Belgic Confession Article 12: "The Creation of All Things"

After discussing God (Theology Proper) in Articles 1-11; Guido now shifts now to the biblical study of humanity also known as Biblical Anthropology.

This is how Article 12 "The Creation of All Things" reads:

We believe that the Father created heaven and earth and all other creatures from nothing, when it seemed good to Him, by His Word--that is to say, by His Son.

He has given all creatures their being, form, and appearance, and their various functions for serving their Creator.

Even now He also sustains and governs them all, according to His eternal providence, and by His infinite power, that they may serve man, in order that man may serve God.

He also created the angels good, that they might be His messengers and serve His elect. 

Some of them have fallen from the excellence in which God created them into eternal perdition; and the others have persisted and remained in their original state, by the grace of God.

The devils and evil spirits are so corrupt that they are enemies of God and of everything good. They lie in way for the church and every member of it like thieves, with all their power, to destroy and spoil everything by their deceptions.

So then, by their own wickedness they are condemned to everlasting damnation, daily awaiting their torments.

For that reason we detest the error of the Sadducees, who deny that there are spirits and angels, and also the error of the Manicheans, who say that the devils originated by themselves, being evil by nature, without having been corrupted.

Now this article is full of great stuff. It is a long one, but is neatly divided into six sections:

First Section: The Purpose of Creation
The first section consists of the first three paragraphs in which Guido is emphasizing the purpose of creation. The purpose of creation is stated three times in these paragraphs with the key word being "service" (and then again in the fourth paragraph).

The first paragraph acknowledges whom the Creator is, how He created it and when He created it. God is named as the the creator just as Genesis 1:1 records also. And God created "the heavens and earth and all other creatures from nothing" declares Guido. Everything that has been created or will ever be created has been created and will be created by God out of nothing! And the time that God did this was "when it seemed good to Him..." Guido declares. The time to create the heavens and the earth was the time when it seemed good for God to do so. There wasn't any other time that God would've wanted to create things--He did it on His own time and because it seemed good to Him. And finally, God created everything by His Word--namely Jesus Christ. God spoke and there was the creation. What magnificent power!

The second paragraph explains what God gave to creation and why He gave them these things. God gave creation "their being, form, and appearance, and their various functions." Everything that we have in creation, just think how vast that is, was given to us by God Himself! And the reason for God giving these things to us was "for serving their Creator." God gave us all these things--our being, form, appearance and our various functions--for the purpose of serving Himself! Not only must humans serve God, but all aspects of creation serve the Creator God! In a sermon on Colossians 1:15-23 it is clearly explain as well the purpose of creation. Everything that exists, exists to make the glory of God and the greatness of Christ more fully known. This is our (humanities) way and creations way of serving God--to make Him known!

And the third paragraph continues this thought as well toward the end, but also gives us great comfort and insight into what God is doing now. God also "sustains and governs them all according to His eternal providence and His infinite power..." God continues to be active, not passive, in the creation which He has made! What a comfort to know that everything God made, He now rules, upholds, is involved in and controls it! And the purpose of this is again, "that they may serve man, in order that man may serve God." So God serves humanity by sustaining and governing the creation through His eternal providence and His infinite power in order that humanity might serve God back! How wonderful and magnificent this truly is!

Second Section: Angels
The fourth paragraph  states also that God "created the angels good that they might be His messengers and serve His elect." God has chosen to create angels as well being 'good'. His purpose of creating angels was to first have them be "His messengers" and secondly, for them to "serve His elect." Again, the created order--even angels--were created for service!

Third Section: Fallen Angels
In the third section consisting of the fifth paragraph; Guido continues the thought of the angels. Except now he speaks of the fallen angels. He explains that some of the angels have fallen while others have stayed in the original state. The ones who fell which is recorded in Jude 6, Ezekiel 28, and 2 Peter 2:4; fell from "the excellence in which God created them into eternal perdition." They left their state of of excellence due to their proud heart and arrogance to be like God. Therefore, they now rest in hell being tormented daily. But there are some angels who didn't fall--and they "persisted and remained in their original state, by the grace of God." God's grace has kept them persistent and they now remain with God in their state of excellence. It is interesting to note that the angels who fell, fell because they did not serve God--they wanted to be like God; therefore they were serving themselves. And serving themselves was not God's purpose in creating them; therefore they opposed God's purpose!

Fourth Section: Opposing Service
The fourth section, in the sixth paragraph, also re-emphasizes the angels--devils and evil spirits--who now don't serve God; rather they serve themselves.  "They are enemies of God and of everything good" implying that they are no longer 'good' as God created them--they strongly oppose the way of God. Guido continues to say that "they lie in wait for the church and every member of it like thieves with all their power, to destroy and spoil everything by their deceptions." Now this is not comforting. The devil waits for the members of the church to destroy them and to spoil everything by their own power. However, this power they have is not an infinite power as we heard earlier from Guido in the third paragraph. God's power is an infinite power in which God sustains and governs all of creation--the devil's power is no match for the infinite power of God!

Fifth Section: The Result Of Opposing God's Purpose of Creation
The result of opposing God's purpose of creation, which again is service, is named by Guido in the fifth section which is in the seventh paragraph. The result is "they are condemned to everlasting damnation, daily awaiting their torments." And this is done "by their own wickedness" and not by another means--it is something completely done by their own wickedness--by themselves they have ushered their way into hell. And in hell, they "daily await their torments." Such a dreadful picture of a place that you don't want to go!

Sixth Section: Two Extreme Errors
In the last paragraph Guido names two errors--one by the Sadducees and the other by the Manicheans. It is important to note that Guido mentions these two in order to keep the church pure because the Belgic Confession is about what the church believes; therefore at some points they must write about what they do not believe. There are two extreme errors to make in regards to evil spirits, the devil and angels. The Sadducees were on one extreme side of the argument denying wholeheartedly that "there are spirits and angels". On the opposite extreme side were the Manicheans "who say that the devils originated by themselves, being evil by nature, without having been corrupted." So these two extremes are something to avoid; saying that there are no evil spirits and then saying that they originated by themselves are both completely wrong to say. Therefore Guido warns against these two errors.

The first half of Article 12, Guido is naming the purpose of creation is for service unto God. And those who oppose this purpose--namely the devil and evil spirits--are not following God's ways of operating in the world. Therefore, they have been punished and ultimately they have brought this condemnation upon themselves.

What is your purpose for living? 

Is it to serve the One who created you?

Is it to make the glory of Christ more fully known?

Or is it to serve yourself and glorify your own name?

Belgic Confession Article 11: "The Deity of the Holy Spirit"

Guido moves from discussing "The Deity of Christ" in Article 10 in order to clarify the Trinity. And now he continues to clarify the Trinity by having an article on "The Deity of the Holy Spirit" which reads this way:

We believe and confess also that the Holy Spirit proceeds eternally 
from the Father and the Son--
neither made,
nor created, 
nor begotten,
but only proceeding from the two of them.

In regard to order, He is the third person of the Trinity--
of one and the same essence,
and majesty,
and glory,
with the Father and the Son.

He is true and eternal God, as the Holy Scriptures teach us.

This article is pretty straight forward as far as explanation goes. But what I do like about the Belgic Confession in this sense is that it actually pays attention to the Holy Spirit. Not many documents from the early church and even later church history mention much about the Holy Spirit. I have my thoughts on why this is so, however, I do believe that the Holy Spirit is often the "forgotten God" out of the three persons in the godhead of the Trinity. There is much emphasis giving to the Father and the Son, but not much to the Holy Spirit.

This is not just true in the past, but even in the present. The Holy Spirit seems to be missing. And to me, this is sad.

Think a minute:

When is the last time you heard a sermon in regards to the Holy Spirit?

When is the last time you heard a sermon mention the Holy Spirit?

When is the last time you heard a prayer mention the Holy Spirit?

When is the last time the Holy Spirit has been mentioned in a worship service?

The answers are humbling.

The Holy Spirit is not a lesser being than God the Father and God the Son.

The Holy Spirit is not of a different essence than God the Father and God the Son.

The Holy Spirit is true and eternal God, just as the Bible teaches us.

Even the Heidelberg Catechism mentions the Holy Spirit in Lord's Day 20 Question and Answer 53

Q. What do you believe concerning "the Holy Spirit"?

A. First, he, as well as the Father and Son, is eternal God. Second, He has been given to me personally, so that, by true faith, He makes me share in Christ and all His blessings, comforts me, and remains with me forever.

The second part of the Answer is phenomenal.

The Holy Spirit has been given to me personally.

Through our true faith, the Holy Spirit makes me share in Christ and all His blessings

The Holy Spirit comforts me.

The Holy Spirit remains with me forever.

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

What a marvelous gift, what a amazing gift!

Do you have the comfort of the Holy Spirit?

Do you have this presence of God in your life?

Belgic Confession Article 10: "The Deity of Christ"

After discussing the Trinity in Article 8 and Article 9 Guido now gets specific about the Trinity focusing upon "The Deity of Christ" in Article 10 and "The Deity of the Holy Spirit" in Article 11. He does this in hopes of clarifying the Trinity. Article 10 goes like this:

We believe that Jesus Christ, 

according to His divine nature, 

is the only Son of God--eternally begotten, 

not made nor created, 

for then He would be a creature.

He is one in essence with the Father; 

coeternal;

the exact image of the person of the Father

and the "reflection of His glory," [Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3] 

being in all things like Him.

He is the Son of God not only from the time He assumed our nature but from all eternity,

as the following testimonies teach us when they are taken together.

Moses says that God "created the world"; [Genesis 1:1]

and John says that "all things were created by the Word," [John 1:3] which he calls God.

The apostle says that "God made the world by His Son." [Hebrews 1:2]

He also says that "God created all things by Jesus Christ." [Colossians 1:16]

And so it must follow that He who is called God, the Word, the Son and Jesus Christ already existed when all things were created by Him. Therefore the prophet Micah says that His origin is "from ancient times, from eternity" [Micah 5:2]

And the apostle says that He has "neither beginning of days nor end of life." [Hebrews 7:3]

So then, 

He is the true eternal God,

the Almighty,

whom we invoke,

worship,

and serve.

Guido de Bres now turns his attention to the Son of God, namely Jesus Christ to expound upon "The Deity of Christ" in order to further clarify the Trinity.

The first paragraph is explaining that according to Christ's divine--this makes Him the only Son of God who was not made nor created. Because if Christ was made or created, then He would be just like a creature (i.e. human beings or anything in the created order). Jesus has existed from eternity since He is God Himself.

Guido continues to say that He is the same nature as the Father and co-eternal. He has existed from eternity since He is God Himself (repeated on purpose). He is the exact image of the person of the Father just as Colossians 1:15 states,

"He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation."

Again Guido mentions, He is the Son of God not only from the time He assumed our nature, but from all eternity. Jesus always existed from eternity since He is God Himself (yes, purposefully repeated, again). 

But now Guido states some Bible verses in the fourth paragraph proving that Jesus Christ has existed from the beginning of the world at creation. They are as follows:

Genesis 1:1

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

John 1:3

"Through Him [the Word who is Jesus] all things were made;

 without Him nothing was made 

that has been made."

Hebrews 1:2

"...but in these last days He [God] has spoken to us by His Son, 

whom He appointed heir of all things 

and through whom 

He made the universe."

Colossians 1:16

"For by Him [Jesus] all things were created: 

things in heaven and on earth, 

visible and invisible, 

whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; 

all things were created by Him 

and for Him."

This connection of verses, proves that Jesus Christ has been in the beginning since the beginning and even before that--from all eternity--that Jesus Christ existed already when all things were created by Him. 

And then Guido ends with three points of application;

He is the true eternal God, the Almighty, whom we invoke

Invoke carries with it a sense of calling on or for something/some person with earnest desire. There is a longing, a constant calling upon for you know that when you call upon this thing/person, there will be an answer.

He is the true eternal God, the Almighty, whom we...worship

The One, true and holy God is the one whom we worship and the only God whom we worship for He is the one that all of our religious allegiance goes to and will forever go to. He is the only God who deserves all that we have wholeheartedly giving Him all our allegiance.

He is the true eternal God, the Almighty, whom we...serve

God, the one we serve each and every day. We serve not because we have to, but because we do it out of the thankfulness or gratitude which arises out of our hearts for what God has done for us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. He gave His life for yours, do you believe it? 

Belgic Confession Article 9: "The Scriptural Witness on the Trinity"

Guido focused on defining the Trinity in Article 8 and now he provides a great article on the biblical basis for the Trinity.

I love this article. It is lengthy, but awesome. It reads like this:

All these things we know from the testimonies of the Holy Scripture as well as from the effects of the persons, especially from those we feel within ourselves.

The testimonies of the Holy Scriptures, which teach us to believe in this Holy Trinity, are written in many places of the Old Testament, which need not be enumerated but only chosen with discretion.

In the book of Genesis God says, 

"Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness."

So "God created man in His own image"--indeed, 

"male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:26-27)

"Behold, man has become like one of us." (Genesis 3:22)

It appears from this that there is a plurality of persons within the Diety, when he says, "Let us make man in our image"--and afterwards He indicates the unity when he says, "God created."

It is true that he does not say here how many persons there are--but what is somewhat obscure to us in the Old Testament is very clear in the New.

For when our Lord was baptized in the Jordan, the voice of the Father was heard saying, 

"This is my dear son" (Matthew 3:17); 

the Son was seen in the water; and the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove.

So, in the baptism of all believers this form was prescribed by Christ: 

"Baptize all people in the name of the Father, 

and of the Son, 

and of the Holy Spirit." 

(Matthew 28:19)

In the Gospel of Luke the angel Gabriel says to Mary, the mother of our Lord: 

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, 

and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; 

and therefore that holy one to be born of you shall be called the Son of God." 

(Luke 1:35)

And in another place it says, 

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the love of God, 

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you." 

