Catechism for Boys and Girls, Part Two: The Ten Commandments

A. The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them: for I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

( Exodus 20:4-6; Deuteronomy 5:8-10 )

Q.45: What does the second commandment teach us?

A. To worship God in the right way, and to avoid idolatry.

( Isaiah 44:9-20; 46:5-9; John 4:23, 24; Acts 17:29 )

Q.46: What is the third commandment?

A. The third commandment is, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

( Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11 )

Q.47: What does the third commandment teach us?

A. To reverence God’s name, word, and works.

( Isaiah 8:13; Psalm 29:2; 138:2; Revelation 15:3, 4 )

Q.48: What is the fourth commandment?

A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.

( Exodus 20:8-11; 23:12; Deuteronomy 5:12-15 )

Q.49: What does the fourth commandment teach us?

A. To keep the Sabbath holy.

( Leviticus 19:20; 23:3; Isaiah 58:13, 14 )

Q.50: What day of the week is the Christian Sabbath?

A. The first day of the week, called the Lord’s Day.

( Acts 29:7; Revelation 1:10 )

Q.51: Why is it called the Lord’s Day?

A. Because on that day Christ rose from the dead.

( Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:9; Luke 24:1-6; John 20:1 )

Q.52: How should the Sabbath be kept?

A. In prayer and praise, in hearing and reading God’s Word, and in doing good to our fellow men.

( Isaiah 58:13, 14; Acts 20:7; 1Corinthians 16:2; Luke 4:16; Matthew 12:10-13 )

Q.53: What is the fifth commandment?

A. The fifth commandment is, Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

( Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16 )

Q.54: What does the fifth commandment teach us?

A. To love and obey our parents.

( Matthew 15:3-6; Ephesus 6:1-3; Colossians 3:20 )

Q.55: What is the sixth commandment?

A. The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill.

( Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17 )

Q.56: What does the sixth commandment teach us?

A. To avoid hatred.

( Matthew 5:21-24; 1John 3:15 )

Q.57: What is the seventh commandment?

A. The seventh commandment is, Thou shalt not commit adultery.

( Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18 )

Q.58: What does the seventh commandment teach us?

A. To be pure in heart, language and conduct.

( Matthew 5:27, 28; Ephesus 5:3-5; Philippians 4:8, 9 )

Q.59: What is the eighth commandment?

A. The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not steal.

( Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 5:19 )

Q.60: What doe the eighth commandment teach us?

A. To be honest and not to take the things of others.

( Exodus 23:4; Proverbs 21:6, 7; Ephesus 4:28 )

Q.61: What is the ninth commandment?

A. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

( Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20 )

Q.62: What does the ninth commandment teach us?

A. To tell the truth and not to speak evil of others.

( Psalm 15:1-3; Zechariah 8:16; 1Corinthians 13;6; James 4:11 )

Q.63: What is the tenth commandment?

A. The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.

( Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21; Romans 7:7 )

Q.64: What does the tenth commandment teach us?

A. To be content with what we have.

( Philippians 4:11; 1Timothy 6:6-8; Hebrews 13:5 )

Q.65: Can any man keep these ten commandments?

A. No mere man, since the fall of Adam, ever did or can keep the ten commandments perfectly.

( Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:19, 20; James 2:10; 1John 1:8, 10 )

Q.66: Of what use are the ten commandments to us?

A. They teach us our duty, make clear our condemnation, and show us our need of a Saviour.

( 1Timothy 1:8-11; Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:24 )

Q.67: Does God condemn all men?

A. No. Though he could justly have done so he has graciously entered into a covenant to save many.

( Romans 3:19, 20, 23-25; John 17:11, 12; Isaiah 53:11 )

The Baptist Layman’s Catechism, Questions 2&3

May 31, 2013 / William F. Leonhart III / Leave a comment

Q.2. Are church and denominational creeds necessary and desirable?

A. Creeds or confessions of faith are necessary from the nature of the human mind and the character of revealed truth. Without a creed there could be no preaching, no church organization, no doctrinal fellowship, no evangelical faith, no singing and no praying.

Q.3. Why do so many religious teachers, both in oral and written discourse, disparage the use of creeds and confessions of faith in matters of religion?

