Catechisms
For centuries, catechisms have been used by Christian families to teach doctrine to children. While the children may not immediately understand everything they memorize, learning the catechism lays a foundation of doctrine that can be of great benefit to the child later in life. We offer several choices here, in varying levels of difficulty.
Q. Who was the first man?
A. Adam.
Q. Who was the first woman?
A. Eve.
Q. Who was the first murderer?
A. Cain.
Q. Who was the first martyr?
A. Abel.
Q. Who was the oldest man?
A. Methuselah.
Q. Who built the ark?
A. Noah.
Q. Who was the most faithful man?
A. Abraham.
Q. Who was the meekest man?
A. Moses.
Q. Who was the most patient man?
A. Job.
Q. Who wrestled with the angel of God?
A. Jacob.
Q. Who led Israel into Canaan?
A. Joshua.
Q. Who was the strongest man?
A. Sampson.
Q. Who killed Goliath?
A. David.
Q. Who was the wisest man?
A. Solomon.
Q. Who was cast into the lions' den?
A. Daniel.
Q. Who died to redeem mankind?
A. Jesus Christ.
Q. Who is Jesus Christ?
A. The Son of God.
Q. Who was the mother of Christ?
A. Mary.
Q. Who was the beloved disciple?
A. John.
Q. Who betrayed his Lord and Saviour?
A. Judas.
Q. Who denied his Master, Christ?
A. Peter.
Q. Who were struck dead for lying?
A. Ananias and Sapphira.
Q. Who was the first Christian martyr?
A. Stephen.
Q. Who was the chief apostle of the Gentiles?
A. Paul
Q. Can you tell me, child, who made you?
A. The great God who made heaven and earth.
Q. What doth God do for you?
A. He keeps me from harm by night and by day, and is always doing me good.
Q. And what must you do for this great God who is so good to you?
A. I must first learn to know him, and then do every thing to please him.
Q. Where doth God teach us to know and to love him?
A. In his holy word, which is the Bible.
Q. Have you learned to know who God is?
A. God is a Spirit; and though we cannot see him, yet he sees and knows all things, and he can do all things.
Q. What must you do to please God?
A. I must do my duty both towards God and towards man.
Q. What is your duty to God?
A. My duty to God is to fear and honor him, and to love and serve him, to pray to him, and to praise him.
Q. What is your duty to man?
A. My duty to man is, to obey my parents, to speak the truth always, and to be honest and kind to all.
Q. What good do you hope for, by seeking to please God?
A. Then I shall be a child of God, and have God for my Father and Friend forever.
Q. And what if you do not fear God, nor love him, nor seek to please him?
A. Then I shall be a wicked child, and the great God will be very angry with me.
Q. Why are you afraid of God's anger?
A. Because he can kill my body, and he can make my soul miserable after my body is dead.
Q. But have you never done any thing to make God angry with you already?
A. Yes; I fear I have too often sinned against God, and deserve his anger.
Q. What do you mean by sinning against God?
A. To sin against God is, to do any thing that God forbids me, or not to do what God commands me.
Q. And what must you do to be saved from the anger of God, which your sins have deserved?
A. I must be sorry for my sins; I must pray God for Christ's sake to forgive me, and help me to serve Him.
Q. Do you know who Jesus Christ is?
A. He is God's own Son, who came down from heaven to save us from our sins, and from God's anger. Christ's sake to forgive me, and help me to serve him.
Q. Will God forgive you if you pray for it?
A. He will forgive me if I trust in his mercy, because of what Jesus Christ has done, and what he has suffered.
Q. What has Christ done towards the saving of men?
A. He obeyed the law of God himself, and has taught us to obey it also.
Q. And what has Christ suffered in order to save men?
A. He died for sinners, who had broken the law of God, and had deserved to die themselves.
Q. Where is Jesus Christ now?
A. He is alive again, and gone to heaven, to provide a place there for all that serve God and love his Son Jesus.
Q. Can you by yourself love and serve God and Christ?
A. No; I cannot do it by myself, but God will help me by his own Spirit, if I ask him for it.
Q. Will Jesus Christ ever come again?
A. Christ will come again, and call me and all the world to account for what we have done.
Q. For what purpose is this account to be given?
A. That the children of God, as well as the wicked, may all receive according to their works.
Q. What must become of you if you are wicked?
A. If I am wicked I shall be sent down to everlasting fire in hell, among wicked and miserable creatures.
Q. And whither shall you go if you are a child of God?
A. If I am a child of God I shall be taken up to heaven, and dwell there with God and Christ for ever. Amen.
Q. Do you know who Jesus Christ is?
A. He is the almighty Son of God,
Although he took our flesh and blood.
Q. What did Christ suffer to save men?
A. Nailed to a cross, with anguish sore
The punishment of sin he bore.
Q. Was it not great love in Christ to die for such as you?
A. Indeed this was amazing love:
It ought the hardest heart to move.
Q. How can the death of Christ be made of use to us?
A. By faith we must to Jesus cleave,
And life and death from him receive.
Q. Can you of yourself bring your heart to love Christ and hate sin?
A. Alas, so hard my heart has been,
It loves not Christ, nor grieves for sin.
Q. How then can your heart be made to love Christ and forsake sin?
A. God, by his Spirit, can impart
A loving, meek, and holy heart.
Q. To whom does the Bible say this blessing will be given?
A. Through Jesus Christ, this gift of heaven,
To all who truly ask, is given.
Q. Where is Christ now?
A. In heaven he fills a glorious seat,
And angels bow beneath his feet.
Q. Will Christ ever come again?
A. One day the Lord will surely come;
The dead will live and hear their doom.
The Baptist Catechism set to Music Written and recorded by our friend, Jim Orrick · This two-cd set is available through Founders Press.