Calvary Baptist
Academy
Home of the Patriots

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1. Who is God?

 

God is the creator and sustainer of everything.  The Triune God is eternal, infinite, and unchangeable in his power, perfection, goodness, wisdom, justice, and truth.  He is merciful, gracious, patient, and love.  Nothing happens except through him and by his will. 
(Ps. 86:10, 15; Mal. 3:6; Col. 1:16-17; 1 John 4:7-12)

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2. What and why did God create?

 

God created all things for his glory.  He created us male and female in his own image to know him, love him, live with him, and glorify him. 
(Gen. 1:27, 31; Is. 43:7; Eph. 2:10)

 

3. What does the law of God require?

 

God commands us to love him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  What God forbids should never be done and what God commands should always be done.
(Matt. 22:37-40)

 

4. What is sin and who has sinned?

 

Sin is breaking God’s law and we all have sinned.  It is rejecting or ignoring God in the world he created, rebelling against him by living without reference to him resulting in our death and separation from him.  Since the fall of Adam and Eve, no mere human has been able to keep the law perfectly nor are able to keep God’s law.   
(Rom. 3:10, 23, 5:12, 18)

 

5. Why was it necessary for Jesus to die?

 

Since death is the penalty for sin, Jesus willingly died in our place to give us eternal life.  His death delivers those that believe in him from the power and penalty of sin and reconciles us to God.  By his substitutionary atoning death, he alone redeems us from hell and gains for us forgiveness of sins, imputes his righteousness to us, and gives us eternal life. 
(Rom. 6:23; 2 Cor. 5:21; Col. 1:19-20)

 

6. How can we be saved?

 

We are saved only by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ.  Jesus died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day to claim victory over sin and the grave.  Repentance and belief in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only hope for our salvation. 

(Eph. 2:8-9; 1 Cor. 15:3-4, 54-57)

 

7. What happens after death to those not united to Christ by faith?

 

Those that are not united with Christ will be separated from God for all eternity.  This fearful but just sentence of condemnation pronounced against them will cause them to be cast out from the presence of God into hell, a place of eternal punishment for sins.

(John 3:18; Rev. 20:15)

 

8. What do justification and sanctification mean?

 

Justification means that we have been made righteous before God.  Sanctification means that we are growing in holiness before God.  Justification is possible by Jesus’ death and resurrection, while sanctification is made possible by the Spirit’s work in us. 

(Rom. 5:1; Eph. 4:24)

 

9. How does the Holy Spirit help us?

 

The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, comforts us, and guides us.  He gives us spiritual gifts which are to be used for the edifying of the church.

(John 16:7, 13; 1 Cor. 12:11)

 

10. What hope does everlasting life hold for us?

 

The hope of everlasting life is that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord for all eternity in heaven.  It reminds us that this present fallen world is not all there is.  We will one day be fully and forever freed from sin and in the glorious presence of our Almighty God.

(2 Cor. 5:8; Rev. 21:1-5)

 

Adapted from The New City Catechism, 2017.

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