Ursinus on How to Study Theology

I’ve recently begun teaching a class at my church on the Heidelberg Catechism & Orthodox Catechism. As part of my preparation for each week’s lesson, I’ve been reading through Zacharias Ursinus’ Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism. On page 9, Dr. Ursinus begins a brief summary of the three methods of teaching and learning Christian theology, “the doctrine of the church.” These can be labeled as follows:

1. Catechesis

2. Systematic Theology

3. Study of Scripture

Why does Ursinus place these methods in this order? It does seem, at first, to be backward. Yet once the section is read in its entirety, we’re left with some interesting insight into how Ursinus (and Confessional Christianity in general) understands the relationship between Scripture, theology, and Confessions/Catechisms.

The method of teaching and studying Theology is three-fold. The first is the system of catechetical instruction, or that method which comprises a brief summary and simple exposition of the principal doctrines of the christian religion, which is called catechising. This method is of the greatest importance to all, because it is equally necessary for all, the learned as well as the unlearned, to know what constitutes the foundation of true religion.

For Ursinus, the use of catechisms wasn’t just for teaching children or recent converts. It was to be an ongoing process of review and refreshment even for seasoned Christians. Perhaps you’ve heard someone express disinterest in studying a catechism because he thinks he is beyond hearing about the fundamentals of Law and Gospel. This is an incredibly naive view, both of one’s own spiritual maturity as well as the purpose of catechisms.

The second method is the consideration and discussion of subjects of a general and more difficult character, or the Common Places, as they are called, which contain a more lengthy explanation of every single point, and of difficult questions with their definitions, divisions, and arguments. This method belongs more appropriately to theological schools, and is necessary:

First, that those who are educated in these schools, and who may afterwards be called to teach in the church, may more easily and fully understand the whole system of theology; for as it is in other things, so it is also in the study of Divinity, our knowledge of it is obtained slowly and with great difficulty; yea, our knowledge of it must necessarily remain confused and imperfect unless every separate part of this doctrine be taught in some systematic form, so as to be perceived and understood by the mind.

Secondly, that those who are students of theology may, when they are called to act as teachers in the church, be able to present clearly and systematically the substance of the entire doctrine of God’s word. To do this it is necessary that they themselves should first have a complete system, or frame-work, as it were, of this doctrine in their own mind.

So far, everything seems fairly straightforward. All Christians are to be catechized, that is, taught the fundamental doctrines of the faith, necessary for salvation and holy living. Deeper theological study is then recommended, particularly for those who will go on to catechize and teach others in the faith. This is so they may better understand the systematic nature of the truth themselves, as well as to equip them to better explain correct theology to those who are being taught. Ursinus’ third reason for deeper study of systematic theology might surprise some readers at first, however:

Thirdly, it is necessary, for the purpose of discovering and determining the true and natural interpretation of the Scriptures, which requires a clear and full knowledge of every part of the doctrine of the church, in order that this interpretation may be in accordance with the analogy of faith, so that the Scriptures may be made to harmonize throughout.

“Wait a second!” someone may object. “Do you mean we need a catechism and a full-orbed system of theology before we can understand the natural interpretation of Scripture?” If that is what Ursinus intended, it would certainly be putting the theological cart before the scriptural horse. We will return to this seemingly odd comment, but for now, let us continue to hear Dr. Ursinus.

Lastly, it is necessary for the purpose of enabling us to form a proper decision in regard to the controversies of the church, which are various, difficult, and dangerous, lest we be drawn from the truth into error and falsehood.

The discipline of systematic study and arrangement of theological doctrine is an invaluable tool in distinguishing and warding off heresy. When a new, creative, heretical doctrine or movement rears its head, those who have studied the system of Christian truth, especially how all the parts are interrelated and interdependent, will be much more well-equipped to recognize and refute theological falsehoods.

The third method of the study of theology is the careful and diligent reading of the Scriptures or sacred text. This is the highest method in the study of the doctrine of the church. To attain this, the two former methods are to be studied, that we may be well prepared for the reading, understanding, and exposition of the holy Scriptures.

Here’s another statement that may leave readers scratching their heads. How on earth can Scripture be the final step in learning the doctrine of the church? Never fear, Dr. Ursinus will soon shed some light on the matter.

For as the doctrine of the catechism and Common Places are taken out of the Scriptures, and are directed by them as their rule, so they again lead us, as it were, by the hand to the Scriptures.

Now we see the missing first piece of Ursinus’ recommendations — the origin of the catechism & doctrine of the church. At the very beginning of his Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism, Ursinus writes,

The doctrine of the church is the entire and uncorrupted doctrine of the law and gospel concerning the true God, together with his will, works, and worship; divinely revealed, and comprehended in the writings of the prophets and apostle, and confirmed by many miracles and divine testimonies; through which the Holy Spirit works effectually in the hearts of the elect, and gathers from the whole human race an everlasting church, in which God is glorified, both in this, and in the life to come.

