The Heidelberg Catechism (1563) teaches the Reformed faith through 129 questions and answers, organized around three movements: our guilt, God's grace, and our gratitude. Written by Zacharius Ursinus and Caspar Olevianus for the Palatinate, it opens with the most beloved line in catechesis — that our "only comfort in life and death" is belonging to Jesus Christ — and remains the warmest entry point to Reformed doctrine.
“Calvin's Catechism is fuller than Luther's, but less popular and childlike. It prepared the way and furnished material for a number of similar works, which have gradually superseded it, especially the Anglican (Nowell's), the Heidelberg, and the Westminster Catechisms. The Anglican Catechism is much...”
“V. WHAT IS THE DESIGN OF THE CATECHISM, AND OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH?
The design of the doctrine of the catechism is our comfort and salvation. Our salvation consists in the enjoyment of the highest good. Our comfort comprises the assurance and confident expectation of the full and perfect enj...”
“The Third [Fourth] Commandment.
Thou shalt keep the holy Sabbath day.
What does this mean?
We should hear and love God as not to despise preaching and His Word, and willingly hear and learn it.
heidelberg catechism.
What is thy only comfort in life and in death?
That I, with body and soul, bot...”
“## 1 Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death? A. That I am not my own, 1
but belong— body and soul, in life and in death— 2
to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. 3
He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, 4
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. 5
He also watch...”
What is the Heidelberg Catechism's first question?
"What is your only comfort in life and in death?" The answer: "That I am not my own, but belong — body and soul, in life and in death — to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ."
How is the Heidelberg Catechism structured?
Three parts: guilt (our sin and misery, Q3–11), grace (redemption in Christ, Q12–85), and gratitude (thankful obedience — the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer, Q86–129).