Gospel Catechism for Kids

6 questions with scriptural answers, plus 15 passages on the Gospel. See here for a printable version.

1. Who is God? 

  • Incomprehensible: Job 5:9, Isaiah 40:28, 55:8, Romans 11:33

  • Eternal: Genesis 21:33, Revelation 1:8

  • Infinite: Psalm 33:11, 90:1-2, 145:13, Hebrews 1:8-12

  • Immutable: 1 Samuel 15:29, Psalm 33:11, James 1:17

  • Omnipotent: Genesis 18:14, Jeremiah 27:5, Matthew 19:26

  • Omniscient: 1 Kings 8:39, Proverbs 3:19-20, 1 Cor 2:10

  • Transcendent: Exodus 33:20-23, Psalm 104:1-4, Isaiah 40:21-26

  • Perfect: Deuteronomy 32:4, 2 Samuel 22:31, Matthew 5:48

  • Immutable: 1 Samuel 15:29, Psalm 33:11, James 1:17

  • Simple (“One”): Deuteronomy 6:4, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 1 Timothy 2:5

  • Creator: Genesis 1:3, Jeremiah 27:5, 2 Corinthians 5:5

  • Good: Psalm 25:8, 34:8, Titus 3:4

  • Truth: Numbers 23:19, Isaiah 45:19, John 3:33

  • Faithful: Psalm 33:4, 1 Corinthians 1:9, 1 Thess 5:24

  • Gracious: Nehemiah 9:1, Exodus 34:6-7, Isaiah 26:10

  • Holy: Isaiah 6:3, Psalm 77:13, 1 Peter 1:15-16

  • Glorious: Psalm 19:1, 46:10, Revelation 15:8

  • Just: Deuteronomy 32:4, Job 37:23, Hebrews 12:29, 1 John 1:9

  • Wisdom: Isaiah 28:29, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Colossians 2:2-3

  • Savior: Psalm 27:1, 68:19, John 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 1:9

  • Jealous: Exodus 34:14, Nahum 1:2, Zechariah 8:2

  • Sovereign: Isaiah 46:10, Daniel 4:35, Ephesians 1:11

  • Love: Psalm 33:5,18, Romans 8:38-39, Ephesians 3:17-19

  • Kind: 2 Samuel 22:51, Isaiah 54:8, Romans 11:22

  • Merciful: 2 Samuel 24:14, Jeremiah 29:11, 2 Corinthians 12:9

  • Patient: Romans 3:25, 1 Timothy 1:16, 2 Peter 3:15

  • Provider: Psalm 23:1, Matthew 6:33, 1 Corinthians 2:9

2. Who are we?

  • God’s Original Image Bearers: Gen 1:27; 2:7 (originally morally upright/good)

  • The Fall: Rom 3:23; Rom 6:23; Rom 5:12; 2 Cor 5:17

  • Total Depravity: Rom 3:10-13; Rom 5:12; Eph 2:1; Is 53:6; 1 John 1:8,10; Jer 17:9; Gal 4:8

  • Sinning by Commission: Exodus 20:1-17 (any violation of God’s moral law)

  • Sinning by Omission (neglecting to obey God’s law, not “loving God with all your heart…” etc.)

3. Who is Jesus? 

  • Eternal Son of God: John 1:1-3, 14; John 8:58; Heb 1:1-2; Matt 17:1-9; Col 1:15-20;

  • Messiah/The Christ: Matt 16:15-17; Matt 26:62-64

  • Fully God: Heb 1:1-2; John 1:1-3, Matt 9:2-6

  • Fully Man: 1 John 4:2; 2 John 7; Phil 2:1-11; Matt 1:25; Luke 2:10-12, 52

4. What did Jesus do? 

  • Virgin-Born: Gen 3:15; Is 7:14; Matt 1:18,23; Lk 1:34; Gal 4:4; Jn 1:14; Col 1:15

  • To Save Sinners: Luke 5:31-32, 19:10; Mark 10:45; Gal 4:4-5; John 3:16-18;

  • Sinless Life: Heb 4:15; 2 Cor 5:21; Matt 5:17; Matt 3:15; 1 Pet 1:19; 1 Pet 2:22-25; Isaiah 53:9

  • To Destroy Sin, Death & Devil: Heb 2:14-15; 2 Cor 5:21; Rom 8:1-4;

  • To Give Eternal Life: John 3:16-18; John 10:10; John 1:1-4; John 14:6

  • Resurrection: John 11:21-27; 20:11-18; 1 Cor 15:3-7,12-23,50-58; Rom 8:11; Acts 17:30-31

  • Ascension/Exaltation: Acts 1:6-11; Rom 8:34, Eph 1:19–20, Col 3:1, Phil 2:9–11, 1 Tim 3:16

5. How does one receive Jesus' finished work? 

  • Born Again: John 3:1-8; Ezekiel 36:25-27; Titus 3:5; 1 John 3:9; Eph 2:1-2; 1 John 5:1; John 6:44

  • Repent: Matt 1:15; 3:2,8,11; 4:17; 11:20-21; Acts 2:38; Luke 5:32; 1 John 1:8-10

  • Believe: Eph 2:8; John 3:16-18; Matt 1:15; Rom 1:16; John 1:12-13; John 6:47

6. What are the benefits of salvation? 

  • New Creation: 2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15; Rom 6:4; Col 3:9-10; Eph 4:22-24

  • Union with Christ: Eph 1:4-5; Rom 6:3-5; Gal 2:20; John 15:1-5; Rom 8:1

  • Life of Righteous Obedience: James 2:14-26; 1 John 3:9-10; John 3:36; Rom 8:13

  • Adoption: Gal 4:4-7; Rom 8:14-17; Eph 1:5; John 1:12; 2 Cor 6:18

  • Sins Forgiven: Eph 1:17; Heb 10:17; Isaiah 43:25; Col 3:13; Ps 103:3; 1 John 1:8-10

  • Freedom from Sin: John 8:36; Gal 5:1,13; Lk 4:18; 2 Cor 3:17; 2 Pet 2:16; 2 Pet 2:19

  • Spirit-Filled: John 20:22; Acts 1:8; 2:38; Rom 8:9; Eph 1:13-14; 2 Cor 1:22 

  • Eternal Inheritance: 1 Pet 1:3-5; Heb 9:15-22; Eph 1:11-14; John 10:28-29

  • Heavenly Kingdom: Dan 7:27; Rev 11:15; Rev 20:1-6; Matt 5:3-12; 2 Tim 4:18

  • New Glorified Bodies: 1 Cor 15:42-44,53-54; Phil 3:20-21; 1 Thess 4:16-17; Matt 22:30; Rom 8:11-25

  • Reconciled to God: 1 Pet 3:18; 2 Cor 5:17-20; Rom 5:10

15 Passages on The Gospel

Isaiah 53:4–6 “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned —every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Romans 3:23–24 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus . . .”

Romans 4:4–5 “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness . . .”

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 “I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures . . .”

John 3:16-18 “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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Galatians 3:13–14 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” — so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

Ephesians 2:4–5, 8 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ —by grace you have been saved” For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast…”

Philippians 2:6–8 “Though he was in the form of God, [Jesus] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Colossians 1:19–20 “In [Jesus] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

Colossians 2:13–14 “You, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

Titus 3:4–7 “When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Hebrews 2:14–17 “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”

1 Peter 2:22–25 “[Jesus] committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Philippians 3:8-12 “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”