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The Outlook, June 2006,
Volume 56, No. 6, pp. 14-18
The
Two Parts of the
Heidelberg Catechism
Law
and Gospel
Shane Lems
"The entire Scriptures consist of two parts, of the law and the
Gospel." This unambiguous distinction between the law and the gospel
in Scripture was relentlessly taught by Martin Luther from about
1 517 until his death in 1548. Phillip Melanchthon (1497- 1560),
Luther's colleague, also taught the difference between the law and
the gospel. He said, "All men are carefully to learn the difference
between law and gospel." The law/gospel distinction is indeed a
Lutheran teaching.
Reformers who followed in the wake of Calvin also clearly taught
this distinction between the law and the gospel. Yet some in our
Reformed circles today say that a law/gospel distinction is a Lutheran teaching that we should
avoid. As this article will argue, we must insist that the law/gospel
distinction is such a Reformed teaching that it even shows up in
the Heidelberg Catechism. Both Zacharias Ursinus and Caspar Olevianus
clearly upheld the law/gospel distinction.
Zacharias Ursinus 
Zacharias Ursinus (1534-1583) was born in Breslau, Germany. He
studied in Wittenberg from 1550 to 1557. During this time Ursinus
developed great respect and admiration for his professor, Philip
Melanchthon. After attending the Worms conference in 1557 with Melanchthon, Ursinus toured many major cities of the Reformation.
On this trip, he befriended notable Reformed teachers, such as Bullinger,
Vermigli, and other such men. Along with these men, Ursinus made
contact with Calvin, who gave him a copy of the latest edition of
the Institutes.
In 1558, Ursinus began to lecture in Breslau, Germany at the
university. Not long after assuming his role as professor, he was
charged with having "unsound faith in regard to the sacraments."
In the context of the Reformation, it is not surprising that the
three-way debate over the Lord's Supper created a "general hurricane
of excitement," which led to a "great sacramental war." However,
this "war" did not sever the warmhearted relationship Ursinus and
Melanchthon enjoyed.
This charge of wrongly teaching the Lord's Supper forced Ursinus
to print his first published work, a defense of his own view of the presence of Christ in the Supper.
In this tract, Ursinus set forth a highly Calvinistic view of the
Lord's Supper, one in which the presence of Christ in the elements
was spiritual rather than bodily (Lutheran) or not present at all
(Zwinglian). His tract did not silence his enemies, so Ursinus stepped
down from his lecturing podium soon after Melanchthon's death in
1560. He then went to Zurich, where in 1560 Ursinus studied under
a fellow Calvinist Reformer, Peter Martyr Vermigli, for nearly a
year.
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In 1561, Elector Frederick called Ursinus to Heidelberg to help
settle the debate over the Lord's Supper. Frederick assigned the
newly appointed doctor of divinity to write a catechism along with
fellow professor Caspar Olevianus. Sometime in 1562, the men began
working on the catechism. By the end of 1563, the Heidelberg Catechism
was finished. When Ursinus died in 1583, it was already the most
popular Reformed catechism in Europe.
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Elector
Frederick III
of the Palatinate
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We have done a brief survey of Ursinus' life because it is important
for us to see his theological background. Some may argue that since
Ursinus studied at a Lutheran university for nearly seven years,
it is no surprise that he strongly emphasized a law/gospel distinction,
which we will soon observe. Others might say that his high regard
for Melanchthon is the source of Ursinus' law/gospel distinction.
No doubt Ursinus learned much from Melanchthon, but we cannot simply
label him a "closet" Lutheran. As mentioned above, his first published
tract was one defending the Calvinist sacramental presence. Furthermore, we should not underestimate the influence of Vermigli
and Calvin on Ursinus.
According to one historian, the Heidelberg Catechism was a "loud
declaration of war" against the Lutheran church. Many different
branches of the Lutheran church disputed the Heidelberg Catechism.
