingdom of heaven is opened by the command of Christ when it is publicly declared to everyone who believes that all their sins are pardoned by God because of the merit of Christ, when they embrace the promise of the gospel with genuine faith. However, the kingdom of heaven is shut when it is announced to all unbelievers and hypocrites that as long as the wrath of God rests on them, they will perish in their wickedness. By the testimony of the gospel, God will judge them in this life and also in the life to come.1
1 Job 20:21–23; Matt. 16:19; John 12:48
Q. 94. How is the kingdom of heaven opened and shut by church discipline?
A. The kingdom of heaven is shut by the command of Christ to those who profess to be Christians, but who in their doctrine and life show themselves apart from Christ. This is because they will not depart from their errors, heresies, or wickedness, even after the church has admonished them. If they do not obey the church’s admonition, they are to be kept from the sacrament and removed from the congregation by authority received from Christ, and by God Himself shut out from the kingdom of heaven.1
1 Matt. 18:15–17; 1 Cor. 5:3–5; 2 Thess. 3:14–15
Yet the kingdom of heaven is opened if such people repent with a changed life, which is affirmed by careful examination of the church. These people are to be received again in love and tenderness as members of Christ and His church.2
2 2 Cor. 2:6–7, 10, 11
THE THIRD PART
Of Mans’ Thankfulness
Q. 95. Since we are delivered by the mercy of God from all our sins and miseries, without any merit of ours and only for Christ’s sake, why then are we to do good works?
A. First, because after Christ has redeemed us with His blood, He also renews us by His Spirit to the image of Himself, so that as we receive such great benefits we will show thankfulness to God and honor Him with all of our lives.1 Second, so that every one of us will be assured of our faith by our fruit.2 Third, that by our good testimony we may win others to Christ.3
1 Rom. 6:1–4; 12:1–2; 1 Cor. 6:20; 1 Peter 2:5, 9, 12 2 Matt. 7:17–18; Gal. 5:22; 2 Peter 1:10 3 Matt. 5:16; 1 Peter 3:1–2
Q. 96. Can those who are unthankful, careless in their sins, and not converted from their wickedness to God be saved?
A. By no means. For as the Scripture bears witness, neither sexually immoral persons, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor robbers, will enter into the kingdom of God.1
1 1 Cor. 6:9–10; Eph. 5:5–6; 1 John 3:14–15
Q. 97. What does conversion to God consist of?
A. It consists of the mortifyinga of the old man and the quickeningb of the new man.1
a dying
b being made alive
1 Rom. 6:4–6; 1 Cor. 5:7; 2 Cor. 7:11; Eph. 4:22–24; Col. 3:5–10
Q. 98. What is the mortifying of the old man?
A. To be truly and sincerely sorry that you have offended God by your sins, and to daily more and more hate them and avoid them.1
1 Joel 2:13; Rom. 8:13
Q. 99. What is the quickening of the new man?
A. True joy in God through Christ,1 and an earnest desire to order your life according to God’s will and to do all good works.2
1 Rom. 5:1; 14:17 2 Rom. 6:10–11; 12:1–2; Gal. 2:20
Q. 100. What are good works?
A. Good works are only those things done by a true faith,1 according to God’s law,2 and done only to His glory3—not those which are imagined by us as seeming to be right and good,4 or which are delivered and commanded by men.
1 Rom. 14:23 2 1 Sam. 15:22 3 1 Cor. 10:31 4 Eph. 2:10 5 Deut. 11:32; Isa. 29:13; Ezek. 20:18–19; Matt. 15:9
The Law of God
Q. 101. What is the law of God?
A. The Decalogue or Ten Commandments.1
1 Ex. 20; Deut. 5
Q. 102. How are these commandments divided?
A. Into two tables.1 The first, given in four commandments, tells us how we should behave toward God. The second, given in six commandments, tells us what duties we owe to our neighbors,.2
1 Ex. 34:28; Deut. 4:13; 10:3–4 2 Matt. 22:37–39
Q. 103. What is the preface to the Ten Commandments?
A. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”1
1 Ex. 20:2
Q. 104. What do we learn from the preface to the Ten Commandments?
A. Three things. First, He shows that the right of all rule belongs to God Himself, for He says, “I am the Lord.” Secondly, He says He is the God of His people, that through the promise of His abundant grace He might allure them to obey Him. Thirdly, when He says He “brought you out of the land of Egypt,” it is as though He is saying, “I am He who has manifested Myself to you and given all those blessings to you; therefore you are bound to show thankfulness and obedience to Me.”1
1 Ex. 20:2
Q. 105. Do these things belong to us?
A. They do, because they figuratively include and imply the blessings of the church and were a type of our wonderful deliverance achieved by Christ.
