1563 — Synod of Heidelberg
Reformed Tradition
Translation: public domain. Section headings added for clarity. Scripture references and popups provided by: Logos Bible Software. ✝︎
The Heidelberg Catechism was written in 1563 at the request of Elector Frederick III of the Palatinate and is organized around three themes drawn from Romans 7:24 and 1 Corinthians 6:11: our misery, our deliverance, and our gratitude. Its 129 questions and answers across 52 Lord's Days make it the most widely memorized and beloved catechism in the Reformed tradition.
Q. 1. What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A. That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and redeemed 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 work together for my salvation. Wherefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready henceforth to live unto Him.
Q. 2. How many things are necessary for you to know, that in this comfort you may live and die happily?
A. Three things: first, the greatness of my sin and misery; second, how I am redeemed from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to be thankful to God for such redemption.
Q. 3. From where do you know your misery?
A. Out of the law of God.
Q. 5. Can you keep all this perfectly?
A. No; for I am by nature prone to hate God and my neighbor.
Q. 7. From where, then, does this depraved nature of man come?
A. From the fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, in Paradise, whereby our nature became so corrupt that we are all conceived and born in sin.
Q. 18. Who then is that Mediator who in one person is both true God and a true righteous man?
A. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is freely given to us for complete redemption and righteousness.
Q. 21. What is true faith?
A. True faith is not only a sure knowledge whereby I hold for truth all that God has revealed to us in His Word, but also a sure confidence which the Holy Spirit works in my heart by the gospel, that not only to others, but to me also, forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness and salvation are freely given by God, merely of grace, only for the sake of Christ's merits.
Q. 45. What benefit do we receive from the resurrection of Christ?
A. First, by His resurrection He has overcome death, that He might make us partakers of the righteousness which He has obtained for us by His death. Second, by His power we are also now raised up to a new life. Third, the resurrection of Christ is to us a sure pledge of our blessed resurrection.
Q. 65. Since, then, faith alone makes us share in Christ and all His benefits, where does such faith come from?
A. From the Holy Spirit, who works faith in our hearts by the preaching of the holy gospel, and confirms it by the use of the holy sacraments.
Q. 86. Since we have been delivered from our misery by grace alone through Christ, without any merit of ours, why must we yet do good works?
A. Because Christ, having redeemed us by His blood, also renews us by His Holy Spirit after His own image, that with our whole life we show ourselves thankful to God for His blessing, and that He be glorified through us; then also, that we ourselves may be assured of our faith by the fruits thereof; and also that by our godly walk our neighbors may be won for Christ.
Q. 116. Why is prayer necessary for Christians?
A. Because it is the chief part of thankfulness which God requires of us, and because God will give His grace and Holy Spirit only to those who earnestly and without ceasing beg them of Him and thank Him for them.
Q. 128. What is your conclusion to this prayer?
A. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever: that is to say, all this we ask of Thee because Thou, as our King having power over all things, art both willing and able to give us all that is good, and that thereby, not we, but Thy holy name may be glorified forever.
The English translation presented follows the traditional rendering used in Catholic and/or Protestant traditions.
This text is provided for study, research, and educational purposes in Christian theology and church history.
In 1563 the Palatinate, a German principality centered on the city of Heidelberg, was in religious turmoil. Its Elector, Frederick III, had become convinced that the Reformed faith was most true to Scripture, but his territory was divided among Lutherans, radical Reformers, and the Reformed. He commissioned two young theologians — Zacharias Ursinus (28 years old) and Caspar Olevianus (26) — to write a catechism that could unite and instruct his people.
The result, presented to the Heidelberg Synod in January 1563 and adopted that same year, was the Heidelberg Catechism. Unlike most confessional documents of the era, which read as formal theological treatises, the Heidelberg was deliberately pastoral — written in the second person singular ('What is your only comfort...') to be memorized and internalized, not merely agreed to. It was structured for weekly preaching: 52 Lord's Days, one for each Sunday of the year.
The Heidelberg Catechism was quickly adopted across the Reformed world. It was translated into Dutch, French, English, Hungarian, and many other languages. The Synod of Dort (1618–1619) confirmed it as one of the Three Forms of Unity binding the Dutch Reformed churches. Today it remains a confessional standard for the Christian Reformed Church, the Reformed Church in America, and many other denominations worldwide.
The first section establishes the depth of human sinfulness through the law of God. We are by nature prone to hate God and our neighbor, unable to keep the law, and in need of a mediator.
The longest section covers the Apostles’ Creed article by article, explaining who Christ is and what he has done. It also addresses faith, the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and the keys of the kingdom.
The final section covers good works, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer — showing how Christians respond to grace with a life of obedience, worship, and thankful prayer.
The Heidelberg Catechism was written primarily by Zacharias Ursinus and Caspar Olevianus, two young Reformed theologians, at the request of Elector Frederick III of the Palatinate. It was adopted by the Heidelberg Synod in 1563. Some scholars debate the extent of Olevianus's role, but both names are traditionally associated with its composition.
The Heidelberg Catechism is organized around three questions drawn from Q. 2: What must I know to live and die happily? The three answers become the three parts: (1) Our Misery — how great our sin and misery are; (2) Our Deliverance — how we are redeemed from sin and misery through Jesus Christ; (3) Our Gratitude — how we express thankfulness to God for such redemption through faith, obedience, and prayer.
In many Reformed and Presbyterian churches, the Heidelberg Catechism is still preached through systematically — one Lord's Day section per Sunday, completing the full catechism over the course of a year. It is also used in confirmation classes, personal devotion, and family worship. The Christian Reformed Church and many other denominations require ministers to commit to preaching the catechism regularly.
Its tone. Most Reformed confessions — the Westminster Confession, the Belgic Confession — are written in the third person as propositional statements of doctrine. The Heidelberg addresses the believer directly in the second person: 'What is your only comfort?' This personal, pastoral voice makes it uniquely accessible and devotional. Theologians have called it 'the most heart-warming of all the Reformed confessions.'
Explore our articles, study guides, and historical commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism.