Heidelberg Catechism: Lord's Day 2

Lord's Day 2 of the Heidelberg Catechism confronts us with the reality of our sin and misery, revealed through God’s law. More than a set of rules, the law acts as a mirror, exposing our failure to love God and our neighbors as we should.

Yet this truth isn’t meant to lead us to despair. Instead, it prepares us to embrace the gospel by showing us our need for grace. Only when we recognize the weight of our sin can we truly see the greatness of our Savior, who fulfilled the law for us and bore the penalty of our failure.

The gospel, as Lord’s Day 2 reminds us, isn’t advice for the righteous but good news for sinners—an invitation to receive the boundless love of Christ.

Question 3:

From where do you know your sins and misery?

From the law of God.1

1 Romans 3:20

Question 4:

What does God’s law require of us?

Christ teaches us this in a summary in Matthew 22:37-40: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”1

1 Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18

Question 5:

Can you keep all this perfectly?

No, I am inclined by nature to hate God and my neighbor.1

1 Romans 3:10, 23; 1 John 1:8, 10; Romans 8:7; Ephesians 2:1-3; Titus 3:3

Recognizing the weight of our sin and the impossibility of earning righteousness on our own humbles us. Yet this is not where the story ends—it is only the beginning. The realization of our inability to keep God’s law drives us to cling to the sufficiency of Christ, who perfectly fulfilled the law in our place.

A Closing Prayer

Gracious Father,

We come before You in humility, recognizing our inability to keep Your law and our tendency to fall short of loving You and others as You have commanded. Thank You for giving us Your law, which reveals the depth of our need and points us to the Savior who fulfills it perfectly.

Help us not to despair in our sin but to trust fully in the grace You have provided through Jesus Christ. Teach us to respond with repentance, gratitude, and a renewed desire to love and obey You.

Lord, as we go about this week, remind us of the beauty of Your law and the sufficiency of Your grace. May our hearts be transformed by the gospel, and may we reflect Your love to those around us. All this we pray in the name of Jesus, our Redeemer and King. Amen.

Daily Bible Readings

Here are two suggested Bible reading plans for 2025:

New Testament in a Year

January 12 - Matthew 9:18-38
January 13 - Matthew 10:1-20
January 14 - Matthew 10:21-42
January 15 - Matthew 11
January 16 - Matthew 12:1-21
January 17 - Matthew 12:22-50
January 18 - Matthew 13:1-23

The Bible in a Year

January 12 - Genesis 29-30; Matthew 9:18-38
January 13 - Genesis 31-32; Matthew 10:1-20
January 14 - Genesis 33-35; Matthew 10:21-42
January 15 - Genesis 36-37; Matthew 11
January 16 - Genesis 38-40; Matthew 12:1-21
January 17 - Genesis 41-42; Matthew 12:22-50
January 18 - Genesis 43-45; Matthew 13:1-23