The Belgic Confession

(DE NEDERLANDSE GELOOFSBELIJDENIS). 
1561 - 1961

Dr. K. Runia. Trowel & Sword, November 1961

Preamble: Beginning with a history lesson, Dr, Runia moves almost imperceptibly into a discussion of what it means to be “Reformed”, until at last he comes to the real reason for writing this editorial. What is it? Read on and it will become obvious what is on his mind and on his heart.

The Belgic Confession

No Church of the 16th century has produced so many martyrs of the faith than the Reformed Church of the combined Netherlands (our present day Holland and Belgium). In Brussels, July 1, 1523, the first martyrs of Protestantism, Henry Voes and John Esch were burned at the stake, reciting the Apostles’ Creed and singing the Te Deum. They were only the first of a great multitude. According to Hugo Grotius more than 100,000 men and women were martyred under the reign of Philip II. According to Gibbon the number of Protestants who were executed in this period far exceeded that of the primitive martyrs of the first three centuries in the whole Roman Empire.

One of these martyrs was Guido de Bres, who was hanged on the last day of May, 1567, at Valenciennes, Belgium. That his name is still known among Reformed people all over the world is due to the fact that he was the chief author of the Belgic Confession. Born about 1523 he was converted to the Reformed faith by diligent study of the Scriptures. After a period of exile in England under Edward VI, he went to Lausanne, where he studied for the ministry. After that he became a travelling evangelist in South-western Belgium and Northern France. At the age of 45 he crowned his ministry with his martyrdom.

Because the confession written by him originated in Southern Netherlands, now known as Belgium, it has been called the Belgic Confession. But it was not just a confession representing the faith of one national group only. This confession was the embodiment of the Reformed faith, accepted by the followers of Calvin, all over Europe. It was originally intended as a defence against the common charge of rebellion and as a protest against the cruel oppression by the Spanish government and the Roman Catholic Church. Consulting the French Confession of 1559, de Bres, in co-operation with some other Reformed ministers of the Netherlands, wrote this confession to show that the adherents of the Reformed Faith are no rebels, but obedient citizens of their king, whom they will obey in all lawful things. Yet rather than deny Christ before men, they will “offer their backs to stripes, their tongues to knives, their mouths to gags, and their bodies to the fire, well knowing that those who follow Christ must take His cross and deny themselves” (quoted from the address presented to Philip II).

So this confession, as nearly all other great confessions, was not born of purely academic discussions, but of a struggle of life and death. For the author and his fellow-believers, the Reformed Faith was not just one religious opinion alongside others, but it was the Divine Truth of God’s Word, as they had understood it under the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Therefore they were not afraid to die for it and to seal their conviction with the most cruel death. Motley in his “History of the Rise of the Dutch Republic (Vol II, p. 504) said of the terrible reign of Alva: “The barbarities committed amid the sack and ruin of those blazing and starving cities are almost beyond belief; unborn infants were torn from the living bodies of their mothers; women and children were violated by the thousands, and whole populations burned and hacked to pieces by soldiers in every mode which cruelty in its wanton ingenuity could devise”.

What is Reformed?

We, who are the descendants of these martyrs, still call ourselves Reformed. But do we still know what this word means?

Many of us would perhaps say: it means that we belong to the Calvinistic tradition. As such this answer is perfectly correct. The Reformed faith is indeed the faith which embodies the Calvinistic interpretation of Scripture. And yet this answer is by far not sufficient. It is only an historical answer, which could be given by every outsider. The real answer, however, goes much further. It seeks to evaluate the truth of the Reformed faith, by subjecting it to the test of Holy Scripture itself. What is our answer to this question?

It is quite a common thing in our day to hear people say: Oh, the Reformed faith is just one of the many interpretations of Christianity. It is a real nice one, but, just as all the others, it is unbalanced and you need the others to see the whole truth. One can hear such an answer even among Reformed people. Usually they add: we should not be so proud as to think that we alone have the truth. The truth is not ours, but God’s and He has given part of it to all.