Q. 106. What is the first commandment?
A. “You shall have no other gods before me.”1
1 Ex. 20:3
Q. 107. What does God require in the first commandment?
A. God requires that just as I dearly cherish the salvation of my own soul, I should also shun and keep myself from all idolatry,1 sorcery,2 enchantments, superstitions, and praying to saints or any other creatures.3 I should rightly acknowledge the only and true God;4 trust in Him alone;5 submit and subject myself to Him with all humility6 and patience;7 look for all good things from Him alone;8 and, lastly, with all of the affection of my heart, love, revere, and worship Him,9 so that I am ready to renounce and forsake anything or anyone, rather than to commit the smallest thing that may be against His will.10
1 1 Cor. 6:9–10; 10:7, 14 2 Lev. 19:31; Deut. 18:11 3 Matt. 4:10; Rev. 19:10; 22:8–9 4 John 17:3 5 Jer. 17:5 6 1 Peter 5:5–6 7 Rom. 5:3–4; 1 Cor. 10:10; Phil. 2:14; Col. 1:11; Heb. 10:36 8 Isa. 45:7; James 1:17 9 Deut. 6:5; Ps. 10:4; Matt. 22:37 10 Deut. 6:2; Ps. 111:10; Matt. 4:20; 5:29; 10:37–38
Q. 108. What is idolatry?
A. Idolatry is putting anything in place of the one true God, who has shown Himself in His Word and works, or to make or imagine any other thing in which you place your hope and confidence.
1 John 5:23; Gal. 4:8; Phil. 3:19; Eph. 2:12; 5:5; 1 John 2:23
Q. 109. What is the second commandment?
A. “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, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”1
1 Ex. 20:4
Q. 110. What does the second commandment require?
A. That we should not express or represent God by any image or shape and figure,1 or worship Him in any other way than He has commanded in His Word to be worshiped.2
1 Deut. 4:15ff; Isa. 40:18ff; Acts 17:29; Rom. 1:23ff 2 Deut. 12:30ff; 1 Sam. 15:23; Matt. 15:9
Q. 111. May any images or resemblances of God be made at all?
A. God neither should be nor can be portrayed in any way. As for created things, although it is lawful to depict them, God nevertheless forbids their images to be made or possessed in order to worship or honor either them or God by them.1
1 Ex. 23:24; 34:13–14, 17; Num. 33:52; Deut. 7:5; 12:13; 16:22; 2 Kings 18:4
Q. 112. But may images be tolerated in churches, which may serve as learning tools for the common people?
A. No, for that would make us wiser than God, who will have His church to be taught by the lively preaching of His Word,1 and not with idols that cannot even talk.2
1 2 Tim. 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:19 2 Jer. 10:8ff; Hab. 2:18–19
Q. 113. What is the third commandment?
A. “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.”1
1 Ex. 20:7
Q. 114. What does God require in the third commandment?
A. We must not use His name blasphemously or irreverently, not only by cursing or false swearing,1 but also by unnecessary oaths.2 We must not be partakers of these horrible sins with others either by silence or consent. We must always use the sacred and holy name of God with great devotion and reverence,3 that He may be worshiped and honored by us with a true and steadfast confession and invocation of His name.4 This should be the case in all our words and actions.5
1 Lev. 19:12; 24:11ff 2 Matt. 5:37; James 5:12 3 1 Tim. 2:8 4 Matt. 10:32 5 Rom. 2:24; Col. 3:17; 1 Tim. 6:1
Q. 115. Is taking God’s name in vain by swearing or cursing so grievous a sin that God is also angry with those who do not forbid or hinder it with all their ability?
