J.Calvin on Psalm 116: “…The very thought of them (God’s benefits) ought to fill us with admiration.”

For our further meditation on Psalm 116 today, we also post these thoughts of John Calvin on v.12. May they also serve to encourage us to heart-felt thankfulness to the Lord for His great salvation.

12. What shall I render unto Jehovah?

He now exclaims with devout admiration, that the multitude of God’s benefits was greater than he could find language to give expression to the grateful emotions of his heart. The question is emphatic, What shall I render? and imports, that it was not the desire, but the means, of which he was destitute, to enable him to render thanks to God. Acknowledging his inability, he adopts the only means in his power, by extolling the grace of God as highly as he could. “I am exceedingly wishful to discharge my duty, but when I look around me, I find nothing which will prove an adequate recompense.”

…It is much better to make the first clause of the verse a complete sentence, by putting a period after Jehovah. Because, after confessing his incompetency, or rather his having nothing to offer to God as a sufficient compensation for his benefits, he at the same time adds in confirmation of it, that he was laid under such obligations, not by one series of benefits only, but by a variety of innumerable benefits. “There is no benefit on account of which God has not made me a debtor to him, how should I have means of repaying him for them?” All recompense failing him, he has recourse to an expression of thanksgiving as the only return which he knows will be acceptable to God.

David’s example in this instance teaches us not to treat God’s benefits lightly or carelessly, for if we estimate them according to their value, the very thought of them ought to fill us with admiration. There is not one of us who has not God’s benefits heaped upon us. But our pride, which carries us away into extravagant theories, causes us to forget this very doctrine, which ought nevertheless to engage our unremitting attention. And God’s bounty towards us merits the more praise, that he expects no recompense from us, nor can receive any, for he stands in need of nothing, and we are poor and destitute of all things.

 

New Junius Institute Expands Reformation Research – Calvin College

New Institute Expands Reformation Research | Article | Christian Reformed Church.

Back in October of 2011 I first mentioned on my blog that Calvin College and Seminary had a significant digital library of post-Reformation works. A few weeks ago they made another significant announcement regarding a new Institute of digital materials for research (posted April 23, 2013). Below is the notice which was given. Follow the links to the wealth of important materials on the Reformation and post-Reformation periods.

Students at Calvin Theological Seminary and Calvin College now have access to a new research center devoted to developing digital tools, resources, and scholarship focused on the religious reformation, particularly arising out of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century.

The Junius Institute for Digital Reformation Research  of Calvin Theological Seminary is a natural fit for the seminary community, seminary president Julius Medenblik said.

“We’re pleased to see the ongoing efforts of faculty, students, and alumni of the seminary develop into a formal home for projects with exciting possibilities for coming to a better understanding the multifaceted legacy of the Reformation,” he said.

The institute is conceived as a forum to promote research into the Reformation and post-Reformation periods, covering the 16th to the 18th centuries, through the use of digital tools, skills, and resources.

The Junius Institute will house the Post-Reformation Digital Library (PRDL), an electronic database covering thousands of authors and primary source documents on the development of theology and philosophy in these centuries.

Mother’s Day 2013

In reviewing my previous Mother’s Day posts, I realized that it has been two years since I made reference to this special day set aside to honor our mothers. So, we will depart from our usual meditation on the Psalms today and pay tribute to our covenant, Christian mothers. And though some would call this day another “Hallmark holiday”, or say its origin is of the world so we should ignore it, I believe that it is an opportunity for us as Christians to honor true (Biblical) motherhood and express thanks to the Lord for the God-fearing mothers He has placed in our lives, whether that be our own wife or our own mother.

God certainly honors godly mothers in His Word. The entire Bible testifies to the precious position and value God assigns to believing wives and mothers. Proverbs 31 is the outstanding example, but their honor is woven throughout the Scriptures (Simply do a search on the word “mother” and “mothers”.)

Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband [also], and he praiseth her.
Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
Favour [is] deceitful, and beauty [is] vain: [but] a woman [that] feareth the LORD, she shall be praised (vss.28-30).

 

The Lord sealed this honor in the fifth commandment, calling the children of His covenant to bestow this spiritual “weight” on their mother in attitude, word and deed:

“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee” (Ex.20:12). “Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)[Eph.6:2].

The fact that our God gave us His Son Jesus Christ through a mother named Mary elevates their status to the highest levels of earthly praise:

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name [was] Mary.
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, [thou that art] highly favoured, the Lord [is] with thee: blessed [art] thou among women.
And when she saw [him], she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS (Luke 1:26-31).

And, of course, our own experience has taught us the beautiful value of our mothers. If you have been blessed with a believing mother and with a believing wife who is the mother of your children as I have, then there ought to be no question in your mind as to the worth of godly mothers and the honor that is due them, today and every day. So today, let’s pause to remember their worth – the worth given them by God Himself. Let’s pause to thank God for them and for the priceless influence they have had on us and on our children. And let’s pause to praise them in the gates and call them “blessed”. For that they are. By grace and grace alone. From the blessed God of the covenant.

For the encouragement of our wives and mothers, we include this quotation from the Reformer Martin Luther, whom God used at the outset of the Reformation to restore women and mothers to their rightful and honorable place in the home and church. This is “vintage” Luther on the high calling of motherhood in the midst of all its miseries and messiness:

Our natural reason looks at marriage and turns up its nose and says, “Alas! Must I rock the baby? Wash its diapers? Make its bed? Smell its stench? Stay at nights with it? Take care of it when it cries? Heal its rashes and sores? And on top of that care for my spouse, provide labor at my trade, take care of this and take care of that? Do this and do that? And endure this and endure that? Why should I make such a prisoner of myself?”

What then does Christian faith say to this? It opens its eyes, looks upon all these insignificant, distasteful and despised duties in the spirit, and is aware that they are all adorned with divine approval as with the costliest gold and jewels.

It says, “O God, I confess I am not worthy to rock that little babe or wash its diapers, or to be entrusted with the care of a child and its mother. How is it that I without any merit have come to this distinction of being certain that I am serving thy creature and thy most precious will? Oh, how gladly will I do so. Though the duty should be even more insignificant and despised, neither frost nor heat, neither drudgery nor labor will distress me for I am certain that it is thus pleasing in thy sight.”

Quote and images taken from this blog – cjt

Christ Ascended for His Glory and Our Interest

As we continue our own year-long series on the Heidelberg Catechism – remembering and celebrating her 450th anniversary (see my Thursday posts this year) – today we mark “Ascension Day”, the day the church of Christ commemorates His glorious going up into the glory of heaven, by quoting from Zacharias Ursinus’ commentary on Lord’s Day 18, Q&A’s 46-49. First, let’s put the catechism itself before our eyes and minds:

XVIII. LORD’S DAY.

 

Question 46. How dost thou understand these words, “he ascended into heaven”?

Answer. That Christ, in sight of his disciples, was [a] taken up from earth into heaven; and that he continues [b] there for our interest, until he comes again to judge the quick and the dead. 

Question 47. Is not Christ then with us even to the end of the world, as he hath promised?

Answer. Christ is very man and very God; with respect to his [c] human nature, he is no more on earth; but with respect to his Godhead, majesty, grace and spirit, he is at no time absent from us. 

Question 48. But if his human nature is not present wherever his Godhead is, are not then these two natures in Christ separated from one another?

Answer. Not at all, for since the Godhead is illimitable and [d] omnipresent, it must necessarily follow that [e] the same is beyond the limits of the human nature he assumed, and yet is nevertheless in this human nature, and remains personally united to it. 

Question 49. Of what advantage to us is Christ’s ascension into heaven?

Answer. First, that he is our [g] advocate in the presence of his Father in heaven; secondly, that we have our flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that he, as the head, will also [h] take up to himself, us, his members; thirdly, that he [i] sends us his Spirit as an earnest, by whose power we “seek the things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, [j] and not things on earth.”[a]: Acts 1:9; Mark 16:19
[b]: Heb. 4:14; Rom 8:34; Eph. 4:10
[c]: Acts 3:21; John 3:13; John 16:28; Mat. 28:20
[d]: Acts 7:49; Mat. 24:30
[e]: Mat. 28:20; John 16:28; John 17:11; John 3:13
[g]: Heb. 9:25; 1John 2:2; Rom. 8:34
[h]: John 14:2; Eph. 2:6
[i]: John 14:16; 2Cor. 1:22; 2Cor. 5:5
[j]: Col. 3:1; Phil. 3:20

 

