DOCSLIB.ORG

The Heidelberg Catechism

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Heidelberg Catechism The Heidelberg Catechism Introduction and Background In the urgent need to form a united Protestant front against the Roman Catholic military threat Landgrave Philip Hesse persuaded a number of Lutheran and Reformed theologians to meet in a castle at Marburg in 1529. Unfortunately the two leaders, Martin Luther (1483-1546) and Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531), quarrelled so unyieldingly over the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper that the plan failed. Later John Calvin (1509-64) and Heinrich Bullinger (1504-75) worked together for consensus between the different parties in the Reformed camp and also in the hope of finding agreement with the Lutherans. They produced the Consensus Tigurinus, or Zurich Agreement, which different Reformed parties signed in 1549. It stated that though Christ’s body is in heaven, at the Lord’s Supper we nevertheless truly partake of that body, through the power of the Holy Spirit. But the hyper-Lutherans Joachim Westphal (1510-74) and later Tileman Heshusius (1527-88) attacked the Consensus and Calvin, insisting on a literal eating of Christ’s flesh (Westphal insisted on a literal chewing). When Frederick III became Elector of the Rhine Palatinate in 1559, it was rent with division over the issue. After a public quarrel took place at the altar of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Heidelberg, Frederick commissioned two young theologians, Zacharias Ursinus (1534-83) and Caspar Olevianus (1536-87), to write a catechism that would end the dispute in the principality. Ursinus was a professor of theology at Heidelberg; he had studied at Wittenberg and was a friend of Melanchthon, but had moved to a Reformed position. Olevianus, a gifted biblical preacher, had studied at Geneva and was for a time professor in the University of Heidelberg. They made use of existing catechisms, especially those of Calvin and John Lasco, and on the basis of Paul’s Letter to the Romans divided their catechism into three main sections, on: 1. the wretchedness of humankind, 2. the redemption of humankind, and 3. the gratitude and obedience humankind owes in response to redemption. Others, including the Elector, assisted in the work. Olevianus saw to the final wording. When the catechism was completed, Frederick laid it before a synod in December 1562. After careful examination the synod approved it, and the first edition was published the next year. After the Council of Trent ended in 1563, question 80 was inserted, against transubstantion. In 1573 the questions were numbered and divided into lessons for fifty-two Sundays. The catechism came to be used wherever the Reformed Church was established in Europe and was translated into many languages. The Synod of Dort in Holland formally adopted it in 1618. It remains an authoritative confession for all German and Dutch Reformed churches and is esteemed more widely than any other Reformed confessional document. Perhaps no document except the Bible has gone through more editions. The catechism takes the Calvinistic position on the Lord’s Supper and the uses of the Law. It is noted for its biblical and christocentric character, its irenic approach (except in question 80), its personal and experiential manner, its dramatic development of thought and its down-to-earth pastoral concern for daily living. The first question and answer are the most famous; they are a gem of personal, existential confession that sets a tone of comfort and joy for the whole catechism. THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM: MODERN ENGLISH VERSION This version contains a revision of the 1950 translation of the Heidelberg Catechism by a special committee of the Eureka Classis of the Reformed Church in the United States in 1978. lt was printed by order of the 1986 Synod by the Publications Committee of this denomination. CONTENT OF THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM - 1978 ENGLISH VERSION OF THE RCUS INTRODUCTION LORD'S DAY 1 1. What is your only comfort in life and in death? That l, with body and soul, both in life and in death,[1] am not my own,[2] but belong to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ,[3] who with His precious blood[4] has fully satisfied for all my sins,[5] and redeemed me from all the power of the devil;[6] and so preserves me[7] that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head;[8] indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation.[9] Wherefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life,[10] and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live unto Him.[11] A1B0om. 14:7-8. A2BI Cor. 6:19. A3BI Cor. 3:23. A4BI Pet. 1:18-19. A5BI 7n. 1:7; 2:2. A6BI 7n. 3:8. A7B7n. 6:39. A8BMt. 10:29-30; Lk. 21:18. A9B0om. 8:28. A10BII Cor. 1:21-22; Eph. 1:13-14; 0om. 8:16. A11B0om. 8:1. 2. H ow many things are necessary for you to know , that in this comfort you may live and die happily? 