A. Surely it is most grievous.1 There is no sin greater or more offensive to God than the despising of His sacred name. This is why He even commanded this sin to be punished with death.2
1 Lev. 5:1 2 Lev. 24:15–16
Q. 116. May a man swear reverently by the name of God?
A. Yes, a man may swear when lawful magistrates or necessity requires it—by swearing in order to maintain and promote truth and trustworthiness for God’s glory and our neighbor’s good—for this kind of swearing is grounded in God’s Word,1 and therefore was rightly used by saints in both in the Old and New Testaments.2
1 Deut. 6:13; 10:20; Isa. 48:1; Heb. 6:16 2 Gen. 21:24, 31; Josh. 9:15, 19; 2 Sam. 3:35; 1 Kings 1:29; Rom. 1:9
Q. 117. Is it lawful to swear by “saints” or other creatures?
A. No. A lawful oath invokes the name of God, through which we desire that He, as the only searcher of hearts, bear witness to the truth and punish the swearer if he knowingly swears falsely.1 No mere creature deserves this honor.2
1 2 Cor. 1:23 2 Matt. 5:34–36; James 5:12
Q. 118. What is the fourth commandment?
A. “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. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner 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 on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”1
1 Ex. 20:8–10
Q. 119. What are we taught by the fourth commandment?
A. That one day in seven is to be kept for the worship of God. Under the Old Testament this was the last day of the week, but because of the gospel it has been changed to the first day of the week. The Lord’s Day is to be spent in private and public devotion, hearing the Word diligently, practicing the gospel sacraments zealously, doing deeds of charity with a good conscience, and resting from work—except for cases of necessity. This was the commendable practice of the apostles, who best knew the mind of Christ as to the time of worship. We do not find in all the New Testament that any gospel church in the apostles’ time set any other day apart solemnly to worship God but the first day. They were right to do this. For if Israel, the natural seed of Abraham, was to keep the seventh day to keep up the remembrance of their deliverance out of temporal bondage, how much more are we bound to keep the first day in remembrance of Christ’s deliverance of us from eternal bondage?1
1 Deut. 5:15; Ps. 40:9–10; Isa. 66:23; John 20:19–20; Acts 2:42, 46; 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:33; 14:16, 19, 29, 31; 16:1–2; 1 Tim. 2:1–3, 8–9; Rev. 1:10
Q. 120. What is the fifth commandment?
A. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”1
1 Ex. 20:12
Q. 121. What does God require of us in the fifth commandment?
A. That we show honor, love, and faithfulness to our parents and to all who have authority over us. We must submit ourselves with such obedience as is fitting to their faithful commandments and discipline.1 We should also be patient with their failings2—for by their hand God wills to rule us.3
1 Ex. 21:17; Prov. 1:8; 4:1; 15:20; 20:20; Rom. 13:1; Eph. 5:22; 6:1–2, 5; Col. 3:20, 22–24 2 Prov. 23:22; 1 Peter 2:18 3 Matt. 22:21; Rom. 13:1; Col. 3:18–25
Q. 122. What is the sixth commandment?
A. “You shall not murder.”1
1 Ex. 20:13
Q. 123. What does God require in the sixth commandment?
A. That in thought or gesture, or certainly in deed, I neither reproach, or hate, or harm, or kill my neighbor, either by myself or by another, and that I put away all desire of revenge.1 Furthermore, I must not hurt myself or knowingly cast myself into any danger.2 As a deterrent to murder, God has armed the magistrate with the sword.3
1 Matt. 5:21–22; 18:35; 26:52; Rom. 12:19; Eph. 4:26 2 Matt. 4:7; Rom. 13:14; Col. 2:23 3 Gen. 9:6; Ex. 21:14; Matt. 26:52; Rom. 13:4
Q. 124. Does this commandment forbid murder only?
A. No. In forbidding murder, God further teaches that He hates the root, namely, anger,1 envy,2 hatred,3 and desire for revenge, accounting them all as murder.4