And from The Commentary of Dr.Zacharias Ursinus on the Heidelberg Catechism (Transl. by Rev.G.W.Williard; Presbyterian and Reformed, 1982) we find these words (We can only quote a small portion of his treatment of this section of the catechism. To find all of it visit this site. It is from this online version that I quote below.):

III. FOR WHAT PURPOSE DID CHRIST ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?

Christ ascended into heaven for his own glory, and for that of his Father. It was proper, and necessary, that he should have a heavenly kingdom.  Hence it was not expedient that he should continue on earth. “He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things “Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Eph. 4:10. Phil. 2:9, II.) It also belonged to, and was proper that Christ who is the Head should be glorified with an excellency, and superiority of gifts above all the members, which could not have been the case had he remained on earth. And still further, Christ ascended for our benefit, and that in these three respects. 1. That he might make intercession for us in heaven. “ Who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (Rom.  8:34.) He intercedes for us, first, by the value of his sacrifice, already offered in our behalf, which is so great that the Father ought, on this account, to receive us into favor. Secondly, by Us own will, by which he continually desires, that the Father would receive us into favor at the sight, and recollection of that sacrifice which he accomplished in his own body. Thirdly, by the consent of the Father, approving the will, and de sire of the Son, accepting the value of his sacrifice, as a sufficient satisfaction for our sins, and together with the Son receiving us into favor. It is by making intercession for us in this manner that Christ applies unto us the benefits and merit of his death. And the entire glorification of the mediator, consisting in his resurrection, ascension and sitting at the right hand of the Father, was necessary in order that this application might be made unto us. But some one may, perhaps, be ready to object and say ; but Christ interceded for us already when he was on earth ? To this we reply, that the intercession which Christ made on earth had respect to that which was yet future; for it was made upon the condition, that the mediator, after he had accomplished his sacrifice on earth, should for ever appear in the sanctuary on high. 2. That we might also ascend, and have assurance thereof. Christ him self says in the gospel of John, “ I go to prepare a place for you.” “ In my Father’s house are many mansions,” that is, places to abide for ever; for he speaks of our continuance there. Christ ascended; therefore we shall also ascend. This conclusion is proper, and forcible ; because Christ is the head, and we are the members ; he is also the first-begotten among many brethren. 3. That he might send the Holy Spirit, and by him gather, comfort, and defend his Church, even to the and of the world. Hence he says, “If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.” “ Which (Holy Ghost) be shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (John 16:7. Tit. 3:6.)

IV. IN WHAT DOES THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST DIFFER FROM OURS?

Christ’s ascension and ours agree, first, in this, that both, he and we, ascend to the same place. They agree, secondly, in this that both, he and we, ascend to glory. “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory.” (Joh. 17:24.)

They differ in the following respect: 1. Christ ascended by his own peculiar power and virtue. “No man hath ascended up to heaven (that is, by his own peculiar virtue) but the Son of man.” (John 3:13.) Our ascension, on the other hand, will be effected by, and for the sake of, Christ. “I go to prepare a place for you.” “I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am.” (John 14:2; 17:24.) 2. Christ ascended that he might be head, we shall ascend that we may be members; he ascended to glory such as is proper for the head, we shall ascend to glory such as is becoming those who are members; he ascended that he might sit at the right hand of the Father, we shall ascend that we may sit upon his throne and that of his Father, not in the same dignity, but only by a participation therein. “To him that ovcrcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne.” (Rev. 3:21.) We shall, therefore, be partakers of his glory, a just proportion being preserved between the members and the head. 3. The ascension of Christ is the cause of ours, but not the contrary. 4. Whole Christ ascended, but not the whole of Christ; because he ascended only as to his human nature, and not as it respects his divine nature, which is also on earth. But we shall ascend whole, and the whole of us; because we have only a finite nature, and that but one.

 

J.Calvin on Psalm 115: “They call upon him…, that his glory may be maintained.”