So now we see that Scripture is the starting point, as it of course must be. From Scripture, the Church discerns the “principal doctrines of the christian religion” and expresses and teaches them in the form of catechesis. Using Scripture, these principal doctrines are developed and connected with other doctrines, forming a systematic network of truth. It is this larger, more detailed grid, itself derived from God’s Word, which can help us as we read Scripture, enabling us to avoid error and inconsistency in our interpretation of any piece of the Bible. Passages that can be confusing when read in isolation can be made clear when viewed in the light of primary, fundamental doctrines reinforced throughout Scripture.

As we come to understand Ursinus’ meaning, we begin to see the value of catechisms and written confessions of faith. Those who accuse confessional Christians of elevating man’s words to (or above) the level of Scripture fail to understand the Scriptural basis for the Confession. The Confession is not itself inspired, and is always subject to the Word of God. Yet for those who confess the doctrines of the Confession, their belief is that the Confession is an accurate statement of the key doctrines taught by Scripture itself. It is not seen as an addition to Scripture, but a very useful summary of the truth of God’s Word. As such, it can be a help, as Ursinus says, in teaching the truth and avoiding error.

Although I do take exception to a couple of statements in the Heidelberg Catechism, it is on the whole a remarkable, outstanding document. I highly recommend it, especially if read alongside Particular Baptist Hercules Collins’ revision of it, The Orthodox Catechism (to which I still take a couple of exceptions on other issues). May you find it edifying and a comfort to your soul!

Advertisement

Zacharias Ursinus and the Westminster Confession vs. Cornelius Van Til

Cornelius Van Til was a minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church who is well-known today for his apologetic method and his views on analogical knowledge and paradoxical theology. While many uphold Van Til as a bastion of orthodoxy in the Presbyterian church, his view of Scripture as paradoxical – appearing to be contradictory – was actually anti-Confessional.

Cornelius Van Til

Now since God is not fully comprehensible to us we are bound to come into what seems to be contradiction in all our knowledge. Our knowledge is analogical and therefore must be paradoxical. -Van Til, The Defense of the Faith, 61.

… while we shun as poison the idea of the really contradictory we embrace with passion the idea of the apparently contradictory. Van Til, Common Grace and the Gospel, 9.

All teaching of Scripture is apparently contradictory. Ibid., 142.

According to Van Til, God’s Word, all throughout Scripture, appears to our human minds to be logically contradictory. Indeed, he even made the claim that to even attempt to demonstrate the logical consistency of certain doctrines (e.g. divine sovereignty and human responsibility) was to fall prey to the error of “Rationalism.” (See The Text of a Complaint)

Is this true? Is this orthodox? Is this Confessional?

We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church to an high and reverent esteem of the Holy Scripture. And the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is, to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man’s salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it does abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God… (Westminster Confession of Faith, I.v)

According to the Westminster Confession of Faith, all the parts of Holy Scripture, rather than being “apparently contradictory,” logically consent. In fact, the Confession takes this truth as being so obviously foundational that it actually claims it as an argument for Scripture being the Word of God. If “all teaching of Scripture is apparently contradictory,” as Van Til claimed, how can “the consent of all the parts” be used to support it as being the Word of God? How would we, being finite creatures, even be able to see “the consent of all the parts,” if Scripture constantly appears, to our minds, utterly contradictory?

Zacharias Ursinus

Zacharias Ursinus, primary author and editor of the Heidelberg Catechism, had this to say in his Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism:

The harmony of the different parts of the doctrine of the church, is an evidence of its truth. That doctrine which contradicts itself can neither be true, nor from God, since truth is in perfect harmony with itself, and God cannot contradict himself (7).

Scripture does not contradict itself. Any apparent contradiction we perceive is merely a temporary problem in our own minds. With proper exegesis and the application of logic, we will see, along with Ursinus and the Westminster Divines, that each part of God’s Word perfectly consents in logical harmony with every other part. What cannot be resolved, however, is the teaching of Van Til and the correct view taught by Reformed orthodoxy.

Ursinus on the Necessity of Special Revelation

Although there are many things in the doctrine of the church, which may be known from nature, yet the chief and principal part of it, which is the gospel, is so far beyond and above nature, that, unless the Son of God had revealed it unto us from the bosom of the Father, no wisdom of men or angels could have discovered it. -Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism, p.4

What’s in a question?

What is the relationship between the first questions of the Heidelberg and Westminster Shorter Catechisms? What’s in a question?.

