Part 1: Christian Beliefs

Your study of the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses has acquainted you with the truth. What you have learned has no doubt helped you to have a good relationship with God and has given you the hope of future life and blessings on a paradise earth under God’s Kingdom. Your faith in God’s Word has been strengthened, and through association with the Christian congregation, you have already experienced many blessings. You have come to appreciate how Jehovah is dealing with his people today.​—Zech. 8:23.

As you now prepare for baptism, you will benefit from a review of basic Christian beliefs, conducted by the congregation elders. (Heb. 6:1-3) May Jehovah continue to bless all your endeavors to come to know him, and may he grant you the promised reward.​—John 17:3.

1. Why do you want to get baptized?

2. Who is Jehovah?

• “Jehovah is the true God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. There is no other.”​—Deut. 4:39.

• “You, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.”​—Ps. 83:18.

3. Why is it important for you to use God’s personal name?

• “You must pray, then, this way: ‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified.’”​—Matt. 6:9.

• “Everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.”​—Rom. 10:13.

4. What are some terms used in the Bible to describe Jehovah?

• “Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, is a God for all eternity.”​—Isa. 40:28.

• “Our Father in the heavens.”​—Matt. 6:9.

• “God is love.”​—1 John 4:8.

5. What can you give Jehovah God?

• “You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength.”​—Mark 12:30.

• “It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.”​—Luke 4:8.

6. Why do you want to be loyal to Jehovah?

• “Be wise, my son, and make my heart rejoice, so that I can make a reply to him who taunts me.”​—Prov. 27:11.

7. To whom do you pray, and in whose name do you pray?

• “Most truly I [Jesus] say to you, if you ask the Father for anything, he will give it to you in my name.”​—John 16:23.

8. What are some of the things you can pray about?

• “You must pray, then, this way: ‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your Kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also on earth. Give us today our bread for this day; and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the wicked one.’”​—Matt. 6:9-13.

• “This is the confidence that we have toward him, that no matter what we ask according to his will, he hears us.”​—1 John 5:14.

9. Why might Jehovah not listen to a person’s prayer?

• “They will call to Jehovah for help, but he will not answer them . . . because of their wicked deeds.”​—Mic. 3:4.

• “The eyes of Jehovah are on the righteous, and his ears listen to their supplication, but the face of Jehovah is against those doing bad things.”​—1 Pet. 3:12.

10. Who is Jesus Christ?

• “Simon Peter answered: ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’”​—Matt. 16:16.

11. Why did Jesus come to earth?

• “The Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his life as a ransom in exchange for many.”​—Matt. 20:28.

• “I [Jesus] must also declare the good news of the Kingdom of God to other cities, because for this I was sent.”​—Luke 4:43.

12. How can you show your thankfulness for Jesus’ sacrifice?

• “He died for all so that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised up.”​—2 Cor. 5:15.

13. What authority does Jesus have?

• “All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth.”​—Matt. 28:18.

• “God exalted him to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every other name.”​—Phil. 2:9.

14. Do you believe that the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses is “the faithful and discreet slave” appointed by Jesus?

• “Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time?”​—Matt. 24:45.

15. Is the holy spirit a person?

• “In answer the angel said to her: ‘Holy spirit will come upon you, and power of the Most High will overshadow you. And for that reason the one who is born will be called holy, God’s Son.’”​—Luke 1:35.

• “Therefore, if you, although being wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more so will the Father in heaven give holy spirit to those asking him!”​—Luke 11:13.

16. How has Jehovah used his holy spirit?

• “By the word of Jehovah the heavens were made, and by the spirit of his mouth everything in them.”​—Ps. 33:6.

• “You will receive power when the holy spirit comes upon you, and you will be witnesses of me . . . to the most distant part of the earth.”​—Acts 1:8.

• “No prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation. For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were moved by holy spirit.”​—2 Pet. 1:20, 21.

17. What is the Kingdom of God?

• “The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. And this kingdom will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it alone will stand forever.”​—Dan. 2:44.

18. How will God’s Kingdom benefit you?

• “He will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”​—Rev. 21:4.

19. How do you know that Kingdom blessings will soon be here?

• “The disciples approached him privately, saying: ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?’ In answer Jesus said to them: ‘. . . Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another. And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.’”​—Matt. 24:3, 4, 7, 14.

• “In the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having an appearance of godliness but proving false to its power.”​—2 Tim. 3:1-5.

20. How do you show that the Kingdom is important to you?

• “Keep on, then, seeking first the Kingdom and his righteousness.”​—Matt. 6:33.

• “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If anyone wants to come after me, let him disown himself and pick up his torture stake and keep following me.’”​—Matt. 16:24.

21. Who are Satan and the demons?

• “You are from your father the Devil . . . That one was a murderer when he began.”​—John 8:44.

• “Down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him.”​—Rev. 12:9.

22. Of what has Satan accused Jehovah and those who worship Him?

• “The woman said to the serpent: ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. But God has said about the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden: “You must not eat from it, no, you must not touch it; otherwise you will die.”’ At this the serpent said to the woman: ‘You certainly will not die. For God knows that in the very day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and bad.’”​—Gen. 3:2-5.

• “Satan answered Jehovah: ‘Skin for skin. A man will give everything that he has for his life.’”​—Job 2:4.

23. How can you prove that Satan’s accusations are false?

• “Serve [God] with a complete heart.”​—1 Chron. 28:9.

• “Until I die, I will not renounce my integrity!”​—Job 27:5.

24. Why do people die?

• “Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned.”​—Rom. 5:12.

25. What is the condition of the dead?

• “The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all.”​—Eccl. 9:5.

26. What hope is there for those who have died?

• “There is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.”​—Acts 24:15.

27. How many people go to heaven to rule with Jesus?

• “Look! the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who have his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads.”​—Rev. 14:1.