A LIVING FAITH

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE

TRUTHS OF THE WORD OF GOD

AS TAUGHT IN

THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM

FOR YOUNG TEENS

George van Popta

 A LIVING FAITH

Copyright 2004, George Philip van Popta

All rights reserved. No part of this booklet may be reproduced, stored in

a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means
electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise except for
brief quotations for the purpose of review or comment, without prior
permission of the author, George van Popta, 46 Sulphur Springs Road,
Ancaster, Ontario, L9G 1L8. gvanpopta@canrc.org.

Acknowledgements:

Some of the ideas for lessons 1, 2 and 7 are drawn from the Rev. J. de
Gelder's unpublished translation of Ik Geloof, a Dutch catechism
workbook.
In his catechism teaching the author has found particularly helpful the
textbooks of Dr. J. Visscher, I Belong: A Course of Study on the Heidelberg
Catechism (Premier: Winnipeg, 1988) and J. Van Bruggen's Annotations to
the Heidelberg Catechism, tr. A.H. Oosterhoff (Inheritance: Neerlandia,
1991).
The New International Version of The Bible is used for Scripture
references with the permission of the publisher, Zondervan.
The version of the Heidelberg Catechism used in this book is that of the
Canadian Reformed Churches as found in the Book of Praise: Anglo-
Genevan Psalter, copyright 1984 by the Standing Committee for the
Publication of the Book of Praise of the Canadian Reformed Church, and
used with permission.

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Contents

Lesson 1Why are we here? 4

Lesson 2The Book of Praise 6
Lesson 3Our only comfort: Lord's Day 1 9
Lesson 4Creation of man and fall into sin: Lord's Days 2-4 11
Lesson 5The only Mediator: Lord's Days 5 & 6 14
Lesson 6True faith in the Triune God: Lord's Days 7 & 8 16
Lesson 7God the Father and our creation: Lord's Days 9 & 10 18
Lesson 8The Names of our Lord Jesus Christ: Lord's Day 11-13 21
Lesson 9The states of Christ: Lord's Days 14-19 24
Lesson 10The person and work of the Holy Spirit: Lord's Days 20-22 27
Lesson 11Only by true faith: Lord's Days 23-25 30
Lesson 12Baptism: Lord's Days 26 & 27 33
Lesson 13Lord's supper: Lord's Days 28-30 35
Lesson 14Listen carefully!: Lord's Day 31 37
Lesson 15Thankfulness: Lord's Day 32 40
Lesson 16Repentance and conversion: Lord's Day 33 43
Lesson 17The ten commandments: Lord's Day 34 45
Lesson 18Watch how you speak about God: Lord's Days 36 & 37 48
Lesson 19The Lord's Day: Lord's Day 38 50
Lesson 20Honour Mom and Dad!: Lord's Day 39 52
Lesson 21Murder: Lord's Day 40 55
Lesson 22Marriage and purity: Lord's Day 41 58
Lesson 23Stealing and coveting: Lord's Day 42 & 44 60
Lesson 24Speak the truth in love: Lord's Day 43 62
Lesson 25Prayer: Lord's Days 45-52 64
AppendixA very short catechism 66

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Lesson 1
Why are we here?

1. Why are you here? Did you know that you are here tonight has
something to do with your baptism? Let's think about that. You won't
remember your baptism, but you have often seen babies being baptized,
and you know that you too were baptized. Who was all there at your
baptism?

______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________

2. What did the LORD God promise you when you were baptized? See
the Form.

______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________

3. What did the congregation do?

4. What did your parents promise they would do for you? What do the
following mean?

Instruct:

Doctrine:

Have him instructed:

The Bible often speaks about the task of parents to teach their children
and have them instructed in the ways of the LORD. One example is:

(Psa 78:5-7) He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, {6} so the next
generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn
would tell their children. {7} Then they would put their trust in God and would
not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

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Note the command for parents to teach their children.

5. You were there too, of course. You don't remember it, because you
were too small. And no one asked you anything because you could not
yet give an answer. But now that you are getting older, you can begin to
grow in understanding of the things your baptism spoke about. The
question comes to you whether you believe the things God promised
you. You are working towards the time that you will answer that
question. That is called: "public profession of faith." That's a few years
off yet, but you are working towards that. In the mean time, you will
need to learn more about what the LORD promised you, and what He
wants you to do. That is why you come to catechism classto learn
what you need to know in order to make a public profession of faith.

6. You need to learn things, but catechism is not just about learning
and memorizing because you have to know things. There is much more.
You have to learn:

To love the Lord

To trust in Him
To keep his commandments

Note how the verses above from Psalm 78 also speak about this.

7. What does this mean for the minister?

8. In a few sentences, why are you here, and why is the minister here?

Homework: Memorize

Psalm 78:5-7

He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he
commanded our forefathers to teach their children, {6} so the next generation
would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell
their children. {7} Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget
his deeds but would keep his commands.