1 Gal. 5:20–21; James 1:20 2 Rom. 1:29 3 1 John 2:9, 11 4 Matt. 5:21–22; 1 John 3:15
Q. 125. Does this commandment require only that we murder no one?
A. No. When God condemns anger, envy, and hatred, He requires that we love our neighbors as ourselves.1 We must use tenderness, courtesy, patience, and mercy towards them.2 We must also protect them from whatever may be hurtful to them, as much as we are able.3 Indeed, we must be so loving that we do not hesitate to do good even to our enemies.4
1 Matt. 7:12; 22:39 2 Matt. 5:5, 7; Luke 6:36; Rom. 12:10, 18; Gal. 6:1–2; Eph. 4:2 3 Ex. 23:5 4 Matt. 5:43–45; Rom. 12:20
Q. 126. What is the seventh commandment?
A. “You shall not commit adultery.”1
1 Ex. 20:14
Q. 127. What is the meaning of the seventh commandment?
A. That God hates and abominates all sexual vileness and filthiness.1 Therefore, we must hate and detest the same.2 This also means that we must live temperately, modestly, and chastely, whether we are married or single.3
1 Lev. 18 2 Jude 22–23 3 1 Cor. 7:1–5; 1 Thess. 4:3–4; Heb. 13:4
Q. 128. Does God forbid nothing else in this commandment but actual adultery and other external acts of sexual sin?
A. No. Since our bodies and souls are the temples of the Holy Spirit, God will have us keep both in purity and holiness.1 Therefore, deeds, gestures, words, thoughts, filthy lusts,2 and whatever entices us to these sins, are all forbidden.3
1 1 Cor. 6:18–20 2 Matt. 5:27–28 3 Job 31:1; Ps. 39:1; Eph. 5:18
Q. 129. What is the eighth commandment?
A. “You shall not steal.”1
1 Ex 20:15
Q. 130. What does God forbid in the eighth commandment?
A. God not only forbids thefts1 and robberies, which the civil government ought to punish, but also any evil tricks and schemes where we seek after the goods of others and attempt with force2 or with deceit to take them for ourselves. These include inaccurate measurements of weight, size, or volume, false advertisement, counterfeit money, excessive interest,3 or any other means of benefitting ourselves which God has forbidden.4 In addition, God forbids all covetousness and the squandering and abusing of God’s gifts.5
1 1 Cor. 6:10 2 Ezek. 45:9 3 Ps. 15:5; Luke 6:35 4 Deut. 25:13–15; Prov. 11:1; 16:11; 1 Cor. 5:10–13; 1 Thess. 4:6 5 Prov. 5:15; Luke 3:14
Q. 131. What does God require in this commandment?
A. That within my power, I do whatever I can for my neighbor’s good, and that I treat others how I want to be treated.1 I am required to work faithfully so that I may help others who are distressed with need or tragedy.2
1 Matt. 7:12 2 Eph. 4:28
Q. 132. What is the ninth commandment?
A. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”1
1 Ex. 20:16
Q. 133. What does the ninth commandment require?
A. That I do not bear false witness against anyone,1 falsify anyone’s words, gossip,2 harshly rebuke anyone, or rashly condemn anyone before I have heard them.3 I must carefully avoid and shun all kinds of lies and deceits, as these are the works of the devil,4 or else I will stir up the most grievous wrath of God.5 In court and other affairs, I must follow the truth, speak it freely, and constantly confess a matter as it actually is. Also, as much as it depends on me, I must defend and promote the good name and reputation of others.6
1 Prov. 19:5, 9; 21:28 2 Ps. 15:3; Rom. 1:29–30 3 Matt. 7:1; Luke 6:37 4 John 8:44 5 Prov. 12:22; 13:5 6 Eph. 4:24–25; 1 Peter 4:8
Q. 134. What is the tenth commandment?
A. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”1
1 Ex. 20:17
Q. 135. What does the tenth commandment forbid?
A. That our hearts be moved by the smallest desire or thought against any commandment of God. Instead, we must continually detest all sin and delight in all righteousness in our heart.1
1 Rom. 7:7
Q. 136. Can those who are converted to God observe and keep these commandments perfectly?
A. No. Even the holiest men, as long as they live, have only a small beginning of obedience.1 Yet they begin with a sincere and earnest desire, and endeavor to keep not just some, but all, the commandments of God.2
1 Eccl. 7:22; Rom. 7:14–15; James 2:10 2 Rom. 7:22
Q. 137. Why does God require His law to be preached so exactly and strictly, even though there is no one in this life able to keep it?
