My Personal Catechism

This is my catechism... sorta an imitation of the Shorter Catechism, but it's far shorter than the shorter catechism. =P

My personal Catechism

1. What is the number of God; what is this relationship?

Deut 6:4; 1 Cor 8:4, 6; 1 John 5:7-8; Mat 3:16-17; 28:19; II Cor 13:14; John 1:14, 18; 15:26; Gal 4:6

There are three persons in the unity of the Godhead, consisting of one substance, power and eternity: God the father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Father is begotten by and proceeds from none; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holly Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son.



2. What is the nature/character of God?

Deut 6:4; 1 Cor 8:4,6; 1 Thes 1:9; Jer 10:10 ; Job 11:7-9; 26:14; 1 Tim 1:7; Deut 4:15-16; John 4:24; Luke 24:39; 1 Kings 8:27; Jer 23:23; Psalms 90:2; 1 Tim 1:17; Psalms 145:3; John 5:26; Acts 17:24-25; Psalms 119:68; Acts 7:2; 1 Tim 6:15; Ro 9:5; Ex 3:14; John 4:24; Acts 14:11, 15; James 1:17; Mal 3:6; Gen 17:1; Rev 4:8; Ro 16:27; Isa 6:3; Rev 4:8; Psalms 115:3; Eph 1:11; Prov 16:4; Ro 11:36; 1 John 4:8; Ex 34:6-7; Heb 11:6; Neh 9:32-33; Psalms 5:4-6; Nahum 1:2-3; Job 22:2-3; Ro 11:36; Rev 4:11; 1 Tim 6:15; Dan 4:25; Ps 145:17; Ro 7:1;

There is only one, living and true God; invisible, without body parts; immense, unfathomable, all powerful, all wise, Totally holy/pure, free, loving, unchangeable; Always was, is, and will be;. His being and perfection has no limit. He is not susceptible to impressions from external agents. Absolute and complete in Himself .Working all things in accordance with His righteous and holy will for His own glory, He abounds in mercy and forgiveness; rewarder of those that seek Him. He is terrible in judgment because of his hatred for sin; not clearing the guilty. He has all things in and of Himself, He needs nothing and derives no glory from any of His creation, but manifests His own glory on His creation. He has complete dominion over all and does to, for, and by them, whatever he pleases. Knowing all, nothing is uncertain for Him. All He does is Holy.



3. How did all that exist come into existence?

Col 1:15, 16; John 1:2,3; Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; 33:4; Ro 1:20; Jer 10:12; Ps 104:24; 33:5, 6; Gen 1; Heb 11:3; Col 1:16; Acts 17:24; Heb 1:3

God created all things for His pleasure and the manifestation of his character. He created everything out of nothing. Everything whether visible or invisible, was created to be very good. Last of all His creation was first of all His creation. God created Man last and set him up as head of all the rest of creation. The Godhead performed creation as a unit; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.



4. After creating all, what involvement did God have with His creation?

Dan 4:34-35; Ps 135:6; Acts 17:25-28; Job 38-41; Matthew 10:29-31; Pro 15:3; Ps 104:24; 145:17; Acts 15:18; Ps 94:8-11; Acts 2:23;

God is in control of all that happens to His creation. From the greatest to the least, nothing happens to his creation without His knowledge.



5. What was the nature/character of man as God created him?

Gen 2:7; Ecc 12:7; Luke 23:43; Matt 10:28; Gen 1:26; Col 3:10; Eph 4:24; Ro 2:14-15; Ecc 7:29; Gen 3:6; Gen 2:17; 3:8-11, 23; Gen 1:28

Man, the last being created by God was created in the image of God with an immortal soul, capable of reason. God gave him knowledge, righteousness and true holiness in His image. On man’s heart God wrote His law and gave him the power to fulfill this law. God left man with the ability to sin; the liberty to transgress against his own creator. Along with the law written on his heart God also gave man a command; to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. While they kept this law, they were happily in communion with God and had dominion over the creatures.