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Lesson 2
Book Of Praise

1. The tools you need for catechism class: Bible, Book of Praise, a pen, this
booklet. It will not surprise you that you need a Book of Praise since the
catechism is found in it, and you will be studying the catechism for the
next several years. But there is more in the Book of Praise. Let's take a
look.

2. List a few parts of the Book of Praise that we use (almost) every Sunday.

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

3. Not every Sunday, but often we also use:

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

4. We use the Book of Praise especially during the worship services. Let's
take a look at the different things that we do during a worship service.
We can do that with the help of the "Orders of Worship." Can you find
this in the Book of Praise?

There is an "A" order and a "B" order. What's the difference

between them?

Which order does your church use?

Listed under "B, For the Morning Service," you will find "6.
Prayer" and "12. Prayer." There are also prayers in your Book of Praise.
Can you find them?

What is the "Offertory"?

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Now look at "For the Afternoon Service." What do we do in the
afternoon that we don't do in the morning?

The Heidelberg Catechism is mentioned under 5 and 6. It is one of

our "confessions." List our "creeds and confessions."

5. In some worship services, we use other parts of the Book of Praise, such
as the "Form for the Baptism of Infants" or the "Form for the Celebration of
the Lord's Supper."

How many "Forms" are there in your Book of Praise?

Which form do we use when new elders and deacons are

ordained?

What about for a wedding?

Can you figure out why the first eight forms are listed in this
particular order (to make it easier, look at the Table of Contents on
page ix).

6. At the very end of the Book of Praise you will find the Church Order.
The Church Order is the set of basic rules and regulations that all the
different Canadian Reformed Churches have agreed to.

Why do we need a Church Order? See Article 1.

How does Article 29 function in our area?

Why is Article 31 an important article?

Why is Article 55 important?

Why does Article 60 include the words "at least"?

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Homework:

1. Read over these notes.

2. Memorize the names of the six Creeds and Confessions.
3. Read the introduction to the Heidelberg Catechism on page 473 of
the Book of Praise and answer the following questions:

Who were the authors of the Heidelberg Catechism?

When was the Heidelberg Catechism published?

Why was the Heidelberg Catechism written?

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Lesson 3
Our only comfort
Lords Day 1

My only comfort is that I will always belong to

my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ

1. Read QA 1 and answer the following:

to whom do you belong?

o What does 1 Cor. 3:23 say?

how much of you belongs to Him?

o What does 1 Thess. 5:23 teach us?

for how long do you belong to Him?

o Check out Romans 14:7-9.

how did it come about that you belong to Him?

o See 1 Peter 1:18

from whose power did He set you free?

o Flip over to Hebrews 2:14,15

Who takes care of you?

o Matthew 10:29-31

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2. What happened to you when you were very young that proves you
belong to Jesus Christ?

3. What three things must you know in order to live and died happily in
the comfort and joy of belonging to Jesus Christ?

Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 1

Q. What is your only comfort in life and death?

A. That I am not my own,
but belong with body and soul,
both in life and in death,
to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.
He has fully paid for all my sins
with His precious blood,
and has set me free
from all the power of the devil.

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Lesson 4
Creation of man and the Fall into sin
Lord's Days 2-4

1. Man is sinful, but it was not always like that. What words in Genesis
1:31 tell us this?

2. God created man to be his ______________. That means man is God's

_____________.

3. Genesis 1:28 describes the task that God gave man. Fill in the blanks
to see what this task was:
"God blessed them and said to them, 'Be __________and ___________ in
number; _________ the earth and ___________ it. ________ over the fish of
the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on
the ground.'"
4. What special command did God give man in Genesis 2:17?
" but you must not eat from ____________________________, for when
you eat of it you will _______________."
5. Was man able to obey this command?

6. What happened (Gen. 3:1-6)?

The snake (Satan) said: "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from
____________ tree in the garden'?" He was trying to make her
_____________ God's word.
Eve knew what God had said: "We may eat fruit ___________, but
God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from ______________________
___________________garden"
How did the devil lie to Eve in v. 4?
So what did Eve do?
What did Adam do?

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7. This was the beginning of sin.

What do they feel (verse 7)?
What do they try to do (verse 8)?
What do they do (verses 12 & 13)?
8. This was the beginning of original sin. By "original sin" we mean the
sin of Adam and Eve, the sin for which we too are guilty, and the sin
that pollutes us.

9. How do we see sin's devastating effect in Genesis 4 already?

10. What about in Genesis 6:5, 11, 12?

11. What did God do because of the sinfulness of man?

12. Lord's Day 2 teaches that we are unable to keep the law of God
perfectly; in fact, we are inclined towards hatred of God and
neighbour.

13. What teaches us about our sinfulness (Q&A 3)?

14. What is the only answer to our problem (Q&A 8)?

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Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 2

4. Q. What does God's law require of us?

A. Christ teaches us this in a summary in Matthew 22:
You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the great and first commandment.
And a second is like it,
You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
On these two commandments depend
all the law and the prophets.

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Lesson 5
The Only Mediator
Lords Days 5 & 6

1. Our sins need to be paid for. Who can pay? Who will pay?

Can we make the payment for our sins? Why/why not?

