I never really knew the Belgic Confession until I started teaching it in 2010 to 11th grade students at the church I attend. Even though I knew little of it beforehand; I've come to love it through classes I've taken as well as teaching this wonderful document.
To obtain a copy of the Belgic Confession; click here.
Here are some quick facts about this document for starters:
1. It was authored by one man, Guido de Bres in 1561 B.C. (2 years before the Heidelberg Catechism)
2. The original language it was written in was French; then later on Latin and Dutch versions were translated.
3. The audience whom de Bres was writing to was persecuted Christians and those who were doing the persecution--namely King Phillip and his armies.
4. There are 37 articles in which de Bres addresses many different topics.
5. Even though it is authored by one man; it was written in the plural form "we"
6. Articles 8, 9, 18 and 37 are the only ones which don't begin with "we"; however, they are still written in the plural form
7. It is often referred to as "the bloody document"
8. Belgic refers to the whole of the Netherlands, both north and south, which today is divided into the Netherlands and Belgium
9. Article 36 was changed by the CRC Synod of 1958 because it deemed some lines unbiblical. Article 37 was changed by the CRC Synod of 1985 which placed a paragraph in the footnotes; rather in the body of the text
10. There are not many Scripture references like the Heidelberg Catechism, but it is still deeply embedded from Scripture
11. The goal of the Belgic Confession was to prove the Reformed faith from the Word of God and to show Spanish authorities that the Reformed people were not rebels, but law abiding Christians
12. There is no explicit theme that stands out above the rest
So there are a few facts. Now some historical context would serve us well to get the feel for the purpose, need and setting that this document was written in.
Political-Religious Structure:
King Phillip II was in Spain ruling Belgium as did his Father Charles V did. They were both strong and loyal to the Catholic faith and equally concerned with the spread of the Protestant faith. Although King Phillip II was ruling Belgium; there is great evidence to think that he never set foot in Belgium himself. However, he sees the spread of Protestantism and decides to move into Belgium to get Protestantism out and to gain complete power and to spread the Catholic faith. In 1567 King Phillip II had 16,000 troops move to the Netherlands from Spain which made the people living in Belgium extremely unhappy; therefore they rebelled and began an independent movement.
King Phillip II issued the Catholic faith to be the only faith allowed at the time; however, the Protestants and Reformers would have none of it. They were deeply zealous for the Reformed faith and would not give it up. Many though, feared for their lives as they hid "underground" while others fled to various places around the countryside. Guido de Bres was a pastor at the time and stayed local to strengthen believers during difficult times of persecution and trouble. After writing this document; he sent it to John Calvin for approval which passed with flying colors according to Calvin. The next move then, was to send this document to King Phillip II. A copy of the Belgic Confession as well as a letter to King Phillip II was tossed over the castle wall, but no one knows whether this ever reached the king or not. It was later adopted at a Synod meeting held underground in 1566 in Antwerp to be confession of the Reformed faith.
On May 30, 1567 de Bres faced his killers right in front of him which made him one of the estimated 10,000 Dutch citizens to lose their lives during this time.
Cornelius Plantinga Jr. wrote a book called A Place to Stand which says this about the Belgic Confession "The Belgic Confession is a highly Calvinistic document that breathes the spirit of courage in persecution.....Guido de Bres risked, and finally gave, his life under the firm conviction that nothing could ever tear him out of the grasp of his heavenly Father."
And in the Ecumenical Creeds and Reformed Confessions gray book published by Faith Alive; it says this: "In 1562 a copy was sent to King Phillip 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 the fire, rather than deny the truth expressed in this confession."
Now that is powerful.
The Belgic Confession was written to those being persecuted--other Christians--to unify their faith, to bring comfort and to educate people who want to understand the Reformed faith deeper. It was also written to the persecutors--King Phillip II and his followers to prove that the church has been in this place of trial and persecution before, therefore you can't snuff it out (Article 27).
And it was written as an apologetic to claim that the Reformers weren't like the rebellious Anabaptists (at the time), to prove that they were peace-loving, law abiding citizens and to distinguish the Reformers from the Catholics and the Anabaptists.
It is this light of historical context that this document must be read. If we read it in any other context, it is not as powerful and not as convicting to the soul of mankind.
There is blood all over this document; may we never forget the efforts of Guido de Bres and the Reformed Christians during this terrible era for the church.
Here are two suggested structures/outlines of the Belgic Confession:
The first follows the 7 heads of doctrine (which I really like!) or the Biblical Narrative:
Articles 1-11 Theology Proper (God)
Articles 12-17 Theological Anthropology (the Biblical study of humanity)
Articles 18-21 Christology (the study of Christ)
Articles 22-26 Soteriology (the study of salvation)
Articles 27-36 Ecclesiology (the study of the church)
Article 37 Eschatology (the study of the last things)
The second is a more traditional order:
Articles 1-11 God and how God is Known
Articles 12-13 Creation and Providence
Articles 14-16 Fall and Election
Articles 17-21 Salvation in Christ
Articles 22-26 Justification and Sanctification
Articles 27-29 The Church
Articles 30-32 Church Order
Articles 33-35 Sacraments
Article 36 The Church and State
Article 37 The Last Things
There are a few good resources out there, but they are hard to find. Some that I've found beneficial are as follows:
1. A Place to Stand by Cornelius Plantinga Jr. (I believe it is out of print now)
2. A blog by Dr. Kim Riddlebarger who did a series on the Belgic Confession. Click here for a link to the blog postings
3. Class notes from Kuyper College under the teaching of Dr. Branson Parler and class notes from Calvin Theological Seminary under the teaching of Dr. Lyle Bierma
4. My own personal study of the Belgic Confession
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