“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). “Who do you say that Jesus is?” (Mark 8:29). “What does the Lord require of you?” (Micah 6:8). John Milton Gregory explained that one of the most important rules of teaching is to “prepare beforehand thought-provoking questions.” Not surprisingly, the Bible frequently uses the question-and-answer method. The word catechism describes what happens when a person speaks in a cave: The sound echoes back like an answer to a question. The Heidelberg uses a great educational method. How can a catechism do that? Here are five ways: 1. The catechism’s author, Zacharias Ursinus (1534–1586) was convinced that “A neglect of the catechism is, therefore, one of the chief causes why there are so many at the present day tossed by every wind of doctrine.” More positively, he believed that “Those who have properly studied and learned the catechism, are generally better prepared to understand and appreciate … sermons” since the catechism provides a guide to God’s word. But knowledge of the system of biblical faith helps us better know the Bible-even the sections we haven’t yet studied verse by verse-by showing how different parts of Scripture impact particular biblical doctrines. The HC is a systematic, theological study of the Christian faith. According to the catechism, you fight bad news with good news, and good news becomes more comforting the better you know it. It’s the story of how “the God of all comfort” fixes the horror of sin (2 Cor. The Bible isn’t simply an ancient religious text. Using the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer (plus some lessons on baptism and the Lord’s Supper) the HC teaches how you can live and die in the joy of eternal comfort. Here’s what matters: You need what the catechism teaches.

The reforming Christians in Heidelberg went public with their faith in Christ by drafting and adopting this catechism.

Over the coming year, this article series will unpack the Heidelberg Catehcism (HC), a particular catechism written in Heidelberg, Germany in 1563-less than 50 years and 400 miles from the start of the Protestant Reformation. A catechism is a teaching tool using the ancient scheme of questions and answers.

Catechism teaching