THE BEATITUDES
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
The Scriptures
- What has God given men in order to teach them how to glorify and enjoy Him?
God gave men the Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, in order to teach them how to glorify and enjoy Him.
- What do the Scriptures primarily teach us?
The Scriptures teach what man should believe about God and the salvation that is in Jesus Christ; they also teach us what God requires of man.
- How are the Scriptures used for the salvation of sinners?
The Spirit of God uses the reading, and especially the preaching of God’s Word, to convict sinners of their sin, lead them to repentance and give them wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ.
- How are the Scriptures used for the sanctification of believers?
The Scriptures teach believers what God has done for them in Jesus Christ and what He has promised to do in them through the Holy Spirit so that they might know and trust in the sanctifying grace of God.
- How else are the Scriptures used for the sanctification of believers?
The Scriptures warn believers about the dangers of sin and teach them what God has commanded them through Jesus Christ; they also instruct believers how to walk in those commands by the sanctifying grace of God’s Spirit.
- How should we read the Scriptures so that they will be useful to us?
We must diligently read God’s Word with a prayerful and attentive heart; we must receive it with faith and love, lay it up in our hearts, and practice it in our lives.
The Law of Christ
- Upon what kind of people does Christ pronounce a blessing?
Christ blesses those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, peacemakers and those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.
- What is the summary of the Law of Christ?
The Law of Christ is summed up in two commands: we are commanded to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love others, including our enemies, as much as we love ourselves.
- How do we show love for God?
We show our love for God by worshipping Him alone, entrusting ourselves fully to Him, obeying Him in all things, serving Him with a pure and fervent heart, and rejoicing in His goodness and glory.
- How do we show love for others?
We love others by doing good to them, praying for them, forgiving them and blessing them.
- How else do we show love for others?
We love others by obeying God’s commands; we do not commit adultery in thought or deed, we do not entertain hatred in our hearts or take vengeance on those who do evil to us, we do not steal or covet, we do not lie but speak the truth and we do not take advantage of others but serve them in humility.
- What other general command did Christ give to us besides the commands to love God and others?
Christ also commanded us to love other Christians in the same way that He loves us.
- How do we show love to other Christians?
We show love to other Christians by bearing their burdens with them, weeping with those that weep, rejoicing with those that rejoice, guarding the unity of the saints through humility, patience and forgiveness, building them up in the faith by speaking the truth in love and sharing with those that are in need.
- How do we walk on the road that leads to life?
We walk on the road of holiness which leads to life by obeying the commands of Jesus Christ; by the leading of the Holy Spirit we walk in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
- How does one walk on the road that leads to destruction?
Someone walks on the road that leads to destruction by living in disobedience to the commands of Jesus Christ; they refuse to put to death the misdeeds of the flesh, instead they walk in sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar to these.
- What will Christ say on the Last Day to those who walked in the narrow way of His commands?
On the Last Day Christ will tell those who walked in His narrow way, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!”
- What will Christ say on the Last Day to those who walked in the wide way of rebellion?
He will announce to them, “I never knew you, depart from me, you lawbreakers!”
The Lord’s Prayer
- What is prayer?
Prayer is presenting our desires to God, for things that are in accordance with His will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of His mercies.
- What standard has God given for directing us in prayer?
The whole Word of God is useful for directing us in prayer; but the special standard for directing us in prayer is the form of prayer which Christ taught His disciples, commonly called the Lord’s Prayer.
- What does the preface of the Lord’s Prayer teach us?
The preface of the Lord’s Prayer, which is, “Our Father which is in heaven,” teaches us to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us; and that we should pray with and for others.
- What do we pray for in the first petition?
In the first petition, which is, “Your name be honored as holy,” we pray that God would enable us, and others, to glorify Him through our lives; and that He would cause all things to glorify Himself.
- What do we pray in the second petition?
In the second petition, which is, “Your kingdom come,” we pray that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed throughout the earth; and that the hearts of all men would submit to, and confess, the lordship of Jesus Christ, either through conversion by the gracious persuasion of God’s Spirit, or by divine force at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
- What do we pray for in the third petition?
In the third petition, which is, “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 and obey His will in all things just as the angels in heaven do.
- What do we pray in the fourth petition?
In the fourth petition, which is, “Give us this day our daily bread,” we pray that by God’s grace He may give us all the things we need for our daily life in this world.
- What do we pray in the fifth petition?
In the fifth petition, which is, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” we pray that God, for Christ’s sake, would pardon all of our sins; we are encouraged to ask this because by His grace we have been enabled to forgive others from our hearts.
