What Is Your Only Comfort in Life and in Death?

Here is the first question and answer from the Heidelberg Catechism, written in 1563:

Answer: That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by His Holy Spirit He also assures me of eternal life. and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him.

That’s the sort of statement every Christian should memorize. Why don’t you stop right now and read it out loud? It will do your soul good to say those words.

The drawing to the left is of Zacharias Ursinus, a 28-year-old professor of theology at Heidelberg University. He co-authored the catechism with Caspar Olevianus, the 26-year-old court preacher to the ruler of the German province called the Palatinate. The document endures because it uses beautiful language to express profound biblical truth.