(2 Corinthians 13:14)

"There are three who bear witness in heaven--

the Father, 

the Word 

and the Holy Spirit

--and these three are one." 

(1 John 5:7)

In all passages we are fully taught that there are three persons in the one and only divine essence. And although this doctrine surpasses human understanding, we nevertheless believe it now, through the Word, waiting to know and enjoy it fully in heaven.

Furthermore, we must note the particular works and activities of these three persons in relation to us. 

The Father is called our Creator, by reason of His power.
The Son is our Savior and Redeemer, by His blood.
The Holy Spirit is our Sanctifier, by His living in our hearts.

This doctrine of the Holy Trinity has always been maintained in the true church, from the time of the apostles until the present, against Jews, Muslims, and certain false Christians and heretics, such as Marcion, Mani, Praxeas, Sabellius, Paul of Samosata, Arius, and others like them, who were rightly condemned by the holy fathers.

And so, in this matter we willingly accept the three ecumenical creeds--the Apostles', Nicene and Athanasian--as well as the ancient fathers decided in agreement with them.

In all honesty, I don't think I really need to write much more than already what was said by Guido. I could echo it or re-word it, but I don't think that would do it justice. Therefore, I am going to simply let it be.

Belgic Confession Article 8: "The Trinity"

Guido now turns to a section where he has four Articles (8-11) on the Trinity. However, even though we can easily lump them together, I feel it is necessary not only because of a great length that would be, but also to intricately look at each Article for details and important concepts.

Article 8 reads like this:

In keeping with this truth and Word of God we believe in one God, who is one single essence, in whom there are three persons, really, truly and eternally distinct according to their incommunicable properties--namely, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Father 
is the cause,
origin and 
source of all things, 
visible as well as invisible.

The Son
is the Word,
the Wisdom,
and the image of the Father.

The Holy Spirit is the eternal power 
and might,
proceeding from the Father and the Son.

Nevertheless, this distinction does not divide God into three, since Scripture teaches us that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit each has His own subsistence distinguished by characteristics--yet in such a way that these three persons are only one God.

It is evident then
that the Father is not the Son
and that the Son is not the Father,
and that likewise the Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son.

Nevertheless, 
these persons,
thus distinct,
are neither divided nor fused or mixed together.

For the Father did not take on flesh, nor did the Spirit, but only the Son.

The Father was never without His Son, nor without His Holy Spirit, since all these are equal from eternity, in one and the same essence.

There is neither a first nor a last, for all three are one
in truth and power,
in goodness and mercy.

The Word "Trinity" never shows up in the Bible. It is a technical term in theology referring to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as a unified Godhead.

Here is a simple statement of the doctrine given to my by Dr. Douglas A. Felch through my Christian Doctrine I class in the Fall of 2008 at Kuyper College.

There is one God, who nevertheless exists in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit , all of which share the same divine nature and are equal in power, glory and Godhead. 

Or we can take what Guido said in the first paragraph and simplify this a bit:

"...we believe in on God who is one single essence, in whom there are three persons..."

However, before we dig too much into this definition and article, we should realize the long strand of history that has gone before us in examining closely this doctrine.

In the 2nd Century AD the Christian faith was challenged by Gnosticism. They thought that Jesus was never human, therefore they denied the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

In the same time period as Gnosticism was challenging Christianity, there arose another group who challenged Christianity called the Ebionites. The Ebionites were a Jewish Christian Sect who believed and taught that Jesus was only human and not divine.

These two teachings obviously opposed each other; therefore this created a launching point to many similar discussions and debates often relating to the same topics.

The Apologists were known as the first ones who had to give a defense of their faith therefore this was their task: to defend the Christian faith to others objections. They are often looked down upon, but I can't even imagine being in their place in history--as the first "theologians of the church--attempting to defend their faith at such a young and lack of mature faith due to how fresh it was. Their weakness was that they often appealed to the culture; therefore they would mix Christianity with the Roman idolatry which caused great confusion among many. They earnestly wanted to defend the doctrine of the Trinity, but in doing this they were not always successful on how to defend this doctrine or articulate it very clearly. This is roughly what they believed

Before the creation of the world, God was alone except for Reason or Logos within Hi. To create the world He needed an agent to create it. Therefore He begot another divine being, the Son or the "Logos". The Son is therefore a created being.

They soon were proven that they got it wrong.

In the 3rd century a teacher in Rome named Sabellius began teaching what is known as "Modalistic Monarchianism". He taught and believed this:

He argued that there was one God, but they had three roles or three masks. The three persons merely were modes of divine action or manifestation, which God successively assumes, revealing Himself as Father in creation and in the giving of the law, as Son in the incarnation, and as Holy Spirit in regeneration and sanctification. Thus the three persons were reduced to one. If God were to manifest Himself as the Spirit, He could not at the same time manifest Himself as Jesus.

Therefore, the problem with this view is that God cannot reveal Himself at the same time. The manifestation of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit cannot be as present at one time which the Bible teaches otherwise as the Trinity is proven to have showed up in various places. One of these places is at Jesus' baptism found in Matthew 3:13-17. If we were to believe this, it would be like saying this. The Trinity is like me; my dad is a truck driver, a husband and a son all at the same time. You see, this is incorrect thinking because my dad is a husband and a son while being a truck driver, but he isn't a truck driver when he is being a husband and/or son. The "hats" that we were throughout our life is not equivalent to what Guido is describing here, nor is it what we believe.

Also in the 3rd century was the heresy of Adoptionism or "Dynamic Monarchianism". This view held this:

Jesus was born not as the Son of God only the Son of Man. Jesus was only a human until either His baptism, His resurrection, or His ascension (there are debates of the actually time between those who believe this) when God 'adopted' Him. Therefore, when this happened, He then became the Son of God and the Son of Man.

However can also be proven false because they don't take into account the pre-existent Jesus. The Bible speaks of Jesus existing (not in human form) before creation with God. He was at creation (Colossians 1:15-20). And a whole host of other verses which speak to Jesus' pre-existence can be noted as well. I will hopefully dig into this a bit deeper in the next article. [LINK]

These are the early centuries which not many people have known about. However, as we move through the 4th and beyond, there were many more councils and gatherings in discussion of the Trinity. The church has wrestled with objections time and time again due to this doctrine.

This doctrine has caused 

great pain, 

great divisions and 

great strength to the church.

Therefore, to be on this side of history after much wrestling has gone into this doctrine; I consider it a privilege to believe what I have today and I am thankful for the work that men in the past have done time and time again to preserve this doctrine and the faith which I believe.

Okay, back to Article 8 now.

The three members of the Trinity are as follows: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

They are all equal, unified and distinct at the same time. There are three persons, yet one essence between them.

Guido divides them into separate persons and names some attributes they each have. This is because there are attributes that the Father has that the Son does not have. These attributes are on a personal level though, not in essence. For if they all had the same attributes then they would be the same in essence and in person.

However, just as Guido points out. "..this distinction does not divide God into three...each has His own subsistence...that these three persons are only one God." 

