Part I
Beginning
With Christ
Introduction
This catechism is designed to teach you what it means to be a
Christian. It shows you what is essential for Christian faith and
life. It will open for you the door to knowing Jesus Christ and
experiencing the wonder of God’s love through him. If you follow
its teaching, it will help you to become a citizen of God’s kingdom
and fully involved in the life and mission of his Church. And it
will anchor you in the reality of God’s unquenchable joy, beginning
in this life and ever increasing in the life to come.
However, one can understand these things and still remain
apart from them. In order to know God’s love for you, you need
to know and love Jesus Christ, and commit yourself to him as his
lifelong disciple in his community, the Church. This opening section
of the catechism will help you to take that step, if you have
not done so already.
Whether or not you were raised in the Church, to be a Christian
requires a deliberate, personal commitment to Jesus Christ,
much like the commitment a person makes in marriage. Being a
Christian is a process of continuing forward in faithfulness to Jesus
from that point on. In order to make this commitment to Jesus, you
need to know the essentials about who he is and what he has done
for you. This is the Gospel (“good news”) of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel
God created the world and made us to be in loving relationship
with him. Though created good, human nature became fatally
flawed, and we are now all out of step with God. In Bible language,
we are sinners, guilty before God and separated from him.
The good news of the Gospel is that God took loving action
in Jesus Christ to save us from this dire situation. The key facts of
this divine remedy are these: God the Father sent his eternal Son
into this world to reconcile us to himself, to free us to love and
serve him, and to prepare us to share his glory in the life to come.
Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit, lived
a perfect life, died for our sins, and rose bodily from the dead to
restore us to God. Given authority by his Father, Jesus now rules in
heaven as King over all things, advancing God’s kingdom throughout
the world. In the fullness of time, Jesus will return to establish
his kingdom in its glory on earth, and all things will be renewed.
Reigning in heaven over all things, Jesus Christ continues to
draw sinners to himself. He enables us by his Holy Spirit to turn
wholeheartedly from our sinful and self-centered ways (repentance),
and to entrust ourselves to him to live in union and communion
with him (faith). In spiritual terms, sin is the way of death,
and fellowship with Christ is the way of life.
Turning To Christ
Turning to Christ brings us into fellowship with God. Baptism,
which is the rite of entry into the Church’s fellowship, marks the
beginning of this new life in Christ. The apostle Peter, proclaiming
the Gospel, said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you
will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
Through faith, repentance, and Baptism we are spiritually
united to Jesus and become children of God the Father. Jesus
said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through me” ( John 14:6). As we come to the
Father through Jesus Christ, God the Holy Spirit enlightens our
minds and hearts to know him, and we are born again spiritually
to new life. To continue to live faithfully as Christians, we
must rely upon the power and gifts which the Holy Spirit gives
to God’s people.
When the disciple Thomas encountered the risen Jesus, he acknowledged
him by saying, “My Lord and my God!” ( John 20:28).
To be a Christian you must, like Thomas, wholeheartedly submit
to the living Christ as your Lord and God. Knowing the Lord
Jesus means personally believing in him, surrendering your life
to him through repentance and Baptism, and living as one of his
joyful followers.
A clear way to make this commitment of faith and repentance
is to offer to God a prayer in which you
• confess your sins to God, being as specific as possible, and
repent by turning from them;
• thank God for his mercy and forgiveness given to you in
Jesus Christ;
• promise to follow and obey Jesus as your Lord;
• ask the Holy Spirit to help you be faithful to Jesus as you
grow into spiritual maturity.
One example of such a prayer is the following:
Almighty Father, I confess that I have sinned against you in
my thoughts, words, and actions (especially __________). I
am truly sorry and humbly repent. Thank you for forgiving
my sins through the death of your Son, Jesus. I turn to you
and give you my life. Fill and strengthen me with your Holy
Spirit to love you, to follow Jesus as my Lord in the fellowship
of his Church, and to become more like him each day. Amen.
Next Steps
To be a Christian is to be included in God’s family, the Church.
No one should try to be a Christian alone. If you are making
this commitment for the first time—or have not been a practicing
Christian for some time—here are some further steps
to take:
• Share your commitment as soon as possible with one or
more Christians and with an ordained minister, so they
can pray for you.
• If you are not connected with a church, join a biblically
faithful one. If you are connected but not involved, look
for ways to deepen your participation.
• If you are now becoming a follower of Jesus Christ and
have never been baptized, it is important that you speak
with a minister about preparing for Baptism. It is also
important to pray for God’s help and spiritual protection.
• If you are a baptized Christian but have not been living out
your faith, it is appropriate for you to confess your sins and
reaffirm your faith in the presence of a minister.
• In order to grow in your new life in Christ, it is vitally
important that you be involved in regular worship, Bible
study, prayer, and Christian fellowship.
Coming to personal faith in Christ is a momentous decision that
is often not made quickly. If you are not yet ready to take this step,
but you continue to seek after God, you may want to pray a prayer
like the following:
O God, please reveal yourself to me. Draw near to me as I seek
you. Open my eyes to see your truth. Show me those things in
my mind and heart that keep me from faith in you. Help me
to know and trust Jesus Christ. And lead me to those people
who can help me as I seek to know you.
God will always answer such prayers made with patience, persistence,
and humility. As you explore this catechism, continue to
pray that you will come to know God more fully.
In order to provide clarity and further detail, and for the purposes
of teaching and learning, these things will now be set out in
question and answer form.