For our further meditation on Psalm 115 we turn to the spiritual wisdom of John Calvin, to whom God gave great gifts of explaining the Scriptures and leading God’s people back to the Word of God. Here are his thoughts on the first verse:

1 Not unto us, O Jehovah!

…We learn from the first part of it, that the faithful betake themselves to God, in circumstances of extreme distress. They do not make known their desires in plain words, but indirectly hint at the nature of their request. They openly disclaim all merit, and all hope of obtaining deliverance otherwise than God’s doing it from a sole regard to his own glory, for these things are inseparably connected. Deserving, therefore, to meet with a repulse, they yet beseech God not to expose his name to the derision of the heathen. In their distress they desire to obtain consolation and support; but, finding nothing in themselves meritorious of God’s favor, they call upon him to grant their requests, that his glory may be maintained. This is a point to which we ought carefully to attend, that, altogether unworthy as we are of God’s regard, we may cherish the hope of being saved by him, from the respect that he has for the glory of his name, and from his having adopted us on condition of never forsaking us. It must, also be noticed, that their humility and modesty prevent them from openly complaining of their distresses, and that they do not begin with a request for their own deliverance, but for the glory of God. Suffused with shame by reason of their calamity, which, in itself, amounts to a kind of rejection, they durst not openly crave, at God’s hand, what they wished, but made their appeal indirectly, that, from a regard to his own glory, he would prove a father to sinners, who had no claim upon him whatever. And, as this formulary of prayer has once been delivered to the Church, let us also, in all our approaches unto God, remember to lay aside all self-righteousness, and to place our hopes entirely on his free favor.

The Heidelberg Catechism: 450 Years of Reformed Youth Ministry!

As we continue marking the 450th anniversary of  the Heidelberg Catechism this year (1563-2013), we reference the brand new book published by Reformation Heritage Books, A Faith Worth Teaching: The Heidelberg Catechism’s Enduring Heritage (2013, Edited by J.Payne and S.Heck – see this earlier post on this new title). The first chapter in this book is by Lyle D.Bierma, professor of Systematic Theology at Calvin Seminary. He writes on “The History and People Behind the Heidelberg Catechism”, which includes a section on the “purpose of the catechism”. Here Bierma has a fine paragraph in which he quotes from Frederick III, the Elector of the Palatinate, the region that included the city of Heidelberg. He shows well why Frederick was so intent on having this Reformed catechism written and taught in his realm:

…If government, church, and family are to flourish, he writes, ‘it is essential that our youth be trained in early life, and above all, in the pure and consistent doctrine of the holy Gospel.’ Thus, he concludes, the Palatinate needed a single, clear guide to biblical truth. Thus, he explains, ‘We have secured the preparation of a summary course of instruction or catechism of our Christian Religion, according to the Word of God.’

Frederick wanted this new catechism first, then, for the training of children and young people – what today we would call youth ministry! But it was not only so that youth could be trained in doctrine and piety, it was ‘also that the Pastors and Schoolmasters themselves be provided with a fixed form and model, by which to regulate the intruction of youth, and not, at their option, adopt daily changes, or introduce erroneous doctrine.’ All such instructors should thankfully accept this catechism, diligently explain it to the youth in the schools and the common people in the pews, and pattern their own lives after it. For if youth in early life are instructed aright in the Word of God, one can have the assured hope that ‘it will please Almighty God also to grant reformation of public and private morals, and temporal and eternal welfare’ (pp.9-10).

That is certainly good reason to continue the practice of “HC” instruction in the Reformed churches, both in the classroom and in the pulpit. I am thankful to be part of a denomination that still maintains this practice (Protestant Reformed Churches). The fruits of it  – even as Frederick stated – are evident in our homes and churches. Soli Deo Gloria!

Primer on the Puritans – Theology Refresh

Primer on the Puritans Theology Refresh: Podcast for Christian Leaders – Desiring God.

Are you interested in the Puritans and their writings, but also intimidated by their depth and length? “Desiring God’s” latest “Theology Refresh” podcast is an interview with a man who has made a study of the Puritans his nearly life-long pursuit – familiar pastor and author, Dr.Joel Beeke, from Grand Rapids, MI. Beeke will help you overcome your fears of these masters of theology and Biblical exposition. They were, after all, passionate Calvinists, and we can learn much from them. If you wish to start small with your Puritan reading, may I suggest this series from The Banner of Truth.

Here is “DG’s” introduction to the podcast, which you may watch by going to the link provided above.

He was the kind of adolescent who would keep secret reading material stashed under his mattress. Long after he was supposed to be fast asleep, the teenage Joel Beeke would lay in bed with the light still on, pouring over the pages. He had stumbled across his father’s forbidden collection, and long before most youths are exposed to the adult world, Beeke was getting acclimated.

