Using the Heidelberg Catechism

Last week, we shared an article that details the history and organization of the Heidelberg Catechism. It's organized into three major headings. One way to organize and remember is through the ‘S’ method. In the ‘S’ method, the Heidelberg Catechism is divided into Sin, Salvation, and Service. The other way is Misery, Deliverance, and Gratitude. This isn't just a story, but for the believer, this is our story. How we were miserable in our sin, how we've been delivered by the grace of God and Jesus Christ, and now how the rest of life is an expression of gratitude unto God for the grace that we have received.

Teaching

There's a couple of ways to categorize the Catechism. It is an intensely practical document about teaching. The Catechism is used in educational settings, both in pastoral settings of preaching and doctrinal instruction, but also in terms of educating youth and teaching children. It's structured with questions and answers, 129 questions and answers, and those are divided up into those 52 Lord's Days that were used originally in afternoon services. Reformed churches, have practiced different times of instruction through the years.

For some, the afternoon service was always the doctrinal service where a portion of the Catechism would be read, and then the biblical passages connected to that part of the Catechism would be exposited and preached upon. In other settings, it's at night. In other settings, it's in the morning. Different settings approach the Catechism in different ways, that's so beautiful is we're all learning in an effectively the same unified document. We've been through the outline a little bit about sin, salvation, and then service, and misery, deliverance, and gratitude. You'll note that there's an intense amount of intention placed in the ordering of each Lord's Day in each question.

Book of Doctrine

You can almost read the Heidelberg Catechism as a book of doctrine if you just take the answers and lay them out one after the other. They don't quite flow one to the other. The questions are very, very helpful. They direct us to the next subject, but you can see logically how each of the questions leads to the next question or to the next section. A tremendous amount of intentionality there in the structure of the Catechism.

We heard from Dr. Bioma's piece about the topics that are included in the Catechism: the needs of humanity, how we come to know God, core Christianity, the Apostles' Creed, the character of God. Who is God? Our God is a triune God. He's mystery and unity, as the creeds say. What is all that about? What does the Bible have to say about the character of God? What does the Bible say about the grace of God, and what's the point of the sacraments? What do these things do? How do they relate? Again, going back to that common motif of our comfort. These are gifts from God for the people of God, so they're good things meant to strengthen us. New life through faith. The Ten Commandments for our instruction and for our daily living as Christians, and the Lord's Prayer.

Also, for how we are to pray. How are we to live in communion and to speak with and to speak back to our great God? But what does the Catechism do? Hopefully, in the best circumstances, the Catechism provides a uniform whole Bible summary of the Christian faith through the lens of comfort and encouragement for those who follow Christ Jesus.

Goal of Catechism

The goal of the Catechism is not to pull people away from the Bible. The goal of the Catechism is not to replace the Bible. The goal of the Catechism is not to superimpose on the Bible. The goal of the Catechism is to be able to provide an instruction manual, a curriculum, a template whereby there can be uniform instruction that is rooted in the truths of Scripture.

Next week we will look at various ways the Heidelberg Catechism can and has been used.