What is the Belgic Confession?

The Belgic Confession (1561) is a statement of faith for the Reformed Church in Holland (Belgica), written primarily by Guido de Brès. It is the oldest confession of faith used by the Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church in America and is readily available online.

At the time the Belgic Confession was written, King Phillip II of Spain was bent on stamping out all forms of Protestantism in his realm. At this time he was Lord of the Seventeen Provinces (the Hapsburg Netherlands), an area that corresponds to modern-day Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and some of France. At Phillip’s hand, Protestant churches were subject to severe persecution. The author of the confession, a Reformed preacher, was martyred in 1567.

The Belgic Confession is a plea for tolerance as the author sought to make clear what the Reformed faith believes and how it is consistent with the ancient creeds. The document seeks to demonstrate that Reformed believers were not rebels and were willing to be subject to the king in all matters that do not contradict the laws of God in Scripture. However, they were willing to suffer and die, if necessary, for the truth of what they believed. The Belgic Confession also explains what differentiates Reformed faith from Catholicism and Anabaptism.

The Belgic Confession did not accomplish the goal of securing relief for persecuted churches; however, the Reformed congregations readily received it, and it became a source of unity for them.

The Belgic Confession is thoroughly evangelical. The Articles listed below will give a sense as to the topics covered:

Article 1: The Only God

Article 2: The Means by Which We Know God

Article 3: The Written Word of God

Article 4: The Canonical Books

Article 5: The Authority of Scripture

Article 6: The Difference Between Canonical and Apocryphal Books

Article 7: The Sufficiency of Scripture

Article 8: The Trinity

Article 9: The Scriptural Witness on the Trinity

Article 10: The Deity of Christ

Article 11: The Deity of the Holy Spirit

Article 12: The Creation of All Things

Article 13: The Doctrine of God’s Providence

Article 14: The Creation and Fall of Humanity

Article 15: The Doctrine of Original Sin

Article 16: The Doctrine of Election

Article 17: The Recovery of Fallen Humanity

Article 19: The Two Natures of Christ

Article 20: The Justice and Mercy of God in Christ

Article 21: The Atonement

Article 22: The Righteousness of Faith

Article 23: The Justification of Sinners

Article 24: The Sanctification of Sinners

Article 25: The Fulfillment of the Law

Article 26: The Intercession of Christ

Article 27: The Holy Catholic Church (here, Catholic simply means “universal,” as opposed to “Roman Catholic”)

Article 28: The Obligations of Church Members

Article 29: The Marks of the True Church

Article 30: The Government of the Church

Article 31: The Officers of the Church

Article 32: The Order and Discipline of the Church

Article 33: The Sacraments

Article 34: The Sacrament of Baptism

Article 35: The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

Article 36: The Civil Government

Article 37: The Last Judgment