A. First, so that we increasingly acknowledge how greatly prone our nature is to sin and earnestly desire forgiveness and righteousness in Christ.1 Second, so that we may always do this, imploring and craving from the Father the grace of His Holy Spirit.2 It is by this grace that we may be renewed, day by day, to the image and likeness of God.3 Once we depart out of this life, we will attain to that joyful perfection which is promised to us.4
1 Rom. 7:24; 1 John 1:9 2 Ps. 22:5; Luke 11:13; Eph. 3:16 3 1 Cor. 9:24–27; Eph. 4:17–24; Phil. 3:12–14; Col. 3:5–14 4 Phil. 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2; Jude 24–25
Prayer
Q. 138. Why is prayer necessary for Christians?
A. Because it is the primary part of thankfulness which God requires of us, and also because God gives His grace and Holy Spirit to those who with sincere groanings ask them continually of Him, and give Him thanks for them.1
1 Ps. 50:15; Matt. 7:7–8; Luke 11:9–13
Q. 139. What is required for our prayers to please God and be heard by Him?
A. That we ask the only true God, who has manifested Himself in His Word,1 all things which He has commanded to be asked of Him.2 This is to be done with a true affection and desire of our heart.3 We are also, through an inward feeling of our need and misery, to cast ourselves humbly before the presence of His divine majesty.4 We are to build ourselves on the sure foundation that we, though unworthy, for Christ’s sake are certainly heard by God,5 even as He has promised us in His Word.6
1 John 4:22–24 2 Rom. 8:26; 1 John 5:14 3 Ps. 145:18 4 Ps. 2:11; 34:19; Isa. 66:2 5 Ps. 143:1; Rom. 8:15–16; 10:13–17; James 1:6ff 6 Dan. 9:17–19; John 14:13; 15:16; 16:23
Q. 140. What are those things which God commands us to ask of Him?
A. All things that are necessary for both soul and body, which our Lord Jesus Christ has comprised in the prayer He taught us.1
1 Matt. 6:9–13; James 1:17
Q. 141. What prayer is that?
A. “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. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen..”1
1 Matt. 6:9–13. The final sentence is not included in the ESV.
Q. 142. Are Christians tied to this exact form of prayer?
A. We are not. Our Lord here delivers to His church a brief summary of those things which we are to ask of God. Christ will have us also to ask for special things or specific benefits. The form prescribed is nothing but a set of headings or general categories, in which all benefits, both bodily and spiritual, are implied. All specifics of prayer must agree and correspond with this general form, yet we are not tied to this form, as James 1:5 shows us, where the apostle exhorts the saints that if anyone lacks wisdom they should ask of God who gives to all generously. Though these words are not in the form of prayer particularly expressed in the Lord’s prayer, they are implied. Besides, we have examples of prayer in both the Old and New Testament that are not in this form, though all they asked was encompassed in this prayer. Therefore, the form of prayer delivered to us by Christ does not need to be copied.
Q. 143. Why does Christ teach us to call God “our Father”?
A. So that Christ might stir up in us a reverence and confidence in God that is proper for the children of God. This must be the ground and foundation of our prayer—that God through Christ is made our Father and will not deny us anything when we ask Him with a true faith, just as our earthly parents do not deny us earthly things.1
1 Matt. 7:9–11; Luke 11:11–13
Q. 144. Why are the words “in heaven” added?
A. So that we do not have improper or earthly thoughts of God’s heavenly majesty, and so that we look for and expect from His omnipotence whatever things are necessary for our soul and body.1
