The Study Catechism: Full Version
Approved by the 210th General Assembly (1998) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Question 1. What is God's purpose for your life?
God wills that I should live by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the love of God, and
in the communion of the Holy Spirit.
Question 2. How do you live by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ?
I am not my own. I have been bought with a price. The Lord Jesus Christ loved me and
gave himself for me. I entrust myself completely to his care, giving thanks each day for
his wonderful goodness.
Question 3. How do you live for the love of God?
I love because God first loved me. God loves me in Christ with a love that never ends.
Amazed by grace, I no longer live for myself. I live for the Lord who died and rose again,
triumphant over death, for my sake. Therefore, I take those around me to heart, especially
those in particular need, knowing that Christ died for them no less than for me.
Question 4. How do you live in the communion of the Holy Spirit?
By the Holy Spirit, I am made one with the Lord Jesus Christ. I am baptized into Christ's
body, the church, along with all others who confess him by faith. As a member of this
community, I trust in God's Word, share in the Lord's Supper, and turn to God constantly
in prayer. As I grow in grace and knowledge, I am led to do the good works that God
intends for my life.
I. The Apostles' Creed
Question 5. What does a Christian believe?
All that is promised in the gospel. A summary is found in the Apostles' Creed, which
affirms the main content of the Christian faith.
Question 6. What is the first article of the Apostles' Creed?
"I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth."
Question 7. What do you believe when you confess your faith in "God the Father
Almighty"?
That God is a God of love, and that God's love is powerful beyond measure.
Question 8. How do you understand the love and power of God?
Through Jesus Christ. In his life of compassion, his death on the cross, and his
resurrection from the dead, I see how vast is God's love for the world — a love that is
ready to suffer for our sakes, yet so strong that nothing will prevail against it.
,Question 9. What comfort do you receive from this truth?
This powerful and loving God is the one whose promises I may trust in all the
circumstances of my life, and to whom I belong in life and in death.
Question 10. Do you make this confession only as an individual?
No. With the apostles, prophets and martyrs, with all those through the ages who have
loved the Lord Jesus Christ, and with all who strive to serve him on earth here and now, I
confess my faith in the God of loving power and powerful love.
Question 11. When the creed speaks of "God the Father," does it mean that God is
male?
No. Only creatures having bodies can be either male or female. But God has no body,
since by nature God is Spirit. Holy Scripture reveals God as a living God beyond all
sexual distinctions. Scripture uses diverse images for God, female as well as male. We
read, for example, that God will no more forget us than a woman can forget her nursing
child (Is. 49:15). "'As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you,' says the Lord"
(Is. 66:13).
Question 12. Why then does the creed speak of God the Father?
First, because God is identified in the New Testament as the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Second, because Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of this Father. Third, because
when we are joined to Christ through faith, we are adopted as sons and daughters into the
relationship he enjoys with his Father.
Question 13. When you confess the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, are
you elevating men over women and endorsing male domination?
No. Human power and authority are trustworthy only as they reflect God's mercy and
kindness, not abusive patterns of domination. As Jesus taught his disciples, "The greatest
among you will be your servant" (Matt. 23:11). God the Father sets the standard by which
all misuses of power are exposed and condemned. "Call no one your father on earth," said
Jesus, "for you have one Father — the one in heaven" (Matt. 23:9). In fact God calls
women and men to all ministries of the church.
Question 14. If God's love is powerful beyond measure, why is there so much evil in
the world?
No one can say why, for evil is a terrible abyss beyond all rational explanation. Its
ultimate origin is obscure. Its enormity perplexes us. Nevertheless, we boldly affirm that
God's triumph over evil is certain. In Jesus Christ God suffers with us, knowing all our
sorrows. In raising him from the dead, God gives new hope to the world. Our Lord Jesus
Christ, crucified and risen, is himself God's promise that suffering will come to an end,
that death shall be no more, and that all things will be made new.
, Question 15. What do you believe when you say that God is "Maker of heaven and
earth"?