Is an angel able to make this payment? Why/why not?

is an animal able to make this payment? Why/why not?

2. What were the OT animal sacrifices all about?

3. Go to Leviticus chapters 1-7. You don't need to read them all; scan the
headings. List the five sacrifices mentioned.

4. What three things did our Saviour need to be (see Answer 15)?

5. Answer the following True or False questions:

The Saviour must be a true man T F

The Saviour must be a righteous man T F
The Saviour must be true God T F
There are many true and righteous men around T F
There was only one true and righteous man T F
Lots of people are both man and God T F
There is only one who is both man and God T F

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6. What does the word "gospel" mean?

7. How did God reveal the gospel in Paradise?

8. Who were the patriarchs?

9. Who were the prophets?

10. How did God fulfill the gospel "through His only Son?"

Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 6

18. Q. But who is that Mediator who at the same time is true God
and a true and righteous man?
A. Our Lord Jesus Christ,
whom God made our wisdom,
our righteousness and sanctification
and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30).

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Lesson 6
True Faith in the Triune God
Lord's Day 7 & 8

1. Read Acts 16:11-34 and answer the following questions:

Lydia believed the gospel which Paul preached TF

The owner of the slave girl were happy that Paul told
the evil spirit to leave her TF
The magistrates believed the gospel Paul and Silas
preached TF
The prisoners listened to Paul and Silas singing and
praying in jail TF
The jailer became a believer TF

2. Will all people be saved? What does Matthew 7:14 say about this?

3. What is necessary in order to be saved? See John 3:16.

4. Who works faith in our hearts? See QA 21.

5. How does He work faith in our hearts? See QA 21 and Romans 10:17.

6. How many Gods are there? Write down what the following texts say
about this (not the whole verse; just the sentence or line which is
important for answering this question).

Deut. 6:4

1 Kings 8:60

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Isaiah 44:6

1 Cor. 8:6

7. Briefly, what is the doctrine of the Trinity?

Homework: Memorize the Apostles' Creed

1. I believe in God the Father almighty,

Creator of heaven and earth.
2. I believe in Jesus Christ,
His only-begotten Son, our Lord;
3. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary;
4. suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell.
5. On the third day He arose from the dead;
6. He ascended into heaven,
and sits at the right hand
of God the Father almighty;
7. from there He will come to judge the living and
the dead.
8. I believe in the Holy Spirit;
9. I believe a holy catholic Christian church,
the communion of saints;
10. the forgiveness of sins;
11. the resurrection of the body;
12. and the life everlasting.

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Lesson 7
God the Father and our Creation
Lord's Days 9 & 10

1. We believe in the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the
Apostles' Creed, we confess our faith in the Triune God.

2. First we confess our faith in God the Father. We say:

I believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth

3. Have you ever driven across Canada? How long do you think it would
take?

Canada's a big country, but compared to the universe that God

created, it's pretty small.

. (Earth)
(Sun)

(Relative dimensions are only approximate)

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Facts: Distance from the earth to the sun: 150 million kilometres.
How long would it take for you to walk that distance?
How long does it take for the light of the sun to reach the earth?

Other facts: It takes about 4.5 years for the light from the nearest
star to reach us.
Some stars are 300 times bigger than the sun.
Some are 100,000 times hotter than the sun.
Our solar system is in the Milky Way, a galaxy that has about 100
billion stars.
There are many, many galaxies in the universe.

4. Read Isaiah 40:25,26.

Who created the stars?
Who brings the starry host out one by one?
Who knows the name of each star?

5. Read Ps. 147:4.

Who has determined how many stars there are?
Who calls them each by name?

6. How did God create the heavens and the earth?

7. Not only did God create everything; He also upholds and

governs all that He made. How does Genesis 8:22 teach this?

8. Read Psalm 104:24-28.

Which verses speak about how God created everything?
Which verses speak about how God cares for his creation?

9. Why do we usually have a Prayer Service for Crops and Labour in the
Spring and a Thanksgiving service in the Fall?

10. This mighty Creator is your Heavenly Father for the sake of Jesus
Christ.

11. Lord's Days 9 & 10 teach that God will turn to our good also the
unpleasant things He sends us in this life. Consider the story of
Joseph to understand this truth

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Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 9

26. Q. What do you believe when you say: I believe in God the
Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?
A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who out of nothing created heaven and earth
and all that is in them,
and who still upholds and governs them
by His eternal counsel and providence,
is, for the sake of Christ His Son,
my God and my Father.

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Lesson 8
The Names of our Lord Jesus Christ
Lord's Days 11-13

1. What four names of Christ does the Apostles' Creed mention in

Article 2?

2. Names often have a meaning. Do you know the meaning of your

name?

3. Why was He called "Jesus"? In Matthew 1:21, the angel Gabriel said
to Joseph: She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name
Jesus, because ____________________________"

4. Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name "Joshua." Do you know
of a famous Joshua in the OT?

What similarities are there between Jesus and Joshua?