1hree things:A1B First, the greatness of my sin and misery.A2B Second, how I am redeemed from all my sins and misery.A3B 1hird, how I am to be thankful to 8 od for such redemption.A4B A1BLk. 24:46-47; I Cor. 6:11; 1it. 3:3-7. A2B7n. 9:41; 15:22. A3B7n. 17:3. A4BEph. 5:8-11; I Pet. 2:9-12; 0om. 6:11-14; E0om. 7:24-25; E8al. 3:13; ECol. 3:17. FI ST PA T O F M AN0S M ISE 1 LORD*S DA, 2 3. From w here do you know your misery? From the Law of 8 od.A1B A1B0om. 3:20; E0om. 7:7. 4. 3 hat does the Law of 8 od re:uire of us? Christ teaches us in sum, Mt. 22: .Tho shalt love the Lord thy / od 0 ith all thy heart1 and 0 ith all thy so l1 and 0 ith all thy mind1 and 0 ith all thy strength. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like nto it1 Tho shalt love thy neighbo r as thyself. O n these t0 o commandments hang all the la0 and the prophets.2A1B A1BLk. 10:27. E4eut. 6:5. E8al. 5:14. 5. Can you keep all this perfectly? N o,A1B for I am prone by nature to hate 8 od and my neighbour.A2B A1B0om. 3:10-12, 23; I 7n. 1:8, 10. A2B0om. 8:7; Eph. 2:3. LO RD3S DA, 3 6. 4id 8 od create man thus, w icked and perverse N o,A1B but 8 od created man good and after His ow n image,A2B that is, in righteousness and true holiness, that he might rightly know 8 od his Creator, heartily love H im, and live w ith H im in eternal blessedness, to praise and glorify H im.A3B A1B8 en. 1:31. A2B8 en. 1:26-27. A3BII Cor. 3:18; Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:24. 7. From w here, then, does this depraved nature of man come? From the fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, in Paradise,A1B w hereby our nature became so corrupt that w e are all conceived and born in sin.A2B A1B8 en. 3 (1he w hole chapter). 0om. 5:12, 18-19. A2BPs. 51:5; EPs. 14:2-3. 8. But are w e so depraved that w e are completely incapable of any good and prone to all evil? Fes,A1B unless w e are born again by the Spirit of 8 od.A2B A1B7n. 3:6; 8 en. 6:5; 7ob 14:4; Isa. 53:6. A2B7n. 3:5; E8en. 8:21; EII Cor. 3:5; E0om. 7:18; E7er. 17:9. LO RD3S DA, 5 9. 4oes not 8 od, then, do inGustice to man by re:uiring of him in H is Law that w hich he cannot perform? No, for 8 od so made man that he could perform it;A1B but man, through the instigation of the devil, by w illful disobedience deprived himself and all his descendants of this pow er.A2B A1BEph. 4:24. A2B0om. 5:12. 10. 3 ill 8 od allow such disobedience and apostasy to go unpunished? Certainly not,A1B but H e is terribly displeased w ith our inborn as w ell as our actual sins, and w ill punish them in Gust Gudgment in time and eternity, as H e has declared: .C rsed is everyone that contin eth not in all things 0 hich are 0 ritten in the book of the la0 to do them.262B A1BH eb. 9:27. A2B4eut. 27:26; 8 al. 3:10; E0om. 1:18; EMt. 25:41. 11. But is not 8 od also merciful? 8 od is indeed merciful,A1B but H e is likew ise Gust;A2B His Gustice therefore re:uires that sin w hich is committed against the most high maGesty of 8 od, be punished w ith e2treme, that is, w ith everlasting punishment both of body and soul. A1BE2. 34:6-7. A2BE2. 20:5; Ps. 5:5-6; II Cor. 6:14-16; E0ev. 14:11. SECOND PA T OF M AN0S EDEM PTION LO RD3S DA, 5 12. Since, then, by the righteous Gudgment of 8 od w e deserve temporal and eternal punishment, how may w e escape this punishment and be again received into favour? 8 od w ills that His Gustice be satisfied;A1B therefore, w e must make full satisfaction to that Gustice, either by ourselves or by another.A2B A1BE2.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • On the Historical Origins of the Heidelberg Catechism
    Acta Theologica 2014 Suppl 20: 16-34 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/actat.v20i1.2S ISSN 1015-8758 © UV/UFS <http://www.ufs.ac.za/ActaTheologica> C. Strohm ON THE HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM ABSTRACT Reflection on the origins of the Heidelberg Catechism reveals it to be a document of understanding between Calvinistic-Reformed, Zwinglian and Lutheran-Philippistic tendencies within Protestantism. One important reason for the success of the Heidelberg Catechism was the fact that each one of these groups appreciated the Catechism. At the same time it clearly distances itself from Tridentine Catholicism and from the Gnesio-Lutheran variant of Lutheranism. This occurs mainly in the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. The repudiation of the mass as “condemnable idolatry” is a result of the orientation to the Reformation of John Calvin. Here papal religion was seen as superstition and a fundamental violation of the true worship of God as well as an infringement of God’s honour. The experience of persecution by the Papal church in France and the Netherlands aggravated the criticism. The most famous and influential part of the Heidelberg Catechism is its first question and answer: Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death? A. That I am not my own, but belong – body and soul, in life and in death – to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.
