An Evangelical Catechism With
Scripture Proofs
Based Upon A Puritan Catechism With
Proofs
Compiled by Charles
Spurgeon
Published October
1855
Catechism Outlined, Edited, and Adapted
by
Dr. J. D. Watson,
Pastor-Teacher
Grace Bible Church – Meeker,
CO
Picture: Westminter
Asembly in Session
Back
Cover of printed Sola Scriptura Publications
booklet: Of his Puritan Catechism, Charles
Spurgeon wrote, “I am persuaded that the use of a good
Catechism in all our families will be a great safeguard
against the increasing errors of the times, and
therefore I have compiled this little manual from the
Westminster Assembly’s and Baptist Catechisms, for the
use of my own church and
congregation.
“Those who use it in their families or classes
must labour to explain the sense; but the words should
be carefully learned by heart, for they will be
understood better as years
pass.
“May the Lord bless my dear friends and their
families evermore, is the prayer of their loving
Pastor.
“‘Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth” (2 Timothy
2:15).”
Pastor
Watson’s
Introduction
At the heart of
the catechism that follows is Spurgeon’s Puritan
Catechism. It was published about October 14, 1855 when
Spurgeon was 21 years old. On October 14, Spurgeon
preached Sermon No. 46 to several thousand who gathered
to hear him at New Park Street Chapel. When published,
the sermon contained an announcement of this catechism.
The text that morning was Psalms 90:1, “Lord, thou hast
been our dwelling place in all
generations.”
In our
modern times, many consider what follows to be old
fashioned and out of date. But may we submit that one of
the greatest needs of our day is clear, solid Biblical
doctrine. This booklet is meant to be a handy reference,
but you might be interested in acquiring the larger
booklet, An Evangelical Catechism and Statement of
Faith with Scripture Proofs.
Introductory
Statement
1. Q. What is the chief
end of man?
A. Man’s chief end
is to glorify God, (1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 11:36; 1
Peter 4:2) and to enjoy him forever. (Psalms 73:25,
26).
Concerning
Scripture
2. Q. What rule has God
given to direct us how we may glorify
him?
A. The Word of God
which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments (Ephesians 2:20; 2 Timothy 3:16) is the only
rule to direct us how we may glorify God and enjoy him.
(1 John 1:3)
3. Q. What do the
Scriptures principally teach?
A. The Scriptures
principally teach what man is to believe concerning God,
and what duty God requires of man. (2 Timothy 1:13;
3:16; Ecclesiastes 12:13)
Concerning
God
4. Q. What is
God?
A. God is Spirit,
(John 4:24) infinite, (Job 11:7) eternal, (Psalms 90:2;
1 Timothy 1:17) and unchangeable (James 1:17) in his
being (Exodus 3:14), wisdom (Proverbs 1:7), power,
(Psalms 147:5) holiness, (Revelation 4:8) justice,
goodness and truth. (Exodus 34:6,7)
5. Q. Are there
more Gods than one?
A. There is but
one only, (Deuteronomy 6:4) the living and true God.
(Jeremiah 10:10)
6. Q. How many
persons are there in the Godhead?
A. There are three
persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit, and these three are one God, the same in
essence, equal in power and glory. (1 John 5:7; Matthew
28:19)
Concerning
God’s Decrees
7. Q. What are the
decrees of God?
A. The decrees of
God are his eternal purpose according to the counsel of
his own will, whereby for his own glory he has
foreordained whatever comes to pass. (Ephesians
1:4,11,12; Romans 9:22-23)
8. Q. How does God
execute his decrees?
A. God executes
his decrees in the works of creation, (Revelation 4:11)
and providence. (Daniel 4:35)
Concerning
Creation
9. Q. What is the
work of creation?
A. The work of
creation is God’s making all things (Genesis 1:1) of
nothing, by the Word of his power, (Hebrews 11:3) in six
normal consecutive days, (Exodus 20:11) and all very
good. (Genesis 1:31)
10. Q. How did God
create man?