What differences are there between the two?

5. From what does the Lord Jesus save us?

6. Christ means______________ which in Hebrew is ____________.

7. Jesus Christ was anointed to be our ___________, ___________, and

________.

8. Examples of people who were anointed in the OT:

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1 Kings 19:16____________
Exodus 30:30____________
1 Samuel 10:1____________

9. The anointing oil was a symbol of the _____________

10. Was Jesus Christ anointed? _________ Who descended upon Him
(Matthew 3:16)? _______________. Who was upon Him because He
had anointed Him (Luke 4:18)? _________________.

11. We share in the anointing of Christ.

As prophets, we ____________________________________.
As priests, we ______________________________________.
As kings, we _______________________________________.

12. A third name of our Lord is "God's only-begotten Son?" What is

the difference between how He is the son of God and you are children
of God?

Christ alone is the _________________, ______________ son of God.

We are children of God by ________________, through

_____________, for _________________

13. Finally, Jesus Christ is also called _________________.

14. What does that mean for you?

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Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 11

29. Q. Why is the Son of God called Jesus, that is, Saviour?
A. Because He saves us from all our sins, and because
salvation is not to be sought or found in anyone else.

Lord's Day 13

34. Q. Why do you call Him our Lord?

A. Because He has ransomed us,
body and soul,
from all our sins,
not with silver or gold
but with His precious blood,
and has freed us
from all the power of the devil
to make us His own possession.
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Lesson 9
The States of Christ
Lord's Day 14-19

1. The State of Humiliation

1.1. Incarnation

Scripture

Lord's Day

1.2. Suffering

Scripture

Lord's Day

1.3. Death

Scripture

Lord's Day

1.4. Burial

Scripture

Lord's Day

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2. The State of Exaltation

2.1. Resurrection

Scripture

Lord's Day

2.2. Ascension

Scripture

Lord's Day

2.3. Session

Scripture

Lord's Day

2.4. Physical Return

Scripture

Lord's Day

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Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 16

40. Q. Why was it necessary for Christ to humble Himself even

unto death?
A. Because of the justice and truth of God
satisfaction for our sins
could be made in no other way
than by the death of the Son of God.

41. Q. Why was He buried?

A. His burial testified
that He had really died.

42. Q. Since Christ has died for us, why do we still have to die?
A. Our death is not a payment for our sins,
but it puts an end to sin
and is an entrance into eternal life.

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Lesson 10
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
Lord's Days 20-22

1. Who is the Holy Spirit?

2. What is the main work of the Holy Spirit?

3. The Holy Spirit does this work through the _______________

4. You are a member of the Canadian Reformed Church.

What is the Church?

Why is your church called "Reformed"?

5. Three marks of the true church:

6. The Holy Spirit makes the congregation into a _______________ (Q&A

55)

7. As those who belong to Christ, we enjoy the _________________ (Q&A

56)

8. Some examples of how God forgives us our sins:

Psalm 103:12

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Micah 7:19

Isaiah 44:22

9. The Holy Spirit completes the work He began in us by _________

(Q&A 57) and giving us ___________________ (Q&A 58)

10. When you die:

What happens to your body?

What happens to your soul?

11. What is life everlasting? It is:

Perfect_____________

It is happiness that has never been ____________

Nor ______________

Nor ______________

12. When does life everlasting begin?

13. What does that mean for how we are going to live?

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Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 20

53. Q. What do you believe concerning the Holy Spirit?

A. First, He is, together with the Father and the Son,
true and eternal God.
Second, He is also given to me,
to make me by true faith
share in Christ and all His benefits,
to comfort me,
and to remain with me forever.

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Lesson 11
Only by True Faith
Lord's Days 23-25

1. We spent the last four classes discussing the Apostles' Creed. By way
of the Apostles' Creed, we confess our faith in:

2. The Apostles' Creed is a summary of the _______________, that is,

what a Christian must _____________.

3. The Heidelberg Catechism teaches us a lot about what a Christian

must believe. But the question now is not so much "What have you
learned?" but, "Do you believe what you have learned?" That's why
Question 59 asks: "But what does it help you now that you believe all this?"

Write out the answer (59):

4. What does it mean to be righteous before God?

5. What does it mean to be an heir to life everlasting?

6. How are your righteous before God? And how do you get to be an
heir to life everlasting?

Only

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7. Write out Romans 1:17

8. Write out Romans 3:28

9. If we are "righteous" before God, does that mean we are no longer

sinners?

10. Are we righteous before God because of our good works?

11. Where, then, do good works fit into the picture?

12. If faith is so important, where does it come from?

13. Some examples of people who came to faith by the preaching of the
gospel:

Acts 8:26ff

Acts 16:14

Acts 16:34

14. Describe the layout of your church auditorium.

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15. The making of a sermon:

Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 23

59. Q. But what does it help you now that you believe the
gospel?
A. In Christ I am righteous before God
and heir to life everlasting.