A. (1) When the grounds of their objections are disclosed, it is generally plain that these teachers do not object to creeds as such, but only to such as are out of harmony with their views and oppose their methods. The young man, representing the Young Men’s Christian Association, with a limp Bible under his arm, often objects to creeds, but no one has more creed than he has; he is objecting to any one’s having any creed but his; it is all right to believe as he does. He is not alone. (2) Again, the substitution of a creed for piety and a Christly life has no doubt driven many really earnest people to disparage creeds, regarding them as substitutes for vital Godliness. Good old Andrew Fuller says, “The man who has no creed has no belief, which is the same thing as being an unbeliever; and he whose belief is not formed into a system has only a few loose, unconnected thoughts, without entering into the harmony and glory of the Gospel. Every well informed and consistent believer, therefore, must have a creed–a system which he supposes to contain the leading principles of Divine revelation.” (Fuller’s Works, Vol. 3, p. 449.)

an excerpt from R.A. Venable’s The Baptist Layman’s Hand-Book, pp.9-10.

The Baptist Catechism – Questions 105-114, Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer

May 25, 2013 / William F. Leonhart III / Leave a comment

Q.105: What is prayer?

A. Prayer is an offering up our desires to God, by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, for things agreeable to His will, in the name of Christ, believing, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgements of His mercies.

( Psalm 32:5-6; 62:8; Daniel 9:4 Matthew 21:22; John 16:23; Romans 8:26-27; Philippians 4:6; James 1:6; 1John 5:14 )

Q.106: What rule hath God given for our direction in prayer?

A. The whole Word of God is of use to direct us in prayer; but the special rule of direction is that prayer which Christ taught His disciples, commonly called the Lord’s Prayer.

( Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4; 1John 5:14 )

Q.107: What doth the preface of the Lord’s prayer teach us?

A. The preface of the Lord’s Prayer, which is Our Father which art in heaven, teacheth 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.

( Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:13; Acts 12:5; Romans 8:15; 1Timothy 2:1-2 )

Q.108: What do we pray for in the first petition?

A. In the first petition, which is, Hallowed be Thy name, we pray that God would enable us and others to glorify Him in all that whereby He maketh Himself known, and that He would dispose all things unto His own glory.

( Psalm 67:2-3; 83:1-18; Matthew 6:9; Romans 11:36 )

Q.109: What do we pray for in the second petition?

A. In the second petition, which is, Thy kingdom come, we pray that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed, and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it and kept in it, and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened.

( Psalm 68:1, 18; Matthew 6:10; John 17:19-20; Romans 10:1; 2Thessalonians 3:1; Revelation 12:10-11; 22:20 )

Q.110: What do we pray for in the third petition?

A. In the third petition, which is, Thy 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, obey, and submit to His will in all things, as the angels do in heaven.

( 2Samuel 15:25; Job 1:21; Psalm 67:1-7; 103:20-21; 119:36; Matthew 6:10 )

Q.111: What do we pray for in the fourth petition?

A. In the fourth petition, which is, Give us this day our daily bread, we pray that of God’s free gift we may receive a competent portion of the good things of this life, and enjoy His blessing with them.

( Genesis 28:20; Proverbs 30:8-9; Matthew 6:11; 1Timothy 4:4-5 )

Q.112: What do we pray for in the fifth petition?

A. In the fifth petition, which is, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, we pray that God, for Christ’s sake, would freely pardon all our sins; which we are rather encouraged to ask because by His grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others.

( Psalm 51:1-2, 7, 9; Daniel 9:17-19; Matthew 6:12; 18:35; Luke 11:4 )

Q.113: What do we pray for in the sixth petition?

A. In the sixth petition, which is, Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, we pray that God would either keep us from being tempted to sin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted.

( Matthew 6:13; 26:41; 2Corinthians 12:8 )

Q.114: What doth the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer teach?

A. The conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer, which is, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen, teacheth us to make our encouragement in prayer from God only, and in our prayers to praise Him, ascribing kingdom, power, and glory, to Him. And in testimony of our desire and assurance to be heard, we say, Amen.

( 1Chronicles 29:10-13; Daniel 9:4, 7-9, 16-19; Matthew 6:13; 1Corinthians 14:16; Revelation 22:20-21 )

The Baptist Catechism – Questions 93-104, The Ordinary Means of Grace

May 16, 2013 / William F. Leonhart III / 1 Comment

Q.93: What are the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption?

A. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption are His ordinances, especially the Word, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper; all which means are made effectual to the elect for salvation.

( Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:42, 46-47 )

Q.94: How is the Word made effectual to salvation?

A. The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word, an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort through faith unto salvation.

( Nehemiah 8:8; Psalm 19:8; Acts 20:32; 26:18; Romans 1:15-16; 10:13-17; 15:4; 1Corinthians 14:24-25; 1Timothy 3:15-17 )

Q.95: How is the Word to be read and heard, that it may become effectual to salvation?

A. That the Word may become effectual to salvation, we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation, and prayer; receive it with faith and love, lay it up in our hearts, and practice it in our lives.