- What do we pray for in the sixth petition?
In the sixth petition, which is, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one,” we pray that God would either keep us from being tempted to sin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted.
- What does the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer teach us?
The conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer, which is, “For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen,” teaches us that since God is sovereign and powerful, and we have prayed all these things for His glory, we can be confident He will answer our prayers; and it also reminds us that we should worship Him because He is over all things.
The Sacraments
- What is a sacrament?
A sacrament is a ceremony established by Christ, through which Christ and the benefits of the New Covenant are represented, sealed, and applied to believers by visible signs.
- What are the sacraments of the New Covenant?
The sacraments of the New Covenant are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
- What is Baptism?
Baptism is a sacrament that signifies and seals our union with Christ, our partaking of the covenant of grace, and our commitment to follow the Lord.
- How does Baptism signify our union with Christ, with the covenant of grace and our commitment to Him?
In Baptism a person is immersed in water signifying that He has been buried with Christ and has died to sin, and then he comes up out of the water signifying that He has been risen with Christ to live a new and holy life for God.
- Who can partake of the sacrament of Baptism?
Baptism is not permitted to anyone until they repent of their sins and profess their faith in Christ.
- What is the Lord’s Supper?
The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament by which the Lord’s sacrificial and atoning death for His Church is signified through the giving and receiving of bread and wine.
- How does the Lord’s Supper signify the sacrificial and atoning death of Christ?
In the Lord’s Supper the bread is broken signifying the body of Christ that was broken for us on the cross, and the wine signifies the blood of Christ that was shed for the forgiveness of our sins.
- What does the eating of the bread and the drinking of the wine in the Lord’s Supper signify?
Through the eating of the bread and drinking of the wine in the Lord’s Supper Christians signify that they receive by faith the atoning work of Christ on their behalf, and they signify their commitment to take up their cross daily and follow Him.
- How should believers partake in the Lord’s Supper?
Believers should examine themselves to make sure they are taking the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner; they must make sure they are not consciously living in habitual sin, and they must make sure they are eating and drinking in faith, trusting in the atoning sacrifice of Christ.
- Who can partake of the Lord’s Supper?
Only those who have repented of their sins, trusted in Christ, been baptized, and are in good standing with the Church can share in the Lord’s Supper.
- If the believer partakes of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner what will be the result?
If the believer partakes of the Lord’s Supper in unbelief or while living in conscious habitual sin, they will eat and drink judgment to themselves.
The Lord’s Day
- On which day do Christians weekly celebrate their redemption?
Believers rejoice in their redemption through Christ on a daily basis, but they set aside the first day of the week, Sunday, as a special day of celebration; this is called the Lord’s Day.
- Why did God command the nation of Israel to celebrate the seventh day of the week under the Old Covenant?
God commanded the nation of Israel to celebrate on the seventh day of the week to remind them that He created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day.
- How did the nation Israel under the Old Covenant celebrate the seventh day of the week?
The nation of Israel commemorated the creation of the world, and God as the Creator, on the seventh day of the week by resting from all their labors as God had done on the seventh day of creation.
- Why do Christians celebrate on the first day of the week?
Christians celebrate their redemption on the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day, in order to commemorate the resurrection of Christ which took place on that day.
- What does celebrating on the first day of the week signify?
Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week, and by so doing redeemed the old creation which had fallen in Adam; by celebrating on the first day of the week Christians commemorate the beginning of the new creation and God as the Redeemer.
- How do Christians celebrate the Lord’s Day?
Christians celebrate the Lord’s Day by gathering together for corporate worship; they praise God, pray together, listen to the preaching and public reading of God’s word, and they share the Lord’s Supper.
- How else do Christians celebrate the Lord’s Day?
Besides corporate worship, Christians also set aside the Lord’s Day for family worship and personal devotion.
The Great Commission
- What commission has Jesus Christ given to His Church?
Jesus Christ commanded His Church to proclaim the Gospel to everyone and to make disciples everywhere.
- What is the Gospel?
The Gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ was crucified for the sins of the world, died, and rose again on the third day, and that anyone who repents of their sins and trusts in Christ will be forgiven of their sins and receive the gift of eternal life.
- In what way does Christ instruct His Church to make disciples?
Christ instructs His people to make disciples by baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that Christ has commanded.
- How can the Church fulfill this commission?
The Church can fulfill this commission through the power of the Holy Spirit, knowing that Christ goes with them, and that He has all authority in heaven and on earth.
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