A. God created
man, male and female, after his own image, (Genesis
1:27) in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness
(Colossians 3:10; Ephesians 4:24) with dominion over the
creatures. (Genesis 1:28)
Concerning
God’s
Providence
11. Q. What are
God’s works of providence?
A. God’s works of
providence are his most holy, (Psalms 145:17) wise,
(Psalm 104:24; Isaiah 28:29) and powerful, (Hebrews 1:3)
preserving and governing all his creatures, and all
their actions. (Psalms 103:19; Matthew
10:29-31)
12. Q. What
special act of providence did God exercise toward man in
the state wherein he was created?
A. When God had
created man, he entered into a covenant of life with
him, upon condition of perfect obedience; (Galatians
3:12) forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil, upon pain of death. (Genesis
2:17)
Concerning
the Fall and
Sin
13. Q. What is the
duty which God requireth of man?
The duty which God
requireth of man, is obedience to his revealed will.
(Mic. 6:8, 1 Sam. 15:22)
14. Q. What did
God reveal to man for the rule of his
obedience?
A. The rule which
God first revealed to man for his obedience, is the
moral law, (Deuteronomy 10:4; Matthew 19:17), which is
summarized in the Ten Commandments (Matthew
22:37-40).
15. Q. Did our
first parents continue in the state wherein they were
created?
A. Our first
parents being left to the freedom of their own will,
fell from the state wherein they were created, by
sinning against God, (Ecclesiastes 7:29) by eating the
forbidden fruit. (Genesis 3:6-8)
16. Q. What is
sin?
A. Sin is any want
of conformity to, or transgression of the law of God. (1
John 3:4)
17. Q. What was
the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate
wherein they were created?
The sin whereby
our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were
created, was their disobeying the command of God in
eating the forbidden fruit. (Genesis 2:16-17;
3:6)
18. Q. Did all
mankind fall in Adam’s first
transgression?
A. The covenant
being made with Adam, not only for himself but for his
posterity, all mankind descending from him by ordinary
generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in his
first transgression. (Genesis 2:16-17; 1 Corinthians
15:22; Romans 5:12)
19. Q. Into what
estate did the fall bring mankind?
A. The fall
brought mankind into a state of sin and misery. (Romans
5:12,18)
20. Q. Wherein
consists the sinfulness of that state whereunto man
fell?
A. The sinfulness
of that state whereunto man fell, consists in the guilt
of Adam’s first sin, (Romans 5:12,19) the want of
original righteousness, (Romans 3:10-11,23) and the
corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called
original sin, (Ephesians 2:1; Psalms 51:5) together with
all actual transgressions which proceed from it.
(Matthew 15:19)
21. Q. What is the
misery of that state whereunto man
fell?
A. All mankind, by
their fall, lost communion with God, (Genesis 3:8,24)
are under his wrath and curse, (Ephesians 2:3; Galatians
3:10) and so made liable to all the miseries in this
life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for
ever. (Romans 6:23; Matthew 25:41)
22. Q. Is any man
now able perfectly to keep the commandments of
God?
A. No mere man,
since the fall, is able in his life perfectly to keep
the commandments of God, (Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 John
1:8,10; Galatians 5:17) but does daily break them in
thought (Genesis 6:5; 8:21), word (James 3:8), and deed.
23. Q. Are all
transgressions of the law equally
heinous?
A. Some sins in
themselves, and by reason of various aggravations, are
more heinous in the sight of God than others. (Ezekiel
8:13; John 19:11; 1 John 5:16; Matthew
23:14)
24. Q. What does
every sin deserve?
A. Every sin
deserves God’s wrath and curse, both in this life and
that which is to come. (Ephesians 5:6; Psalms 11:6;
Galatians 3:10; Matthew 25:41)
Concerning
Christ
25. Q. Did God
leave all mankind to perish in the state of sin and
misery?
A. God having, out
of his good pleasure from all eternity, elected some to
everlasting life, (Ephesians 1:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:13)
did enter into a covenant of grace to deliver them out
of the state of sin and misery, and to bring them into a
state of salvation by a Redeemer. (Romans 3:20-22; 5:21;
Galatians 3:22)
26. Q. Who is the
Redeemer of God’s elect?
