The Four C’s of Doctrinal History – Part 7: Luther and His Catechism

Perhaps the most significant event during the “Middle Ages” was the Great Schism that divided the Church into the Western Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1054.

After that time period the Roman Catholic Church continued to gain incredible political power, but also continued to develop its problematic doctrines and practices, such as the doctrine of indulgences.

Fast forward to the 16^th century and enter Martin Luther, a young man pursuing law at the direction of his father. However, as Roland Bainton describes,

On a sultry day in July of the year 1505 a lonely traveler was trudging over a parched road on the outskirts of the Saxon village of Stotternheim. He was a young man, short but sturdy, and wore the dress of a university student. As he approached the village, the sky became overcast. Suddenly there was a shower, then a crashing storm. A bolt of lightning rived the gloom and knocked the man to the ground. Struggling to rise, he cried in horror, ‘St. Anne help me! I will become a monk.’¹

Martin Luther’s life was spared that night, and he entered the Order of Augustinian Hermits where he immersed himself in scholarly pursuits as well as the pursuits of security before God.

After several years, Luther was genuinely converted through the study of Romans 1. The highly devoted and disciplined Monk became the devoted and unshackled disciple of Jesus Christ. He was born again.

Luther is perhaps most well-known for his act on October 31, 1517, when he nailed a series of 95 statements to the door of the castle church in Wittenburg for academic discussion. However, those statements were quickly published abroad and ended up sparking what we now call the Protestant Reformation, a highly important period of church history.

Luther’s relationship with the Roman Catholic Church would never be the same because of those statements which challenged the role and authority of the Pope, the indulgence system, and more. To Luther, the Roman Catholic Church became the capsized ship that needed righting and renovating. To the Church, Luther became the thorn in their side who needed to be removed or at least silenced.

After being excommunicated from the Church after the Diet of Worms in 1521, Luther continued to lead those who protested the twisted teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

In 1525 he married a former nun named Katherina von Bora. They had a great marriage and had six children. Four years after marriage Luther published a Catechism.

Though not the first to produce a catechism, Luther essentially formalized and popularized the question-and-answer format of learning Christian doctrines. His concern over the lack of doctrinal knowledge of church people, and even some of the ministers, led him to produce this catechism in 1529.

Contrary to what some may think, the use of catechisms is not strictly a Roman Catholic practice. It is something that different denominations have utilized, including Baptists, for many years. A catechism is particularly useful in not only educating church congregations (especially young believers), but also the children in our families.

Catechizing was a major contributor to the success of the Reformation Period. John Tillotson, England’s Archbishop of Canterbury from 1691-1694, said that “catechizing and the history of the martyrs have been the two great pillars of the Protestant Religion.”²

In the preface of his published catechism, Luther writes the following:

Martin Luther, to all faithful and godly pastors and preachers: grace, mercy, and peace be yours in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

The deplorable, miserable conditions which I recently observed when visiting the parishes have constrained and pressed me to put this catechism of Christian doctrine into this brief, plain, and simple form. How pitiable, so help me God, were the things I saw: the common man, especially in the villages, knows practically nothing of Christian doctrine, and many of the pastors are almost entirely incompetent and unable to teach. Yet all the people are supposed to be Christians, have been baptized, and receive the Holy Sacrament even though they do not know the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, or the Ten Commandments and live like poor animals of the barnyard and pigpen. What these people have mastered, however, is the fine art of tearing all Christian liberty to shreds.³

Luther wrote a shorter and a longer catechism, which focused on teaching about the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and various church practices.

Catechisms are usually formatted in a question/answer style. The teacher asks the question; the student, or catechumen, gives the proper answer. In the written catechism, there are usually various Scripture references listed to support each answer.

Luther used two general forms of questioning. For instance, in Part 1 regarding the Ten Commandments:

Teacher: “Thou shalt have no other gods. What does this mean?”

Catechumen: “We should fear and love God, and trust in him, above all things.”

Other sections are more straightforward questions and answers. In part 4 regarding baptism:

Teacher: “What is baptism?”

Catechumen: “Baptism is not simply common water, but it is the water comprehended in God’s command and connected with God’s Word.”

Catechisms are useful for the Baptist Church still today. They can be used in small group discussions, Bible studies, or one-on-one discipleship to help teach doctrinal truth to the next generation of believers.

Benjamin Keach is credited with authoring the Baptist Confession, also known as “Keach’s Catechism” in 1693, to reflect the Second London Baptist Confession in 1689. Since then, it has been adapted and adopted by various Baptist organizations.

Baptists should not shy away from the use of catechisms. It is another helpful tool to teach the doctrines of the Christian faith.

Previously in this Series:

• Introducing the Four “Cs” of Doctrinal History – Proclaim & Defend
• The Origins, Division, and Authority of the Four Cs of Doctrinal History – Proclaim & Defend
• The Four Cs Part 3 – The Apostles’ Creed – Proclaim & Defend
• The Four Cs of Doctrinal History: Part 4 – The Nicene Creed – Proclaim & Defend
• The Four C’s of Doctrinal History: Part 5 – The Chalcedonian Definition – Proclaim & Defend
• The Four C’s of Doctrinal History Part 6 – The Athanasian Creed – Proclaim & Defend

Taigen Joos is the pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Dover, NH.

1. Roland Bainton, Here I Stand (New York: Abington-Cokesbury Press, 1950), 21. [↩]
2. Joe Carter, “9 Things You Should Know About Catechisms,” thegospelcoalition.org, October 17, 2021, (accessed July 14, 2025). [↩]
3. “Luther’s Preface,” (accessed July 14, 2025). [↩]