The word catechism comes from the Greek word κατηχέω (Katecheo; Strong's G2727), meaning "to instruct" or "to teach". Catechisms are used primarily in reference to teaching Christian doctrine, although they may be used in other contexts.
Κατηχέω is used several times in the Greek New Testament:
My last article, What are Catechisms?, briefly described the purpose of using catechisms: to teach Christian doctrine in a way that's easy to understand.
Some of the catechisms are obviously related, such as Martin Luther's Small Catechism and Large Catechism (both 1529), and the Westminster Shorter Catechism and Larger Catechism (both 1647). Other catechisms may build on an existing catechism, such as...
When God created people, He wrote the Law on their hearts. Later he arranged the Law in Ten Commandments, wrote it on two tables of stone, and made it known through Moses. (Romans 2:14-15)
Bible narrative: God wrote His commandments directly for the Israelites (Exodus 19-20; 31:18). There are three kinds of laws in the Old Testament: the moral law, which tells all people their duty toward God and other people;...
The Ten Commandments are found in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:4-21. In my research on catechisms, I was not a bit surprised that all of the catechisms I've reviewed have sections on the Ten Commandments. I did get confused, however, when I found there are different ways to number the Ten Commandments. None of the commands given by God to the Israelites through Moses has been removed, but they are separated differently.
The questions and answers below are copied from different catechisms. Please see the footnote at the end of each question for the reference.
First Commandment
The first commandment is, "Thou shalt have no other...
The questions and answers below are copied from different catechisms. Please see the note at the end of each question for the reference.
Second Commandment
The questions and answers below are copied from different catechisms. Please see the note at the end of each question for the reference.
Third Commandment
The questions and answers below are copied from different catechisms. Please see the note at the end of each question for the reference.
Fourth Commandment
The questions and answers below are copied from different catechisms. Please see the note at the end of each question for the reference.
Fifth Commandment
The answers below come from Luther's Small Catechism. The Lutheran church numbers the commandments differently than most Protestant denominations, which is why the title of this article refers to the sixth commandment, but the answers below list indicate fifth.
Sixth Commandment