Some Lutheran theologians called the catechism heretical.
Ursinus, however, was not an enemy of Luther or Melanchthon.
He understood the distinction between law and gospel to be plainly
taught in Scripture, and on this issue he did not part ways with
Luther or Melanchthon. The law/gospel distinction was so fundamental
to Ursinus' teaching that he began his commentary on the Heidelberg
Catechism with a plain declaration:
The doctrine of the church consists of two parts: the Law, and
the Gospel; in which we have comprehended the sum and substance
of the sacred Scriptures ... The law and gospel are the chief and
general divisions of the holy Scriptures, and comprise the entire
doctrine comprehended therein. Ursinus was not uncomfortable making such bold Luther-like
statements in the pages before his commentary on the catechism.
What did Ursinus mean by law? "The law is our schoolmaster, to
bring us to Christ, constraining us to fly to him...the law prescribes
and enjoins what is to be done, and forbids what ought to be avoided."
The law is no stranger to us, because we know it by nature, said
Ursinus. We find a kernel of the covenant of works in Ursinus: "The
law promises life upon the condition of perfect obedience." This
statement that obedience leads to life is another area where Ursinus
was clearly not a Lutheran.
The gospel has everything to do with Christ. "The gospel announces
the free remission of sin, through and for the sake of Christ."
Ursinus said that the gospel is a stranger to us, so to speak; it
is "divinely revealed." The law is generally familiar, the gospel
is entirely foreign. The gospel promises life -- opposite the law
-- on the condition of faith in Christ. "The gospel is the doctrine
concerning Christ the mediator, and the free remission of sins through
faith."
Ursinus did not simply describe the law/gospel distinction and
then leave it as a minor theological point. Christian doctrine itself
is different from that of all other religions, because in it the
law of God is "retained entire and uncorrupted," while other religions
distort and corrupt it. Moreover, the Christian church alone teaches
the gospel. Ursinus even used the law/gospel distinction as one
of the evidences of the truth of the Christian religion. Since the
church alone upholds the Decalogue, only its doctrine is true. At
the same time, only the church proclaims the way of escape from
hell and the promise of the forgiveness of sins. Because the church
alone proclaims the gospel, it is "true and divine." At one point,
Ursinus even stated that one of the duties of a minister in the
church is "a faithful and correct exposition of the true and uncorrupted
doctrine of the law and gospel, so that the church may be able to
understand it."
From these statements by Ursinus, it is uncontestable that he
clearly taught the distinction between the law and the gospel. As
a second generation Reformer, he knew the difference between prescription
and promise, between command and comfort. This understanding of
law and gospel was so fundamental to Ursinus' theology it even pervaded
the Heidelberg Catechism. The structure of the catechism is law,
then gospel. One can even say that if Ursinus had not understood
the law/gospel distinction, the catechism would not be structured
in the way that we know it -- guilt, grace, and gratitude.
 Caspar Olevianus
Caspar Olevianus was born in the German city of Trier in 1536. At
the age of fourteen, he moved to Paris to augment his childhood
education. From there, Olevianus studied law. At some point during
his studies in France, Olevianus accepted Reformation theology,
and after a frightening incident, devoted himself to the study of
the Word and the Reformed faith. After 1557, Olevianus practiced
law and studied with Calvin for some time. Olevianus also visited
many of the major cities of the reformation in Switzerland, where
he befriended Vermigli, Beza, Farel, and Bullinger. Olevianus was acquainted with many of the leading Reformers of his day.
While he may have rubbed shoulders with Lutheran teachers, they
were not nearly as influential upon Olevianus as Calvinist reformers
were.