60. Q. How are you righteous before God?

A. Only by true faith in Jesus Christ.

65. Q. Since then faith alone makes us share in Christ and all
His benefits, where does this faith come from?
A. From the Holy Spirit,
who works it in our hearts
by the preaching of the gospel,
and strengthens it
by the use of the sacraments.

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Lesson 12
Baptism
Lord's Days 26 & 27

1. Who commanded the church to baptize?

_____________ Text: _______________

2. Some examples of early baptisms

Acts 2:38ff. Who was baptized?

___________ How many people were
baptized? _____________ What day was this
on? ________________ Who is
speaking?_________
Acts 8:12ff. Of which city were the
people who were baptized? __________
Who was this Simon? _____________ Was
Simon a true believer? _________ (See 8:18ff)
Acts 8:36ff. Who was baptized? ________________ Who administered
the baptism? _______________
Acts 9:18. Who was baptized? _____________
Acts 16:15. Who was baptized? _____________
Acts 16:33. Who was baptized? _____________
Acts 18:8. Who was baptized? _____________
3. Who should be baptized?

4. Baptism is a sign of the covenant. What is "the covenant"?

5. In Matthew 28:19, the Lord gives the command for baptism. But what
else does he command the church to do?

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6. What does your baptism mean for you?

7. As Canadian Reformed Churches, where do we do mission work?

The Church at Surrey does mission work in________________

The Church at Hamilton does mission work in ______________

The Church at Toronto does mission work in _______________

The Church at Smithers does mission work among __________

Ancaster and Burlington-South Churches do mission work in

________________
Cloverdale and Langley Churches do mission work in ________

Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 26

69. Q. How does holy baptism signify and seal to you that the
one sacrifice of Christ on the cross benefits you?
A. In this way:
Christ instituted this outward washing
and with it gave the promise that,
as surely as water washes away
the dirt from the body,
so certainly His blood and Spirit
wash away the impurity of my soul,
that is, all my sins.

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Lesson 13
Lords Supper
Lords Day 28-30

1. Who instituted the Lords Supper?

2. When?

3. Which OT meal foreshadows the Lord's Supper?

4. Describe this meal.

When was it first celebrated?

What did they have to do?

What did they have to eat?

What was it all about?

To what was it pointing?

5. To whom did the lamb point?

Who is called a lamb in John 1:29?

What happened to this lamb? (1 Cor 5:7)

What did not happen to this lamb? (Ex. 12:46; John 19:36)

6. What did the Lord Jesus say about the bread? (Luke 22:19)

7. What did he say about the cup of wine? (Luke 22:20)

"Do this in remembrance

of me."

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8. With whom did the Lord celebrate this supper? (Luke 22:14)

Would you describe them as heroes of faith or as weak believers?

Why?

What does this tell us about whom the Lords Supper is for?

9. Any idea how the Lord's Supper works?

10. The Lord's Supper points back to ___________ (Exo 12) and forward to
____________ (Rev 19:7).

11. Why dont you go to the table?

12. What must a person do before he attends the table?

13. How often does your church celebrate the Lord's Supper?

Homework: Memorize

Q. What are the visible signs in the Lord's Supper?

A. The broken bread which we eat and the poured wine which we
drink in remembrance of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

Q. What does that signify and seal?

A. That with His crucified body and shed blood,
Jesus Christ feeds and nourishes my soul
unto everlasting life.

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Lesson 14
Listen carefully!
Lord's Day 31

1. What are keys? What do they do?

2. The keys of the kingdom of heaven are _________________

and _____________________.

3. These keys open the kingdom of heaven to _____________ and

close it to _________________________.

4. The first key is the preaching of the gospel. What does it do? It

_____________ and ______________ the kingdom of heaven.

5. What does the preaching (the sermon) say to the believer?

6. What does the preaching (the sermon) say to the unbeliever?

7. Should most sermons contain both promise and warning?

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son
will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him. (John 3:36)

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8. If sermons are so important, what does that mean for:

the preacher? ___________________________

and the listener? ____________________________

9. What should you do if you see your friend doing something

wrong, say, stealing?

10. What does the Lord Jesus tell us to do?

If your brother sins against you, go and show him his

fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you,
you have won your brother over. (Matthew 18:15)

11. If "your brother" does not listen, what must you do?

But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so

that `every matter may be established by the testimony of
two or three witnesses.' (Matthew 18:16)

12. If he does not listen to you and the "two or three witness," what
must you do?

If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the

church; and if he refuses to listen even to
the church, treat him as you would a
pagan or a tax collector. (Matthew 18:17)

13. Is there a way back to the church and the kingdom of

heaven? What does the story of the Prodigal Son teach us about "a
way back"?

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Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 31

83. Q. What are the keys of the kingdom of heaven?

A. The preaching of the holy gospel
and church discipline.
By these two the kingdom of heaven
is opened to believers
and closed to unbelievers.

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Lesson 15
Thankfulness
Lord's Day 32

1. Lord's Day 32 begins the third and last part of the Heidelberg
Catechism. Let's review the three parts:

2. Why must we do good works? To show God our ______________

3. Imagine someone saved you from drowning. You would be thankful

for that. You would tell him that but you would also want to show it by
doing something for him. If you believe in Jesus Christ the Saviour, it will
be impossible to keep living as if nothing happened. If will affect your life
and how you live before the Lord. Look up John 15:1-6 and answer the
following:

Who is the vine?

Who is the gardener?

What does the gardener do?

How do the branches bear fruit?

What is this fruit?

4. The Bible mentions various reasons for doing good works out of
thankfulness.

4.1. To glorify God.

Write out 1 Corinthians 10:31 -

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What do your good works mean for God?

4.2. To show that you do belong to God.

Write out John 15:8 -

What do your good works mean for you?

4.3. To help the neighbour.

Write out Matthew 5:16 -

What do your good works mean for your neighbour?

5. We cannot win others for Jesus Christ by ourselves. Faith is a gift of

God and is worked by the _________________ through the
_____________.

6. And yet, the Lord can use us to open the eyes of others for the message
that you can only be saved through faith in Jesus Christ. How?

7. Doing good works is not optional. What does James teach in James
2:14 & 17.

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8. What task does the Lord give us? See Matthew 5:13-16.

This has to do with our walk. See Philippians 2:15.

It has to do with our talk. See Colossians 4:5,6.

Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 32

86. Q. Since we have been delivered by grace alone,

why must we yet do good works?
A. First, so that with our whole life we may show ourselves
thankful to God,
second, that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits,
and third, that by our godly walk of life we may win our
neighbours for Christ.

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Lesson 16
Repentance and Conversion
Lord's Day 33

1. Is it enough just to call yourself a Christian?

2. What is "repentance"?

3. What is "conversion"?

4. The Bible speaks about some who were converted suddenly.

5. The Bible also speaks about those who did not have a sudden
conversion experience.

6. Whether a Christian had a sudden conversion experience or grew up in

the Christian faith, he is called to a life of daily repentance and conversion.
What does this mean?

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7. We are called to a life of good works. What are good works?

Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 33

88. Q. What is the true repentance or conversion of man?

A. It is the dying of the old nature
and the coming to life of the new.

91. Q. What are good works?

A. Only those which are done
out of true faith,
in accordance with the law of God,
and to His glory.

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Lesson 17
The Ten Commandments
Lord's Day 34

1. When did the LORD God give his people the ten commandments?

2. Why do we sometimes call them: "The Ten Words of the Covenant"?

3. What very important words did God speak before He gave the ten
commandments?

4. Why do we read them in church every Sunday morning?

5. Who kept the ten commandments perfectly?

6. What do we mean when we say that we keep the ten commandments

out of thankfulness?

7. We can divide the ten commandments into two parts:

8. Who taught us that?

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9. The ten commandments can be divided this way:

Love God Love your Neighbour

1. 6.

2. 7.

3. 8.

4. 9.

5. 10.

10. The first commandment:

Old Testament example of false gods:

New Testament example of false gods:

Examples today:

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11. The second commandment:

Golden calf (I) Exodus 32

Golden calf (II) 1 Kings 12

Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 34

93. Q. How are these commandments divided?

A. Into two parts.
The first
teaches us how to live in relation to God;
the second,
what duties we owe our neighbour.

95. Q. What is idolatry?

A. Idolatry is
having or inventing something
in which to put our trust
instead of, or in addition to,
the only true God
who has revealed Himself in His Word.

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Lesson 18
Watch how you speak about the LORD your God
Lord's Days 36 & 37

1. GOD'S NAMES

Notice that in the third commandment the Name "LORD" is written with
capitals. That is intentional. Sometimes you'll also find the Name "Lord"
written in lower cases in the Bible. In the Hebrew language, several
different names are used to refer to God.

Elohim =

Adonai =

Yawheh =

The Name God indicates that God has _______________everything. He is

the _______________.

The Name Lord says that God is the ______________, Who

_______________ with authority.

LORD is the Name of God as the ____________ God. The believers may
use this Name to address God and to speak about Him. This Name,
Yahweh, is a very special Name.

2. We see that in the story of Moses and the burning bush, Exodus 3.

What does God call himself?

What does that mean?

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3. What, according to QA 99, are wrong uses of God's name?

4. What, according to QA 99, are right uses of God's name?

5. What is the special point that Q. 100 makes?

Does the use of TV come into picture here?

6. Read 2 Kings 19:10-19.

How does the king of Assyria speak about the Lord?

How does King Hezekiah speak about the LORD?

Homework: Memorize

And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought
you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
1. "You shall have no other gods before me.
2. "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall
not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a
jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third
and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a
thousand generations of those who love me and keep my
commandments.
3. "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD
will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

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Lesson 19
The Lord's Day
Lord's Day 38

1. What is the fourth commandment?

2. What great deeds of God did the fourth commandment call God's
people to remember?

Exodus 20 --

Deuteronomy 5 --

How does this apply to you?

3. We do not keep the Sabbath Day (Saturday). We worship on the First

Day (Sunday). Why?