A.The only
Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, (1
Timothy 2:5-6) who being the eternal Son of God, became
man, (John 1:14; Galatians 4:4-5) and so was and
continues to be God and man, in two distinct natures and
one person for ever. (1 Timothy 3:16; Colossians
2:9)
27. Q. How did
Christ, being the Son of God, become
man?
A. Christ, the son
of God, became man by taking to himself a true body,
(Hebrews 2:14,16) and a reasonable soul, (Matthew 26:38;
Hebrews 4:15) being conceived by the power of the Holy
Spirit in the Virgin Mary, and born of her, (Luke
1:31,35) yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15,
7:26)
28. Q. What
offices does Christ execute as our
Redeemer?
A. Christ as our
Redeemer executes the offices of a prophet (Acts
3:21-22), of a priest (Hebrews 5:6), and of a king
(Psalms 2:6), both in his state of humiliation and
exaltation.
29. Q. How does
Christ execute the office of a
prophet?
A. Christ executes
the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, (John 1:18)
by his Word, (John 20:31) and Spirit, (John 14:26) the
will of God for our salvation.
30. Q. How does
Christ execute the office of a
priest?
A. Christ executes
the office of a priest, in his once offering up himself
a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, (Hebrews 9:28)
and to reconcile us to God, (Hebrews 2:17) and in making
continual intercession for us. (Hebrews
7:25)
31. Q. How does
Christ execute the office of a king?
A. Christ executes
the office of a king in subduing us to himself, (Psalms
110:3) in ruling and defending us, (Matthew 2:6; 1
Corinthians 15:25) and in restraining and conquering all
his and our enemies.
32. Q. Wherein did
Christ’s humiliation consist?
A. Christ’s
humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in a
low condition, (Luke 2:7) made under the law, (Galatians
4:4) undergoing the miseries of this life, (Isaiah 53:3)
the wrath of God, (Matthew 27:46) and the cursed death
of the cross; (Philippians 2:8) in being buried, and
continuing under the power of death for a time. (Matthew
12:40)
33. Q. Wherein
consists Christ’s exaltation?
A. Christ’s
exaltation consists in his rising again from the dead on
the third day, (1 Corinthians 15:4) in ascending up into
heaven, and sitting at the right hand of God the Father,
(Mark 16:19) and in coming to judge the world at the
last day. (Acts 17:31)
34. Q. How are we
made partakers of the redemption purchased by
Christ?
A. We are made
partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the
effectual application of it to us (John 1:12-13) by his
Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5,6)
35. Q. How does
the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by
Christ?
A. The Spirit
applies to us the redemption purchased by Christ, by
working faith in us (Ephesians 1:13-14; 2:8) and by it
uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling. (John
6:37; Ephesians 3:17; I Corinthians
1:9)
Concerning
Effectual
Calling
36. Q. What is
effectual calling?
A. Effectual
calling is the work of God’s Spirit (Rom 8:30; 2 Timothy
1:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14) whereby, convincing us of
our sin and misery, (Acts 2:37) enlightening our minds
in the knowledge of Christ, (Acts 26:18) and renewing
our wills, (Ezekiel 36:26-27) he does persuade and
enable us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us
in the gospel. (John 6:44,45)
37. Q. What
benefits do they who are effectually called, partake of
in this life?
A. They who are
effectually called, do in this life partake of
justification, (Romans 8:30) adoption, (Ephesians 1:5)
sanctification, and the various benefits that in this
life do either accompany, or flow from them. (1
Corinthians 1:30)
Concerning
Justification
38. Q. What is
justification?
A. Justification
is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardons all
our sins, (Romans 3:24-25; Ephesians 1:7) and accepts us
as righteous in his sight (2 Corinthians 5:21) only for
the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, (Romans
5:18-19) and received by faith alone. (Galatians 2:16;
Philippians 3:9)
Concerning
Adoption
39. Q. What is
adoption?
A. Adoption is an
act of God’s free grace, (1 John 3:1) whereby we are
received into the number, and have a right to all the
privileges of the sons of God. (John 1:12; Romans
8:17)
Concerning
Sanctification
40. Q. What is
sanctification?