( Psalm 119:11, 18; Proverbs 8:34; Luke 8:15; 2Thessalonians 2:10; Hebrews 4:2; James 1:25; 1Peter 2:1-2 )

Q.96: How do baptism and the Lord’s Supper become effectual means of salvation?

A. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper become effectual means of salvation, not for any virtue in them, but only by the blessing of Christ, and the working of the Spirit in those that by faith receive them.

( Matthew 3:11; 1Corinthians 3:6-7; 12:3; 1Peter 3:21 )

Q.97: What is baptism?

A. Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament instituted by Christ, to be unto the party baptized a sign of his fellowship with Him, in His death, burial, and resurrection; of his being engrafted into Him; of remission of sins; and of giving up himself unto God through Jesus Christ, to live and walk in newness of life.

( Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:4; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:3-5; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12 )

Q.98: To whom is baptism to be administered?

A. Baptism is to be administered to all those who actually profess repentance toward God, faith in and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, and to none other.

( Matthew 3:6; 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:37-38; 8:36-38 )

Q.99: Are the infants of such as are professing believers to be baptized?

A. The infants of such as are professing believers are not to be baptized, because there is neither command nor example in the Holy Scriptures, or certain consequence from them to baptize such.

( Proverbs 30:6; Luke 3:7-8 )

Q.100: How is baptism rightly administered?

A. Baptism is rightly administered by immersion, or dipping the whole body of the party in water, into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, according to Christ’s institution, and the practice of the apostles, and not by sprinkling or pouring of water, or dipping some part of the body, after the tradition of men.

( Matthew 3:16; 28:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 8:38; 10:48; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12 )

Q.101: What is the duty of such who are rightly baptized?

A. It is the duty of such who are rightly baptized to give up themselves to some particular and orderly church of Jesus Christ, that they might walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

( Luke 1:6; Acts 2:41-42; 5:13-14; 9:26; 1Peter 2:5 )

Q.102: What is the Lord’s Supper?

A. The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the New Testament, instituted by Jesus Christ; wherein by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to His appointment, His death is shown forth, and the worthy receivers are, not after a corporal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of His body and blood, with all His benefits, to their spiritual nourishment and growth in grace.

( Matthew 26:26-28; 1Corinthians 10:16; 11:23-26 )

Q.103: Who are the proper subjects of this ordinance?

A. They who have been baptized upon a personal profession of their faith in Jesus Christ, and repentance from dead works.

( Acts 2:41-42 )

Q.104: What is required to be worthy of receiving the Lord’s Supper?

A. It is required of them that would worthily partake of the Lord’s Supper, that they examine themselves of their knowledge to discern the Lord’s body, of their faith to feed upon Him, of their repentance, love, and new obedience, lest coming unworthily they eat and drink judgment to themselves.

( 1Corinthians 5:7-8; 10:16-17; 11:28-29, 31; 2Corinthians 13:5 )

The Baptist Catechism – Questions 90-92, The Proper Response to the Gospel

May 1, 2013 / William F. Leonhart III / Leave a comment

Q.90: What doth God require of us that we may escape His wrath and curse, due to us for sin?

A. To escape the wrath and curse due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption.

( Proverbs 2:1-6; 8:33-36; Isaiah 55:2-3; Acts 20:21 )

Q.91: What is faith in Jesus Christ?

A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the Gospel.

( Isaiah 26:3-4; John 1:12; Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:9; Hebrews 10:39 )

Q.92: What is repentance unto life?

A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of and endeavor after new obedience.

( Isaiah 1:16-17; Jeremiah 3:22; 31:18-19; Esekiel 36:31; Joel 2:12; Acts 2:37-38; 11:28; 2Corinthians 7:11 )

The Baptist Catechism – Questions 78-89, The Second Table of the Moral Law (Part Two)

May 1, 2013May 1, 2013 / William F. Leonhart III / Leave a comment

Q.78: Which is the eighth commandment?

A. The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not steal.

( Exodus 20:15 )

Q.79: What is required in the eighth commandment?

A. The eighth commandment requireth the lawful procuring and furthering the wealth and outward estate of ourselves and others.

( Genesis 30:30; 47:14, 20; Exodus 23:4-5; Leviticus 25:35; Deuteronomy 22:1-5; 1Timothy 5:8 )

Q.80: What is forbidden in the eighth commandment?

A. The eighth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever doth or may unjustly hinder our own or our neighbor’s wealth or outward estate.

( Proverbs 21:17; 23:20-21; 28:19; Ephesians 4:28; 1Timothy 5:8 )

Q.81: Which is the ninth commandment?

A. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

( Exodus 20:16 )

Q.82: What is required in the ninth commandment?

A. The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbor’s good name, especially in witness bearing.

( Proverbs 14:5, 25; Zechariah 8:16; 3John 12 )

Q.83: What is forbidden in the ninth commandment?

A. The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own or our neighbor’s good name.

( Leviticus 19:16; 1Samuel 17:28; Psalm 15:3 )

Q.84: Which is the tenth commandment?

A. The tenth commandment is Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.

( Exodus 20:17 )

Q.85: What is required in the tenth commandment?

A. The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of spirit toward our neighbor, and all that is his.

( Job 31:29; Romans 12:15; 1Corinthians 13:4, 7; 1Timothy 1:5; 6:6; Hebrews 13:5 )

Q.86: What is forbidden in the tenth commandment?

A. The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbor, and all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his.

( Deuteronomy 5:21; 1Kings 21:4; Esther 5:13; Romans 7:7-8; 1Corinthians 10:10; Galatians 5:26; James 3:14, 16 )

Q.87: Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?

A. No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed.

( Genesis 6:5; 8:21; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:9-21; Galatians 5:17; James 3:2-13; 1John 1:8, 10 )

Q.88: Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous?

A. Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others.

( Psalm 78:17, 32, 56; Ezekiel 8:6, 13, 15; 1John 5:16 )

Q.89: What doth every sin deserve?

A. Every sin deserveth God’s wrath and curse, both in this life and that which is to come?

( Lamentations 3:39; Matthew 25:41; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 5:6; Galatians 3:10 )

The Baptist Catechism – Questions 68-77, The Second Table of the Moral Law (Part One)

April 27, 2013May 1, 2013 / William F. Leonhart III / Leave a comment

Q.68: Which is the fifth commandment?

A. The fifth commandment is, Honor thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

( Exodus 20:12 )

Q.69: What is required in the fifth commandment?

A. The fifth commandment requireth the preserving the honor and performing the duties belonging to everyone in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, and equals.

( Romans 12:10; Ephesians 5:21; 1Peter 2:17 )

Q.70: What is forbidden in the fifth commandment?

A. The fifth commandment forbiddeth the neglect of, or doing anything against the honor and duty which belongeth to everyone in their several places and relations.

( Ezekiel 34:2-4; Matthew 15:4-6; Romans 13:8 )

Q.71: What is the reason annexed to the fifth commandment?

A. The reason annexed to the fifth commandment is a promise of long life and prosperity (as far as it shall serve for God’s glory, and their own good) to all such as keep this commandment.

( Deuteronomy 5:16; Ephesians 6:2-3 )

Q.72: What is the sixth commandment?

A. The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill.

( Exodus 20:13 )

Q.73: What is required in the sixth commandment?

A. The sixth commandment requireth all lawful endeavors to preserve our own life and the life of others.

( 1Kings 18:4; Ephesians 5:28-29 )

Q.74: What is forbidden in the sixth commandment?

A. The sixth commandment absolutely forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto.

( Genesis 9:6; Acts 16:28 )

Q.75: Which is the seventh commandment?

A. The seventh commandment is, Thou shalt not commit adultery.

( Exodus 20:14 )

Q.76: What is required in the seventh commandment?

A. The seventh commandment requireth the preservation of our own and our neighbor’s chastity, in heart, speech, and behavior.

( 1Corinthians 7:2-3, 5, 34, 36; Colossians 4:6; 1Peter 3:2 )

Q.77: What is forbidden in the seventh commandment?

A. The seventh commandment forbiddeth all unchaste thoughts, words, and actions.

( Matthew 5:28; 15:19; Ephesians 5:3-4 )

The Baptist Catechism – Questions 62-67, The Fourth Commandment

April 16, 2013April 16, 2013 / William F. Leonhart III / 1 Comment

Q.62: What is the fourth commandment?

A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy: six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

( Exodus 20:8-11 )

Q.63: What is required in the fourth commandment?

A. The fourth commandment requireth the keeping holy to God one whole day in seven to be a Sabbath to Himself.

( Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-14 )

Q.64: Which day of the seven hath God appointed to be the weekly Sabbath?

A. Before the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly Sabbath; and the first day of the week ever since, to continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian Sabbath.

( Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-14; Psalm 118:24; Matthew 28:1; Mark 2:27-28; 16:2; Luke 24:1, 30-36; John 20:1, 19-21, 26; Acts 1:3; 2:1-2; 20:7; 1Corinthians 16:1-2; Revelation 1:10 )

Q.65: How is the Sabbath to be sanctified?

