The Heidelberg Catechism
Comfort, Identity, and the Christian Life
The Heidelberg Catechism begins not with duty, doctrine, or demand—but with comfort.
Written in 1563 amid war, plague, political instability, and deep spiritual anxiety, it opens with a question that still confronts the modern soul:
“What is your only comfort in life and in death?”
In a culture where identity is often constructed from experience, trauma, desire, diagnosis, or performance, the catechism offers something sturdier—a comfort rooted not in the self, but in belonging to Christ.
Listen: Heidelberg Catechism Teaching
This teaching is best received first by listening, before reading the manuscript below.
Introduction: Why Comfort Comes First
The World of the Heidelberg Catechism (1563)
Why Does the Heidelberg Begin with “Comfort”?
Frederick III and the Pastoral Heart Behind the Catechism
Composing the Heidelberg Catechism
The Structure, Key Questions, and Enduring Legacy
Key Questions from the Heidelberg
The Legacy & Closing Reflection
Download the Full Teaching
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The Heidelberg Catechism (1563) is in the public domain.
Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Teaching, commentary, and manuscript content © Rob Jackson. All rights reserved.