Beginning
With Christ
Introduction
This catechism is designed to teach you what it means to be a
Christian. It shows you what is essential for Christian faith and
life. It will open for you the door to knowing Jesus Christ and
experiencing the wonder of God’s love through him. If you follow
its teaching, it will help you to become a citizen of God’s kingdom
and fully involved in the life and mission of his Church. And it
will anchor you in the reality of God’s unquenchable joy, beginning
in this life and ever increasing in the life to come.
However, one can understand these things and still remain
apart from them. In order to know God’s love for you, you need
to know and love Jesus Christ, and commit yourself to him as his
lifelong disciple in his community, the Church. This opening section
of the catechism will help you to take that step, if you have
not done so already.
Whether or not you were raised in the Church, to be a Christian
requires a deliberate, personal commitment to Jesus Christ,
much like the commitment a person makes in marriage. Being a
Christian is a process of continuing forward in faithfulness to Jesus
from that point on. In order to make this commitment to Jesus, you
need to know the essentials about who he is and what he has done
for you. This is the Gospel (“good news”) of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel
God created the world and made us to be in loving relationship
with him. Though created good, human nature became fatally
flawed, and we are now all out of step with God. In Bible language,
we are sinners, guilty before God and separated from him.
The good news of the Gospel is that God took loving action
in Jesus Christ to save us from this dire situation. The key facts of
this divine remedy are these: God the Father sent his eternal Son
into this world to reconcile us to himself, to free us to love and
serve him, and to prepare us to share his glory in the life to come.
Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit, lived
a perfect life, died for our sins, and rose bodily from the dead to
restore us to God. Given authority by his Father, Jesus now rules in
heaven as King over all things, advancing God’s kingdom throughout
the world. In the fullness of time, Jesus will return to establish
his kingdom in its glory on earth, and all things will be renewed.
Reigning in heaven over all things, Jesus Christ continues to
draw sinners to himself. He enables us by his Holy Spirit to turn
wholeheartedly from our sinful and self-centered ways (repentance),
and to entrust ourselves to him to live in union and communion
with him (faith). In spiritual terms, sin is the way of death,
and fellowship with Christ is the way of life.
Turning To Christ
Turning to Christ brings us into fellowship with God. Baptism,
which is the rite of entry into the Church’s fellowship, marks the
beginning of this new life in Christ. The apostle Peter, proclaiming
the Gospel, said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you
will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
Through faith, repentance, and Baptism we are spiritually
united to Jesus and become children of God the Father. Jesus
said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through me” ( John 14:6). As we come to the
Father through Jesus Christ, God the Holy Spirit enlightens our
minds and hearts to know him, and we are born again spiritually
to new life. To continue to live faithfully as Christians, we
must rely upon the power and gifts which the Holy Spirit gives
to God’s people.
When the disciple Thomas encountered the risen Jesus, he acknowledged
him by saying, “My Lord and my God!” ( John 20:28).
To be a Christian you must, like Thomas, wholeheartedly submit
to the living Christ as your Lord and God. Knowing the Lord
Jesus means personally believing in him, surrendering your life
to him through repentance and Baptism, and living as one of his
joyful followers.
A clear way to make this commitment of faith and repentance
is to offer to God a prayer in which you
• confess your sins to God, being as specific as possible, and
repent by turning from them;
• thank God for his mercy and forgiveness given to you in
Jesus Christ;
• promise to follow and obey Jesus as your Lord;
• ask the Holy Spirit to help you be faithful to Jesus as you
grow into spiritual maturity.
One example of such a prayer is the following:
Almighty Father, I confess that I have sinned against you in
my thoughts, words, and actions (especially __________). I
am truly sorry and humbly repent. Thank you for forgiving
my sins through the death of your Son, Jesus. I turn to you
and give you my life. Fill and strengthen me with your Holy
Spirit to love you, to follow Jesus as my Lord in the fellowship
of his Church, and to become more like him each day. Amen.
Next Steps
To be a Christian is to be included in God’s family, the Church.
No one should try to be a Christian alone. If you are making
this commitment for the first time—or have not been a practicing
Christian for some time—here are some further steps
to take:
• Share your commitment as soon as possible with one or
more Christians and with an ordained minister, so they
can pray for you.
• If you are not connected with a church, join a biblically
faithful one. If you are connected but not involved, look
for ways to deepen your participation.
• If you are now becoming a follower of Jesus Christ and
have never been baptized, it is important that you speak
with a minister about preparing for Baptism. It is also
important to pray for God’s help and spiritual protection.
• If you are a baptized Christian but have not been living out
your faith, it is appropriate for you to confess your sins and
reaffirm your faith in the presence of a minister.
• In order to grow in your new life in Christ, it is vitally
important that you be involved in regular worship, Bible
study, prayer, and Christian fellowship.
Coming to personal faith in Christ is a momentous decision that
is often not made quickly. If you are not yet ready to take this step,
but you continue to seek after God, you may want to pray a prayer
like the following:
O God, please reveal yourself to me. Draw near to me as I seek
you. Open my eyes to see your truth. Show me those things in
my mind and heart that keep me from faith in you. Help me
to know and trust Jesus Christ. And lead me to those people
who can help me as I seek to know you.
God will always answer such prayers made with patience, persistence,
and humility. As you explore this catechism, continue to
pray that you will come to know God more fully.
In order to provide clarity and further detail, and for the purposes
of teaching and learning, these things will now be set out in
question and answer form.
© 2020 Church of the Resurrection
Church of the Resurrection is a member of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic in the Anglican Church in North America
Church of the Resurrection is a member of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic in the Anglican Church in North America