In 1559, Olevianus was imprisoned in Trier for preaching protestant
doctrine. After Elector Frederick had heard of Olevianus' imprisonment,
he paid a large ransom in order to free the young reformer. Frederick
invited him to teach at the university in Heidelberg, and soon Olevianus
was promoted to professor of dogmatics. When Ursinus arrived in
Heidelberg in late 1561, Olevianus stepped down from the lectern and moved behind a pulpit to preach. Along with preaching,
Olevianus upheld the Calvinist position in debates over the Lord's
Supper and wrote several treatises and books. As we have seen above,
Ursinus and Olevianus began working on the catechism in 1562 and
finished it in 1563. Olevianus continued to preach, write, and teach
until his death in 1587.
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Although there has been some debate as to Olevianus' role as
an author of the Heidelberg Catechism, the evidence points to Olevianus
as having at least some part in writing the catechism. First, Frederick
called both Ursinus and Olevianus to Heidelberg for the cause of
upholding Reformed theology in the Palatinate. Second, Olevianus'
Firm Foundation, written shortly after the Heidelberg Catechism,
has many clear parallels with the catechism. Finally, the theme
of comfort is so prevalent in Olevianus' works it is not simply
a coincidence that the Heidelberg Catechism begins with and is full
of comfort.
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For Olevianus, this comfort does not come unless discomfort precedes
it. That is, one cannot understand the gospel until the law crushes
and kills. The law leads us "by the hand, as it were," to the gospel.
We cannot be led to the good news without hearing the bad news first.
"After we are convicted of our unrighteousness and smitten with
the awareness of eternal death, the law teaches us not to seek salvation
in ourselves but to accept by faith the salvation offered us outside
ourselves in the gospel." The gospel is the promise that Jesus Christ alone saves
His people from their sins.
What is the difference between the law and the gospel? The law
is "implanted in human nature" and "repeated and renewed" in God's
commandments. Olevianus knew well the difference between the two.
In the law, God holds a manuscript before us. This manuscript is
a list of what we are and what we are not to do. We must "obey Him
perfectly both inwardly and outwardly.' Olevianus stressed that
the law demands perfect and perpetual obedience. If a person does
not keep "every provision of the law' his "whole life long," eternal
damnation awaits him. In sum, "the law exposes but does not remit
sin. It comes with accusations rather than promises. It condemns
us; it does not save us."
What then saves us? The gospel. "Because it contains promises
of salvation, it is called the gospel of salvation, a word of salvation,
and a power of God unto salvation." The gospel is not known by nature
even by the wisest men; it is revealed from heaven. in the gospel,
God does not demand but gives. The gospel "gives us the righteousness
that the law requires.' Olevianus said:
The gospel, or the good news that delights the heart of the poor
condemned sinner, is a revelation of the fatherly and immutable
will of God, in which He promised us, who are unworthy, that all
our sins have been washed away and pardoned not just for the rest
of our lives but, indeed, forever. No one can deny that Caspar Olevianus distinguished between the
law and the gospel. While Olevianus did not note that A Firm Foundation
is divided into two sections, he did begin this doctrinal work with
a discussion on the difference between the law and the gospel.
The Law and the Gospel in the Heidelberg Catechism
We may expect the catechism to open up with a thunderous declaration of law and the terrors of sin's punishment. The catechism,
however, opens up with the theme of comfort. Many of us are familiar
with the first question and answer, What is thy only comfort in
life and death? That I am not my own... While Ursinus and Olevianus
understood what the law meant, they did not write the Heidelberg
Catechism to frighten and terrify consciences, but so that Christians
might attain "sure and solid comfort, both in life and death." The
Heidelberg Catechism was written to Christians with the aim to show
them the comforting benefits of the gospel.
However, we cannot know the benefits of the gospel without also
knowing the opposite. What must a Christian know to live and die
joyfully in the comfort of the gospel? Three things, as the second
answer tells us. "The first, how great my sins and miseries are;
the second, how I may be delivered from all my sins and miseries;
the third, how I shall express my gratitude to God for such deliverance."
We are here interested in the first -- the greatness of our sin and
misery.