“The Blood of the Lamb” (I Peter 1:18-19; I John 2:2)

Caspar Olevianus

Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 1, Q1:

Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?

A. That I am not my own, but belong – body and soul, in life and in death – to my faithful savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to Him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

In this post we will be examining two passages of Scripture, in order to find out what they can teach us about the “precious blood” of our “faithful savior Jesus Christ”. The first passage is found in I Peter:

I Peter 1:17-19

“And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

Redeemed from Aimless Conduct

In order to fully understand what these passages mean, it will be helpful to first get a bit of background knowledge. Not too long ago, we studied Titus 2:14 and explored the depths of what it means to be redeemed. We saw that the word “redeemed” carries the thought of being bought with a price out of bondage, delivered, and set at liberty. In Titus 2:14, we are said to be redeemed from all lawlessness, that is, sin. Peter, however, writes to his audience that they have been redeemed from their “aimless conduct received by tradition from [their] fathers.”

What is the “aimless conduct” Peter is referring to?

My Faithful Savior (Titus 2:14)

Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 1, Q1:

Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A. That I am not my own, but belong – body and soul, in life and in death – to my
faithful savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to Him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

In a previous post I wrote about I Corinthians 6:19-20, and we saw from Scripture that
we are not our own, but belong, body and soul, to Jesus Christ. In this present post, we’ll be examining Titus
2:14 and digging into the subject of this faithful Savior of ours, finding out more about the how
and why we belong to Him.

Titus 2:11-14

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all lawlessness and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

Not My Own (I Corinthians 6:19-20)

Have you ever heard someone describe someone else, saying something like, “He’s his own
man,” or, “She’s her own woman”? This phrase is used to describe someone who has an
independent or headstrong personality, someone who knows what he or she wants and goes after
it. If I say, “I’m my own man,” I’m saying that I’m not a follower who goes along with the
crowd, but rather someone who is self-reliant, who is not afraid to make his own decisions, and
ultimately answers to himself. This character trait is generally considered to be a good thing to
have. Take it away, and the world sees a “sheep,” a weak person who lets someone else handle
the decisions and is content to just sit in the background and do as they’re told.

As Christians, however, none of us is “his own man,” or “her own woman.” Yet this is not a
weakness! In fact, the Heidelberg Catechism calls this our “only comfort in life and in death!”

Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 1, Q1:
Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A. That I am not my own, but belong – body and soul, in life and in death – to my
faithful savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and
has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that
not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all
things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to Him, Christ, by his Holy
Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from
now on to live for him.

Let’s take a look at I Corinthians 6:19-20. We’ll be focusing our attention on the latter part of
verse 19, along with verse 20.

I Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who is in you,
Whom you have in God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price;
therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

You Are Not Your Own
The first point that we will examine is that “you are not your own.” This raises the
question, “To Whom do we belong?” In Ezekiel 18:4, God says, “Behold, all souls are Mine; The
soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine.” As Creator, all things – including all
people – certainly belong to God, and He is free to do with them as He pleases (Romans
9:14-24). Yet we also see in John 8:44 that some belong to the devil. So what exactly is this
passage telling us?

In John 15:19, Christ addresses His disciples, saying “You are not of the world, but I chose you
out of the world.” God has chosen for Himself a people, made up of individuals from all nations,
classes, races, etc. While every human being belongs to God as Creator, this chosen people – the
elect – belong to Him in a special way, as Redeemer.

Romans 1:6 refers to believers as “the called of Jesus Christ.” Romans 7:4 says that we are
“married to another – to Him who was raised from the dead.” Romans 14:8 says that “if we live,
we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore whether we live or die, we are
the Lord’s.” Also, Galatians 5:24 refers to “those who are Christ’s.”

I Corinthians 3:23 plainly says that “you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.”

I Corinthians 6:19 says that “your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you
have from God.” The temple belongs to God, not man, thus we cannot think of ourselves as
independent – we, as temples of the Holy Spirit, belong to God (Morris 104).

You Were Bought With A Price
Now that we have established that we as believers, the elect of God, belong to Christ, and not to
ourselves, the next question to be answered is, “How did we come to belong to Christ?” The
present passage states that we have been “bought at a price.” Paul repeats this later in I
Corinthians 7:23. What exactly is this price?

In Acts 20:28, Paul addresses the elders of the church of Ephesus, instructing them to “take heed
to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to
shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” In Revelation 5:9, John
records that he saw the four living creatures and twenty-four elders singing before the Lamb,
who is Christ, “You were slain, and have purchased us for God with Your blood out of every tribe
and tongue and people and nation.”

