Christian Questions for Public Examination

Based upon and expanding upon those written by Martin Luther for those preparing to receive the Lord’s Supper (pages 320-323 in the blue Luther’s Catechism).

1. Do you believe that you are a sinner?

2. How do you know this?

3. Please recite the first commandment. You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.

4. Agree/Disagree – Someone who worships God the Father, but doesn’t worship Jesus, worships a false god.

5. Please recite the Second Commandment. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we do not use His name to curse, swear, lie, or deceive, or use witchcraft, but call upon God’s name in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.

6. What is God’s name?

7. List some examples of the things He’s revealed to us about Himself.

8. Please recite the Third Commandment. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we do not despise preaching and the Word, but regard it as holy and gladly hear and learn it.

9. Why did God want His people to rest on the Sabbath day?

10. Where do we get our rest in the New Testament era?

11. How do we keep the Sabbath day holy?

12. Why is it important to meet together for worship? 1 13. What are the two “high points” in our Sunday worship service? 14. Please recite the Fourth Commandment: Honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we do not dishonor or anger our parents and others in authority, but honor, serve and obey them, and give them love and respect.

15. Who are some people in authority over us other than our parents?

16. In Acts 5, Peter says, “We must obey God rather than men.” In what sort of situations does that apply? In other words, when are we not supposed to obey our parents and others in authority?

17. Please recite the Fifth Commandment: You shall not murder. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and be a friend to him in every bodily need.

18. When it comes to life and death, what power does God say belongs to Him?

19. How do you respond to someone who says, “It’s my body, I can do with it what I want.”

20. What about when someone says, “God says, ‘Do not murder.’ Therefore, the government can not execute criminals.”

21. What are some ways we commit murder that don’t actually take a life?

22. Please recite the Sixth Commandment: You shall not commit adultery. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we lead a pure and decent life in words and actions, and that husband and wife love and honor each other.

23. Who does Jesus say God intended marriage for?

24. What kinds of relationships are excluded? 25. How long is a marriage supposed to last?

2 26. What is the only God-pleasing end to a marriage?

27. What is sexual immorality?

28. Agree or disagree: In order to find out if we’re compatible, my girlfriend/boyfriend and I should live together for a while before we get married, so we won’t get divorced.

29. Please recite the Seventh Commandment: You shall not steal. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we do not take our neighbor’s money or property or get it by dishonest dealing, but help him to improve and protect his property and business.

30. What are some ways that God gives us wealth and possessions?

31. What are some ways God wants us to use our possessions?

32. How do we determine how much we give to God?

33. Please recite the Eighth Commandment: You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him or give him a bad name, but defend him, speak well of him and take his words and actions in the kindest possible way.

34. Explain why it can be wrong to say things about people, even when they’re true.

35. Please recite the Ninth and Tenth Commandments: You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we do not scheme to get our neighbor’s inheritance or house or obtain it by false claims, but do all we can to help him keep it.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his workers or his animals or anything that belongs to your neighbor. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we do not force or entice away from our neighbor his wife, workers or animals, but urge them to stay and do their duty. 36. At what point does a thought or deed go from wanting something to coveting something?

3 37. Why is coveting so deadly a sin? 38. What does God say about all these commandments? He says, 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. What does this mean? God threatens to punish all who transgress these commandments. Therefore we should fear His anger and not disobey what He commands. But He promises grace and every blessing to all who keep these commandments. Therefore we should love and trust in Him and gladly obey what He commands.

39. Are you sorry for your sins?

40. This is the appropriate place to introduce a discussion of Baptism. What is Baptism? Baptism is not just plain water, but it is water used by God’s command and connected with God’s word. Which is that word of God? Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

41. What does Baptism do for us? Baptism works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare. What is God’s promise? Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Mark, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

42. How can water do such great things? It is certainly not the water that does such things, but God’s word which is in and with the water, and faith which trusts this word used with the water. For without God’s word the water is just plain water and not baptism. But with this word it is baptism. God’s word makes it a washing through which God graciously forgives our sin and grants us rebirth and a new life through the Holy Spirit. Where is this written? St. Paul says in Titus, chapter 3, “God saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.”

43. What does Baptizing with water mean? It means that our Old Adam with his evil deeds and desires should be drowned by daily contrition and repentance, and die, and that day by day a new man should arise, as from the dead, to live in the presence of God in righteousness and purity now and forever. Where is this written?

4 St. Paul says in Romans, chapter 6, “We were buried with Christ 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.”

