The Belgic Confession The Belgic Confession is actually the personal confession of faith of one man, Guido de Bres, written in the early days of the Reformation in what was then the southern part of the Netherlands (known today as Belgium). At that time the provinces of the Netherlands had been the property of the Spanish crown for many years. In 1555 Charles V, the King of Spain, who had been relatively tolerant of the emerging Reformation, turned the throne over to his son Philip II. Philip viewed himself as the divinely ordained protector of Roman Catholicism, and he was determined to crush Protestantism, especially in the Netherlands, where growing economic prosperity and an independent spirit seemed to threaten Spain and the monarchy. Reformed congregations met secretly in many major cities and towns. In May 1566 they gathered in a secret synod at Antwerp seeking a common confession. They adopted the confession of Guido de Bres with some revisions and sent it to Geneva for printing. De Bres had been a pastor and itinerant preacher of the Reformation in southern the Netherlands, often traveling in disguise to avoid arrest. His primary purpose in writing his confession of faith was to distinguish the Reformed Christians in the Netherlands from the Anabaptists, who challenged the authority of the civil government. The confession was widely circulated among Reformed leaders, including John Calvin. All approved it while suggesting some changes. During the night of November 1, 1561, a copy of the confession was thrown over the wall of the castle of Tounay. The signers hoped it might reach the king's commissioners and prove Reformed believers innocent of heresy and sedition. Instead they were judged guilty and suffered torture and death, including de Bres, who was hanged in 1567. In 1788 the Belgic Confession was translated into English by a committee of the Reformed Dutch Church in America. As one of the official Standards of Unity (together with the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dort), it has influenced the Reformed Church's theological instruction, preaching, and teaching for centuries. Article | Title | 1
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37 | The Only God
The Means By Which We Know God
The Written Word Of God
The Canonical Books
The Authority Of Scripture
The Difference Between Canonical and Apocryphal Books
The Sufficiency of Scripture
The Trinity
The Scriptural Witness on the Trinity
The Deity of Christ
The Deity of the Holy Spirit
The Creation of All Things
The Doctrine of God's Providence
The Creation and Fall of Humanity
The Doctrine of Original Sin
The Doctrine of Election
The Recovery of Fallen Humanity
The Incarnation
The Two Natures of Christ
The Justice and Mercy of God in Christ
The Atonement
The Righteousness of Faith
The Justification of Sinners
The Sanctification of Sinners
The Fulfillment of the Law
The Intercession of Christ
The Holy Catholic Church
The Obligations of Church Members
The Marks of the True Church
The Government of the Church
The Officers of the Church
The Order and Discipline of the Church
The Sacraments
The Sacrament of Baptism
The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
The Civil Government
The Last Judgment | Complete Confession: PDF, Webpage |
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