4. On Sunday we go to church. What do we do

there?

5. Which "schools" are meant?

6. What does "diligently" mean?

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7. What is the "second" thing God requires of us in the fourth

commandment?

8. What is "the eternal sabbath"?

Homework: Memorize

And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought
you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
1 "You shall have no other gods before me.
2 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not
bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a
jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third
and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a
thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
3 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD
will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
4 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor
and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your
God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or
daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the
alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and
the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.
Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

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Lesson 20
Honour Mom and Dad!
Lord's Day 39

1. You were born into a family. You did not pick your parents and your
parents did not pick you. God gave you to each other. Your mom and dad
were very happy when you were born. Along with that happiness came a
responsibility. God gave them the task to ________________ and
_________________ you. Parents must do that with _____________ and
_______________.

2. Should parents just let you do whatever you want when you want? Why
or why not?

3. Since God has given your parents this job to do with you, what must you
show your parents?

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4. What is the fifth commandment? ______________ your father and your

mother. What does that mean?

5. Not only are you to obey your parents; you must also have

6. Read Ephesians 6:1-4. Children must ___________ and ___________

their parents. Parents are commanded not to
___________________________ but to bring them up in the ______________
and __________________ of _____________.

7. Look carefully at LD 39. Who is actually governing you by the hand of

your parents?

8. God comes to us through certain people who have authority over us.
Study the following diagram and complete it by filling in the right words
in the gray areas:

God

teachers government employers

children congregation

Bible texts:

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9. What would you do if someone in authority told you to do something

against the Word of God? Acts 4 & 5.

Homework: Memorize

And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought
you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
1 "You shall have no other gods before me.
2 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall
not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a
jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third
and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a
thousand generations of those who love me and keep my
commandments.
3 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD
will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
4 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall
labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the
LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your
son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals,
nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the
heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on
the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made
it holy.
5. Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the
land the Lord your god is giving you.

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Lesson 21
Murder
Lord's Day 40

1. The sixth commandment forbids murder. What else does it forbid?

2. This commandment does not only forbid something; it also commands

something. What does it command?

3. On average, about one in twenty children are bullied. Usually bullying

happens at school or on the bus.

Why do kids get bullied?

Is it right to bully?
Should you prevent it? How?
How do you think bullying can affect someone's life later on?

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4. Does the sixth commandment have anything to say about smoking,
and abusing drugs and alcohol?

5. What's the connection between the sixth commandment and the

Parable of the Good Samaritan?

6. Which rule do you live by?

The iron rule:

The silver rule:
The golden rule:

Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 40

105. Q. What does God require in the sixth commandment?

A. I am not to dishonour, hate, injure,
or kill my neighbour
by thoughts, words, or gestures,
and much less by deeds

107. Q. Is it enough, then, that we do not kill our neighbour

in any such way?
A. No.
When God condemns envy, hatred, and anger,
He commands us
to love our neighbour as ourselves

Memorize also the Ten Commandments

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The Ten Commandments

And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought
you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
1 "You shall have no other gods before me.
2 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not
bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a
jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third
and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a
thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
3 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD
will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
4 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor
and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your
God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or
daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the
alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and
the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.
Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
5. Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the
land the Lord your god is giving you.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your
neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor."

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Lesson 22
Marriage and Purity
Lord's Day 41

1. The seventh commandment is about marriage. Who ordained

marriage (see Genesis 2:21ff)?

2. What are the purposes of marriage? Hint, there are two.

3. What does Paul teach us that marriage must be like (Ephesians 5:22-
33)?

4. Can you marry just anyone? What things are important?

5. What does it mean that you are a temple of the Holy Spirit?

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6. What is "adultery"?

7. What is "unchastity"?

James 1:21

Col 3:8

2 Pet 2:7

Eph 4:29

Eph 5:3

Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 41

108. Q. What does the seventh commandment teach us?

A. That all unchastity is cursed by God.
We must therefore detest it from the heart
and live chaste and disciplined lives,
both within and outside of holy marriage.

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Lesson 23
Stealing and Coveting
Lord's Day 42 & 44

1. What the eighth commandment forbids:

2. What the eighth commandment commands:

3. Two ways we may get things:

4. We are stewards over what God has given us. A steward is

5. Your money

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How do you earn it?

What do you do with it?

If you spend money, how do you decide what to spend it on?

What worthless things have you spent money on?

What worthwhile things have you spent money on?

6. The tenth commandment, You shall not covet, means

7. Are all desires wrong?

8. What does the tenth commandment have to do with:

commercials

lotteries and gambling

TV games shows

Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 42

110. Q. What does God forbid in the eighth commandment?

A. God forbids theft and robbery
In addition God forbids all greed
and all abuse or squandering of His gifts.

The Golden Rule: In everything, do to others what you would have them do to
you (Matthew 7:12).

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Lesson 24
Speak the truth in love
Lords Day 43

1. The ninth commandment brings us first into the court room. It forbids,
first of all, giving false testimony in court. 1 Kings 21:1-16 gives a good
example of Court in Session in Israel. It also gives a good example of
sin against the ninth commandment. What does Answer 112 say that
were not to do?