A. Sanctification
is the work of God’s Spirit, (2 Thessalonians 2:13)
whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image
of God, (Ephesians 4:24) and are enabled more and more
to die to sin, and live to
righteousness.
(Romans 6:4,6,11)
41. Q. What are
the benefits which in this life do either accompany or
flow from justification, adoption, and
sanctification?
A. The benefits
which in this life do accompany or flow from
justification, (Romans 5:1,2,5) are assurance of God’s
love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Spirit,
(Romans 14:17) increase of grace, perseverance in it to
the end. (Proverbs 4:18; 1 John 5:13; 1 Peter
1:5)
Concerning
Eternity
42. Q. What
benefits do believers receive from Christ at their
death?
A. The souls of
believers are at their death made perfect in holiness,
(Hebrews 12:23) and do immediately pass into glory,
(Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Luke 23:43) and
their bodies, being still united to Christ, (1
Thessalonians 4:14) do rest in their graves (Isaiah
57:2) till the resurrection. (Job
19:26)
43. Q. What
benefits do believers receive from Christ at the
resurrection?
A. At the
resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, (1
Corinthians 15:43) shall be openly acknowledged and
acquitted in the day of judgment, (Matthew 25:23; 10:32)
and made perfectly blessed both in soul and body in the
full enjoying of God (1 John 3:2) to all eternity. (1
Thessalonians 4:17)
44. Q. What shall
be done to the wicked at their
death?
A. The souls of
the wicked shall at their death be cast into the
torments of hell, (Luke 16:22-24) and their bodies lie
in their graves till the resurrection, and judgment of
the great day. (Psalms 49:14)
45. Q. What shall
be done to the wicked at the day of
judgment?
A. At the day of
judgment the bodies of the wicked being raised out of
their graves, shall be sentenced, together with their
souls, to unspeakable torments with the devil and his
angels for ever. (Daniel 12:2; John 5:28,29; 2
Thessalonians 1:9; Matthew 25:41)
46. Q. How may we
escape his wrath and curse due to us for
sin?
A. To escape the
wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, we must
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, (John 3:16) trusting
alone to his blood and righteousness. This faith is
attended by repentance for the past (Acts 20:21) and
leads to holiness in the future.
47. Q. What is
faith in Jesus Christ?
A. Faith in Jesus
Christ is a saving grace, (Hebrews 10:39) whereby we
receive, (John 1:12) and rest upon him alone for
salvation, (Philippians 3:9) as he is set forth in the
gospel. (Isaiah 33:22)
48. Q. What is
repentance to life?
A. Repentance to
life is a saving grace, (Acts 11:18) whereby a sinner,
out of a true sense of his sins, (Acts 2:37-38) and
apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, (Joel
2:12-13) does with grief and hatred of his sin turn from
it to God (Jeremiah 31:18,19; Ezekiel 36:31) with full
purpose to strive after new obedience. (Psalms 119:59;
Isaiah 1:16)
49. Q. What are
the outward means whereby the Holy Spirit communicates
to us the benefits of redemption?
A. The outward and
ordinary means whereby the Holy Spirit communicates to
us the benefits of Christ’s redemption, are the Word, by
which souls are begotten to spiritual life; Baptism, the
Lord’s Supper, Prayer, and Meditation, by all which
believers are further edified in their most holy faith.
(Acts 2:41-42,46-46)
50. Q. How is the
Word made effectual to salvation?
A. The Spirit of
God makes the reading, but especially the preaching of
the Word (Nehemiah 8:8; 2 Timothy 4:2), an effectual
means of convicting and converting sinners, (Psalms
19:7) and of building them up in holiness and comfort,
(1 Thessalonians 1:6) through faith to salvation.
(Romans 1:16; 10:13-17)
51. Q. 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 to it
with diligence, (Proverbs 8:34) preparation, (1 Peter
2:1,2) and prayer, (Psalms 119:18) receive it with faith
(Hebrews 4:2) and love (2 Thessalonians 2:10) lay it up
into our hearts, (Psalms 119:11) and practice it in our
lives. (James 1:25)
Concerning
the Church
Ordinances
52. Q. What is a
Church Ordinance?
