What is the Belgic Confession?

Answer  
  

The Belgic Confession (1561\) is a statement of faith for the Reformed Church in Holland (Belgica), written primarily by Guido de Brès. It is the oldest confession of faith used by the Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church in America and is readily available online.  
  

At the time the Belgic Confession was written, King Phillip II of Spain was bent on stamping out all forms of [Protestantism](Protestantism.html) in his realm. At this time he was Lord of the Seventeen Provinces (the Hapsburg Netherlands), an area that corresponds to modern\-day Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and some of France. At Phillip’s hand, Protestant churches were subject to severe persecution. The author of the confession, a Reformed preacher, was martyred in 1567\.  
  

The Belgic Confession is a plea for tolerance as the author sought to make clear what the [Reformed faith](reformed-theology.html) believes and how it is consistent with the ancient creeds. The document seeks to demonstrate that Reformed believers were not rebels and were willing to be subject to the king in all matters that do not contradict the laws of God in Scripture. However, they were willing to suffer and die, if necessary, for the truth of what they believed. The Belgic Confession also explains what differentiates Reformed faith from [Catholicism](Roman-Catholicism.html) and [Anabaptism](Anabaptists.html).  
  

The Belgic Confession did not accomplish the goal of securing relief for persecuted churches; however, the Reformed congregations readily received it, and it became a source of unity for them.  
  

The Belgic Confession is thoroughly evangelical. The Articles listed below will give a sense as to the topics covered:  
  

Article 1: The Only God  

Article 2: The Means by Which We Know God  

Article 3: The Written Word of God  

Article 4: The Canonical Books  

Article 5: The Authority of Scripture  

Article 6: The Difference Between Canonical and Apocryphal Books  

Article 7: The Sufficiency of Scripture  

Article 8: The Trinity  

Article 9: The Scriptural Witness on the Trinity  

Article 10: The Deity of Christ  

Article 11: The Deity of the Holy Spirit  

Article 12: The Creation of All Things  

Article 13: The Doctrine of God’s Providence  

Article 14: The Creation and Fall of Humanity  

Article 15: The Doctrine of Original Sin  

Article 16: The Doctrine of Election  

Article 17: The Recovery of Fallen Humanity  

Article 19: The Two Natures of Christ  

Article 20: The Justice and Mercy of God in Christ  

Article 21: The Atonement  

Article 22: The Righteousness of Faith  

Article 23: The Justification of Sinners  

Article 24: The Sanctification of Sinners  

Article 25: The Fulfillment of the Law  

Article 26: The Intercession of Christ  

Article 27: The Holy Catholic Church (here, *Catholic* simply means “universal,” as opposed to “Roman Catholic”)   

Article 28: The Obligations of Church Members  

Article 29: The Marks of the True Church  

Article 30: The Government of the Church  

Article 31: The Officers of the Church  

Article 32: The Order and Discipline of the Church  

Article 33: The Sacraments  

Article 34: The Sacrament of Baptism  

Article 35: The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper  

Article 36: The Civil Government  

Article 37: The Last Judgment  
  

