The first of the doctrinal standards of the Canadian Reformed
Churches is the Confession of Faith. It is usually called the Belgic Confession because it originated in the Southern
Netherlands, now known as Belgium. Its chief author was Guido de Brès, a preacher of the Reformed Churches
of the Netherlands, who died a martyr to the faith in the year 1567.
During the sixteenth century the churches in this country were exposed to the most terrible persecution by the
Roman Catholic government. To protest against this cruel oppression, and to prove to the persecutors that the adherents
of the Reformed faith were no rebels, as was laid to their charge, but law-abiding citizens who professed the true
Christian doctrine according to the Holy Scriptures, de Brès prepared this confession in the year 1561.
In the following year a copy was sent to King Philip II, together with an address in which the petitioners declared
that they were ready to obey the government in all lawful things, but that they would "offer their backs to
stripes, their tongues to knives, their mouths to gags, and their whole bodies to fire," rather than deny
the truth expressed in this confession.
Although the immediate purpose of securing freedom from persecution was not attained, and de Brès himself
fell as one of the many thousands who sealed their faith with their lives, his work has endured and will continue
to endure for ages. In its composition the author availed himself to some extent of a confession of the Reformed
Churches in France, written chiefly by John Calvin and published two years earlier.
The work of de Brès, however, is not a mere revision of Calvin's work, but an independent composition. In
the Netherlands it was at once gladly received by the churches, and adopted by the National Synods, held during
the last three decades of the sixteenth century. After a careful revision, not of the contents but of the text,
the great Synod of Dort in 1618-19 adopted this confession as one of the doctrinal standards of the Reformed churches,
to which all office-bearers of the churches were required to subscribe. Its excellence as one of the best symbolical
statements of Reformed doctrine has been generally recognized. |
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Article 1
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There Is Only
One GOD |
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Article 2
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How GOD Makes
Himself Known To Us |
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Article 3
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The Word Of
GOD |
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Article 4
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The Canonical
Books |
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Article 5
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The Authority
Of Holy Scripture |
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Article 6
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The Difference
Between The Canonical And Apocryphal Books |
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Article 7
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The Sufficiency
Of Holy Scripture |
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Article 8
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GOD Is One In
Essence, Yet Distinguished In Three Persons |
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Article 9
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Scripture Proof
Of This Doctrine |
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Article 10
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Jesus Christ
True And Eternal GOD |
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Article 11
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The Holy Spirit
True And Eternal GOD |
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Article 12
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The Creation
Of All Things, Especially The Angels |
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Article 13
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The Providence
Of GOD |
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Article 14
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The Creation
And Fall Of Man And His Incapability Of Doing What Is Truly Good |
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Article 15
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Original Sin |
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Article 16
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Divine Election |
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Article 17
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The Rescue
Of Fallen Man |
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Article 18
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The Incarnation
Of The Son Of GOD |
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Article 19
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The Two Natures
In The One Person Of Christ |
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Article 20
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The Justice
And Mercy Of GOD In Christ |
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Article 21
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The Satisfaction
Of Christ Our High Priest |
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Article 22
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Our Justification
Through Faith In Christ |
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Article 23
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Our Righteousness
Before GOD |
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Article 24
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Our Sanctification
And Good Works |
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Article 25
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Christ, The
Fulfilment Of The Law |
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Article 26
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Christ's Intercession |
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Article 27
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The Catholic
Christian Church |
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Article 28
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Everyone's
Duty To Join The Church |
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Article 29
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The Marks Of
The True And The False Church |
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Article 30
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The Government
Of The Church |
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Article 31
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The Officers
Of The Church |
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Article 32
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The Order And
Discipline Of The Church |
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Article 33
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The Sacraments |
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Article 34
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The Sacrament
Of Baptism |
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Article 35
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The Sacrament
Of The Lord's Supper |
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Article 36
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The Civil Government |
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Article 37
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The Last Judgment |
