HOW DO WE KNOW GOD?

A Biblical Study of The Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Bible Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions
about Catholic Beliefs and Practices
Full Free eBook at www.TrustworthyWord.com/catholic

Passages of The Catechism of the Catholic Church to Consider:

• “the Church is expressing her confidence in the possibility of speaking about him to
all men and with all men” (CCC, 39)
• “the apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books,
was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time” (CCC, 77)
• “this living transmission, accomplished in the Holy Spirit, is called Tradition,
since it is distinct from Sacred Scripture, though closely connected to it. Through Tra-
dition, ‘the Church, in her doctrine, life, and worship perpetuates and transmits to ev-
ery generation all that she herself is, all that she believes” (CCC, 78)
• “The Father’s self-communication made through his Word in the Holy Spirit, remains
present and active in the Church” (CCC 79)

Scriptures to Consider:
• Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to ob-
serve all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of
the age.” (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 6:6-7 “And these words that I command you today shall be on your
heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when
you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and
when you rise.” (ESV)
• Mark 7:8–9 “You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of
men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the command-
ment of God in order to establish your tradition!” (ESV)
• Psalm 19:7“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord
is sure, making wise the simple” (ESV)
• Psalm 119:130 “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to
the simple.” (ESV)
• 2 Timothy 3:14-15 “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly
believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been
acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salva-
tion through faith in Christ Jesus.” (ESV)
• 2 Peter 3:16 “There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the
ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures”
(ESV)
• 1 Peter 2:14 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for
they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritu-
ally discerned.” (ESV)
• 2 Timothy 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a
worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
(ESV)
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• John 10:14–16 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, [15]
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the
sheep. [16] And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also,
and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (ESV)
• John 10:27–28 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. [28] I
give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of
my hand.” (ESV)
• Acts 17:11 “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they
received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if
these things were so.” (ESV)

Questions to Consider:
• Who is called to speak and teach authoritatively about Jesus?
• What is the role of the family in teaching about God?
• Does the Bible give more encouragement about tradition or more warnings
about traditions?
• NEGATIVE - Matthew 15:1–9 “Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem
and said, [2] “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not
wash their hands when they eat.” [3] He answered them, “And why do you break the
commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? [4] For God commanded, ‘Honor
your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ [5]
But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me
is given to God,” [6] he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you
have made void the word of God. [7] You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you,
when he said: [8] “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from
me; [9] in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of
men.’” (ESV)
• NEGATIVE - Mark 7:1–13 “Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the
scribes who had come from Jerusalem, [2] they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands
that were defiled, that is, unwashed. [3] (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless
they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, [4] and when they
come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other tra-
ditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and din-
ing couches.) [5] And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not
walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” [6] And he
said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people hon-
ors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; [7] in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ [8] You leave the commandment
of God and hold to the tradition of men.” [9] And he said to them, “You have a fine way
of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! [10] For
Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother
must surely die.’ [11] But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you
would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)—[12] then you no longer per-
mit him to do anything for his father or mother, [13] thus making void the word of God
by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” (ESV)
• POSITIVE - 1 Corinthians 11:2 “Now I commend you because you remember me in every-
thing and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. (ESV)
• NEGATIVE - Galatians 1:13–16 “For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I
persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. [14] And I was advancing in
Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for
the traditions of my fathers.” (ESV)

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 • NEGATIVE - Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy
and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of
the world, and not according to Christ.” (ESV)
• POSITIVE - 2 Thessalonians 2:9–15 “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you,
brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through
sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. [14] To this he called you through our
gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. [15] So then, brothers,
stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken
word or by our letter.” (ESV)
• POSITIVE - 2 Thessalonians 3:6 “Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in ac-
cord with the tradition that you received from us.” (ESV)
• How does Psalm 119 describe the Bible? Skim to pg. 80-81 to some amazing truths
about the Bible!
• Are the writings and teachings of man (devotions, traditions, etc.) necessary for un-
derstanding how we know God through salvation?
• What does 2 Timothy 3:14-15 say about salvation?
• What is the best way to know and follow Jesus? Can we interact with Him di-
rectly?
• Read Acts 17:11. Why are the Bereans praised for testing the teaching of
Paul? Why didn’t they just presume what he said was true?

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