They are all the same in equality from eternity, equal in power, strength and might and equal in affecting our salvation. For if you take one member of the Trinity away, then we cannot be saved.

This is going to wrap up this portion. My apologies if you are super confused. Guido lays it out very neat and nicely and I may have discombobulated you even more. I hope that isn't the case. However, if it is, head to the top of this blog post and read the article again, I believe that will be most helpful.

My hope and prayer is that it will become clearer as the next few posts will be in regards to the Trinity also.

Blessings.

Belgic Confession Article 7: "The Sufficiency of Scripture"

After distinguishing the Canonical and Apocryphal books in Article 6 Guido de Bres now moves to an article in which he names "The Sufficiency of Scripture" which reads like this:

We believe that this Holy Scripture contains the will of God completely and that everything one must believe to be saved is sufficiently taught in it.

For since the entire manner of service which God requires of us is described in it at great length, no on--even an apostle or an angel from heaven, as Paul says (Galatians 1:8)--out to teach other than what the Holy Scriptures have already taught us.

For since it is forbidden to 
add to or subtract from the Word of God (Deuteronomy 12:32, Revelation 22:18-19), this plainly demonstrates that the teaching is perfect and complete in all respects.

Therefore we must not consider human writings--no matter how holy their authors may have been--equal to the divine writings;
nor may we put custom, 
nor the majority,
nor age,
nor the passage of time or persons,
nor councils, decrees, or official decisions 
above the truth of God, for truth is above everything else. 

For all human beings are liars by nature and more vain than vanity themselves.

Therefore we reject with all our hearts everything that does not agree with this infallible rule, as we are taught to do by the apostles when they say, 

"Test the spirits to see if they are of God," 

(1 John 4:1) 

and also,

"If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house" 

(2 John 10).

Here are the Scriptures which are referenced, but not written out fully in this article:

Galatians 1:8
"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a Gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed."

Deuteronomy 12:32
"Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it."

Revelation 22:18-19
"I warn everyone who hears the words of prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, [19] and if anyone takes away the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book."

The main question that comes out of this article is this:

Does Scripture contain all things sufficient for the knowledge of salvation?

The answer for this a resounding YES!

The word sufficient can be defined as this (and hopefully more clear throughout the rest of this post): "adequate for a purpose." 

Therefore, to say that Scripture is sufficient; it must be asked, "What is Scriptures adequate purpose?" Well the purpose of Scripture is to reveal God's plan of salvation for us. 

And Scripture does just that.

Scripture clearly reveals the following:

• The creation created good.
• The fall of all humanity into sin.
• God choosing a people group, a nation to serve His purposes in the world
• Jesus Christ, the God-man, entering the world He created to be like His brothers (and sisters) in every way.
• Jesus Christ dying a death to save those who believe in Him as Lord and Savior.
• He stayed in the grave for three days and then was raised from the dead to life again.
• He then ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God.
• Before Jesus ascended, He promised the Holy Spirit, as a comforter to live in and among us (those who believe in Him as Lord and Savior)
• God's chosen people was expanded from one chosen nation to the possibility of people of all nations on the entire globe being saved from sin and death.
• And God has promised that Jesus Christ will come back to this earth to completely conquer sin and death so that we who believe in Him as Lord and Savior can live and reign with Him forever.
• God also promises to usher in a New Heaven and New Earth to live with Him forever.
• Those who do not believe will be condemned and sent to hell because of their sin not being forgiven.

This is the Gospel, the good news: 

Our gracious God has selectively saved soiled sinners from eternal destruction and damnation to rule and reign with Him fully forever.

And this is what the sufficiency of Scripture means for you and for me.

The first paragraph deals with this answering any objection to it. The first paragraph anyways, is very anti-Catholic. Catholics believe that Scripture and tradition prove to sufficient for the knowledge of salvation. However, Guido combats this by clearing stating that "the Holy Scriptures [which he mentions in Article 4 and Article 6 ] contains the will of God completely....everyone one must believe to be saved is sufficiently taught in it." 

And then Guido makes two sub-points which prove the initial statement above. His first sub-point is in paragraph two where he says that no one should teach other than what the Bible teaches. Just as Paul says in Galatians 1:8 that if anyone teaches another Gospel not found in Scripture (although there really is truly only one Gospel...) "..let him be accursed." The word here for "accursed" in the Greek is "anathema" meaning some sort of divine punishment will be on him or her who teaches a false Gospel. 

In the third paragraph, Guido states his second sub-point saying that we (NO PERSON) should not add or subtract to the Word of God. The Word of God is "...perfect and complete in all respects." And the verses from Deuteronomy and Revelation clearly explain the repercussions if a person decides to add or subtract from this book--the Word of God. Once again, here are the verses:

Deuteronomy 12:32
"Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it."

Revelation 22:18-19
"I warn everyone who hears the words of prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, [19] and if anyone takes away the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book."

Deuteronomy 12:32 clearly explains that we should do all that God commanded. Nothing should be added nor taken away from what God (this is the key component) has commanded.

Revelation 22:18-19 clearly shows the warning if a person adds or subtracts. First, God will add to that person the plagues which are described in this book. I cannot begin to name all of the plagues or things that will happen to the person who chooses to do so, but I think Galatians 1:8 (explained above) proves to be noteworthy and sufficient for now. Secondly, God will take away this person share of eternal life. In other words, Galatians 1:8 proves to be sufficient again, "...let him be accursed."

When Guido states that the Word of God is "...perfect and complete in all respects." The doctrine that Scripture is infallible comes to my mind. This means literally, "immunity from error." The Bible is incapable of being in error. There is nothing in the Bible that holds an error; it is "perfect and complete in all respects."

Guido moves on to explain this further in the fourth paragraph summarizing it stating that no matter what books, articles, etc. were written by whatever person; these writings are not "...equal to divine writings...above the truth of God for truth is above everything else." And then the next line is awesome, in as far as it proves the point of the fourth paragraph. It states this,

"For all human beings are liars by nature and more vain than vanity itself." 

Tough words to hear, but true words. 

Harsh words indeed, but ever so true.

Therefore, Guido ends this article by stating that we reject anything that does not agree with Scripture. This article piggybacks on Article 6 for good reason and it has huge implications for Christians.

First, for the pastors and teachers of Scripture. We should not consider other books about Christianity to be equal to or higher in authority than God's Word. As John says in 2 John 10 we should not even receive him or her into our house!

Second, for the Christian sitting in the pew. 1 John 4:1 has huge implications for you, "Test the spirits to see if they are of God." Be like the Bereans in Acts 17:10-15. They examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul was saying was true. Imagine that, the Apostle Paul comes to your church and you still examine the Scriptures to see if what he was saying was true....if the Bereans did this of Paul, how great and often should you and I do this when we hear the Word of God each week from the pulpit. Not only that, but also examining Scripture to see if what we read in a book or wherever we heard or read it is true. Check the Scriptures time and time again. 

"Test the spirits to see if they are from God."

1 John 4:1

For when we do this, we will know if we are being taught a false Gospel or the true Gospel. 