A. The Sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.

( Exodus 16:25-28; 20:8, 10; Nehemiah 13:15-22; Psalm 92; Isaiah 66:23; Matthew 12:1-13; Luke 4:16 )

Q.66: What is forbidden in the fourth commandment?

A. The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission or careless performance of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about worldly employments or recreations.

( Jeremiah 17:24-27; Isaiah 58:13; Ezekiel 22:26; 23:38; Amos 8:5; Malachi 1:13; Acts 20:38 )

Q.67: What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment?

A. The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, are God’s allowing us six days of the week for our own lawful employments, His challenging a special propriety in a seventh, His own example, and His blessing the Sabbath day.

( Exodus 20:9, 11 )

The Baptist Catechism – Questions 50-61, The First Three of the Ten Commandments

April 15, 2013 / William F. Leonhart III / Leave a comment

Q.50: Which is the first commandment?

A. The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

( Exodus 20:3 )

Q.51: What is required in the first commandment?

A. The first commandment requireth us to know and acknowledge God to be the only true God and our God; and to worship and glorify Him accordingly.

( 1Chronicles 28:9; Deuteronomy 26:17; Psalm 29:2; Matthew 4:10 )

Q.52: What is forbidden in the first commandment?

A. The first commandment forbiddeth the denying, or not worshipping and glorifying the true God, as God and our God, and the giving that worship and glory to any other, which is due unto Him alone.

( Psalms 14:1; 81:10-11; Romans 1:21, 25-26 )

Q.53: What are we especially taught by these words “before Me,” in the first commandment?

A. These words “before Me,” in the first commandment teach us, that God, who seeth all things, taketh notice of and is much displeased with the sin of having any other god.

( Ezekiel 8:5-18 )

Q.54: Which is the second commandment?

A. The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto the any graven image, or the likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the father upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments.

( Exodus 20:4-6 )

Q.55: What is required in the second commandment?

A. The second commandment requireth the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire all such religious worship and ordinances, as God hath appointed in His word.

( Deuteronomy 32:46; Matthew 28:20; Acts 2:42 )

Q.56: What is forbidden in the second commandment?

A. The second commandment forbiddeth the worshipping of God by images, or any other way not appointed in His word.

( Deuteronomy 4:15-19; 12:31-32; Exodus 32:5, 8 )

Q.57: What are the reasons annexed to the second commandment?

A. The reasons annexed to the second commandment are, God’s sovereignty over us, His propriety in us, and the zeal He hath to His own worship.

( Psalms 45:11; 95:2-3, 6; Exodus 34:13-14 )

Q.58: Which is the third commandment?

A. The third commandment is, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.

( Exodus 20:7 )

Q.59: What is required in the third commandment?

A. The third commandment requireth the holy and reverent use of God’s names, titles, attributes, ordinances, word, and works.

( Deuteronomy 28:58; Job 36:24; Psalms 68:4; 138:1-2; Malachi 1:11, 14; Matthew 6:9; Revelation 15:3-4 )

Q.60: What is forbidden in the third commandment?

A. The third commandment forbiddeth all profaning and abusing of anything whereby God makes Himself known.

( Malachi 1:6-7, 12; 2:2; 3:14 )

Q.61: What is the reason annexed to the third commandment?

A. The reason annexed to the third commandment is, that however the breakers of this commandment may escape punishment for men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape His righteous judgment.

( Deuteronomy 28:58-59; 1Samuel 2:12, 17, 22, 24, 29; 3:13 )

The Baptist Catechism – Questions 44-49, Preface to the Moral Law

April 11, 2013April 14, 2013 / William F. Leonhart III / Leave a comment

Q.44: What is the duty which God requireth of man?

A. The duty God requireth of man, is obedience to His revealed will.

( Micah 6:8; 1Samuel 15:22 )

Q.45: What did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience?

A. The rule which God at first revealed to man for his obedience, was the moral law.

( Romans 2:14-15; 10:5 )

Q.46: Where is the moral law summarily comprehended?

A. The moral law is summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments.

( Deuteronomy 10:4; Matthew 19:17-19 )

Q.47: What is the sum of the Ten Commandments?

A. The sum of the Ten Commandments is, to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbor as ourselves.

( Matthew 22:37-40 )

Q.48: What is the preface to the Ten Commandments?

A. The preface to the Ten Commandments is in these words; I am the Lord thy God which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

( Exodus 20:2 )

Q.49: What doth the preface to the Ten Commandments teach us?

A. The preface to the Ten Commandments teacheth us that because God is the Lord, and our God and Redeemer, therefore we are bound to keep all His commandments.

( Luke 1:74-75; 1Peter 1:15-19 )

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