The Heidelberg Catechism

DAY 1
1 Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?

A. That I am not my own,1 (1 Cor. 6:19-20)
but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—2 (Rom. 14:7-9)
to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.3 (1 Cor. 3:23; Titus 2:14)
He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,4 (1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:2)
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.5 (John 8:34-36; Heb. 2:14-15; 1 John 3:1-11)
He also watches over me in such a way6 (John 6:39-40; 10:27-30; 2 Thess. 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:5)
that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven;7 (Matt. 10:29-31; Luke 21:16-18)
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.8 (Rom. 8:28)
Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life9 (Rom. 8:15-16; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14)
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.10 (Rom. 8:1-17)


2 Q. What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?

A. Three things: first, how great my sin and misery are;1 (Rom. 3:9-10; 1 John 1:10)
second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery;2 (John 17:3; Acts 4:12; 10:43)
third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.3 (Matt. 5:16; Rom. 6:13; Eph. 5:8-10; 2 Tim. 2:15; 1 Pet. 2:9-10)

Great stuff!
Of course the Heidelberg catechism is a paedobaptist work. However, in 1680, a Baptist pastor called Hercules (!) Collins published a Baptist version of the Heidelberg, called the Orthodox Catechism. Highly recommended! Republished by Steve Weaver and MIchael Haykin (RBAP. ISBN 978-0-9802179-1-9). Ideal for training up your congregation in godly Biblical theology.

DAY 2
3 Q. How do you come to know your misery?

A. The law of God tells me.1 (Rom. 3:20; 7:7-25)


4 Q. What does God’s law require of us?

A. Christ teaches us this in summary in Matthew 22:37-40:
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’1 (Deut. 6:5)
This is the greatest and first commandment.
“And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’2 (Lev. 19:18)
“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”


5 Q. Can you live up to all this perfectly?

A. No.1 (Rom. 3:9-20, 23; 1 John 1:8, 10)
I have a natural tendency to hate God and my neighbor.2 (Gen. 6:5; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 7:23-24; 8:7; Eph. 2:1-3; Titus 3:3)