We need to know our sin and misery not because it gives comfort,
but because it shows us that we need deliverance. We cannot understand
the summits of God's grace unless we know the depths of our depravity.
Ursinus wrote that we must first preach the law, so that it might
slay us and show us our wretchedness. Both Olevianus and Ursinus
spoke of the law being like a diagnosis of illness. Once we know
our illness, which is necessary if we wish to be made well, we are
driven to the verus medicus, the gospel.
"Whence knowest thou thy misery? Out of the law of God." Question
and answer three is clear. The first use of the law is evident.
The law of God tells us that we are hell-bound creatures by nature.
According to the catechism, the law of God can be summarized as
Christ summarized it in Matthew 22. Here the Heidelberg Catechism
implies that the law is in the New and Old Testaments. The law and
the prophets hang on the two commandments of summary; Jesus spoke these words in the New Testament.
The law requires perfect obedience, as question five implies.
"Canst thou keep all these things perfectly?" As we have seen above,
both Ursinus and Olevianus understood that God commands perfect
obedience in the law. Every prescription of the law must be perfectly
kept by man for his entire life. If he breaks the law, man is cursed
and faces God's judgment in this life and the next (Q/A 10). Because
lawbreaking, sin, is committed against God's "most high majesty,"
it must be penalized with the most severe punishment: "everlasting
punishment, both of body and soul" (Q/A 11).
Question/answers 3-11 is the law section of the catechism. Question/answer
12 gives the reader a hint of good news. God's justice must be satisfied, and in order to be received into His favor,
either we or someone else must make this satisfaction. But we cannot
do it, because we are sinful. We actually increase our damning debt
daily (Q/A 13). The catechism goes on to discuss what kind of deliverer
we need who will perfectly satisfy God's judicial demands. Who is
this deliverer and mediator? Our Lord Jesus Christ. How do we know
about this deliverer? From the holy gospel(Q/A 19).
The gospel teaches us how the law's condemning roar against us
is silenced, because it shows us the promise of grace. The righteousness
-- perfect obedience -- that Christ performed is imputed to us through faith. The forgiveness of sins is possible because
Jesus fully paid for the sins of His people. Therefore, when the
law shouts in our face, "Do this and live," we point to Christ,
and say, "He has done it; I will live."
The Heidelberg Catechism is beyond doubt a law/gospel document.
In plain terms, it says that the law prescribes, while the gospel
promises. The law condemns and kills, and gives not even a hint
of remedy or help for sin. The law cannot give us anything, it can
only demand. On the other hand, the gospel promises and gives comfort,
forgiveness, peace, righteousness, and life through Jesus Christ,
our only Savior.
Conclusion
We have observed that Ursinus knew and taught the difference
between law and gospel. His distinction was unmistakable: "The law
says..., 'Do this, and live.' The Gospel says, 'Only believe." Olevianus
fully agreed. Question and answer 10 in Olevianus' Firm Foundation
is lucid: "What is the difference between the law and the gospel?"
Today, may God help us understand the difference between the two,
which will guard us from many serious errors. The law does not give
life -- only the gospel does. Olevianus and Ursinus teach correctly
on this truth.
This law/gospel distinction is also apparent in the Heidelberg
Catechism; it is structured with the distinction. In the years following
the Reformation, not only did Lutherans make a sharp distinction
between the law and the gospel, many Calvinists did the same. Without a doubt, the law/gospel
distinction is such a Reformed teaching that it even shows up in
the Heidelberg Catechism. In our day, in the midst of the muddling
of law and gospel, it is essential for us to uphold this important
division. Ursinus was exactly right when he said that one of the
duties of a pastor was to teach correctly and faithfully the difference
between the law and the gospel. The Heidelberg Catechism is an excellent
help for pastors and teachers as they instruct Christians in the
difference between law and gospel. indeed, it is their duty.
Mr. Shane Lems is a seminarian at Westminster Seminary in Escondido,
California.
Read the Heidelberg Catechism here
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