A catechism is a method of imparting knowledge through questions and answers. In the past, this was used as a way to memorize facts from scripture about God, Man, and Salvation. I plan to go through The Westminster Shorter Catechism of 1648 question by question with you along with the scripture to back up the answer. I am going to copy this directly from the 1648 document and will help provide translation where needed into today's English.
There are 107 questions in the shorter catechism. I also plan to go over the London Baptist Confession of Faith with you. I believe that if you don't know what you believe, then you can't defend your beliefs when challenged nor can you share what you don't know. This confession of faith and the catechism both answer the questions of our faith and build the foundation of belief we need for a Biblical Worldview.
Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God,1 and to enjoy him forever.2
1
Psalm 86:1-17 (NKJV)
Prayer for Mercy, with Meditation on the Excellencies of the Lord
A Prayer of David.
1 Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me;
For I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my 1life, for I am holy;
You are my God;
Save Your servant who trusts in You!
3 Be merciful to me, O Lord,
For I cry to You all day long.
4 2Rejoice the soul of Your servant,
a For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For b You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
And attend to the voice of my supplications.
7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
For You will answer me.
8 c Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord;
Nor are there any works like Your works.
9 All nations whom You have made
Shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And shall glorify Your name.
10 For You are great, and d do wondrous things;
e You alone are God.
11 f Teach me Your way, O Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
3Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And I will glorify Your name forevermore.
13 For great is Your mercy toward me,
And You have delivered my soul from the depths of 4 Sheol.
14 O God, the proud have risen against me,
And a mob of violent men have sought my life,
And have not set You before them.
15 But g You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
16 Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me!
Give Your strength to Your servant,
And save the son of Your maidservant.
17 Show me a sign for good,
That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me. [1]
1 Lit. soul
2 Make glad
a Ps. 25:1; 143:8
b Ps. 130:7; 145:9; [Joel 2:13]
c [Ex. 15:11]; 2 Sam. 7:22; 1 Kin. 8:23; Ps. 89:6; Jer. 10:6
d [Ex. 15:11]
e Deut. 6:4; Is. 37:16; Mark 12:29; 1 Cor. 8:4
f Ps. 27:11; 143:8
3 Give me singleness of heart
4 The abode of the dead
g Ex. 34:6; [Ps. 86:5]
Romans 11:36 (NKJV)
36 For m of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, n to whom be glory forever. Amen. [1]
m [1 Cor. 8:6; 11:12]; Col. 1:16; Heb. 2:10
n Heb. 13:21
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)
19 Or t do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, u and you are not your own? 20 For v you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body 7 and in your spirit, which are God’s. [1]
t John 2:21; 1 Cor. 3:16; 2 Cor. 6:16
u Rom. 14:7
v Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 7:23; Gal. 3:13; 1 Pet. 1:18; 2 Pet. 2:1; Rev. 5:9
7 NU omits the rest of v. 20.
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV)
31 u Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. [1]
u Col. 3:17; 1 Pet. 4:11
Revelation 4:11 (NKJV)
11 “You u are worthy, 7 O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
v For You created all things,
And by w Your will they 8 exist and were created.” [1]
u Rev. 1:6; 5:12
7 NU, M our Lord and God
v Gen. 1:1; John 1:3
w Col. 1:16
8 NU, M existed
2
Psalm 16:5-11 (NKJV)
5 O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You 2 maintain my lot.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.
7 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;
My 3 heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
8 f I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will 4 rest in hope.
10 g For You will not leave my soul in 5 Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to 6 see corruption.
11 You will show me the h path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. [1]
2 Lit. uphold
3 Mind, lit. kidneys
f [Acts 2:25–28]
4 Or dwell securely
g Ps. 49:15; 86:13; Acts 2:31, 32; Heb. 13:20
5 The abode of the dead
6 undergo
h Ps. 139:24; [Matt. 7:14]
Psalm 144:15 (NKJV)
15 l Happy are the people who are in such a state;
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord! [1]
l Deut. 33:29; [Ps. 33:12; Jer. 17:7]
Isaiah 12:2 (NKJV)
2 Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
b‘For c Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’ ” [1]
b Ps. 83:18
c Ex. 15:2; Ps. 118:14
Luke 2:10 (NKJV)
10 Then the angel said to them, g “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy h which will be to all people. [1]
g Luke 1:13, 30
h Gen. 12:3; Is. 49:6; [Matt. 28:19; Mark 1:15; Col. 1:23]
Philippians 4:4 (NKJV)
4 g Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! [1]
g Rom. 12:12
Revelation 21:3-4 (NKJV)
3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, e the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 f And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; g there shall be no more death, h nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” [1]
e Lev. 26:11; Ezek. 43:7; 2 Cor. 6:16
f Is. 25:8; Rev. 7:17
g 1 Cor. 15:26; Rev. 20:14
h Is. 35:10; 51:11; 65:19
[1] The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982
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