"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a Gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed."

Galatians 1:8

Belgic Confession Article 6: "The Difference Between Canonical and Apocryphal Books"

Guido now moves his readers from stating what the Biblical Canon is (Article 4) to the authority of this Canon (Article 5) and he takes time to distinguish between the canonical books and the apocryphal books.

We distinguish between these holy books and the apocryphal books which are
the third and fourth books of Esdras;
the books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Jesus Sirach, Baruch;
what was added to the Story of Esther;
the Song of the Three Children in the Furnace;
the Story of Susanna;
the Story of Bel and the Dragon;
the Prayer of Manasseh;
and the two books of Maccabees.

The church may certainly read these books and learn from them as far as they agree with the canonical books. But they do not have such power and virtue that one could confirm from their testimony any point of faith or of the Christian religion. Much less can they detract from the authority of the other holy books.

After reading this article for the first time, many people (including myself) react in similar fashion to how they reacted after reading Article 4: "The Canonical Books" which did just that, listed the canonical books. We tend to ask the question:

Why did Guido spend time doing this?

Well, to begin; Guido is writing this to King Phillip II in order to set the believers of the Reformed faith apart from the Roman Catholics as well as the Anabaptists. Therefore, this was one way that he could do this since the Roman Catholics understand and believe the Apocryphal books to be in the canon.

To read the Apocrypha, click here. 

Guido states third important things to know about the distinction between the Canonical books and the Apocrypha books.

First, "the church may certainly read these books [Apocrypha] and learn from them..." Guido is giving us permission to read from them and learn some valuable information that might be in them. It is like reading a novel or some other sort of literature other than the Bible. It is okay to read other literature than just the Bible and certainly learn from these various types of literature, but there is a word of warning or a stipulation named by Guido also 

"..as far as they agree with the canonical books."

We can read these books and learn a great deal from them just like any other piece of literature that isn't in the Biblical Canon, but we cannot believe what they say if it doesn't agree with the Biblical Canon. If it doesn't agree with the Biblical Canon, then we shall not and must not believe what they say. This is one issue that the Apocrypha has. In and of itself it contradicts itself throughout the various books as well as contradicting what is in the Biblical Canon.

Secondly, "But they [Apocrypha books] do not have such power and virtue that one could confirm from them their testimony any point of faith or of the Christian religion." Guido clearly lays it out that the power and virtue that the Apocrypha books have is nothing in comparison to the authority and power that the Biblical Canon has in which he just explained in Article 5. There is absolutely no power because nothing of faith can be learned from them and nothing of the Christian religion can be learned from them; therefore, ultimately, they are simply a form of literature just like any other piece of literature outside the Bible. This proves also that when we read them, we shall not take what they say and raise it to a greater importance over what the Biblical Canon states for us clearly.

And thirdly, "Much less can they [Apocrypha books] detract from the authority of the other holy books." The Apocrypha books' authority cannot take away the authority that the Biblical Canon can. They cannot prove them false or trump them in any way, shape or form.

I have personally read a good number of the 14 Apocrypha books and bits and pieces of others and I have learned some things from them, but ultimately I think that there is a great contradiction between them and the Biblical Canon. I personally, cannot stand reading them because they are frustrating to read at some points.

I also never really liked to read anything outside of the Biblical and theological realm. However, as a Senior in college, I needed to take a World Literature class in which we had to read a good 150-200 page novel each week and write a paper about it (therefore we had to actually read it!). I was dreading this class. However, I finished that class full of a great and new respect for other literature outside the Biblical and theological realm. 

Therefore, I don't regard it as bad to read them;

however I think many Christians 

neglect the Book they should be reading 

for the books that they don't necessarily have to read.

I have heard far to many Christians getting all wrapped up in a novel or novel series that they literally can finish a 250 page novel in 6 hours or something similar to that outrageous number. But then you ask them when was the last time they read the Bible, they often respond, "I don't know; I just don't have much time for that."

My heart sinks. 

It becomes hard (for me) not to judge them and ridicule them for what they are doing.

Reading God's Word revives our souls.

Reading God's Word provides us with wisdom.

Reading God's Word causes us to rejoice.

Reading God's Word gives light to our eyes.

Reading God's Word is to be desired like one may desire a piece of gold.

Reading God's Word is to be desired like sweet honey.

Reading God's Word directs us in the way to live our life in which there is a great reward.

For reading God's Word affects the words we use and the meditations of our hearts.

[That list of things about the Word of God is from Psalm 19:7-14]

So take the challenge. 

Open your Bible and read it. 

Did you know that reading 3 chapters a day for 365 days will get you through the entire Bible?

Praise God for His Word given to us.

Belgic Confession Article 5: "The Authority of Scripture"

After listing the Canonical Books in Article 4; Guido de Bres continues the section on Theology Proper (God) by explaining the Scripture's authority; where it comes from and who gives it to it.

Article 5 is stated this way:

We receive all these books and these only as holy and canonical, for the regulating, founding, and establishing of our faith.

And we believe without a doubt all things contained in them--not so much because the church receives and approves them as such but above all because the Holy Spirit testifies in our hearts that they are from God and also because they prove themselves to be from God.

For even the blind themselves are able to see that the things predicted in them do happen.

This article in the Belgic Confession is said and known to be the "most Calvinistic" article; meaning that it is the most likely something that the Reformer John Calvin would have written or said; which he has done in many different places.

I have been asked the questions like the following by many people,

"How can we know that the Bible/Scripture is authoritative?" 

"Where does it get its authority from?"

And maybe you have asked this question as well. 

"Where does the authority of the Bible come from?" 

"How do we know that these books in Article 4 are true, authoritative Word of God?"

As I am sure Guido de Bres was asked this and as he is writing this; he probably was anticipating this question also. Therefore, he writes a defense of the authority of Scripture in this article.

In the first paragraph; Guido states that these books are for the "regulating, founding and establishing of our faith." This basically means exactly what 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says:

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

What this passage from Paul to the young Timothy and what Guido means by these words is that the Bible is our source of God's revealed words to us--to all of humanity. And these revealed words from God are helpful to us for teaching us, for rebuking us, for correcting us and for training us in righteousness. These are all necessary for the purpose of (key words in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 "so that") the man/woman of God may be competent or prepared and equipped for every good work that God has planned out for them today in advance (see Ephesians 2:10).

In the second paragraph Guido states three distinct things (bad word) that have proved them to be the true Words of God.

And notice the first part, his great confidence he has, "And we believe without a doubt..." Therefore, we too, as Christians living in the 21st century can have this same confidence as Guido had in this truth.

First, the church has testified to the Scriptures truth as the Word of God. They have received them as such and approves them as the true Word of God.

Secondly, and the most important as Guido states, "but above all because the Holy Spirit testifies in our hearts that they are from God..." The Holy Spirit works in our hearts to acknowledge the truth and authority that is found in the Word of God.

And thirdly, the Scriptures themselves prove themselves to be true and from God as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 stated for us.