    [Show full text]
  • The Heidelberg Catechism on the Sacraments
    The Heidelberg Catechism on the Sacraments 65 Q. It is through faith alone that we share in Christ and all his benefits: where then does that faith come from? A. The Holy Spirit produces it in our hearts1 by the preaching of the holy gospel,2 and confirms it by the use of the holy sacraments.3 1 John 3:5; 1 Cor. 2:10-14; Eph. 2:8 2 Rom. 10:17; 1 Pet. 1:23-25 3 Matt. 28:19-20; 1 Cor. 10:16 66 Q. What are sacraments? A. Sacraments are visible, holy signs and seals. They were instituted by God so that by our use of them he might make us understand more clearly the promise of the gospel, and seal that promise.1 And this is God's gospel promise: to grant us forgiveness of sins and eternal life by grace because of Christ's one sacrifice accomplished on the cross.2 1 Gen. 17:11; Deut. 30:6; Rom. 4:11 2 Matt. 26:27-28; Acts 2:38; Heb. 10:10 67 Q. Are both the word and the sacraments then intended to focus our faith on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as the only ground of our salvation? A. Yes! In the gospel the Holy Spirit teaches us and by the holy sacraments confirms that our entire salvation rests on Christ's one sacrifice for us on the cross.1 1 Rom. 6:3; 1 Cor. 11:26; Gal. 3:27 68 Q. How many sacraments did Christ institute in the New Testament? A.
    [Show full text]
  • Answer: the Sacraments Are Holy Visible Signs
    I. Heidelberg Catechism on Sacraments Question 66. What are the sacraments? Answer: The sacraments are holy visible signs and seals, appointed of God for this end, that by the use thereof, he may the more fully declare and seal to us the promise of the gospel, viz., that he grants us freely the remission of sin, and life eternal, for the sake of that one sacrifice of Christ, accomplished on the cross. Gen.17:11 Rom.4:11 Deut.30:6 Lev.6:25 Heb.9:7 Heb.9:8 Heb.9:9 Heb.9:24 Ezek.20:12 Isa.6:6 Isa.6:7 Isa.54:9 Question 67. Are both word and sacraments, then, ordained and appointed for this end, that they may direct our faith to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, as the only ground of our salvation? Answer: Yes, indeed: for the Holy Ghost teaches us in the gospel, and assures us by the sacraments, that the whole of our salvation depends upon that one sacrifice of Christ which he offered for us on the cross. Rom.6:3 Gal.3:27 Question 68. How many sacraments has Christ instituted in the new covenant, or testament? Answer: Two: namely, holy baptism, and the holy supper. Question 69. How art thou admonished and assured by holy baptism, that the one sacrifice of Christ upon the cross is of real advantage to thee? Answer: Thus: That Christ appointed this external washing with water, (a) adding thereto this promise, (b) that I am as certainly washed by his blood and Spirit from all the pollution of my soul, that is, from all my sins, (c) as I am washed externally with water, by which the filthiness of the body is commonly washed away.
