It is fitting that I am closing today, because what I am talking about—catechising children—is about how the truths of the Reformation continue beyond us into the next generation.
As September turned to October, I realised that Reformation Day had crept upon me again. So, I started to think of what I should write about this year. Every year, we have a tradition of listening to books that talk about the Reformation. Out of the many people that are discussed, we choose one. This year, when I heard about the Heidelberg Catechism, I decided to talk about it. This is the only published catechism of that time. When I was researching the topic, I began to comprehend the importance of catechisms. So, I shifted gears and chose to talk the Heidelberg Catechism, and the significance of learning Catechisms. Accordingly, I will begin with the history of the Heidelberg Catechism, proceed to the Catechism itself, and then discuss the advantage of learning catechisms at a young age.
The History of the Heidelberg Catechism
Frederick III was a young Roman Catholic boy when he went into Charles V’s court. He was disgusted by the corruption he saw in the rulers. These drunk, godless men were the heads of the church and the kingdom of Germany! How could such people be the heads of a country? He returned to normal life.
Years later, Frederick met a beautiful young lady named Maria. He asked her to marry him, but Maria refused to marry a man who was not a protestant. So, Frederick began studying Protestantism. Accordingly, his strict Catholic views gave way to the truths that the Bible really taught.
Otto Henry, Frederick III’s uncle was the Elector of Heidelberg. After Otto’s death, Frederick became the Elector of Heidelberg. Otto Henry was a Lutheran, but Frederick was a Calvinist. Due to this difference, the church became a battlefield over the views of the Lord’s Supper. Frederick was overwhelmed by the controversy and asked Philip Melancthon for advice. Melancthon counselled Frederick to have a fixed position on the Lord’s Supper for all of Heidelberg to follow.
In accordance with Melancthon’s advice, Frederick employed Caspar Olevianus and Zacarius Ursinius to write a catechism that taught the Calvinistic position.
Caspar Olevianus was acquainted with Reformed Theology at an incredibly young age when he went to study Law in Paris. After his degree in law, he continued to study Protestantism under John Calvin, Theodore Beza, William Farel, Heinrich Bullinger, and Peter Martyr. He returned to his city of Treeves in 1559 to bring the Reformation there. But after a few sermons, he was thrown in Prison. When Frederick III heard of this, he bailed Caspar out of jail. The city of Treeves gave one condition to his release: he must never enter the threshold Treeves again. Caspar was invited to teach at the College of Wisdom in Heidelberg. He was here when Frederick employed him to compose the Heidelberg Catechism.
The other man who took part in writing the Heidelberg catechism was Zacharius Ursinius. As a young boy, Zacharius Ursinius had a bright mind. Due to this, the city paid to educate him. He went to Wittenburg and here he was introduced to Protestantism. He took the principalship of a school, and enjoyed a quiet, busy life of scholarship. But Zacharius did not enjoy controversy. When Frederick asked Zacharius to become the principle of the College of Wisdom. But Zacharius was afraid to agree. He was ready to decline the invite, when it dawned on him that he might be disobeying God. So, he received the principalship of the College. Soon, he began scripting the Heidelberg Catechism with Caspar Olevianus.
The Heidelberg Catechism
The Heidelberg Catechism has a question-and-answer format that was later split into 52 sections: one section for each Sunday of the year. Its doctrine is Calvinistic. Therefore, it does not attest to what the Roman Catholics supposed, nor does it testify the Lutheran beliefs. I will read to you from a few questions that I think are of importance. The first question is the 80th question which says:
Q 80. What difference is there between the Lord’s Supper and the popish Mass?
Answer: The Lord’s Supper testifies to us that we have a full pardon of all sin by the only sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which He Himself has once accomplished on the cross; and that we by the Holy Ghost are ingrafted into Christ, who, according to His human nature is now not on earth, but in heaven, at the right hand of God His Father, and will there be worshipped by us— but the Mass teaches that the living and dead have not the pardon of sins through the sufferings of Christ, unless Christ is also daily offered for them by the priests; and further, that Christ is bodily under the form of bread and wine, and therefore is to be worshipped in them; so that the Mass, at bottom, is nothing else than a denial of the one sacrifice and sufferings of Christ, and an accursed idolatry.