And then in the last paragraph Guido gives a reason why they testify themselves to be true. This is known as the "Argument from Prophesy". I won't go into details about this too much, but the Old Testament prophesies in the Bible all have come true today in Christ and those that are not fully fulfilled will be fully fulfilled when Christ comes to this earth again.

"For even the blind themselves are able to see the things predicted in them do happen." 

Basically Guido is saying, "Hey dummy, wake up, there is something going on here that you don't need eyes to see." We don't need physical eyes, we need spiritual eyes. And the Holy Spirit provides them for us as He works in our hearts, minds and souls.

Praise be to God for His revealed Word to us!

Belgic Confession Article 4: "The Canonical Books"

Note: This is a continuation of the Belgic Confession series that I am doing. I intended to be more prompt in writing these posts in a better organized manner all together, but have failed to do so the way I intended. However, if you need to get caught up or would like to review, here are links to the postings on the introduction and the first three articles of which I've written on:

• Introduction to the Belgic Confession
• Belgic Confession Article 1: "The Only God"
• Belgic Confession Article 2: "The Means By Which We Know God"
• Belgic Confession Article 3: "The Written Word of God"

The Belgic Confession Article 3 was a short and concise statement about "The Written Word of God" with huge implications. The next article, Article 4, clarifies what the written Word of God consists of, as far as the books that form the content of the written Word of God. Belgic Confession Article 4 goes like this:

We include in the Holy Scriptures the two volumes of the Old and New Testaments. They are canonical books with which there can be no quarrel at all.

In the church of God the list is as follows:

In the Old Testament,

the five books of Moses--Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy;

the books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth; 

the two books of Samuel, and two of Kings;

the two books of Chronicles, called Paralipomenon;

the first book of Ezra; Nehemiah, Esther, Job;

the Psalms of David;

the three books of Solomon--Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song;

the four major prophets--Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel;

and then the other twelve minor prophets--Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.

In the New Testament,

the four Gospels--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John;

the Acts of the Apostles;

the fourteen letters of Paul--

to the Romans;

the two letters to the Corinthians;

to the Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians;

the two letters to the Thessalonians;

the two letters to Timothy;

to Titus, Philemon, and to the Hebrews;

the seven letters of the other apostles--

one of James;

two of Peter;

three of John;

one of Jude;

and the Revelation of the apostle John.

There are a few things that can be noted from this article:

(1) First, I always wondered why Guido de Bres took the time and took the ink to write the list of the Bible books out. What was his purpose? Why was this needed? Didn't everyone in the church and outside the church agree on these books? 

Sadly, this was not the case. Remember that Guido was writing this document to King Philip II to explain and tell him the true Christian doctrine. He wrote this to see that they were ready to obey to 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. Therefore, the listing of the books was extremely important to explain to King Philip II that these were the books that the church and the Holy Spirit recognized as the canon. This also showed the church and those outside the church that they were separate in belief (canonically anyways) from the Roman Catholic church.

(2) Secondly, the line, "the two books of Chronicles, called Paralipomenon" can be confusing. Before reading this article (back in 2010) I had never heard of I and II Chronicles called "Paralipomenon". So what does it mean? Why did de Bres say this? 

Typing "paralipomenon" into dictionary.com and pressing enter; this is what it shows: "an obsolete name for the Old Testament books I Chronicles and II Chronicles which were regarded as supplementary to Kings". So there is some information here; I and II Chronicles were written/recorded as a supplement to the books of I and II Kings.

Also, the Hebrew Bible ends with I and II Chronicles (I can explain later the structure of the Hebrew Bible and why our current (2014) English Bibles are not the same some other time). Seeing it proper to place I and II Chronicles near I and II Kings since both books of Chronicles were a supplement to the books of Kings; therefore, this is why they are placed where they are (this is the short answer). 

Also, the "paralipomenon" is a Greek word meaning "things left on the side" or in other words, "the omitted things". Therefore, as a supplement to Kings and books that 'fill in' what Kings does not include; I and II Chronicles are the omitted things of Kings as a supplement.

In example: I Kings begins with King David being old in age; whereas I Chronicles begins with a genealogy (and includes many more) beginning with the first Adam. And with intermittent stories placed among the genealogies, II Chronicles (36:15-23) ends with the Fall of Jerusalem and God working in the heart of Cyrus, the king of Persia (an amazing act and work indeed!). Also, compare the stories of King Josiah in II Kings 22:1-23:31 with II Chronicles 34:1-36:1. It is shown clearly here how Chronicles is a supplement for Kings.

(3) Third, de Bres doesn't list the book of Lamentations in this article. He does this because it was written by the prophet Jeremiah; therefore it was included in the book of Jeremiah. However, over the years; it was viewed as a totally separate piece of work, thus becoming its own book.

(4) Fourth, de Bres attributes the author of the book of Hebrews to Paul. Now this is a greatly debated topic in the realm of Christianity today. Not only is the author a debated topic, but also the audience as well; though the former is of greater debate.

Church tradition/history attributed this letter to the apostle Paul up until the 1800's when it became debated more widely that Paul was NOT the author of this book. Some have now said that Peter, Barnabas, Apollos, or Luke could have written it. Therefore, scholars are divided over the authorship of this book. 

There is a good amount of evidence in line with Pauline authorship, yet there is a good amount against Pauline authorship. This is where stylistic devices, theological themes, structure of letters, words used, phrases placed together, etc. all come into play. 

Even though Hebrews doesn't explicitly state the author (as well as some other books); we do know that it was inspired by the Holy Spirit, written by a human being and accepted in the Biblical canon as Holy Scriptures. Therefore, this is the comfort that we have and we need to read it, learn from it and study it as much as we can.

Those are the four comments that I wanted to make about this article in the Belgic Confession. God has given His Word to us in 66 books (39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament), as a special revelation of who He is, how He works and how He planned the way of salvation to spend with Him for eternity.

Praise God for His Holy Word to us!

Belgic Confession Article 3: "The Written Word of God"

Article 3 begins right where Article 2 left off with speaking about "special revelation"; Article 3 goes like this:

We confess that this Word of God was not sent nor delivered by the will of men, but that holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit as Peter says (2 Peter 1:21 "For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.")

Afterwards our God--because of the special care He has for us and our salvation--commanded His servants, the prophets and apostles, to commit this revealed Word to writing (Exodus 34:27; Psalm 102:18; Revelation 1:11, 19) . 

He Himself wrote with His own finger the two tables of the law (Exodus 31:18). 

Therefore we call such writings holy and divine Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16).

I absolutely love this article and I just want to point out the nature of the inspiration of Scripture. And there are three options when we speak of the written Word of God.

First, we can speak of men simply being inspired to write just as the famous Shakespeare was inspired to write his plays. 

Secondly, we can speak of men being told every single word to be written down by God; for example, God told Moses to write, "in" so Moses wrote, "in". Then God said, "Moses, write 'the'". So Moses wrote, 'the'. 

And thirdly, we can speak of God using men's natural abilities and talents through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit guiding them as they wrote.