First, that God called heaven and earth, with all that is in them, into being out of nothing
simply by the power of God's Word. Second, that by that same power all things are
upheld and governed in perfect wisdom, according to God's eternal purpose.
Question 16. What does it mean to say that we human beings are created in the
image of God?
That God created us to live together in love and freedom — with God, with one another,
and with the world. Our distinctive capacities — reason, imagination, volition and so on
— are given primarily for this purpose. We are created to be loving companions of others
so that something of God's goodness may be reflected in our lives.
Question 17. What does our creation in God's image reflect about God's reality?
Our being created in and for relationship is a reflection of the Holy Trinity. In the
mystery of the one God, the three divine persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — live
in, with and for one another eternally in perfect love and freedom.
Question 18. What does our creation in God's image reflect about God's love for us?
We are created to live wholeheartedly for God. When we honor our Creator as the source
of all good things, we are like mirrors reflecting back the great beam of love that God
shines on us. We are also created to honor God by showing love toward other human
beings.
Question 19. As creatures made in God's image, what responsibility do we have for
the earth?
God commands us to care for the earth in ways that reflect God's loving care for us. We
are responsible for ensuring that earth's gifts be used fairly and wisely, that no creature
suffers from the abuse of what we are given, and that future generations may continue to
enjoy the abundance and goodness of the earth in praise to God.
Question 20. Was the image of God lost when we turned from God by falling into
sin?
Yes and no. Sin means that all our relations with others have become distorted and
confused. Although we did not cease to be with God, our fellow human beings, and other
creatures, we did cease to be for them; and although we did not lose our distinctive
human capacities completely, we did lose the ability to use them rightly, especially in
relation to God. Having ruined our connection with God by disobeying God's will, we are
persons with hearts curved in upon ourselves. We have become slaves to the sin of which
we are guilty, helpless to save ourselves, and are free, so far as freedom remains, only
within the bounds of sin.
Question 21. What does it mean to say that Jesus Christ is the image of God?
Approved by the 210th General Assembly (1998) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Question 1. What is God's purpose for your life?
God wills that I should live by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the love of God, and
in the communion of the Holy Spirit.
Question 2. How do you live by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ?
I am not my own. I have been bought with a price. The Lord Jesus Christ loved me and
gave himself for me. I entrust myself completely to his care, giving thanks each day for
his wonderful goodness.
Question 3. How do you live for the love of God?
I love because God first loved me. God loves me in Christ with a love that never ends.
Amazed by grace, I no longer live for myself. I live for the Lord who died and rose again,
triumphant over death, for my sake. Therefore, I take those around me to heart, especially
those in particular need, knowing that Christ died for them no less than for me.
Question 4. How do you live in the communion of the Holy Spirit?
By the Holy Spirit, I am made one with the Lord Jesus Christ. I am baptized into Christ's
body, the church, along with all others who confess him by faith. As a member of this
community, I trust in God's Word, share in the Lord's Supper, and turn to God constantly
in prayer. As I grow in grace and knowledge, I am led to do the good works that God
intends for my life.
I. The Apostles' Creed
Question 5. What does a Christian believe?
All that is promised in the gospel. A summary is found in the Apostles' Creed, which
affirms the main content of the Christian faith.
Question 6. What is the first article of the Apostles' Creed?
"I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth."
Question 7. What do you believe when you confess your faith in "God the Father
Almighty"?
That God is a God of love, and that God's love is powerful beyond measure.
Question 8. How do you understand the love and power of God?
Through Jesus Christ. In his life of compassion, his death on the cross, and his
resurrection from the dead, I see how vast is God's love for the world — a love that is
ready to suffer for our sakes, yet so strong that nothing will prevail against it.
,Question 9. What comfort do you receive from this truth?
This powerful and loving God is the one whose promises I may trust in all the
circumstances of my life, and to whom I belong in life and in death.
Question 10. Do you make this confession only as an individual?
