The Way of Salvation As Seen Through the Heidelberg Catechism: Meditations of the Heart, Cornelius Van Kempen. 2017. 224 pages. Paperback. $13.99.

The Way of Salvation As Seen Through the Heidelberg Catechism delivers precisely what the title promises. In this devotional meditation, Cornelius VanKempen draws out the doctrines of salvation in Jesus Christ through this beloved and enduring seventeenth-century doctrinal confession. Much like the Scriptures they teach, the classic Reformed standards seem to be inexhaustible sources of study and reflection, and those wishing to grasp more of the riches of the Heidelberg Catechism will find VanKempen’s work a welcome addition to the already impressive library of literature on the subject. Let me highlight four strengths of the volume.

Brief. The book is in the truest sense devotional. VanKempen does not get lost in the weeds, so to speak, when handling any of the rich doctrines of the catechism. He says just enough to prompt fruitful reflection, but not too much to eclipse any sort of personal study. Each Lord’s Day devotional is about a page long.

Scriptural. One easy pitfall for the Reformed is to love our confessions more than we love the Scriptures which the confessions unpack for us. VanKempen doesn’t allow this to happen. Each meditation is saturated in biblical teaching and is replete with biblical references (helpfully highlighted by the fact that all Scripture passages are in italics). This helps the reader learn the biblical truths that are the foundation for the Heidelberg and see how all of the Bible proclaims the one message of man’s sinful condition and the need for salvation in Christ alone.

Christ-centered. Building off this last point, I appreciated that VanKempen intentionally labored to draw out the Heidelberg’s emphasis on salvation in Christ alone. This is particularly clear in the early chapters explaining man’s misery and our only escape from death. But even in later pages opening up the Ten Commandments, VanKempen consistently shows their fulfillment in Christ.

Evangelistic. A wonderful surprise was that this little book is written with the understanding that not everyone who picks it up will have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Perhaps VanKempen is writing from his personal experience— though for many years he was outwardly religious, his heart was not changed. So he explains the doctrines simply for those who have never encountered them before. He explains, through the helpful imagery of the surgeon, how God works in our lives to reveal sin and bring the remedy of the Son. And he occasionally will prompt the reader with convicting and piercing questions: “Have you met this Divine Surgeon who has promised never to forsake the works of His own hands?”

Structured around the catechism’s fifty-two Lord’s Days, The Way of Salvation will serve as a edifying yearlong walk through this beautiful Reformed confession, reminding readers that their only comfort in life and in death is that they belong to God through Jesus Christ.

Jonathan Landry Cruse pastors Community Presbyterian Church in Kalamazoo, MI.