44. Who should we baptize?

45. Why are “infants” included in “all nations”?

46. How is Baptism so comforting to me in my daily life, right now?

47. This is the appropriate place to discuss the use of the Keys in the Church. What is the use of the keys? The use of the keys is that special power and right which Christ gave to His church on earth: to forgive the sins of penitent sinners but refuse forgiveness to the impenitent as long as they do not repent. Where is this written? The holy evangelist John writes in chapter 20, “[Jesus] breathed on [his disciples] and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’”

48. What is the public use of the keys, in other words, how does a Christian congregation use the keys? A Christian congregation with its called servant of Christ uses the keys in accordance with Christ’s command by forgiving those who repent of their sin and are willing to amend, and by excluding from the congregation those who are plainly impenitent that they may repent. I believe that when this is done, it is as valid and certain in heaven also, as if Christ, our dear Lord, dealt with us Himself. Where is this written? Jesus says in Matthew, chapter 18, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

49. Where are some places in our worship service where we use the loosing key, that is, forgive people?

50. When, and how, does the church use the binding key, that is refusing forgiveness to someone who is unrepentant?

51. Who may serve as a pastor in our congregations?

52. Why can’t a woman be a pastor? Is something wrong with women?

53. What are some of the responsibilities of pastors?

5 54. Are pastors the only public ministers that serve in God’s Church?

55. What are some other offices of public ministry that handle the Keys?

56. This is the appropriate place to discuss the place of confession in the Church. What is confession? Confession has two parts. The one is that we confess our sins; the other, that we receive absolution or forgiveness from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting but firmly believing that our sins are thus forgiven before God in heaven.

57. What sins should we confess? Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even those we are not aware of, as we do in the Lord’s Prayer. But before the pastor we should confess only those sins which we know and feel in our hearts.

58. How can we recognize those sins? Consider your place in life according to the Ten Commandments. Are you a father, mother, son, daughter, employer or employee? Have you been disobedient, unfaithful, or lazy? Have you hurt anyone by word or deed? Have you been dishonest, careless, wasteful, or done other wrong?

59. How will the pastor assure a penitent sinner of forgiveness? He will say, “By the authority of Christ, I forgive you your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

60. Is there anyone other than the pastor to whom I may confess my sins?

61. What have you deserved from God because of your sins?

62. Do you hope to be saved?

63. In whom, then, do you trust?

64. Who is Jesus Christ? I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there He will come to judge the living and the dead. What does this mean? I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord.

6 He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death. All this He did that I should be His own and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He has risen from death and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true.

65. Why do we believe that Jesus is true God?

66. Why do we believe that Jesus is true man?

67. How did God’s Son become true man?

68. Why did Jesus have to be both God and man?

69. What are the three offices, or jobs, of Jesus Christ?

70. What did Jesus do as prophet?

71. What did Jesus do as Priest?

72. What did Jesus do as King?

73. By nature, to what three things are we slaves?

74. How did Christ redeem us from those things?

75. Why do we call Jesus’ blood “precious”?

76. Why do we call His suffering and death “innocent”?

77. What is the result of the work Jesus Christ did on your behalf?

78. Why did Jesus do this work for us?

7 79. When will Jesus return again?

80. On what basis will Jesus judge all people?

81. How does Jesus redemption become my own?

82. How can you be certain that YOU are forgiven?

83. We’ve been talking about Jesus as our true God, this, then, is the appropriate place to delve more deeply into who our God is. How many Gods are there?

84. We say that we worship one God, yet we call Him triune. What does Triune mean and who can God be one God in three persons and three persons in one God?

85. We call the First Person of the Trinity God the Father. Tell me what you believe about Him. I believe in God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. What does this mean? I believe that God created me and all that exists, and that He gave me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my mind and all my abilities. And I believe that God still preserves me by richly and daily providing clothing and shoes, food and drink, property and home, spouse and children, land, cattle, and all I own, and all I need to keep my body and life. God also preserves me by defending me against all danger, guarding and protecting me from all evil. All this God does only because He is my good and merciful Father in heaven, and not because I have earned or deserved it. For all this I ought to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.

86. Why do we call God “Father”?

87. How long did it take God to create the world?

88. What did God use to create the world?

89. Who is the devil?

90. How was God’s perfect creation ruined?

91. Did the Father also die for you? 8 92. We’ve talked about two of the three persons in the Holy Trinity. Who is the third? Tell me what you believe about Him. I believe in the Holy Spirit; the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian Church He daily and fully forgives all sins to me and all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.

93. Why do I believe that the Holy Spirit is true God?

94. What is the work of the Holy Spirit?

95. You just said that you cannot by your own thinking or choosing believe in Jesus Christ or come to Him. Why is that the case?