No. With the apostles, prophets and martyrs, with all those through the ages who have
loved the Lord Jesus Christ, and with all who strive to serve him on earth here and now, I
confess my faith in the God of loving power and powerful love.
Question 11. When the creed speaks of "God the Father," does it mean that God is
male?
No. Only creatures having bodies can be either male or female. But God has no body,
since by nature God is Spirit. Holy Scripture reveals God as a living God beyond all
sexual distinctions. Scripture uses diverse images for God, female as well as male. We
read, for example, that God will no more forget us than a woman can forget her nursing
child (Is. 49:15). "'As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you,' says the Lord"
(Is. 66:13).
Question 12. Why then does the creed speak of God the Father?
First, because God is identified in the New Testament as the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Second, because Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of this Father. Third, because
when we are joined to Christ through faith, we are adopted as sons and daughters into the
relationship he enjoys with his Father.
Question 13. When you confess the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, are
you elevating men over women and endorsing male domination?
No. Human power and authority are trustworthy only as they reflect God's mercy and
kindness, not abusive patterns of domination. As Jesus taught his disciples, "The greatest
among you will be your servant" (Matt. 23:11). God the Father sets the standard by which
all misuses of power are exposed and condemned. "Call no one your father on earth," said
Jesus, "for you have one Father — the one in heaven" (Matt. 23:9). In fact God calls
women and men to all ministries of the church.
Question 14. If God's love is powerful beyond measure, why is there so much evil in
the world?
No one can say why, for evil is a terrible abyss beyond all rational explanation. Its
ultimate origin is obscure. Its enormity perplexes us. Nevertheless, we boldly affirm that
God's triumph over evil is certain. In Jesus Christ God suffers with us, knowing all our
sorrows. In raising him from the dead, God gives new hope to the world. Our Lord Jesus
Christ, crucified and risen, is himself God's promise that suffering will come to an end,
that death shall be no more, and that all things will be made new.
, Question 15. What do you believe when you say that God is "Maker of heaven and
earth"?
First, that God called heaven and earth, with all that is in them, into being out of nothing
simply by the power of God's Word. Second, that by that same power all things are
upheld and governed in perfect wisdom, according to God's eternal purpose.
Question 16. What does it mean to say that we human beings are created in the
image of God?
That God created us to live together in love and freedom — with God, with one another,
and with the world. Our distinctive capacities — reason, imagination, volition and so on
— are given primarily for this purpose. We are created to be loving companions of others
so that something of God's goodness may be reflected in our lives.
Question 17. What does our creation in God's image reflect about God's reality?
Our being created in and for relationship is a reflection of the Holy Trinity. In the
mystery of the one God, the three divine persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — live
in, with and for one another eternally in perfect love and freedom.
Question 18. What does our creation in God's image reflect about God's love for us?
We are created to live wholeheartedly for God. When we honor our Creator as the source
of all good things, we are like mirrors reflecting back the great beam of love that God
shines on us. We are also created to honor God by showing love toward other human
beings.
Question 19. As creatures made in God's image, what responsibility do we have for
the earth?
God commands us to care for the earth in ways that reflect God's loving care for us. We
are responsible for ensuring that earth's gifts be used fairly and wisely, that no creature
suffers from the abuse of what we are given, and that future generations may continue to
enjoy the abundance and goodness of the earth in praise to God.
Question 20. Was the image of God lost when we turned from God by falling into
sin?
Yes and no. Sin means that all our relations with others have become distorted and
confused. Although we did not cease to be with God, our fellow human beings, and other
creatures, we did cease to be for them; and although we did not lose our distinctive
human capacities completely, we did lose the ability to use them rightly, especially in
relation to God. Having ruined our connection with God by disobeying God's will, we are
persons with hearts curved in upon ourselves. We have become slaves to the sin of which
we are guilty, helpless to save ourselves, and are free, so far as freedom remains, only
within the bounds of sin.
Question 21. What does it mean to say that Jesus Christ is the image of God?
