In the Midst of Death

The Heidelberg Catechism teaches that we must know three things in order to live and die happily: how great our sins and miseries are, how we are delivered from them, and how we are to express our thankfulness to God for this deliverance.

In the Midst of Death is Herman Hoeksema's exposition of the first division of the Catechism, the main theme of which is the sin and misery of man. This first part of the Catechism is the briefest, comprising only four Lord's Days, but it is necessary because if we do not know our sins and miseries, we cannot know our deliverance or how to be thankful to God for his work of salvation.

Recognizing the importance of this section, the author thoroughly treats the doctrine of sin. He describes the law of God and its function. He speaks of the image of God and the covenant with Adam, as well as of the fall and corruption of man. He treats in detail the doctrine of total depravity, and he finishes in Lord's Day 4 with the truth of God's justice. In so doing he leads up to the truth of our deliverance.