1 Jer. 23:24; Acts 17:24–27; Rom. 10:12
Q. 145. What is the first petition?
A. “Hallowed be your name.” In this we are asking, first, that You would grant us to know You rightly1 and to worship, praise, and magnify Your omnipotence, goodness, justice, mercy, and truth, which shine in all Your works.2 Also, we are asking You to direct our whole life, thoughts, words, and works to the end that Your most holy name would be not disgraced by us, but rather renowned with honor and praises.3
1 Ps. 119:105; Jer. 9:23–24; 31:33–34; Matt. 16:17; John 17:3; James 1:5 2 Ex. 34:5–7; Ps. 119:137–138; 143:1–2, 5, 10–12; 145:8–9, 17; Jer. 31:3; 32:18–19, 40–41; 33:11, 20–21; Matt. 19:17; Luke 1:45–55, 68–79; Rom. 3:3–4; 11:22–23; 2 Tim. 2:19 3 Ps. 115:1; 71:8
Q. 146. What is the second petition?
A. “Your kingdom come.” In this we are asking that You would rule us by Your Word and Spirit, that we may humble and submit ourselves more and more to You.1 Also, we ask that You would preserve and increase Your church2 and destroy the works of the devil,3 including any power that lifts up itself against Your majesty. Make all those councils frustrated and void which are taken against Your word, until finally You reign fully and perfectly,4 when You shall be all in all.5
1 Ps. 119:5; 143:10; Matt. 6:33 2 Ps. 51:18; 122:6–7 3 Rom. 16:20; 1 John 3:8 4 Rom. 8:22–23; Rev. 22:17, 20 5 1 Cor. 15:28
Q. 147. What is the third petition?
A. “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We are asking that You grant that, by renouncing and forsaking our own will,1 we may quickly and without any reluctance2 obey Your most holy will. We pray this so that every one of us may faithfully perform that duty and charge which You have entrusted to us,3 even as the blessed angels do in heaven.4
1 Matt. 16:24; Titus 2:12 2 Luke 22:42 3 1 Cor. 7:24 4 Ps. 103:20–21
Q. 148. What is the fourth petition?
A. “Give us this day our daily bread.” We ask that You give to us everything that is needed for this life, so that by these things we may acknowledge and confess You to be the only fountain from which all good things flow.1 We also confess that all our care and work, and even Your own gifts, are unfavorable and harmful to us unless You bless them.2 Grant that by turning our trust away from any creature, we place and rest our trust in You alone.3
1 Ps. 10:4; 145:15–16; Matt. 6:25–34 2 Acts 14:16–17 3 Deut. 8:3; Ps. 27:13; 62:11
Q. 149. Which is the fifth petition?
A. “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” On the basis of the blood of Christ, do not impute to us, most miserable and wretched sinners, any of our offenses or the corruption which still clings to us.1 By the testimony of Your grace in our hearts, we sincerely purpose to pardon and forgive all those who have offended us.2
1 Ps. 32:1–2; 143:2 2 Matt. 6:14
Q. 150. What is the sixth petition?
A. “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” We are so feeble and weak by nature1 that we cannot stand even one moment without our most deadly enemies—Satan,2 the world,3 and our own flesh4—incessantly attacking and assaulting us. Therefore, we pray that You would uphold, establish, and strengthen us by the might of Your Spirit, that we may not yield in this spiritual combat as conquered, but withstand our enemies both courageously and consistently,5 until we get the full and perfect victory.6
1 Ps. 103:14; John 15:5 2 Eph. 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8 3 John 15:19 4 Rom. 7:23; Gal. 5:17 5 Matt. 26:41; Mark 13:33 6 1 Thess. 3:13; 5:23
Q. 151. How do you conclude this prayer?
A. “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever.” We ask and crave all these things of You because You are our King and are almighty. Therefore, You are both willing and able to give them to us.1 We ask these things so that not to us, but to You alone, will all glory be given.2
1 Rom. 8:32; 10:11–12; 2 Peter 2:9 2 Ps. 115:1; Jer. 33:8–9
Q. 152. What does the final word, “Amen,” mean?
A. This means that the thing is sure and should not be doubted— because my prayer is much more certainly heard by God than I even desire in my heart.1 2 Cor. 1:20; 2 Tim. 2:13
An Orthodox Catechism in Modern English (© 2026), Edited by Dustin Battles and Alex Lancaster is based on the 2014 update by Michael Haykin and Stephen Weaver. Thank you to Broken Wharfe for granting permission (brokenwharfe.com).
