A Primary Catechism

For Religious Instruction
in the Home and Sunday School
by Rev. George S. Carson, D.D.
Copyright 1897 and 1904

“Feed my Lambs,” John 21:15

Presbyterian

1. Who made you?
God made me.

2. Who is God?
God is my heavenly Father.

3. What kind of a Father is God?
God is a good and loving Father.

4. Can you see God?
No, I cannot see God, but He always sees me.

5. Why can you not see God?
Because God is a Spirit, and has not a body as we have.

6. Where is God?
God is everywhere.

7. What does God know?
God knows all things.

8. What does God know about you?
God knows everything I think, say, or do.

9. What can God do?
God can do all that He wishes to do.

10. Who is Jesus Christ?
Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

11. Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God.

12. Are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit different Gods?
No. These three are one God.

13. What book tells us about God?
The Bible tells us about God.

14. What more does the Bible teach us?
The Bible teaches us how God wishes us to live.

15. Who wrote the Bible?
Good men, who were taught by the Holy Spirit.

16. What besides the Bible teaches us about God?
All God’s works teach us about Him.

17. What are God’s works?
The world and everything in it, the sun, the moon, and the stars.

18. What do God’s works tell us about Him?
God’s works tell us of His wisdom, His power, and His love.

19. Who takes care of the world?
God watches over all His works, and provides for the wants of every living thing.

20. What does God do for you?
God cares for me, and gives me all the good things of life.

21. In what way did God make man to differ from the animals?
God gave man a soul, or spirit, that can never die.

22. For what purpose was man made?
Man was made to love and serve God, and to be happy with Him forever.

23. In what state were our first parents, Adam and Eve, when God created them?
When God created them, Adam and Eve were innocent and happy.

24. Did Adam and Eve continue as God made them?
No. They disobeyed God, and chose their own will.

25. What change took place in Adam and Eve when they disobeyed God?
They were no longer good and happy, and they were afraid of God.

26. What name is given in the Bible to Adam’s disobedience?
It is called sin.

27. How do we sin against God?
We sin against God when we do what He tells us not to do; or when we fail to do what He tells us to do.

28. What will follow if we love sin and allow it to remain in our heart?
If we love sin we cannot be the friends of God, or be with Him when we die.

29. What has God done to save us from sin?
God sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to save us from sin.

30. How did Jesus Christ, God’s Son, come into the world?
Jesus Christ came into the world by being born a little child.

31. How was Jesus Christ different from us?
Jesus Christ was altogether without sin.

32. What do you know of the childhood of Jesus?
Jesus, when a child, loved and obeyed His parents, and pleased God in all things.

33. How did Jesus spend His life, when He grew up to be a man?
When Jesus grew up to be a man, He went about doing good, and teaching men about God.

34. Who did Jesus say that He was?
Jesus said that He was the Son of God.

35. How did Jesus show that He was the Son of God?
Jesus showed that He was the Son of God by His holy life, His heavenly teaching, and His works of love and mercy.

36. What are some of the wonderful works which Jesus did?
Jesus gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, caused the lame to walk, cleansed the lepers, healed the sick, and raised the dead.

37. What did Jesus do to save us from our sins?
Jesus obeyed God’s laws perfectly, and died for us.

38. What would have happened to us if Jesus had not died for us?
If Jesus had not died for us, we all would have been lost.

39. What is it to be lost?
To be lost is to be left without God in this world, and to be shut out from His presence in the world to come.

40. How did Jesus die for us?
Jesus was nailed on the cross by wicked men.

41. What was done with the body of Jesus after His death on the cross?
The body of Jesus was taken by His friends and laid in a tomb or grave.

42. What happened on the third day after Jesus died and was buried?
On the third day Jesus rose from the dead.

43. How long did Jesus remain on earth after He rose from the dead?
After He rose from the dead, Jesus remained on earth forty days.

44. What was Jesus doing for His disciples during the forty days after He rose from the dead?
He came to His disciples at different times to comfort and teach them.

45. What happened at the end of forty days?
After forty days Jesus went up to heaven.

46. Where is Jesus now?
Jesus is at God’s right hand, ever loving and caring for us.

47. What promise did Jesus make to His disciples when He was going away?
Jesus promised to send them another Comforter, or Helper, to remain with them forever.

48. Who is this Comforter or Helper whom Jesus promised to send?
The Holy Spirit is the Comforter or Helper whom Jesus promised to send.

49. What did Jesus tell His disciples the Holy Spirit would do for them?
Jesus said the Holy Spirit would help them to remember and to understand what He had taught them.

50. How may we get the Holy Spirit?
Jesus says that God will give His Holy Spirit to us if we ask Him.

51. What will the Holy Spirit do for us?
The Holy Spirit will dwell in our hearts, cleansing them from sin and helping us to be good.

52. Where do all our good thoughts and desires come from?
All our good thoughts and desires come from the Holy Spirit.

53. In what other ways does the Holy Spirit help us?
The Holy Spirit helps us in our study of the Bible and in prayer.

54. What warning is given us in the Bible about the Holy Spirit?
The Bible tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit.

55. How may we grieve the Holy Spirit?
All sinful thoughts, words or actions grieve the Holy Spirit.

56. How may we please the Holy Spirit?
We may please the Holy Spirit by doing what He puts into our hearts.

57. What is a Christian?
A Christian is one who loves and follows Jesus Christ.

58. What does following Jesus Christ mean?
To follow Jesus Christ is to trust and obey Him.

59. Can a little child be a Christian?
Yes. Jesus said: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God.”

60. What do we mean by the Ten Commandments?
The Ten Commandments are God’s holy law.

61. Which is the First Commandment?
The First Commandment is, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

62. What is meant by having other gods before God?
Worshipping anything but the true God, or loving anything more than God.