By Beeke’s own admission, he was raised in a hyper-Calvinist setting, and his wandering heart found a haven for indulgence. It was the Puritans.

These old English pastors and theologians, from the second half of the 16th century and the entirety of the 17th century, informed his mind, wooed his heart, and began guiding his life. He was only nine years old when he found the Puritans on his father’s shelf and began devouring the grace they exuded. Far from the staid and prudish caricatures we hear far too often, Beeke was finding the Puritans to be “the happiest group of people who ever lived on the face of the earth.”

Beeke now has been enjoying the Puritans for over 50 years, and he has authored, with Mark Jones, A Puritan Theology, the book he says he‘d dreamed of writing as a teenager. He’s eager to help as many as he can “get a flavor for the incredible riches of their spirituality.”

In this new episode of Theology Refresh, we asked Beeke, one of the world’s foremost experts on the Puritans, to put them on the bottom shelf for us. This short interview is Puritanism 101 — a primer on the Puritans — not just for those who know them some, but especially for those who would ask, “So what’s the big deal anyway with the Puritans?”

J.Calvin on Psalm 114: “The sea… sanctified his name.”

As we meditate on Psalm 114 today, it is fitting that we also hear these words of John Calvin as he comments on vss.3-5 of the psalm. May his references to God’s power in the use of creation at the Exodus also serve to lead us to great worship of our great Lord and Savior.

It is in a poetical strain that the Psalmist describes the receding of the sea and of the Jordan. The description, however, does not exceed the facts of the case. The sea, in rendering such obedience to its Creator, sanctified his name; and Jordan, by its submission, put honor upon his power; and the mountains, by their quaking, proclaimed how they were overawed at the presence of his dreadful majesty. By these examples it is not meant to celebrate God’s power more than the fatherly care and desire which he manifests for the preservation of the Church; and, accordingly, Israel is very properly distinguished from the sea, the Jordan, and the mountains — there being a very marked difference between the chosen people and the insensate elements.

5 What ailed thee, O sea! The prophet interrogates the sea, Jordan, and the mountains, in a familiar and poetical strain, as lately he ascribed to them a sense and reverence for God’s power. And, by these similitudes, he very sharply reproves the insensibility of those persons, who do not employ the intelligence which God has given them in the contemplation of his works. The appearance which he tells us the sea assumed, is more than sufficient to condemn their blindness. It could not be dried up, the river Jordan could not roll back its waters, had not God, by his invisible agency, constrained them to render obedience to his command. The words are indeed directed to the sea, the Jordan, and the mountains, but they are more immediately addressed to us, that every one of us, on self-reflection, may carefully and attentively weigh this matter. And, therefore, as often as we meet with these words, let each of us reiterate the sentiment, — “Such a change cannot be attributed to nature, and to subordinate causes, but the hand of God is manifest here.”

J.Calvin on Psalm 113: “…Stirring us up to unwearied zeal in praising God.”

Also for our meditation on Psalm 113 today and to help us in our worship preparation, we provide this quotation of John Calvin on Psalm 113:1-2. May his words also serve to stir us up “to unwearied zeal in praising God”.

1 Praise, ye servants of Jehovah! 

This psalm contains abundant reasons for all men without exception to praise God. The faithful alone being endued with spiritual perception to recognize the hand of God, the prophet addresses them in particular. And if we consider how cold and callous men are in this religious exercise, we will not deem the repetition of the call to praise God superfluous. We all acknowledge that we are created to praise God’s name, while, at the same time, his glory is disregarded by us. Such criminal apathy is justly condemned by the prophet, with the view of stirring us up to unwearied zeal in praising God. The repetition, then, of the exhortation to praise him, ought to be considered as referring both to perseverance and ardor in this service. If, by the servants of God, some would rather understand the Levites, to whom the charge of celebrating his praises under the Law was committed, I am not much opposed to it, provided they do not exclude the rest of the faithful, over whom formerly God appointed the Levites as leaders and chief musicians, that he might be praised by all his people without exception. When the Holy Spirit addresses the Levites expressly in relation to the subject of God’s praises, it is designedly that, by their example, they may show the way to others, and that the whole Church may respond in one holy chorus. Now that we are all “a royal priesthood,” (1 Peter 2:9) and as Zechariah testifies, (Zechariah 14:21) that under the reign of Christ, the meanest of the people shall be Levites, there is no question that, excepting unbelievers who are mute, the prophet invites us all in common to render this service unto God.

