Our Only Comfort

Something celebrated its birthday today, yet it deftly maintains its youthfulness! Rest assured, my readers: I am not that old (I will confess that my birthday did took place a few weeks ago). Today marks the Heidelberg Catechism's 450th birthday!

The first version of Heidelberg Catechism was published on this day in 1563. This treatise has been widely used in the Reformed stream of Christianity, and many churches throughout the ages past have found this document extremely useful in guiding, instructing, and even comforting its believers. I had the opportunity to peruse a portion of this document for my Reformation History and Doctrine class last year, and it has been a source of great comfort for me as well, and it can also serve as a great primer if you want to become a more Gospel-saturated person. It is written in a manner that is uniquely personal and warm not commonly found among the majority of theological works or creeds (such as this one!).

This is a long creed in its entirety, but I wanted to quote one of the most famous, oft-quoted, and beautifully man-made portion of the Heidelberg Catechism below. I just happen to love this one as well!

Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?

Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.

If you want to learn more about the Heidelberg Catechism, here are a couple of wonderful articles by Kevin DeYoung that explains some of the benefits of and why the Catechism should be read along with the Bible, along with links from the Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics (www.reformed.org) about this creed:

• Five Reasons to Read the Heidelberg Catechism
• Brief History on the Heidelberg Catechism (Kevin DeYoung)
• http://reformed.org/documents/index.html - click on the link, then scroll down and click on The Heidelberg Catechism link to open the whole document (there is another link immediately below that gives a brief history of this creed as well)