6. Did man stay in this state of righteousness allowing communion with God?

Gen 3:13; 2 Cor 11:3; Ro 11:32; Gen 3:6-8; Ecc 7:29; Ro 3:23; Gen 2:17; Eph 2:1; Tit 1:15; Gen 6:5; Jer 17:9; Ro 3:10-18;

The first man and woman (Adam and Eve) sinned by eating the forbidden fruit. God allowed this sin in order to use it for His own glory. In committing this sin, Adam and Eve lost communion with God and fell from righteousness. They became dead in sin and every part of their bodies and souls were defiled.



7. Did this corrupted sate affect all of mankind?

Gen 1:27, 28; 2:10, 17; Acts 17:26; Ro 5:12-19; 1 Cor 15:21, 22, 45, 49; Ps 51:5; Gen 5:3; Job 14:4; 15:14; Ro 5:6; 8:7; 7:18; Col 1:21; Gen 6:5; 8:21; Ro 3:10-12; James 1:14-15; Ephesians 2:2, 3; Mat 15:19

Being the root of all mankind, Adam’s and Eve’s sin was imputed to all of their decedents; and with the sin, death. All of mankind is in a state of opposition to all that is good; inclined toward all that is evil. It is from this complete corruption that all transgressions precede.



8. How does sin affect man’s state before God?

1 John 3:4; Ro 2:15; 3:9,19; Eph 2:3; Gal 3:10; Ro 6:23; Eph 4:18; Ro 8:20; Lam 3:39; Mat 25:41; 2 Thess 1:9

Every sin,, being contrary to the law of God, brings guilt upon the sinner. This guilt binds man to the wrath of God and the curse of the law. Man is made subject to death by this sin; with all anguishes whether spiritual, temporal, or eternal.



9. Is man capable of restoring his relationship with God?

Isaiah 40:13-17; Job 9:32, 33; 1 Samuel 2:25; Ps 113:5; 100:2, 3; Job 22:2, 3; 35:7, 8; Luke 17:10; Acts 17:24, 25;

The distance separating man from God is so great that man can never breach it through any amount of obedience or good works. Only through God’s grace can the separation be eliminated.



10. How did God breach the separation?

Gal 3:21; Ro 8:3; 3:20, 21; Gen 3:15; Isaiah 42:6; Mark 16:15-16; John 3:16; Romans 10:6, 9; Gal 3:11; Ez 36:26-27; John 6:44-45;

Man by his fall broke the first covenant between him and God, so God was pleased to make a second covenant. This covenant of grace was based on Christ alone; His death, burial, and resurrection. God, through the Holy Spirit makes those he has divinely called able and willing to believe and turn back to God.



11. What is the benefit of this new covenant and the renewed relationship with God?

Heb 9:15-17; 7:22; Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25; Heb 8-10; Ro 4:11; Col 2:11, 12; 1 Cor 5:7; Gal 3:7-9,14; Col 2:17;

Man is no longer responsible for any part of the covenant. God does it all. It is through the messiah and the messiah alone that man receives full remission for sins. With this covenant, man’s relationship with God is restored and with this restoration, he receives the everlasting inheritance as a son of God.

My Personal Confession (think Westminster only not so awesome)

After studying the Westminster Confession, the Shorter Catechism, and excerpts from the Institutes of Religion by John Calvin, for school, I had an amazingly scary assignment. I had to write my own confession and catechism. So yeah, they are nothing like the Westminster or Shorter, but I really need a post because this blog is dying so here is my confession.

My Personal Confession

Knowing that mankind was unable to find God, even with the signs He placed in creation, God gave to man the scriptures which He inspired men to write. The scripture, being the words of God, are most necessary for man to understand salvation and to be protected from the snares of Satan. Only through scripture can man truly understand God, the universe, man, morality and ethics, evil and suffering, man’s state after death, and the meaning of history.


God
There is only one, living, and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection. His is a spirit, entirely pure, invisible, without body, parts, or passions; immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, completely wise, thoroughly holy, entirely free, utterly absolute. He works all things according to His own immutable and most righteous will, for His own glory. He is most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. He is the rewarder of all who seek Him diligently. To all men, He is completely just, and terrible in His judgments, hating sin. He will by no means clear the guilty.

