Many Evangelical Christians today don’t think much of church tradition and history. I know for a long time I didn’t either. To place church tradition above the authority of Scripture is folly, but neither should we ignore it or treat it as unimportant to the church today. You do not have to be Roman Catholic to have a church history you can claim. Evangelical Protestants can enjoy a rich history reaching back to the early church. However, I am not writing this post to convince you of all this, but to share something with you.

Lately I have been reading a book that goes through the major creeds and confessions of the church. I have particularly enjoyed learning about those written around the time of the reformation. One of those, the Heidelberg Catechism, was written in 1563 as a means of unifying those who were part of the reformed movement. The very first question and answer struck me and I hope it does so to you as well.

“Question 1: What is thy only comfort in life and death?”

“Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.”

What is my only hope and comfort in life and death? It is that I belong to a faithful Savior who died for my sins, rose from the grave and even now intercedes before the Father on my behalf.

-Chuck