Now, these all can seem correct and yet not so correct also. However, there is one that clearly stands out and that is the third view, known as the organic view. God used men's natural abilities and talents to reveal Himself by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

And notice the comfort that is included in this article, "because of the special care He has for us and our salvation..." Seriously, remember that Guido de Bres is writing this with the threat of persecution all around him. Yet Guido considered God to be a caring God.

Belgic Confession Article 2: "The Means By Which We Know God"

One of the aspects of the Christian Reformed Church's confessions that I absolutely love is how they flow together. After reading Article 1; someone may ask, "Well, how can we know this God describe in Article 1?"
Well, if we keep reading, we will find out.

Article 2 states this:

We know Him by two means:

First, by the creation, preservation and government of the universe, since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book

in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God: His eternal power and His divinity, as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20. 

All these things are enough to convict men and to leave them without excuse.

Second, He makes Himself known to us more openly by His holy and divine word, as much as we need in this life, for His glory and for the salvation of His own.

Not all of the posts will be as long as the other; sorry that was really long.

Anyways, Article 2. 

We can know the God of Article 1--by two means or by two "books" as Guido writes. Or as what theologians call: General and Special Revelation.

General Revelation

First, "by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book..."

God the Creator:

The first way which we can get to know God is this--look around you. 

Okay, first look up--the sky, clouds, sun, and possibly rainbow. At night it is the stars, moon and maybe even planets! Dark thunder clouds? Tornado twisters? Lightning? Snow, rain or hail falling? 

Yeah, the God of Article 1 created all of that.

Okay, now look down--the dirt (maybe even a worm?), the gravel, the sand, the grass, the sticks and leaves on the ground, the mud and the rain puddles.

Yeah, the same God of Article 1 created all of that also.....

Okay, now look around---trees, animals, other humans, bodies of water, shrubs, plants, gardens, and others...

Yeah, the same God of Article 1 created all of that also....

Now look at yourself--your hands, toes, stomach, etc. God made all of that--and everything on the inside to function correctly also....

God the Preserver and Governor:

Okay, so all of those things going on above you, below you, around you and in you.....the same God that created ALL of that is the same God who preserves each item He created and also governs or rules each item He has created.

And throughout all of this general revelation of Himself through creation; this makes us ponder God's invisible qualities--"His eternal power and His divinity....all these things are enough to convict men and to leave them without excuse." 

Basically what Guido is saying is....well actually He is quoting the Apostle Paul in Romans 1:20. God's power and divinity are on display throughout all of creation--therefore this leaves no one without an excuse for not knowing God because God has been and is continually and will continually reveal Himself to us through His creation.

Special Revelation

Secondly, we can get to know this God of Article 1 because "He makes Himself known more openly by his holy and divine Word..." 

This is the Bible.

God reveals Himself to a greater extent and in a more personal way through His Word. It is absolutely amazing.

And He does this "as much as we need in this life" meaning that He doesn't give us more than we need and He doesn't give us less than we need--it is just the right amount. The perfect amount.

And this special revelation of Himself is done for two purposes:

1. For His Glory

2. For the salvation of His own.

He reveals Himself not in a selfish manner for His own glory, but it is for His own people; to see the gloriousness (not a word) of Himself.

What marvelous truths in this Article! God reveals Himself in creation for those who don't have His Word and for those who choose not to read His Word--and they are without excuse for not believing/knowing God!

And also, the same creation which God created--He sustains and governs!

And the same God who reveals Himself in His creation; also reveals Himself in His Word!

There are many passages of Scripture which speak of God's revelation; however, one that I memorized when I was a senior in high school was Psalm 19. Psalm 19 incorporates general and special revelation together into one passage; I encourage you to turn to your Bibles and mark it down; otherwise continue to read. Try and catch the two revelations in this passage--the General (creation) and Special (God's Word) Revelation:

(1)The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. (2) Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. (3) There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. (4) Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun, (5) which is like a bridegroom coming forth from His pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run His course. (6) It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.

(7) The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. (8) The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. (9) The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. (10) They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. (11) By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

(12) Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. (13) Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

(14) May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer

Belgic Confession Article 1: "The Only God"

The Belgic Confession is a more theologically focused than the Heidelberg Catechism and theologically broader than the Canons of Dort. The Heidelberg Catechism uses very relational vocabulary with comfort throughout it, while the Canons of Dort seem to be focused on what Reformed theologians call Soteriology (the study of salvation). Even though the Belgic Confession is more focused on theology and doctrine; it still is very comforting (especially due to the historical situation which it was written in) and is very definite on the topics covered in it.

It begins by explaining God. Now the titles were not in the original document written by Guido; they were added later for the purpose of categorizing them. Here is Article 1: "The Only God"

We all believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that there is a single and simple spiritual being, whom we call God--eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, unchangeable, infinite, almighty, completely wise, just and good, and the overflowing source of all good.

There are many ways in today's world that people try to describe God.

"I think God is like a watchmaker; who made the world, then stepped aside to let it run on its own"

"I think God is like a man doing a puppet show and humans are the puppets; allowed only to go where he says we can go"

"I think God is like.....[fill in the blank]"

But you see, when someone begins a sentence like this, "I think God is like...", you can be certain that this person probably doesn't have the slightest clue to what God is like. This may sound a bit harsh, but it is so true because the only way we can know God is through the general and special revelation; therefore if we say anything outside of that realm; it would be and should be rendered false or 'made up' by our own imagination. Therefore, this would lead us to creating a mental image of God that isn't even true; a form of idolatry that pervades the church and the world alike today.

And Guido de Bres begins the Confession by describing God using Biblical terms. The first half of the article is as Plantinga says "reminds us of several features of the whole Confession" while the second half of the article names 10 attributes of God.

The first half can be broken up phrase by phrase:

"We all" reminds us of the plurality or the communal aspect to which Guido is writing to; the persecutors--King Phillip II and armies and from whom he is writing, namely the Christians being persecuted.

"believe with the heart and confess with the mouth"
This is a paraphrase of Romans 10:9 "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
Believing in our heart is being committed to the absolute core of who we are that God is really God and God is really who He says He is as revealed in the His Word. And this belief must be confessed as de Bres mentions also. Both of these are key for the Christian; we must not only believe, but also confess. For if we confess God to those around us in our daily lives; then surely Jesus will confess us on judgment day (Luke 12:8-9). What an astounding truth!

"that there is a single"
This is fighting against the belief that Christians are polytheistic--believing in more than one supreme being. We do believe in the Trinity--Father, Son and Holy Spirit--but we believe that they are one (more on the Trinity on Article 8 and 9). To say that God is a "single" being comes from Scripture, the following illustrate this:

Deuteronomy 6:4 "Here, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one."

Isaiah 44:6-8 "This is what the LORD says--Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare it and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come--yes, let him foretell what will come. Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."

James 2:19 "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder."

1 Corinthians 8:4 "So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and there is no God but one."

1 Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus..."

By naming God as a "single" being or naming Him as "one" is naming God as unified being. This, in fact, as Dr. Doug Felch (Theology Professor at Kuyper College, Grand Rapids, MI) says, "this is the one great pillar on which the whole Christian faith is built." If God is not one; our faith is false and if God isn't a single being; our faith is false.