    [Show full text]
  • The Christian Faith According to the Shorter Catechism by William Childs Robinson, Professor in Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA
    The Christian Faith According to The Shorter Catechism by William Childs Robinson, Professor in Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA. “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” —II Tim. 1:13. INTRODUCTION THE genesis of this SUMMARY OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH ACCORDING TO THE SHORTER CATECHISM is to be found in the action of the Session of the Pryor Street Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, requesting an explanation of the catechism. This request was supported by the Executive Committee of Religious Education of the Presbytery and submitted to the Executive Committee of Religious Education and Publication in Richmond. The Editor-in-Chief of the Richmond Committee asked the author to prepare an exposition of the doctrinal part of the Shorter Catechism. On completion, significant sections of the work were successfully used in the communicant classes of the West End and the North Avenue Churches of Atlanta and in several summer conferences and Daily Vacation Bible Schools. Dr. John L. Fairly decided to simplify the presentation for the junior age group, and pending this simplification kindly approved the publication of the exposition in The Southern Presbyterian Journal. With some correction of typographical slips and occasional amplifications, the material published in The Journal is assembled in this pamphlet. The publication of this booklet is timely. With the menace of communism on the one hand and the increasing propaganda of Roman Catholicism on the other our people need clear and definite teaching. In our own Church the women are studying THE FAITH WE PROFESS, and the Research Committee of the General Council is making plans for a series of doctrinal helps for our preaching.
    [Show full text]
  • The Second Helvetic Confession November, 2007
    The Second Helvetic Confession November, 2007 The Scots Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Second Helvetic Confession are all Reformation era statements of faith. They all followed within a generation of Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses on the Wittenburg Door on October 31, 1517. They each demonstrate how the new movement in the church was developing simultaneously throughout Europe. Each represents the area from which it originated: the Scots Confession, from Scotland; the Heidelberg Catechism, from Germany; and the Second Helvetic Confession, from Switzerland. The Second Helvetic Confession was written as a defense document for a heresy trial. Frederick the Elector, who had ordered the preparation of the Heidelberg Catechism (see September’s Celtic article) was under attack by Lutherans who objected to the Reformed emphasis of Catechism. Frederick was a governor, not a theologian. He turned to a friend, Heinrich Bullinger, to prepare a defense against the charge of heresy. The (successful) defense Bullinger constructed for Frederick later became the Second Helvetic Confession. It is a long statement. It has thirty chapters and two hundred fifty six sections. The Authority of Scripture Structurally, the Second Helvetic Confession begins with the authority of Scripture. And, just so you are aware, THE PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD IS THE WORD OF GOD. Wherefore when this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very Word of God is proclaimed, and received by the faithful; and that neither any other Word of God is to be invented nor is to be expected from heaven: and that now the Word itself which is preached is to be regarded, not the minister that preaches; for even if he be evil and a sinner, nevertheless the Word of God remains still true and good.
    [Show full text]
  • Benefitting from Luther's Small Catechism
    MAJT 28 (2017): 67-76 BENEFITTING FROM LUTHER’S SMALL CATECHISM … AS A CALVINIST by Daniel R. Hyde1 MARTIN LUTHER (1483–1546) was a hero. His contemporaries depicted him as everything from the angel of Revelation 14, an apostle, Daniel redivivus, Ezekiel’s good shepherd, one of three Mary’s at the tomb of a resurrected Christendom, prophets like Elijah, Enoch, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and even Hercules Germanicus complete with lion pelt clothing and a club beating medieval theologians to death. 2 When Heinrich Bullinger (1504–1575) rejected the claim that Luther was an apostle, this led many of Luther’s followers to respond with lengthy refutations in sermons and writings that he in fact was an apostle.3 Perhaps this is to be expected of Luther’s fellow “Lutherans” (anachronistically speaking). What is not so expected is how Protestants of the “Reformed” or “Calvinist” kind (again, another anachronism) spoke of him in heroic terms. As early as 1520, Ulrich Zwingli (1484–1531) called Luther a contemporary Elijah.4 As well, after Luther died, the tendency for the Reformed was to focus their criticism on Luther’s so-called followers while leaving “the Big Man” alone. An example of this occurred one year after the Book of Concord was published (1580), when Christopher Grandmundt published a refutation of Lutheran “ubiquitist” theologians such as Jakob Andreae (1528–1590). Grandmundt said Andreae took extreme statements Luther uttered in the heat of controversy in order to buttress the Gnesio (“true”) Lutheran position. In contrast, Grandmundt said Luther merely exhibited his weakness in these utterances; it was his followers who were in serious error.