I must not give _________________ against anyone,

____________ no one's words,
not ______________ or ________________,
nor ________________ anyone rashly and unheard
or join in ______________________ anyone rashly and unheard.

In which way did the following people sin against the ninth
commandment? (Put the appropriate letter(s) behind their names.)

Ahab
Jezebel
The elders and nobles
The people
The two scoundrels

2. Do we always have to tell the truth according to the facts? What

about Exodus 1:15-20? What about Rahab?

3. Can you think of a similar situation where not telling the truth
according to the facts would not be sin against the ninth
commandment?

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4. True or false?

I may invent an excuse if Im late coming in to get

myself off the hook. TF
I may imitate my mom or dads signature on a test I failed. T F
I may tell a story in such a way that I dont get the blame. T F
I may forget to give a letter from the teacher to
my parents. TF
I may tell bad things about someone I dont like. TF
I may change someones words a little to make him or her look
bad. TF
I may tell my parents that all my friends are allowed
to do much more than I. TF

5. Read James 3:1-12. To what different things does James compare the
human tongue?

6. What does the Lord Jesus call the devil in John 8:44? The father of
_______.

7. Eph. 4:15 teaches us that we to speak the _______ in _________.

Homework: Memorize

Lord's Day 43

112. Q. What is required in the ninth commandment?

A. I must not give false testimony against anyone
Rather, I must avoid all lying and deceit
I must love the truth, speak it honestly,
and do what I can to defend and promote
my neighbour's honour and reputation.

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Lesson 25
Prayer
Lord's Day 45-52

1. Why must we pray? Three reasons:

2. How can we pray in a way pleasing to God?

3. What do we pray for? What does Proverbs 30:8 & 9 say? Would it be
appropriate to pray for:

Food?
Clothing?
Good health?
The Leafs to win the Stanley Cup?
A new stereo system

4. Essential Prayer:

A
C
T
S

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5. The Lord's Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors;
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

The Lord's Prayer has an address, six petitions (requests), the doxology
(words of praise).

Put an "A" beside the address.

Number the petitions 1-6.
But a "D" beside the doxology.

6. Read Luke 18:9-14. Why was the Lord not impressed with the prayer of
the Pharisee whereas he answered the prayer of the tax collector?

7. Why do we end our prayer with the word "Amen"?

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Appendix
A Very Short Catechism

Questions Answers
1. Who made you? God.
2. What else did God make? God made all things.
3. Why did God make all things? For His own glory.
4. Why do things work as they do? God has so decreed it.
5. How do we learn about God? God reveals Himself.
6. Where does God reveal Himself? In creation and His word.
7. What does God reveal in creation? His eternal power and deity.
8. What more is revealed in His Word? The gospel.
9. Where is God's Word today? The Bible is God's word.
10. How many Gods are there? There is one true God.
11. How many persons are in the Godhead? There are three.
12. Who are these persons? Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
13. Where is God? He is everywhere.
14. How long has God existed? From eternity.
15. How is man unique? He was made in God's image.
16. Who was the first man? Adam.
17. What was Adam like at creation? He was good.
18. Did Adam remain good? No; he sinned.
19. What is sin? Disobedience to God's law.
20. What is the penalty for sin? Death.
21. What came of Adam's sin? Death came to all men.
22. Why did Adam's sin affect all men? We all sinned in Adam.
23. Must all men die for sin? No; God chose some to live.
24. How may we be saved from sin and death? Only through Jesus Christ.
25. Who is Jesus Christ? He is God's Son.
26. Did Jesus ever sin? No; only He is righteous.
27. What did Jesus do for His people? He conquered death.

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28. How did He do this? He died and rose again.
29. What else did Christ conquer? All His enemies.
30. Are His enemies powerful? Yes, but Christ has defeated
them.
31. What did He give to His people? His own righteousness.
32. What did He take from His people? Their sin.
33. How is Christ's work brought to His people? By the Holy Spirit.
34. What does the Holy Spirit do? He works faith in our hearts.
35. What is faith? Trusting in Jesus Christ for
salvation.
36. How do we recognize true faith? It produces good works.
37. Who are Christ's people? His church.
38. What are the marks of His church? Word, sacraments, and church
discipline.
39. How is the word a mark of His church? All God's word is purely
preached.
40. How is discipline a mark of His church? God's people are protected
from sin.
41. What are sacraments? Signs and seals of God's
covenant.
42. What sacraments are there? Baptism and Lord's Supper.
43. Who is Head of the Church? Jesus Christ is.
44. What offices has Christ appointed? Minister, elder and deacon.
45. Is His Church perfect? Not yet, but it is being
perfected.
46. When will it be perfect? At the resurrection.
47. What will happen at the resurrection? Christ will judge the living
and the dead.
48. What of those He deems righteous? They will dwell with Him
forever.
49. What of those He condemns? They will perish forever.
50. How does this judgment affect Christ? It magnifies His glory.

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