96. How then, does the Holy Spirit sanctify me, that is, bring me to faith and keep me in the one, true faith?

97. We’ve introduced the work of the Holy Spirit through the means of grace, the Gospel in Word and Sacraments. This is an appropriate time for us to talk a little bit about the Bible and its teachings. How does God reveal Himself naturally to all people?

98. What does this natural knowledge tell people about God?

99. What doesn’t natural knowledge tell people about God?

100. How else does God reveal Himself?

101. What does the Bible tell us about God?

102. How does the Bible make people “wise for salvation?”

9 103. Who wrote the Bible? 104. What does it mean that the Bible’s authors were “carried along by the Holy Spirit”?

105. What are the two divisions of the Bible?

106. List the books of the Old Testament for me.

107. Tell me the names of books of the New Testament.

108. What are the two main teachings of the Bible?

109. What does the Law tell us?

110. What does the Gospel tell us?

111. Why is it wrong to say, “As long as I try my best, God will let me into heaven”?

112. What does it mean that the law is written in our hearts?

113. Which is more reliable as a source of God’s law – our hearts or His Word? Why?

114. Why do we obey God’s law?

115. When it comes to our getting into heaven, what does God demand?

116. What does God see?

117. What’s the solution?

118. What are the three good purposes of God’s law?

119. What does each purpose of God’s law do?

10 120. How does God’s Word serve as a light and a lamp?

121. Agree or Disagree: When a person becomes a Christian, he or she can use the law as a guide to live in a way that pleases God and makes him or her fit for heaven.

122. Why do I do good works?

123. How do I know what works are good?

124. Back to the Third Article for a bit. We confess in the Creed our belief in the Holy Christian Church. What is the Holy Christian Church?

125. Why is it called “holy”?

126. Why is it called “Christian”?

127. Why does God want us to join a visible church, like St. Mark?

128. What are some of the ways in which we show our fellowship with people who hold to God’s pure Word when we’ve joined a Christian congregation?

129. What does God want us to do toward visible churches whose teachings contain errors?

130. Why do we separate from those who hold false teachings?

131. What happens to a person when they die?

132. What will happen on Judgment Day?

133. What will happen to bodies and souls of all people after the public judgment of Judgment Day?

134. We turn now to the Sacrament of Holy Communion. What is Holy Communion? It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ himself for us Christians to eat and to drink. 11 Where is this written? The holy evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and St. Paul write thus: “Our LORD Jesus Christ, on the night in which he was betrayed, took the bread, gave thanks, and broke it and gave it to his disciples and said, ‘Take; eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ “In the same way he also took the cup after the supper, gave thanks, and gave it to them and said, ‘Take, and drink of it, all of you. This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’”

135. What is the benefit of such eating and drinking? The words “given for you” and “shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” show us that forgiveness of sin, life, and salvation are given to us in the sacrament through these words, because where there is forgiveness of sin, there is also life and salvation.

136. How can bodily eating and drinking do such a great thing? Eating and drinking certainly do not do it, but rather the words that are recorded: “given for you” and “shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” These words, when accompanied by the physical eating and drinking, are the essential thing in the sacrament, and whoever believes these very words has what they declare and state, namely, “forgiveness of sins.”

137. Who then receives this sacrament worthily? Fasting and bodily preparation are in fact a fine external discipline, but a person who has faith in these words, “given for you” and “shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” is really worthy and well prepared. However, a person who does not believe these words or doubts them is unworthy and unprepared, because the words “for you” require truly believing hearts.

138. Do you believe, then, that the true body and blood of Christ are in the Sacrament?

139. What moves you to believe this?

140. What do many other churches believe about Holy Communion?

141. Jesus says we partake of the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Him. Paul says that when do celebrate this meal we proclaim His death until He comes. Why does Christ want you remember and proclaim his death? 3 Reasons

142. What moved Jesus to die and make a complete payment for your sins?

143. Why do you desire to receive Holy Communion?

144. What admonishes and moves you to receive Holy Communion frequently?

12 145. But what can a person do if he is not aware of the burden of sin and does not feel hunger and thirst for Holy Communion?

146. With whom should we take the Lord’s Supper?

147. What can you do if you are sick and are unable to come to Holy Communion?

148. When is the proper time to do this?

149. Why would you want to do this?

150. The Ten Commandments tell us what God demands of us. The Apostles’ Creed tells us who our God is and what He’s done. The revelation of God’s means of grace, discussed in the Third Article, the ministry of keys and confession, and the two sacraments describe how God grants us the forgiveness won by Christ. In the Lord’s Prayer, we learn how to talk to and address our God.