    [Show full text]
  • Calvin and the Confessions of the Reformation
    Page 1 of 5 Original Research Calvin and the confessions of the Reformation Author: This article discusses the complicated question of the connection between Calvin and the 1,2 Alasdair I.C. Heron confessions of the Presbyterian Reformed tradition. Firstly, a contrast is drawn to the question Affiliations: of the connection between Luther and the Lutheran confessions. It is noted that here a closed 1Reformed Theology, canon of Lutheran confessions exists, and Luther himself wrote three of the documents. On University of Erlangen- the other hand, there is no closed canon of Reformed confessions. However, there is a broad Nuremberg, Germany consensus concerning which Reformed confessions from the 16th century are classical. In this 2Department of Systematic article a synopsis is provided of this list, and it is discovered that Calvin himself only wrote Theology and Christian one of the classical Reformed confessional documents, although he influenced some others. Ethics, University of Pretoria, South Africa The article then continues to discuss Calvin’s own contribution, his Catechism of 1542/1545. The historical context of writing in which this Catechism is sketched, its use in Geneva is Note: described, and the outline of the Catechism is mentioned. The article continues to discuss why Prof. Dr Alasdair Heron is Professor Emeritus at the Calvin thought there was a need for a catechism, and why he wrote it in Latin and sent it to University of Erlangen- East Friesland. In conclusion the author explains why he has discussed Calvin’s Catechism, Nuremberg, Germany. He instead of focusing on the English Confession of 1556.
    [Show full text]
  • The Confession of 1967
    THE CONFESSION OF 1967 [TEXT] The Confession of 1967 In approving the Confession of 1967, the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America adopted its first new confession of faith in three centuries. The turbu- lent decade of the 1960s challenged churches everywhere to restate their faith. While the Second Vatican Council was reformulating Roman Catholic thought and practice, Pres- byterians were developing the Confession of 1967. The 168th General Assembly (1956) of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (UPCUSA) received an overture asking that the Westmin- ster Shorter Catechism be revised. The 170th General Assembly (1958) proposed in- stead that the church draw up a “brief contemporary statement of faith.” A committee labored at the task seven years. The 177th General Assembly (1965) (UPCUSA) vigorously discussed the commit- tee’s proposal and sent an amended draft to the church for study. Sessions, congrega- tions, and presbyteries suggested changes and additions. In response, a newly appointed Committee of Fifteen made revisions. The 178th General Assembly (1966) (UPCUSA) debated this draft, accepted it, and forwarded it to the presbyteries for final ratification. After extensive debate, more than 90 percent of the presbyteries voted approval. Final adoption came at the 179th General Assembly (1967) (UPCUSA). Modestly titled, the Confession of 1967 is built around a single passage of Scrip- ture: “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself . .” (2 Cor. 5:19, NRSV). The first section, “God’s Work of Reconciliation,” is divided into three parts: the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit.
    [Show full text]
  • The Heidelberg Catechism Part I: Human Misery Lord’S Day 2 Previous Version Q&A 3 Lord’S Day 1 Q
    The Heidelberg Catechism Part I: Human Misery Lord’s Day 2 Previous Version Q&A 3 Lord’s Day 1 Q. How do you come to know your misery? A. The law of God tells me.1 Q&A 1 Q. What is your only comfort 1 Rom. 3:20; 7:7-25 in life and in death? A. That I am not my own,1 Q&A 4 but belong— Q. What does God’s law require of us? body and soul, A. Christ teaches us this in summary in Matthew 22— in life and in death—2 to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.3 Love the Lord your God with all your heart He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,4 and with all your soul and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.5 and with all your mind He also watches over me in such a way6 and with all your strength.1* that not a hair can fall from my head This is the first and greatest commandment. without the will of my Father in heaven:7 in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.8 And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.2 Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, All the Law and the Prophets hang assures me of eternal life9 on these two commandments. and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.10 1 Deut. 6:5 2 Lev.