God has all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness in and of Himself; and is alone all sufficient, not needing any creature which he has made, nor deriving any glory from them. He instead manifests His own glory in, by, and upon them. He has sovereign dominion over all things, to do by them, for them, or upon them whatever He pleases. He sees all, His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent, so nothing is contingent, or uncertain to Him. All His counsels, all His works, and all His commands are completely holy. He is due all worship, service, and obedience from every creature.

There are three persons in the unity of the Godhead, consisting of one substance, power, and eternity: God the father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Father is begotten by none and proceeding from none; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holly Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son.


The Universe
All that makes up the universe is created by God, out of nothing. All things whether visible or invisible were created in six days and declared good by God. Nothing came about of its own will; nothing was made by any other besides God. Everything God created reflects all that He is. His power, His size, His creativity, all that God is, is reveled to man through his creation. Every aspect of the universe is unique for each part is formed by God to be distinct.



Man
After creating all other beings, God formed Man, male and female, with reasonable and immortal souls. He endued them with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, after His own image. He wrote His law in their hearts, and gave them power to fulfill it. But He gave them freedom under their own will and possibility of transgressing. Beside this law written in their hearts, God also commanded them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. While they obeyed this command they were happily in communion with God. But on breaking this command, they would become separated from God and suffer the humility and pain of this separation.

Man being created above animals was given dominion over them. He ruled over them and protected them. But on disobeying God’s command, this changed. Enmity was put between Man and beast.


Morality and Ethics
God alone is good. He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. He is a faithful God who does no wrong. He is upright and just. He is our only paradigm. To discover what is right and what is wrong, God’s character must be studied for his character is goodness.


Evil and suffering
At the moment of Man’s disobedience to God, everything changed. Immediately separation came into every relationship. Man was separated from God; separated from man; and separated from animal. From that first sin against God, man has been wicked. Though created righteous, man had the ability to sin and he gave into the temptations placed before him by Satan. Evil entered the world with that sin. The perfect world that God had created was corrupted by man’s disobedience. And as a result of this corruption that permeates the world, suffering is everywhere. This suffering could be taken away by God, along with the evil. For the two are inseparable. But the only way to take away the evil and suffering is to destroy all that is living, for evil resides in the hearts of men. So instead God made a different solution. Rather than destroying all that He had created, He paid the penalty for the sin Himself. The suffering and evil are still here, but for those that are saved, there is joy and peace in God.


Man’s state after death
Man was created with an immortal soul. Even after the body dies, the soul lives on. God created two destinations for the souls of men: Heaven and Hell. Heaven is where all those found righteous will spend eternity after their earthly death. Hell is the destination of those found unrighteous. All men, being corrupt and wicked, have the eternal destination of Hell.

God, however, did not wish for men to perish so He made a way for man to be saved from eternal damnation. He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the world. After His resurrection on the third day, Jesus ascended back into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God where He acts as our mediator. It is only through trusting in Him that any man can be saved from Hell. For Jesus is the only way to the Father.

Man, however, would never choose to put his faith in Jesus; he sees no problem with himself and desires to be the master of his own life. So there is still no eternal hope for man by himself. It is only through the effectual and divine calling that man will ever come to God. God draws men to Himself and gives them their faith in Christ so that they might be saved. It is in this way and in this way alone, that man can be found righteous in God’s sight. It is not man’s own righteousness but the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

If, however, man is not called to belief, if he lives his life in his own way, doing as he pleases, he will be found guilty in God’s sight. The righteousness of Christ will be found nowhere near him. And he will spend eternity in the burning fire of Hell, where worm does not die, nor is thirst quenched. There is nothing but misery; the gnashing of teeth and weeping of tears.


History
The world is growing gradually worse and it will become no better. We see this in history. The purpose of history is to show us what to expect next. As we look at past empires and nations we can often predict what will happen in modern nations. We see the truths of the Bible unfold in history as well as in the present. And if we have a good idea of the history of the world, we will be well prepared for what will come about in the future.




So yeah, um, that's it. Nothing like the Westminster, I know, but I suppose they had several people to write it and it took them years, so I'm trying to be satisfied with it.