In today’s world, identity is something we create for ourselves. We tie identity to what we do (jobs, hobbies) or a defining characteristic (age, gender, ethnicity, or political affiliation). Christianity starts in the opposite direction. Identity is who God says we are. Our identity is God-given.
The Heidelberg Catechism of 1563 addresses this matter of identity right from the start. Its principal author was a twenty-eight-year-old professor at Heidelberg University, Zacharias Ursinus (1534-1583). Maybe you’ve heard of Ursinus College, PA that was named in his honor. He’s not well-known among Reformation leaders which would have suited him just fine since his biographer labeled him a reluctant reformer.
He arranged the Heidelberg Catechism into one hundred twenty-nine questions and answers to instruct would-be students in the faith. His first question set the table for everything that follows: “What is your only comfort in life and death?” Answer: “That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and 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 all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way, that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for him.” Thank you, Zacharias Ursinus. I belong to Jesus. I am a child of God. His prayer today centers our identity in God’s declaration of us, not in human merit or achievement: