The Belgic Confession of Faith (1)

The history which we have of the church through the ages gives us a clear picture of the warfare which is waged on earth between the Seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, the warfare between the prince of darkness, and Christ and His kingdom. We read of the assaults of the devil against the church of God already in the time of the apostle Paul, where he tried to spread false doctrines and errors in the young church, such as antinomianism which is mentioned in Revelation 2:6, and the doctrine of Balaam of which we read in Revelation 2:14.

In the second century, heathen philosophies were interwoven with Christian teachings, and gnosticism and Manicheism were prevalent. Later the struggle arose against Arius who had wrong views about the Trinity and the Godhead of Christ. Still later on Pelagius tried to undermine the church with his errors. These false teachings reappeared in a more moderate, but no less dangerous, form as Semi-Pelagianism in the Roman Catholic Church with its system of good works and a helping Savior, rather than a complete Savior. Over against these false teachers God gave men unto the church who were champions of the truth such as Athanasius, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and many others.

The battles against the church served as the crucible whereby doctrinal standards and creeds were adopted that spelled out the beliefs of the church—the three ecumenical creeds we know as the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. In the Netherlands the churches adopted the three forms of unity, viz:

a. the Heidelberg Catechism, given to instruct;

b. the Belgic Confession of Faith given to confess what we believe;

c. the Canons of Dort given to defend the truth

It is my intention to give an explanation of the Belgic Confession of Faith in a series of articles on this important document.

Not only in the Netherlands, but also in other countries where the Reformation blossomed, ecclesiastical assemblies adopted doctrinal statements and confessions. In Germany there was the Augsburg Confession, adopted in 1530; Switzerland adopted a confession in 1536; France in 1559; Scotland in 1560; and in England the Anglican Church adopted their thirty-nine articles.

In all these assemblies there was a wrestling to express in clear statements the pure doctrines of Scripture, for instruction and unity in the faith. The Augsburg Confession expressed as its central theme the doctrine of justification, and begins with the question, “How shall man be saved?” That is called the anthropological approach. The Belgic Confession, however, follows the theological order; that is, it begins with the doctrine of God. Calvin in his catechism of 1545 already began with the question, “What is the chief purpose of our human life?” He answers with the statement “To know God who has created us thus, and placed us in this world to be glorified in us.” Therefore it is just and right that our life which He has created might be lived to His honor. We find this approach as well in the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Assembly, with its first question, “What is the chief end of man?” The beautiful answer states, “To glorify and enjoy God forever.” It can be seen from this answer that they also began with the glory of God as the goal of our life. How privileged are those who may say this also in truth!

That the Belgic Confession of Faith follows a theological order can be shown by the following outline:

a. Articles 1-13, Theology, about the doctrine of God

b. Articles 14-17, Anthropology, the doctrine concerning man and predestination

c. Articles 18-21, Christology, about the person of Christ

d. Articles 22-26, Soteriology, about the doctrine of redemption

e. Articles 27-36, Ecclesiology, the doctrine of the church and the sacraments and also the duties of the government

f. Article 37, Eschatology, the doctrine of the last things.

This is a confession believed with the heart and confessed with the mouth, as we read in Romans 10:9. This confession is a free and voluntary confession, an acknowledgement of the truth. Our confession begins with God. There is no attempt made to prove that He exists, as we would perhaps expect. Our forefathers did not use the so-called proofs from creation (cosmological), perfection (ontological), purpose (teleological), moral (anthropological), or innate (ethnological), for they considered this absolutely unnecessary, since all creatures great and small are proofs in and of themselves. They do not try to convince the atheist who, as a fool, says within his heart, “There is no God.”

It is true that the fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” God has however revealed Himself in His Word, and will be known by the enlightening work of the Spirit in His attributes. This confession must become a reality in our life. It is necessary that there comes a time in our life that we, who are practical atheists, learn to know God in His holiness, majesty, righteousness, goodness, and mercy. We must learn to know Him in His greatness and worthiness. What a blessing it is if that true love to Him may be given in our hearts, for then we will long for His fellowship, His love, and His favor! Then we will also know something of that hungering and thirsting for His nearness and the heartfelt desire to live to His glory.

There should not only be a believing with the heart, however, there should also be a confessing with the mouth; for the Lord has formed a people unto Himself who will show forth His praises. God’s children should be the salt of the earth and a light upon the candlestick. They have to be witnesses for Him in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Our confession also states what they believe with the heart, namely, “that there is one only, simple, spiritual Being which we call God.” Human words are too poor to express who God is. We can only say, “Who is a God like unto Thee?”

The Lord reveals Himself not only in His names, but also in His attributes. As w e have been taught in catechism class, God has incommunicable and communicable attributes. He is a spiritual Being. The Lord Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman, “God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

The incommunicable attributes of God belong only to Him, and never to man. These attributes are as follows:

a. Independence—God is self-sufficient, and does not derive strength or honor from anyone. Man is not independent for he needs God for everything. “In Him (God) we live, move and have our being.”

b. Simplicity—Man is composed of several parts (soul/body), (flesh/spirit). God is not composed of parts, but God is One; in Him everything is one. “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD” (Deut. 6:4). God is all mercy.

c. Eternal—Man has a beginning, but God is from everlasting to everlasting (Ps. 90:2c).

d. Omnipresence—God is everywhere, but man cannot be. “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD” (Jer. 23:24).

e. Immutability—God is unchangeable.

The communicable attributes of God are perfections belonging to the essence of God. God does not share His attributes with man, but has placed some small likeness of them in man who was created in His image.

The communicable attributes can be further classified as belonging to God’s knowledge, will, and power.

a. To the knowledge of God belong

1. Omniscience

2. Wisdom

b. To His will belong

1. The goodness of God which He reveals in His love, grace, longsuffering, and lovingkindness

2. The righteousness of God including demanding vengeance and executing vengeance, and

3. The holiness of God

c. To God’s power belongs His omnipotence

Our Belgic Confession of Faith tries to express the greatness and majesty of God as follows: There is one only simple and spiritual Being which we call God.

He is Eternal—Psalm 90:2: “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.”

He is Incomprehensible—God is great and we know it not. Man cannot comprehend the depths, the height, and the love of God. Job 36:26: “Behold, God is great, and we know Him not”

He is Invisible—We cannot see God. 1 Tim. 1:17: “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

He is Immutable—What a wonder for an unfaithful people! “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed” (Mal. 3:6).

He is Infinite—There are no restrictions and no boundaries in God; He is unlimited in greatness and majesty.

He is Almighty—Our forefathers knew who this Almighty God was in their own lives. “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?” (Jer. 32:27).

He is perfectly Wise—even if I often do not understand what He is doing, and His ways with me can be so full of riddles. We need eyes of faith in order to see His wisdom in all of His dealings. “O LORD, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom Thou hast made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches” (Ps. 104:24).

He is Just— Revalation 15:3: “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, thou King of saints.”

He is Good—He does not only show goodness, but He is an overflowing fountain of all good. Psalm 145:9, “The LORD is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works!

An experiential knowledge of these attributes is necessary for all of us, for such a knowledge will humble us deeply before Him. If w e learn something of His wisdom, we will see our own foolishness. If w e know something of His goodness, we will abhor ourselves because of our wretchedness. The more we learn to know of His greatness, holiness, justice, and mercy, by the revealing work of His Spirit, the lower we will bow before Him. What miserable creatures we are by nature—in our ignorance, blindness, enmity, and foolishness! May the Lord make Himself known to us in His glorious perfections, and may w e learn to know ourselves in their light. May that blessed Mediator, in whom God has revealed His truth and mercy, His justice and kindness, His love and mercy, be glorified in our life. For to know Him is eternal life and outside of Him there is no real enjoyment. W e may enjoy many things, but if w e do not know what it is to glorify God, to enjoy Him, if w e do not know what it means to tremble at His word, to fear His wrath and displeasure, but also to taste His love and nearness, then we really do not know anything essential. May the Lord teach us at His school of free grace in the knowledge of His attributes; teach us of ourselves, and of His dear Son, the Savior of lost sinners. Given that knowledge, we also would confess what we believe with our heart, and His Name would be glorified in our life.

Rev. C. Vogelaar is pastor of the Ebenezer Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

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