The Greek word here translated as “bought” and “purchased” (sometimes “redeemed”) is
agorazo, from agora, meaning marketplace. Paul’s language in this passage emphasizes Christ’s
ownership of believers. If I go to the bookstore and pay money buy a book (or two, or seven), I
say that the book is mine; it belongs to me. How much more, then, do we belong to Christ, our
Creator, who paid for us, not with money, but by the shedding of His own precious blood? The
answer is: utterly and completely. As the Heidelberg Catechism says, “body and soul, in life and
in death.”

Christ’s claim on believers does not end with their life, but also extends over their death, so that
whatever we do, even dying, is done to the honor and glory of Christ.

Romans 14:7-9
“For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the
Lord; and we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the
Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of
both the dead and the living.”

Glorify God
Verse 20 contains a “therefore,” an important indicator word that means the writer is drawing a
conclusion. In this case, Paul is instructing his readers that since they have been bought at a
price, and thus belong to God, they are to “glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are
God’s.” What does it mean to “glorify God”? This is a phrase that we as Christians often hear,
and most have a pretty good idea of what it means, but some may never have taken the time to
really consider what it means to “glorify” our Lord.

The Greek word for “glorify” is doxazo. It can be defined as follows:
1. to think, suppose, be of opinion
2. to praise, extol, magnify, celebrate
3. to honor, do honor to, hold in honor
4. to make glorious, adorn with luster, clothe with splendor
a. to impart glory to something, render it excellent
b. to cause the dignity and worth of some person or thing to become manifest and
acknowledged.

Now, it is plain that we as creatures cannot impart glory to God our Creator, in the sense of
actually causing Him to be glorious. He is inherently, naturally the epitome of Glory; He does
not need us to make Him so. Therefore, in this context, we can reject this one meaning for
doxazo. The rest, however, apply perfectly to Paul’s context. We can certainly glorify God in the
first sense (think, suppose, opine), recognizing and believing that God is glorious. We can glorify
God in the second sense, praising and celebrating His holy magnificence in our daily worship of
Him. We can glorify God in the third sense, honoring Him with our words and deeds, and
respecting Him and His Word above all others. We can also glorify God in the last sense listed,
by spreading the word to others about His dignity and worthiness of all honor, glory, and praise.

Scripture provides us with many examples of how to glorify God. The best way is to obey God’s
commands:
-John 15:8 “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My
disciples.”
-John 17:4 “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have
given Me to do.”
We can also glorify God with our words:
-Mark 2:12 “All were amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We never saw anything like
this!’”
-Luke 2:20 “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that
they had heard and seen.”
-Luke 5:25-26 “Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on,
and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed,
and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, ‘We have seen
strange things today!’”
-Luke 7:16 “Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, ‘A great prophet
has risen up among us’; and, ‘God has visited His people.’”
-Acts 11:18 “When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God,
saying, ‘Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.’”
-Romans 15:5-6 “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded
toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with
one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ.”

Glorify God in Your Body
Now that we have a general sense of what it means to glorify God, how do we put it into practice
as Paul says, “glorify God in your body”? The immediate context of I Corinthians 6:13-7:40
refers to sexual purity. We are to respect and obey God’s commands regarding marriage and
fidelity, even before we are actually married.

God has given us our bodies, to also be the temple of the Holy Spirit. Thus we ought to be good
stewards, or caretakers, of our bodies, maintaining good health practices.

The great Baptist theologian, John Gill, explained what it means to “glorify God in your body”
this way:

“Outward attendance on His worship… confessing and speaking well of Him; by acting
for Him, laying out and using time, strength, and substance, for His honor and interest;
and by patient suffering for His name’s sake.”

Glorify God… in Your Spirit
While the command to “glorify God in your body” emphasizes the need for outward purity,
“glorify God… in your spirit” emphasizes the need for inward purity. This is the part of ourselves
that nobody sees but us, and of course God.

We ought to use our mind to think Godly thoughts.
-II Corinthians 10:5 “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”
-Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever
things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy –
meditate on these things.”

Gill wrote that glorifying God in your spirit was “done when the heart or spirit is given up to
Him, and is engaged in His service, and when His glory lies near unto it.”

Conclusion
In conclusion, God’s Word is urging us to glorify Him with our entire self, because He has
purchased us, and we fully belong to Him. Brothers and sisters, listen to the words of the
Heidelberg Catechism, and recognize that our only comfort is that we are not our own, but
belong, body and soul, to our Lord Jesus Christ. But don’t stop there; use each day to glorify
God in your body and spirit: praise Him, magnify Him, celebrate Him, honor Him, and tell
others about Him! We have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and we are not
our own.

Resources
Gill, John. Exposition of the Old and New Testaments.
Morris, Leon. The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians. “Tyndale New Testament
Commentaries.”