63. Which is the second commandment?
The Second Commandment is “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness that is in heaven above, in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shall not bow down to them nor serve them; for Thy 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.”

64. What is the danger of using images or pictures in the worship of God?
The danger is that we may come to worship the image or picture instead of God.

65. Which is the Third Commandment?
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.”

66. What are some common ways of taking God’s name in vain?
Profane swearing, and speaking about God and holy things in a light or thoughtless way.

67. Which is the Fourth Commandment?
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 is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shall not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, 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 seventh day, and hallowed it.”

68. Why do we observe the first day of the week as the Lord’s Day?
Because on that day Christ rose from the dead.

69. How should we spend the Lord’s Day?
We should spend the Lord’s Day in rest, in worship, and in doing good.

70. Why should we go to a place of worship on the Lord’s Day?
Because God’s word tells us that we should, and because it helps us to be good.

71. What example did Jesus give us in this matter of worship.
It was His custom to go to a place of worship on the Sabbath day.

72. For what purpose do we go to the house of God?
We go to worship God with his people.

73. How do we worship God when we go to His house?
We worship God by praise, prayer, the reading and preaching of His Word and by our offerings.

74. What promise has Jesus given to those who meet for his worship?
Jesus has promised to be wherever two or three meet in His name.

75. What is the Fifth Commandment?
The Fifth Commandment is, “Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long on the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee.”

76. What is it to honour our father and mother?
To honour our father and mother is to love and obey them.

77. Which is the Sixth Commandment ?
The Sixth Commandment is, “Thou shalt not kill.”

78. What did Jesus say about the Sixth Commandment?
Jesus said this Commandment is broken by hatred in our hearts against others.

79. Which is the Seventh Commandment?
The seventh commandment is,” Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

80. What did Jesus say about the Seventh Commandment?
Jesus said this Commandment is broken by impure thoughts and desires.

81. Which is the Eighth Commandment?
The Eight Commandment is, “Thou shalt not steal.”

82. How is the Eight Commandment broken?
The Eight Commandment is broken by all fraud and dishonesty, and by taking what does not belong to us.

83. Which is the Ninth Commandment?
The Ninth Commandment is “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”

84. What is it to bear false witness against our neighbor?
It is to say what is not true about others.

85. Which is the Tenth Commandment?
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 neighbors.”

86. What is it to covet?
To covet is to have a wrong desire for what belongs to others.

87. What did Jesus say the Commandments teach us?
Jesus said the commandments teach us to love God with all our heart, and to love our others as ourselves.

88. Whose help should we ask to keep the Commandments?
We should ask God to help us keep His Commandments.

89. What is prayer?
Prayer is telling God our wants, confessing our sins, and thanking Him for His goodness.

90. To whom should we pray?
We should pray to God only.

91. In whose name do we ask God to hear and answer our prayers?
We ask God to hear and answer our prayers for the sake of Jesus Christ, His Son.

92. For whom should we pray besides ourselves?
God’s Word teaches us that we should pray for all men.

93. What form has Jesus given to guide us in prayer?
Jesus said, “After this manner, therefore, pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

94. What is this prayer commonly called?
This prayer is commonly called, “The Lord’s Prayer.”

95. What name is given to the household or family of God?
The household or family of God is called the Church.

96. What is the outward sign of membership in the church?
The outward sign of membership in the Church is baptism.

97. How are we baptised?
We are baptised with water, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

98. What does the water in baptism mean?
The water in baptism means that we need to be cleansed from our sins.

99. Can washing with water take away our sins?
No. The Spirit of God alone can cleanse from sin.

100. What does our baptism teach us?
Our baptism teaches us that we belong to Christ, and must be true to him.

101. Why are the children of Christians baptised?
Because they are members of the church, and are to be cared for and taught to love and serve Jesus Christ.

102. When Jesus Christ was about to leave the world,
how did he asked to be remembered?
Jesus appointed the Lord’s Supper, and said, “This do in remembrance of Me.”

103. What is meant by the bread in the Lord’s Supper?
The bread in the Lord’s Supper means the body of Christ, who is the bread of life.

104. What is meant by the wine in the Lord’s Supper?
The wine in the Lord’s Supper means the blood of Christ shed for our sins.

105. Who should go to the Lord’s Supper?
Those only should go to the Lord’s Supper who love Jesus Christ and try to follow him daily.

106. What are baptism and the Lord’s Supper called?
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are called sacraments.

107. Are there any sacraments besides baptism and the Lord’s Supper?
No. Jesus appointed only these two.

108. What is meant by the gospel?
The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.

109. What Command did Jesus give about the gospel before he left the world?
Jesus told his disciples to go and preach the Gospel to all the world.

110. Has this Command been completely fulfilled?
No; there are still many people in the world who have never heard of Jesus, and who worship idols.

111. What part should you take in giving the gospel to the heathen who have never heard of a Saviour?
If I cannot go myself to tell them about Jesus, I should pray for them, and give of my money to send Bibles and missionaries to them.

112. What promise did Jesus give His disciples when he sent them forth to preach the Gospel?
Jesus said, “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”

113. What becomes to our bodies at death?
At death our bodies return to dust.

114. What becomes of our souls at death?
At death the souls of those who love Jesus and do His will are given a heavenly body; and Jesus will come and take them to be with Himself for ever.

115. What becomes of the wicked at death?
At death the wicked go to the place for which they have been fitted by their sinful life on earth.

116. Is it God’s will that any should be lost?
It is not God’s will that any be lost; for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.