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Question 9: What is the work of creation? Answer: The work of creation is God's making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good. This question takes us directly to Genesis 1, which begins, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." It is essentially a brief commentary on this chapter. "Of nothing" indicates that God did not simply organize pre-existent material into a universe. He created the material. We can see the importance of this distinction when we come to Genesis ...

Question 8: How doth God execute his decrees? Answer: God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence. While pondering the decrees of God stretches our minds as far as they can go, considering the works of God is much more straightforward. God's decrees are plans, not actual "things" in any concrete sense. God's works are the unfolding of those plans in real life experience. There are two basic works identified here. The first is the work of creation, which was accomplished in six days at the beginning of time. The ...

Question 7: What are the decrees of God? Answer: The decrees of God are, his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass. How far can the human mind go in understanding God? Although we are creatures bound by time who cannot fully comprehend what it means for God to exist without having that same boundary, God does allow us a small glimpse beyond the border of time. He does this by teaching us of his eternal decree. Before there was time (and even to say ...

Question 6: How many persons are there in the Godhead? Answer: There are three persons in the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. The teaching that the one God exists in three Persons is a great and difficult mystery. It is not the teaching that the one God has three "sides" or "faces", but is not truly three - this is the heresy known as modalism. Nor is it the teaching that Father, Son, and Spirit can be separated into three distinct beings - the ...

Question 5: Are there more Gods than one? Answer: There is but one only, the living and true God. At times the Bible will make reference to other gods. In doing so it acknowledges that people often treat things other than God as objects of worship. However, these gods have two great weaknesses: they are dead, and they are false. They are dead because there is no life in them. They neither live nor give life. They are false because the name 'god' is ultimately incorrect. They are not gods at all. Moses challenges the people of Israel in ...

Question 4: What is God? Answer: God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. Of all of the questions and answers in the catechism, this certainly must be the boldest. How could we dare to ask, and hope to answer, a question about the nature of God himself? To speak about God is to speak about something great, something mysterious, something that certainly cannot be contained within a few words. If people ever think that they have put God in a box or fit him ...

Question 3: What do the Scriptures principally teach? Answer: The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man. Right after this our catechism will ask, "What is God?" But if we want our answer to that question to carry any weight, we need to answer another question first: "By what authority do you describe God that way?" We have already seen that Scripture is the word of God. This question builds on that truth by reminding us that the most important thing God could tell us about, ...

Question 2: What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him? Answer: The word of God which is contained in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. The phrase word of God in the answer to this catechism question should be both extroardinary and precious to us. It is extraordinary because it means God has revealed himself to us using human words, words which we can easily identify as the contents of particular books, and yet those words are truly ...

Question 1: What is the chief end of man? Answer: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever. The Westminster Shorter Catechism begins with one of the most profound questions we can ever ask: what is the purpose of humanity? Or to put it in personal terms: Why am I here, what am I doing, and where am I going? God has not left us any doubt about this matter. Romans 11:36 says, "From him and through him and to him are all things: to him be the glory forever." 1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us, "Therefore whether you eat or ...