"and simple"
This is a tough description to figure out. What does it mean that God is a 'simple being'? Well, this is a technical theological term; it isn't the term that we think of when we think of 'simple'. This refers to, once again, the oneness of God against the heresy that God is made up of parts. The texts above prove this also as well as many more text from the Bible.

"spiritual being"
In John 4:24 Jesus states that "God is spirit" and Paul does also in Galatians 3:20. To confess and believe that God is a spiritual being as Guido does; it affirms that God is immaterial, thus meaning that he has no body and no extensions in space.

"whom we call God"
God here doesn't necessarily refer to God the Father, God the Son or God the Holy Spirit; rather it refers to the essence of divinity possessed by all three members of the Trinity as Plantinga states.

Moving on to the second half of this article; we find that Guido not only believes in a God, but also what we believe God to be which is derived from Scripture. There are a number of attributes given to God due to the revelation of Himself to us through His Word; however Guido only mentions 10 of them. But there is one thing that we must note before we dive into the meaning of these attributes. The way these attributes and Being relate to one another is that these attributes are essential to who God is; while humans on the other hand possess certain attributes. For example; God is love and if He would cease to exist loving; then God wouldn't be God anymore. If we cease to love people; then we would still be human. Not so the case with God. If ceases to be who He says He is; then He ceases to be God.

1. Eternal
What does it mean that God is eternal? The dictionary says that 'eternal' is an adjective meaning, "lasting or existing forever; without end or beginning." Therefore, Guido is saying that God exists outside of time; He has always existed and will always exist; there is no beginning or end to God. This is difficult for some to understand because God transcends time and is not subject to the limitations that time offers. Time is part of the created order of things; God didn't create the world in time or at a particular time; God created the world with time. Because of this, God has no past or future; all things are eternally present to Him. Thus God does not dwell in time, time dwells in God.

Text from the Bible to support this are as follows:

Genesis 21:33 "Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God."

Psalm 29:10 "The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever."

Psalm 90:2 "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."

Isaiah 40:28 "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth..."

The importance of God being eternal is that it helps explain the eternal generation of the Son--Jesus Christ. The Son is eternally generated from the Father; the Son is not temporally begotten, there was a time when the Son wasn't of the Father. The Son was never made.

The importance of God being eternal also helps us understand our relationship to God. For God is a faithful God and nothing that happens takes God by surprise; He is our eternal dwelling place. God isn't in a hurry to deal with things because He deals with eternity; this teaches humanity in relationship with Him patience and comfort to know that all things are in God's control.

2. Incomprehensible 
God is incomprehensible meaning that God cannot fully be known. He is above all created things; therefore He cannot be fully known. He can be known; and this knowledge comes from the ways which He reveals Himself through His Word and through His Word only (more on this in Article 2).

Some texts from the Bible to support this:

1 Kings 8:27 [Solomon's Prayer] "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!"

Romans 11:33-34 "Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and His paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?"

This is important for us as humans because sometimes we think that we have God "all figured out". We thinkt that we know the ways that He will act and the things that He will do at certain times of life. However, we cannot know the mind of the Lord and no one can counsel God for His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. Therefore, we should not assume that we know how God will act or what God will do for when we get the slightest hint of thinking this way--we too will be foolishly ashamed of our misjudgment.

3. Invisible
When we speak of God being invisible, we speak of God not being seen to the human eye; not visible to what we think God is.

Some Scripture from God's Word to support this are the following:

Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--His eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen,being understood from what has been made so taht men are without excuse."

This is important for God's relationship to us, human beings, because no one has seen God; therefore no one knows what He is like; therefore the moment we try to "make God up in our mind" proves to be false; since we have not known who He is or what He is like.

4. Unchangeable
God being unchangeable means for God to not change His essence. God does not change who He is for then He would cease to be God. He doesn't mutate; He is forever the same and is therefore void of all change in His being, perfections, purposes and promises.

Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?"

1 Samuel 15:29 "The Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind."

Malachi 3:6 "I the LORD do not change."

James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

What a comfort to know that the God who rules the universe and has created all things does not change! He is constant and never differs from Himself; He remains Himself without change!

5. Infinite
This attribute of God is closely related to eternal. Infinity of God is the perfection of His nature by which everything belongs to His being or character there is no limit. God is not limited by the world that He has made.

Some texts to support this:

Psalm 139:7-10 "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."

Psalm 145:3 "Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom!"

This is important for understanding God because it helps us realize that God is not like us. Infinity is hard to comprehend; however, because God is infinite, it allows Him to be personal. God can deal with us as if we were the only one alive! If you don't understand the infinity of God; then how can you understand prayer?

6. Almighty
By naming God as 'almighty' Guido is pointing to the mighty and great power of God that is in control of everything that He has created. God's power is not limited by anything that has been created; His power is greater than anything created.

Genesis 17:1 "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless."

Psalm 104 [whole thing]

What a comfort again to know that all that is created is of a lesser power to God. God controls all things by His might for nothing is out of His control.

7. Completely Wise
If God is eternal, infinite and almighty; then how can He not be completely wise? He knows all things and will know all things; nothing that happens takes God by surprise.

Job 12:13 "To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding our His."

Again, a comfort to know that God is seeing all things and knows how to handle all situations that happen here on earth; nothing is surprising for our great God!

8. Just
This is an attribute that many people have a hard time with mainly I think anyways, they don't understand what "just or justice" actually is. It is getting what someone deserves. If you kill someone, you deserve jail/prison time. If you break a rule at home, you deserve a punishment, etc. However, many people view God's justice as something that makes God angry--it is known by some as "God's angry side." I have heard it said, "When God gets angry, we need to explain that someone, therefore we call it 'justice' and think that it is just who God is and we don't have to worry about what this anger really means"

Deuteronomy 32:4 "He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He." [This is from the Song of Moses]

Isaiah 61:8 "For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity."

And for God's justice; men have ridden on mopeds 8,603.1 miles circumnavigating the United States of America to promote God's justice in the land for those being human trafficked and for those who are doing the human trafficking. If you don't believe me, go to YouTube and type in "Moped Justice Mission" and there are two videos. Or click here to read the blog about the trip.

9. Good and the Overflowing Source of All Good
There have been many debates over what the meaning of "good" is in theological circles. However, what I want to mention here is remember the context that Guide de Bres is writing this in....he is getting persecuted as well as other Christians. And he is writing this to the one who is persecuting him. Guido is basically saying, "No matter what you do to me; I still believe that God is good and He is the overflowing source of all good." WOW!

Now that is some incredible faith.

So from this list of attributes, though it isn't complete, there is a great picture of a marvelous and wonderful God whom we should stand in awe of; thanking Him for all He has given us and remembering His care for our lives--because this simple, eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, unchangeable, infinite, almighty, completely wise, just and good and the overflowing source of all good God--is personally in touch with us and all of creation. He cares for all that He has created.

Praise the Lord!