The Belgic Confession

In the first article in this series, I suggested that confessions are historical, communal, and ecumenical documents that summarize key teachings of the Bible. I noted that these documents identify us not only as Christians, but as Reformed Christians who together affirm these particular beliefs. This article will take a closer look at the Belgic Confession. You might want to read through it to give you a better sense of what it teaches. You can find it here: https://tinyurl.com/59erd2rd.

History and Context

The Belgic Confession (hereafter BC) was composed in the Lowlands, territory that today includes the Netherlands, Belgium, and northern France. This territory was ruled by Charles V of Spain, a staunch Roman Catholic, who was determined to have all of his subjects submit to the Pope. His son, Philip II, was even more harsh in his zeal to rid the Netherlands of any Reformed teaching and mercilessly persecuted anyone who was caught teaching, distributing literature, or preaching against Rome. Almost 100,000 people lost their lives during the reigns of Charles V and Philip II.

The author of the BC was a Reformed preacher from the southern Lowlands named Guido de Bres. As a refugee living in Geneva, he was influenced by John Calvin. In fact, the first draft of the BC, which de Bres wrote in 1559, bears a striking resemblance to the French (Gallican) Confession of Faith (1559), which was also influenced by Calvin. The BC was secretly published in 1561. The Dutch and French churches in the Lowlands accepted it soon after its publication, and it was adopted by the underground Synod of Antwerp in 1566. The primary purposes of the document were to instruct laypeople in the basics of Reformed Christianity and to inform Philip II that the Reformed expression of faith was legitimate and not heresy. The BC also sought to make clear that Reformed people were peace-loving and not anti-government.

Overview

The Belgic Confession is a summary of Christian doctrine. It was not intended to cover everything the church believed. Unlike some other documents of the era, it does not criticize Roman Catholicism by name. This is likely because of the hostility of the monarchs ruling the Lowlands toward the reformers. The BC follows the traditional loci of theology (i.e. the main headings of Christian belief): God and revelation, humanity, Christ, salvation, church, and last things, which is basically the story of Scripture itself. Much of what is covered in articles 1-21 is what we might call “broadly Christian” because these articles cover the basics of faith, the beliefs that most Christians would also affirm. Nonetheless, there are also a number of places where the distinct ‘accent’ of Reformed thought comes through.

Highlights of the BC

Several highlights are worth pointing out to give a sense of this document.

First, Articles 5-7 emphasize the authority of Scripture for the church, a basic principle of the Reformation.

Articles 8-11 teach basic creedal information about the Trinity, including the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit. These teachings have been affirmed since early in church history.

A distinctly Reformed accent of the BC is seen in Article 16’s brief description of the doctrine of election. God’s sovereign mercy in salvation is contrasted with the uselessness of human effort to bring ourselves into relationship with God. This emphasis on God’s sovereignty over all things is a hallmark of Reformed theology.

Finally, an example of the comfort of this sovereignty comes through in Article 13’s description of the doctrine of providence. This doctrine reminds us that God’s tender care for creation is such that not “even a little bird can fall to the ground without the will of our Father.” Here we see God’s sovereignty and our comfort going hand in hand. Echoing Jesus’ own words (Matt. 6:26), the BC assures us that since God cares so much for a little bird, how much more must he care for us, his covenant children?

This same theme of comfort appears again in the first question and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism, the confessional document that we will look at next.