The Reformation gained its direction and energy by means of Luther’s clear grasp and proclamation of “justification by faith.” The Reformers, with Luther, rediscovered from the Scriptures that the salvation they longed for came, not by means of good works and efforts to become holy, but as a gracious gift of God, given to those who exercised faith in Christ’s redeeming work on the cross.
Augustine, one of the great teachers of the church in the 5th Century struggled for years before he became a Christian. His mother Monica prayed for years that he would come to faith. Augustine thought long and hard about God and what trusting him required. One day meditating in a garden he heard a child’s voice say over and over “Take up and read.” Opening up a Bible Augustine rediscovered the text that contained the phrase, “The just shall live by faith.” Something happened inside him and that which had seemed previously unbelievable now made sense. He was grasped by an inner conviction that transformed his heart and life.
Faith is central to Christianity and has a definite meaning and a very special role. The Heidelberg Catechism explores the meaning of faith in questions 20-23.
Question 20: “Will all, then, be saved through Christ as they became lost through Adam?”
The answer: “No, only those, who by true faith, are incorporated into him and accept all his benefits.”
Question 21: “What is true faith?”
The answer: “Not only a certain knowledge by which I accept as true all that God has revealed in his word, but a wholehearted trust which the Holy Spirit creates in me through the gospel, that not only to others, but to me also God has given forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness and salvation, out of sheer grace solely for the sake of Christ’s saving work.”
The Heidelberg Catechism is articulating a “true faith.” True faith is more than a feeling or a perspective. True faith is more than a positive mental attitude. True faith is more than a predisposition to be optimistic. True faith is more than a general belief in God. True faith, has content: the Scriptures. True faith has power: to incorporate us in to Christ and all he benefits; to assure us of God’s grace; to connect us to God’s love, and to confirm that what we believe is true.
These questions and answers, like so many others in the Heidelberg, warm my heart even as they shape my thinking. In reading them I grasp afresh the power of faith with heartfelt insight. The Christian faith is not only a universal faith, it is a personal faith. Faith takes what is true and makes it true for me. Faith takes what is true outside of me and by means of the Holy Spirit brings that truth inside of me.
By means of Questions 20 and 21, the Heidelberg Catechism prepares us for an extended reflection on the content of true faith as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed.
Question 23: “What then must Christians believe?
The answer: “All that is promised in the gospel, a summary of which is taught us in the articles of the Apostles’ Creed, our universally acknowledged confession of faith.”
The next forty one questions will then explore the content of faith as expressed in Apostles’ Creed.
As a boy I used to yawn when my church weekly recited the Apostles’ Creed—boring. Now I have a different attitude. I miss it. In churches that I both attend and serve, the Apostles’ Creed is recited only occasionally. I find myself, however, using it (and the Nicene Creed) as regular part of my personal worship in my quiet times.
I wonder, is it possible that one of the reasons for the loss of the power of faith for so many in the church is because we are not regularly reminded of its content? In the face of our secular pluralistic culture, it becomes imperative that we reach back both to the Reformation and to the Post-Apostolic Church for the power of faith and its content. The Heidelberg Catechism is a great tool to help us do both.
Study Questions
- Genesis 15 is one of the seminal Scripture passages on faith. Read Genesis 15:1-6. Describe the interaction between God and Abraham.
- Abraham wants a son and gets a deeper relationship with God. What challenges to trusting God have you experienced and how has it affected you?
- Romans 4 is another significant Scripture passage concerning faith. What does Paul have to say about the faith of Abraham in verses 13-25?
- How does he apply his understanding of the faith of Abraham to faith in Jesus Christ, verses 23-25?
- How would you define “true faith” from Questions 20-23 of the Heidelberg Catechism?
- What is the knowledge that true faith requires?
- What is the personal engagement that true faith requires?
- What are the personal benefits that true faith brings?
- Is there a point or time in your life when you moved from “faith” to “true faith?” What happened to bring about the change?
- How would you explain true faith to a friend?
- What benefits do you think come from regularly reciting the Apostles’ Creed?
This study first appeared in Theology Matters, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Jan/Feb 2005).