151. What is prayer?

152. Who do we pray to? Our Father in heaven. What does this mean? With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that he is our true Father and that we are his true children, so that we may pray to him as boldly and confidently as dear children ask their dear father.

153. What do we pray for or about?

154. Recite the Lord’s Prayer.

155. “Hallowed be thy Name.” What does that mean? God’s name is certainly holy by itself, but we pray in this petition that we too may keep it holy. How is God’s name kept holy? God’s name is kept holy when his Word is taught in its truth and purity, and we as children of God lead holy lives according to it.

156. How do we dishonor God’s Name?

13 157. “Thy kingdom come.” What does this this mean? God’s kingdom certainly comes by itself even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may also come to us How does God’s kingdom come? God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives his Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe his holy Word and lead a godly life now on earth and forever in heaven.

158. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” What does this mean? God’s good and gracious will certainly is done without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also. How is God’s will done? God’s will is done when he breaks and defeats every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world and our sinful flesh, which try to prevent us from keeping God’s name holy and letting his kingdom come. And God’s will is done when he strengthens and keeps us firm in his Word and in the faith as long as we live. This is his good and gracious will.

159. “Give us this day our daily bread.” What does this mean? God surely gives daily bread without our asking, even to all the wicked, but we pray in this petition that he would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. What, then, is meant by daily bread? Daily bread includes everything that we need for our bodily welfare, such as food and drink, clothing and shoes, house and home, fields and flocks, money and goods, a godly family, good workers, good government, honest leaders, good citizens, good weather, peace and order, health, a good name, loyal friends and good neighbors.

160. “ Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” What does this mean? We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look upon our sins or because of them deny our prayers; for we are worthy of none of the things for which we ask, neither have we deserved them, but we ask that he would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment. So we too will forgive from the heart and gladly do good to those who sin against us.

161. “Lead us not into temptation.” Who tempts us to sin?

162. Who doesn’t tempt us to sin?

163. What are we asking God to do in this petition? God surely tempts no one to sin, but we pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us, so that the devil, the world and our flesh may not deceive us or lead us into false belief, despair and other great and shameful sins; and though we are tempted by them, we pray that we may overcome and win the victory.

164. “Deliver us from evil.” How did evil come into the world?

165. What are we asking God to do about evil? In conclusion, we pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would deliver us from 14 every evil that threatens body and soul, property and reputation, and finally when our last hour comes, grant us a blessed end and graciously take us from this world of sorrow to himself in heaven.

166. “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.” Why do we close our prayers with the word, “Amen”?

167. Why can we be sure that our prayers are acceptable to God and that He hears them? We can be sure that these petitions are acceptable to our Father in heaven and are heard by him, for he himself has commanded us so to pray and has promised to hear us. Therefore we say, “Amen” -Yes it shall be so.

168. Finally, please share with the congregation your confirmation verse and briefly tell us why you chose it.

15 Selected Confirmation Verses

This is not an exhaustive list. This is meant to give you a selection of many popular confirmation verses and to get your creative juices flowing. You may choose your confirmation verse from this list, or from anywhere in the Bible.

Genesis 15:6 Matthew 11:28 Joshua 1:9 Matthew 12:50 Joshua 24:14-15 Mark 16:16 Psalm 1:1 Luke 17:10 Psalm 23:1 Luke 19:9-10 Psalm 27:1 John 1:14 Psalm 32:1-2 John 3:16-17 Psalm 46:1 John 8:31-32 Psalm 46:10 John 11:25-26 Psalm 50:15 John 14:6 Psalm 51:1 Acts 16:31 Psalm 51:10 Romans 3:28 Psalm 119:33 Romans 8:1 Psalm 119:81 Romans 8:31-32 Psalm 119:94 Romans 8:37-39 Psalm 119:97 Romans 14:8 Psalm 119:98 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Psalm 119:99 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 Psalm 119:100 2 Corinthians 5:17 Psalm 119:101 2 Corinthians 5:21 Psalm 119:102 2 Corinthians 8:9 Psalm 119:103 Ephesians 2:8-9 Psalm 119:104 Philippians 3:7-9 Psalm 119:105 Philippians 3:20-21 Psalm 121:1-2 Philippians 4:8 Psalm 122:1 Philippians 4:13 Psalm 127:1 1 Timothy 4:16 Psalm 129:3-4 2 Timothy 2:15 Proverbs 16:9 2 Timothy 3:15-17 Isaiah 1:18 2 Timothy 4:2 Isaiah 40:8 Revelation 2:10 Isaiah 53:4-5