Heidelberg Catechism, Question 11
Question 11
Is not God then also merciful?
God is indeed merciful (Ps. 103;8); but also just (Ps. 89;14); therefore his justice requires that sin, which is committed against the most high majesty of God (Ps. 51;4), be also punished with extreme, that is, with everlasting punishment, both of body and soul (Hab. 1;13.)
OF MAN’S DELIVERANCE.
Scripture references for paragraph 1
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Psalms 103:88The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.
Exodus 34:66Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,
Exodus 34:77maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”
Psalms 100:55For the LORD is good, and His loving devotion endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all generations.
Psalms 89:1414Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; loving devotion and faithfulness go before You.
Psalms 7:1111God is a righteous judge and a God who feels indignation each day.
Psalms 97:22Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation.
Psalms 51:44Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.
1 Chronicles 29:1111Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in heaven and on earth belongs to You. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all.
Romans 3:2626He did this to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and to justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
Habakkuk 1:1313Your eyes are too pure to look upon evil, and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do You tolerate the faithless? Why are You silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?
Revelation 14:1111And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. Day and night there is no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
2 Thessalonians 1:6-106After all, it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
7and to grant relief to you who are oppressed and to us as well. This will take place when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels
8in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might,
10on the day He comes to be glorified in His saints and regarded with wonder by all who have believed, including you who have believed our testimony.
Matthew 25:4646And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Source and edition
Heidelberg Catechism. RCA English, E. R. Good & Bro., Tiffin, 1879. RCA English, E. R. Good & Bro., Tiffin, 1879
Public Domain (historic text); CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikisource transcription). Source transcription.
Transcription licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0.
Berean Blue opens December 1, 2026 for Bible reading, study, and research. View this work in the app preview.