The Westminster Shorter Catechism: An Outline

1-3. INTRODUCTION

  • 1. Our primary purpose in life
  • 2-3. Our rule for life
    • 2. Our only source for the right information
    • 3. What we will find there

4-38. WHAT ARE WE TO BELIEVE CONCERNING GOD?

  • 4-12. God made us
    • 4-7. Who God is
      • 4. His greatness
      • 5. His oneness
      • 6. His threeness
      • 7. His plan
    • 8-12. What God does
      • 8. Overview
      • 9-10. Creation
        • 9. Defined in general
        • 10. A special act of creation
      • 11-12. Providence
        • 11. Defined in general
        • 12. A special act of providence
  • 13-19. Something’s wrong with us
    • 13-16. What happened
      • 13. The Fall
      • 14. Sin
      • 15. The first sin
      • 16. The pervasiveness of sin
    • 17-19. What’s now wrong
      • 17. Overview
      • 18. Sinfulness
      • 19. Misery
  • 20-28. God has provided a way to make things right
    • 20-21. God provided a redeemer
      • 20. Election: the fountain of grace
      • 21. Christ: the Man of God’s choosing
    • 22-28. How this redeemer came to help us
      • 22. His humanity
      • 23-28. His work
        • 23. Overview
        • 24-26. His offices
          • 24. Prophet
          • 25. Priest
          • 26. King
        • 27-28. His estates
          • 27. Humiliation
          • 28. Exaltation
  • 29-31. God will bring us to Himself: God’s Spirit
    • 29. Necessity for the Spirit
    • 30. Union with Christ by the Spirit
    • 31. New life from the Spirit
  • 32-38. God will give us good things
    • 32. Overview
    • 33-35. Primary benefits
      • 33. A new status: Justification
      • 34. A new family: Adoption
      • 35. A new power: Sanctification
    • 36-38. Secondary benefits
      • 36. In this life
      • 37. At death
      • 38. At the resurrection

39-107. WHAT IS THE DUTY GOD REQUIRES OF US?

  • 39-84. Do everything that God says to do [Law]
    • 39. Our duty: obedience
    • 40-41. God’s rule: law
    • 42. The summary of our duty: love
    • 43-81. Our duty explained: the ten commandments
      • 43-45. Preface
      • 46-48. 1st commandment
      • 49-52. 2nd commandment
      • 53-56. 3rd commandment
      • 57-62. 4th commandment
      • 63-66. 5th commandment
      • 67-69. 6th commandment
      • 70-72. 7th commandment
      • 73-75. 8th commandment
      • 76-78. 9th commandment
      • 79-81. 10th commandment
    • 82-84. Our inability to do our duty
      • 82. We daily sin
      • 83. Some sins are worse than others
      • 84. All sin deserves God’s wrath
  • 85-107. Daily admit that we can’t do it [Gospel]
    • 85. Our duty
    • 86-87. Inward means of saving grace
      • 86. Faith
      • 87. Repentance
    • 88-107. Outward means of grace
      • 88. Overview
      • 89-90. Word
        • 89. What the Spirit will do
        • 90. What we are to do
      • 91-97. Sacraments
        • 91-93. Overview
        • 94-95. Baptism
          • 94. Defined
          • 95. Subjects
        • 96-97. Lord’s Supper
          • 96. Defined
          • 97. Subjects
      • 98-107. Prayer
        • 98. Defined
        • 99. The rule
        • 100-107. The rule explained
          • 100. Preface
          • 101. 1st petition
          • 102. 2nd petition
          • 103. 3rd petition
          • 104. 4th petition
          • 105. 5th petition
          • 106. 6th petition
          • 107. Conclusion

Prepared by Pastor John Olson