2 Blessed be the name of Jehovah

The prophet confirms what I stated above, that the praises of God must be continued throughout the whole course of our life. If his name is to be continually praised, it ought, at least, to be our earnest endeavor, during our brief pilgrimage here, that the remembrance of it may flourish after we are dead. In the next verse, he extends the glory of God’s name to all parts of the earth; wherefore our apathy will be totally inexcusable, if we do not make its praises resound among ourselves. Under the law, God could not be praised aright, excepting in Judea by his own people, to whom the knowledge of him was confined. His works, however, which are visible to all nations, are worthy of the admiration of the whole world. To the same effect is the following clause respecting the loftiness of God’s glory; for can there be any thing more base, than for us to magnify it but seldom and tardily, considering it ought to fill our thoughts with enrapturing admiration? In extolling the name of God so highly, the prophet intends to show us that there is no ground for indifference; that silence would savor of impiety were we not to exert ourselves to the utmost of our ability to celebrate his praises, in order that our affections may, as it were, rise above the heavens.

New Title on the Heidelberg Catechism: “A Faith Worth Teaching”

Reformation Heritage Books has just released (March 2013) its new book in tribute to the 450th anniversary of the Heidelberg Catechism this year (1563-2013). A Faith Worth Teaching: The Heidelberg Catechism’s Enduring Heritage, edited by Jon D. Payne and Sebastian Heck, (RHB: Grand Rapids MI, 2013) looks to be one of the best books produced for the anniversary this year. Its significant contents are wrapped in an attractive hardcover with a beautiful picture of the Heidelberg castle on the dust jacket. Contributers include the likes of  Lyle D. Bierma, D.G. Hart, Joel R. Beeke, Michael S. Horton, W.Robert Godfrey, and Cornelis Venema. The book is divided into four (4) main parts:

1. The History and Background of the Heidelberg Catechism (including a history of the “HC” in the U.S.)
2. The Heidelberg Catechism and the Means of Grace (with articles on preaching the catechism, the Lord’s Supper, and Baptism)
3. Christian Doctrine and the Heidelberg Catechism (articles on various doctrines treated by the “HC”)
4. The Heidelberg Catechism as Catechetical Tool

The book is also enhanced by a “Selected English Bibliography on the Heidelberg Catechism”, which includes the most important primary and secondary materials on the “HC” in English (H.Hoeksema’s The Triple Knowledge [RFPA] and his Seminary syllabus “Reformed Symbols: Introduction and Notes on the Heidelberg Catechism” are noted on the list).

I have purchased a copy for the Seminary library (all processed and ready to go!) and I have just received my review copy from RHB (Thank you!). I plan to work my way through its contents here, as well as prepare a special review for The Standard Bearer. For today, I will reference the “Foreword” by Herman J. Selderhius. Writing on “The Heidelberg Catechism: The Secret of Its Success”, he has these words at the end:

One of the most attractive and notable features of the HC is its opening words. In contrast with Lutheran catechisms, in which man is considered under the rubric of a baptized member of the church, and with Calvin’s catechism, which approaches man under the rubric of a creature made in the image of God, the HC begins with man as the special property of God: ‘That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong….’ Man is not simply a creature of God or a part of the whole that we call the church but rather an individual who lives in relation to Christ in an experiential and inseprable way. This approach is typical of the practical and personal character of the entire HC. Its basic structure, which relates everything to the individual (‘I’), makes it attractive and timelessly relevant.

Hermann Friedrich Kohlbrugge (1803-1875)…, made mention of his beloved HC on his deathbed: ‘The Heidelberger, the plain Heidelberger…. Hold to it firmly, my children.’ Perhaps these words reveal the true success of the HC – its simplicity and content, which speak of comfort in life and in death (p.ix).

I also wanted you to know today that the relatively new children’s book on the “HC” by Rev.W.Boekestein,  The Quest for Comfort: The Story of the Heidelberg Catechism (Reformation Heritage), is back in print! This would make a fine addition to your family library,and now is the perfect time to obtain it.