About the Heidelberg Catechism
The Heidelberg Catechism teaches the Christian faith through 129 questions and answers. First published in Heidelberg in 1563, it is arranged into 52 Lord’s Days: one for each Sunday of the year.
Beginning with our only comfort in life and death, it follows three themes: our misery, our deliverance through Jesus Christ, and our grateful response. Along the way it explains the Apostles’ Creed, the sacraments, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer.
The Three Forms of Unity
The Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort are together known as the Three Forms of Unity. Many Reformed churches use them as a shared summary of the Christian faith, grounded in Scripture and always subject to its authority.
Each has a different purpose: the Belgic Confession sets out the faith in 37 articles; the Heidelberg Catechism teaches it through 129 questions and answers arranged into 52 Lord’s Days; and the Canons of Dort explain and defend the biblical teaching of salvation by God’s grace. Together, they help churches teach, confess, and live out their faith.
About this text edition
CRCA-published Heidelberg Catechism. This site uses the wording of the Heidelberg Catechism published by the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia.
The questions, answers, Scripture references, and Lord’s Day divisions follow that edition. Personal pronouns referring to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are capitalised, and the text is formatted for reading on screen.
Heidelberg Catechism translation © 2011 Faith Alive Christian Resources. Published in Our Faith © 2013 Faith Alive Christian Resources and reproduced in the PDF published by the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia. Scripture quotations follow the source’s New Revised Standard Version text.
This is an independent reading website, not an official publication of the CRCA.
English editions differ in wording. For congregational recitation or memorisation, compare this edition with the text your church uses. “Catholic” in the Apostles’ Creed means universal.
Question 80
The following notes are reproduced from the CRCA-published PDF. They describe the CRCNA and RCA; they do not state a CRCA decision.
*Q&A 80 was altogether absent from the first edition of the catechism but was present in a shorter form in the second edition. The translation here given is of the expanded text of the third edition.
**In response to a mandate from Synod 1998, the Christian Reformed Church’s Interchurch Relations Committee conducted a study of Q&A 80 and the Roman Catholic Mass. Based on this study, Synod 2004 declared that “Q&A 80 can no longer be held in its current form as part of our confession.” Synod 2006 directed that Q&A 80 remain in the CRC’s text of the Heidelberg Catechism but that the last three paragraphs be placed in brackets to indicate that they do not accurately reflect the official teaching and practice of today’s Roman Catholic Church and are no longer confessionally binding on members of the CRC.
The Reformed Church in America retains the original full text, choosing to recognize that the catechism was written within a historical context which may not accurately describe the Roman Catholic Church’s current stance.
See the CRCNA text and explanation for that denomination’s wording and decision.
Reading and finding your place
Browse by Lord’s Day, read all 129 questions, or search for a word or question number. Search also recognises entries such as “Q21” and “LD7”. Each question has its own link for sharing.
Use the reading settings button to change the theme, text size, visibility of Scripture references, or blur answers for practice. With Blur answers enabled, reveal each answer when you are ready. Your preferences are saved on your device. Scripture links open the English Standard Version on Bible Gateway in a new tab.
On a Lord’s Day page, the arrow keys and previous/next links move between days. On a touch screen, a deliberate sideways swipe does the same. The complete-text page also has a print-friendly layout.
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