What We Believe Student Booklet

1 WHAT WE BELIEVE Basic Doctrines of the Christian Faith A BIBLE MEMORY COURSE (For Children, Youth, and Adults)

2 1. QUESTION: Who is God? ANSWER: God is a spirit and does not have a physical body. VERSE: John 4:24a “God is spirit. . .” ________________ 2. QUESTION: How many Gods are there? ANSWER: There is only one true God. VERSE: Deuteronomy 6:4b “The Lord our God, the Lord is One.” ________________ 3. QUESTION: In how many persons does this one God exist? ANSWER: God exists in three persons. This is called the Trinity. VERSE: Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. ________________ 4. QUESTION:What did God create? ANSWER: God created everything out of nothing. VERSE: Colossians 1:16a “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, . . .” ________________ 5. QUESTION: Why did God create man? ANSWER: Man was created to glorify God. VERSE: Isaiah 43:7 “(Bring) everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” ________________

3 6. QUESTION: How can we glorify God? ANSWER: We glorify Godby loving Him and doing what He commands. VERSE: Matthew 5:16 “. . .let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” ________________ 7. QUESTION: Does God know everything? ANSWER: Yes, nothing can be hidden from God. VERSE: Psalm 139:1 “O Lord, You have searched me and you know me.” ________________ 8. QUESTION: Where do we learn about God? ANSWER: We learn about God in the Bible. VERSE: 2 Timothy 3:15 “and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” ________________ 9. QUESTION: Who wrote the Bible? ANSWER: God wrote the Bible through holy men who were led by the Holy Spirit. VERSE: 2 Peter 1:21 “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” ________________ 10. QUESTION: What does the Bible teach? ANSWER: The Bible teaches us what man is to believe about God and what God requires of man. VERSE: John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” ________________

4 11. QUESTION: What do the Ten Command-ments teach? ANSWER: The Ten Commandments teach us to love God and others. VERSE: Matthew 22:37, 39b “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ . . . ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” ________________ 12. QUESTION: Can anyone keep the Ten Commandments? ANSWER: No, no one can keep the Ten Commandments perfectly. VERSE: Ecclesiastes 7:20 “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.” ________________ 13. QUESTION: What is sin? ANSWER: Sin is anything we do that is against God’s laws. VERSE: 1 John 3:4 “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” ________________ 14. QUESTION: What effect did Adam’s sin have on us? ANSWER: We are all born sinners and deserve to be punished. VERSE: Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death, . . .” ________________

5 15. QUESTION: Did Jesus ever sin? ANSWER: No, Jesus was the only perfect man. VERSE: Hebrews 4:15 “. . .we have one [a high priest] who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.” ________________ 16. QUESTION: Can you work your way to heaven? ANSWER: No, you cannot work your way to heaven. VERSE: Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” ________________ 17. QUESTION: What does it mean to be saved or to be a believer? ANSWER: To be saved means you have accepted Jesus as your personal savior. VERSE: Acts 16:31a “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. . .” ________________ 18. QUESTION: Who will be saved? ANSWER: All people who are sorry for their sins and believe in Jesus will be saved. VERSE: Romans 10:13 “for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” QUESTION: What other words mean the same as ‘being saved’? ANSWER: Other words for ‘saved’ are born again, believer, or Christian. ________________

6 19. QUESTION: What does it mean to repent? ANSWER: To repent is to change your mind about sin, and not to want to sin again. VERSE: Acts 3:19 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out,. . .” ________________ 20. QUESTION: What is faith? ANSWER: Faith is believing what you cannot see. VERSE: Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” ________________ 21. QUESTION: What does it mean to be holy? ANSWER: To be holy is to live like God would have us to live. VERSE: Leviticus 19:2b “Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.” ________________ 22. QUESTION: What does the Holy Spirit do? ANSWER: The Holy Spirit lives in believers to help them live for Jesus. VERSE: 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” ________________ 23. QUESTION:What is prayer? ANSWER: Prayer is talking to God and listening for his answer – asking Him for things, worshipping Him, and thanking Him. VERSE: Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” ________________

7 24. QUESTION: What are the two ordinances of the church? ANSWER: Baptism and communion are the only ordinances of the church. QUESTION: What is an ordinance? ANSWER: An ordinance is a law or command that Jesus told us to follow. ________________ 25. QUESTION: What is baptism? ANSWER: Baptism is an outward sign that we have accepted Jesus as our Savior. VERSE: Acts 2:41a “Those who accepted his message were baptized. . .” ________________ 26. QUESTION: Why are we baptized? ANSWER: We are baptized because we believe in Jesus and desire to live for Him. VERSE: Romans 6:4 “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” ________________ 27. QUESTION: What is Communion? ANSWER: Communion is taking of the bread and juice to help us remember that Jesus died for us. VERSE: 1 Corinthians 11:24b “. . .This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ________________

8 28. QUESTION: Who should take Communion? ANSWER: Only those who have believed in Jesus as their Savior should take Communion. VERSE: 1 Corinthians 11:28 “A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.” ________________ 29. QUESTION: Where is Jesus now? ANSWER: Jesus is now in heaven. VERSE: Mark 16:19 “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.” ________________ 30. QUESTION: Will Jesus come back to earth again? ANSWER: Yes, Jesus will come back again to judge the world. VERSE: Matthew 24:30b “. . .They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.” ________________ 31. QUESTION: What is heaven? ANSWER: Heaven is a perfect place prepared for all Christians where they will live with the Lord forever. VERSE: Revelation 21:27 “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” ________________ 32. QUESTION: What is hell? ANSWER: Hell is a place of everlasting punishment for all people who are not saved. VERSE: Matthew 13:42 “They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

9 ________________ 33. QUESTION: What is the church? ANSWER: The church is a group of believers who meet together regularly to grow in Christ-likeness.. VERSE: Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ________________ 34. QUESTION: How is the church supported? ANSWER: The church is supported by the gifts of its members according to their ability. VERSE: 1 Corinthians 16:2a “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income. . .” ________________