A. A Church
Ordinance is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ,
wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and the benefits of
the new covenant, are represented, sealed, and applied
to believers. (Matthew 28:19; Matthew
26:26-28)
53. Q. Which are
the Church Ordinances of the New
Testament?
The ordinances of
the New Testament are Baptism (Matthew 28:19) and the
Lord’ s supper. (Matthew 26:26-28)
54. Q. How do
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper become spiritually
helpful?
A. Baptism and the
Lord’s Supper become spiritually helpful, not from any
virtue in them, or in him who does administer them (1
Corinthians 3:7; 1 Peter 3:21) but only by the blessing
of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:6) and the working of the
Spirit in those who by faith receive them. (1
Corinthians 12:13)
Concerning
Baptism
55. Q. What is
Baptism?
A. Baptism is an
ordinance of the New Testament, instituted by Jesus
Christ, (Matthew 28:19) to be to the person baptized a
picture of his fellowship with him, in his death, and
burial, and resurrection, (Romans 6:3; Colossians 2:12)
of his being engrafted into him, (Galatians 3:27) of
remission of sins, (Mark 1:4; Acts 22:16) and of his
giving up himself to God through Jesus Christ, to live
and walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4,5; Galatians
3:27)
56. Q. To whom is
Baptism to be administered?
A. Baptism is to
be administered to all those who actually profess
repentance towards God, (Acts 2:38; 8:36-38; Matthew
3:6; Mark 16:16; 10:47,48) and faith in our Lord Jesus
Christ, and to none other.
57. Q. Are the
infants of such as are professing 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 for their baptism. (Proverbs
30:6)
58. Q. How is
baptism rightly administered?
A. Baptism is
rightly administered by immersion, or dipping the whole
body of the person in water, (Matthew 3:16; John 3:23)
in 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, (Matthew 28:19,20) and not by
sprinkling or pouring of water, or dipping some part of
the body, after the tradition of men. (John 4:1,2; Acts
8:38,39)
59. Q. What is the
duty of such as are rightly
baptized?
A. It is the duty
of such as are rightly baptized, to give up themselves
to some particular and orderly Church of Jesus Christ,
(Acts 2:47; Acts 9:26; 1 Peter 2:5) that they may walk
in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord
blameless. (Luke 1:6)
Concerning
the Lord’s
Supper
60. Q. 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, (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) and the worthy
receivers are, not after a corporeal 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. (1 Corinthians
10:16)
61. Q. What is
required to the worthy receiving of the Lord’s
Supper?
A. It is required
of them who would worthily partake of the Lord’s Supper,
that they examine themselves of their knowledge to
discern the Lord’s body (1 Corinthians 11:28,29) of
their faith to feed upon him (2 Corinthians 13:5), of
their repentance (1 Corinthians 11:31), love and unity
(1 Corinthians 10:16-18), and new obedience (1
Corinthians 5:8), lest coming unworthily, they eat and
drink judgment to themselves. (1 Corinthians
11:27-29)
Concerning
Prayer
62. What is
prayer?
Prayer is an
offering up of our desires unto God, (Psalm 62:8) for
things agreeable to his will, (1 John 5:14) in the name
of Christ, (John 16:23) with confession of our sins,
(Psalm 32:5-6, Daniel 9:4) and thankful acknowledgement
of his mercies. (Philippians. 4:6)
63. Q. What rule
hath God given for our direction in
prayer?
The whole Word of
God is of use to direct us in prayer (1 John 5:14), but
the special rule of direction is that form of prayer
that Christ taught his disciples, commonly called The
Lord’ s Prayer (or the Model Prayer). (Matthew 6:9-13,
Luke 11:2-4)
Concerning
Christ’s Second Coming
64. Q. What is
meant by the words, "until he come," which are used by
the apostle Paul in reference to the Lord’s
Supper?
A. They plainly
teach us that our Lord Jesus Christ will come a second
time; which is the joy and hope of all believers. (Acts
1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16)