This is a very straight forward answer. It is backed up with scripture texts such as Hebrews 7:27 which says:
He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.
Hebrews 9:12, 26, He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Matthew 26:28, For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Luke 22:19–20, And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
2 Corinthians 5:21, For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
There is only one answer that I do not agree with in the whole of the Heidelberg Catechism, and that is question 74. It goes like this:
Question 74: Are infants also to be baptized?
Answer: Yes, for since they, as well as the adult, are included in the covenant and church of God; and since redemption from sin by the blood of Christ, and the Holy Ghost, the author of faith, is promised to them no less than to the adult; they must therefore by baptism, as a sign of the covenant, be also admitted into the Christian Church and be distinguished from children of unbelievers as was done in the old covenant by the testament of circumcision, instead of which, baptism is instituted in the New Covenant.
The Heidelberg Catechism holds with the paedobaptist view. Nearly all Reformers held to this view. The Baptists emerged only a hundred years later.
Philip Melancthon and Frederick III saw that learning creeds and catechisms prevented controversy. Catechisms can do something more. They can equip our brain to respond to difficult times. Catechisms “drive us back to the Bible”(Gerber). They restate what the Bible teaches in succinct words. Catechisms explain what we believe and why we do what we do, backing it up with scriptural references.
The Advantage of Teaching Catechisms
Catechisms also put Redemptive history into an easy-to-follow outline form. Catechisms should be taught at a young age when the brain is still forming because they “indoctrinate … children with the truth” (Miller).
One may ask how should Catechisms be taught? Through rote learning. But the thought may arise to you “isn’t rote memorization bad?” Well, no. The world has been using this method for centuries to teach important information. What if the child is unable to understand what they learn? They will just be little parrots. At that age, yes. All they know is that they have given the right answer. But as they grow, Lord willing, they will be able to understand what has been taught to them and see what a bounty of tools they have been armed with. What if they hate the monotony and drudgery of learning a catechism? As Flannery O’Connor said, “If the … [child] finds that this is not to his taste? Well, that is regrettable. Most regrettable. His taste should not be consulted; it is being formed.”(Miller) You will be forming the child’s mind to love the Lord. The catechisms are not aimed at a level that a child can understand. They are aimed at the level that a child should understand (Miller).
Do you remember learning the multiplication tables as a child? At the age of six, did you know that in later life you would still be dependent on it? Did you imagine that life revolves around math? Okay, time for a quick math quiz. I would like the Adults to answer this. What is 6 times 8; 48. What is 9 times 9; 81. What is 7 times 5; 35. Are you surprised that you still remember what you learned as a child. In the same way that you are able to remember what you learned in elementary school albeit by rote memorization and teacher or parent’s pressure, a child may hate learning the catechism, but, like the multiplication tables, it is equipping them with a wealth of knowledge that may, in time, come to good use.
My Experience with Catechisms
The Heidelberg Catechism was the only catechism of the Reformation period. While I was looking at the questions in the catechism, I found one that I enjoyed. It is the first question:
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 Savior Jesus Christ; who, with His precious blood, hath 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.
This question has been put into a song by Keith and Kristen Getty. You probably would recognize this song. What is my hope in life and death? Christ alone, Christ alone. What is my only confidence? That my soul to him belongs…
Many catechisms come in song form and are easier to memorize when in this manner. When I was younger, I was catechised with the help of songs by Dana Dirksen.
After being such a patient audience up until now, I adjure you to contemplate on the importance of catechisms. Would you, after hearing all that I said, consider teaching a catechism and, furthermore, learning it yourself?
Thank you!
Bibliography
Gerber, Jacob. Why Do We Need Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms? 1 July 2019. Web Page. Accessed 29 October 2025.
Kleyn, Diana and Joel R. Beeke. Reformation Heroes. Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2007.
Miller, Andrew J., Jonathan Landry Cruse and William Boekestein. In Praise of Rote Learning. 29 January 2024. Web Page. Accessed 29 October 2025.
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