    [Show full text]
  • Presbyterian Church (Usa) Part I Book of Confessions
    THE CONSTITUTION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.) PART I BOOK OF CONFESSIONS THE CONSTITUTION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.) PART I BOOK OF CONFESSIONS PUBLISHED BY THE OFFICE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 100 Witherspoon Street Louisville, KY 40202-1396 Copyright © 2016 by the Office of the General Assembly Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically, mechanically, photocopy- ing, recording, or otherwise (brief quotations used in magazine or newspaper re- views excepted), without the prior permission of the publisher. The sessions, presbyteries, and synods of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) may use sections of this publication without receiving prior written permission of the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data 978-0-9837536-8-1 Printed in the United States of America Additional copies available at $10.00 each from Presbyterian Distribution Services (PDS), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202-1396, or by calling 1-800-524-2612 (PDS). Please specify PDS order #OGA-16-017 CONTENTS Reference Page Numbers Numbers Notes on the Paging and the Indexing .................................................................. i Preface ................................................................................................................ iii Confessional Nature of the Church Report ........................................................... v The Assessment of Proposed Amendments to the Book of Confessions ......... xxvi Confessions 1. The Nicene Creed ............................................ 1.1–1.3 1–3 2. The Apostles’ Creed ........................................ 2.1–2.3 5–7 3. The Scots Confession .................................. 3.01–3.25 9–26 4. The Heidelberg Catechism ...................... 4.001–4.129 27–73 5. The Second Helvetic Confession ............
    [Show full text]
  • 2015, 01-04 B, a Catechism on the Heidelberg
    A Catechism on the Heidelberg Catechism (and on church doctrine, more generally) 1. What is the Heidelberg Catechism? The Heidelberg Catechism is a document that asks and answers 129 questions. These questions and answers explain the Bible’s teaching about salvation and related doctrines. 2. What is a catechism? A catechism is church document that instructs believers about Biblical doctrine in the form of questions and answers. Catechisms are not only used in Protestant churches. 3. When and where was the Heidelberg Catechism written? It was written in the city of Heidelberg, Germany, in 1563 at the time of the Protestant Reformation (the early beginning of the Protestant Reformation can be traced to 1517 when Martin Luther wrote his 95 Theses). 4. Who was involved in the writing of the Heidelberg Catechism? The Heidelberg Catechism was written by two theologian-pastors, Zacharias Ursinus (the principal author) and Caspar Olevanius, and was commissioned by Frederick III, the Protestant ruler of the Palatinate region, where Heidelberg was found. Frederick III was a convert from Roman Catholicism through his Protestant wife, and sought to develop a doctrinal consensus which would unite Reformed and many Lutherans, against Roman Catholic teaching and some extreme Lutheran views, in the basics of the Christian faith. 5. What makes the Heidelberg Catechism a confession of Reformed Churches if it was written by a few men in 16th century Germany? It was adopted in 1563 by the churches of the Palatinate, and soon after adopted by churches in other European territories and nation-states. Most notably, it was adopted in the Netherlands in 1619 as one of the official church confessions (along with the Belgic Confession and the Canons of Dort to make the Three Forms of Unity) of Dutch Bible-believing churches.
    [Show full text]
  • Liberti Church Baptism Primer
    a baptism primer. what is baptism? a visible promise. One common way that many early Christian thinkers, and later Reformers, described baptism was by calling it a “visible promise.” Just as hearing the Scriptures offers God’s promises to us through our ears, the act of baptism holds out the promise of God’s grace in Christ to us visually. So, what exactly does picture of baptism promise us? united to Christ In baptism, God portrays, promises, and seals to us our union with Jesus Christ (Galatians 3.27). All who are baptized are “in Christ” – this is their new identity. We are united to Jesus in his death and in his resurrection (Romans 6.3-11). Our identity is not derived from our own past, but from Jesus’ past, which is our future. What happened to him has happened to us; what he has accomplished belongs to us. He gives us a new identity that we spend the rest of our lives “living into” (Colossians 3.9-10). united to Christ’s body Incorporation into Christ also means incorporation into his body, the church (Acts 2.41, 27; I Corinthians 12.13). cleansing: water makes us clean Baptism signifies spiritual cleansing, and comes to us a God’s gift and promise which we receive by faith. (cf. Acts 22.16; Hebrews 12.22). Baptism represents the sprinkled blood of Christ which cleanses us and establishes us in covenant with God. new life in the Spirit: water gives us life When we enter the body of Christ by baptism we enter the realm of the Spirit (the Spirit of Christ dwells uniquely in the body of Christ).
    [Show full text]