Does it not sound nice? Does it not sound humble? Yes, it does. But – it is the humility of the relativist.   It is the humility of the man, who actually does not have a real conviction, but who today is inclined to believe this and tomorrow that!

And what a far cry this is from the attitude of Guido de Bres and his fellow-martyrs. If they had been of the same opinion, there would not have been any martyr! There would not have been a Reformation! Even more than that there would not have been a Christian Church!

Surely, we have to be humble. It is not our merit to have a true and deep understanding of Scripture. It is pure grace, a mere gift of the Spirit. But at the same time, if we have received this grace, it is our duty to accept it in gratitude and acknowledge it freely. Shame on us, if we are ashamed of our convictions! In that case we are not worthy to call ourselves Reformed!

The other day the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney said: “We Anglicans believe that Anglicanism is the purest and most scriptural expression of the Christian religion, both in its faith and order. If we do not believe that, we have no right to be Anglicans”. Although I do not agree with Dr. Gough, I do honour him for his conviction. This is the language of a man who is convinced of the truth of his religion and church. And if we are truly Reformed, we should be prepared to say the same of our own faith.

Our  modern world is dying of relativism.  You find it everywhere. In politics, in the business world, in science, in art and also in religion. If we are Reformed we cannot be relativist. For Reformed is to be convinced of the truly scriptural character of our faith. Prof. R. B. Kuiper expressed it in these words with which we fully agree:

THE REFORMED FAITH IS THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IN ITS MOST COMPREHENSIVE AND CONSISTENT FORMULATION AND CALVINISM IS CHRISTIANITY IN ITS PUREST AND MOST PRECISE EXPRESSION.

(To Be or Not to Be Reformed. 29)

Because I believe this I am a member of the Reformed Church. Because I believe this I cannot be ashamed of my faith, but are prepared to defend it everywhere and before everyone.

Ecclesia Reformata Semper Reformanda

Do we mean to say on this that we are perfect? That our faith is perfect or that our Church is perfect? Not at all. The above mentioned Latin saying is perfectly true. A Reformed Church is never finished with its task, but has to subject itself to a continuous process of Reformation.

And yet we do believe that our Church holds and preaches the true faith in its most comprehensive and consistent interpretation. For this reason we cannot possibly understand how our Tasmanian brethren, who in the past years have re-discovered this truth, decided to establish a new denomination. I do realise that there were many difficulties. There were differences in tradition, practice and lately also in worship. But is that enough to establish a new denomination and to add another division to the Body of Christ? Recently I have heard it said more than once: They could not join us because our Reformed Churches carry so much dead weight. I would be the last to deny this. I can understand that for those who have just gone through a personal struggle such dead weight is repelling. But I am also sure, that after twenty-five years the newly formed Evangelical Reformed Church will be in the same position! And I am also sure that this can never be a reason for a new denomination. How different was the view of the “father” of the Reformed Reformation. (See: Institutes Book IV, Ch.I, 10-16.)

I cannot see it otherwise than that the establishment of this new denomination is a dark stain on Australian Calvinism. How tragic that this happened in the year of the commemoration of the Belgic Confession. We all are Reformed. We all do believe that the Reformed Faith is the true interpretation of Scripture. And yet we part company for subordinate reasons. Now there are five Reformed denominations in this Australia (apart from the many Calvinists in the Presbyterian Church, the Church of England, etc.):

The Free Presbyterian Church, the Reformed Presbyterian Church, the Reformed Churches, the Free Reformed Churches and the Evangelical Reformed Church. Are there real differences in Faith? No! Is there any of these Churches which cannot fully and whole-heartedly subscribe, e.g. to the Belgic Confession? No! How tragic! Or should we say: how sinful?

To be divided is not a sin in itself. On the contrary, it can be an act of true obedience. To be divided as Churches of the same confession is not a sin in itself either.

It may be due to  historical circumstances, which at first could not  be  overcome.  But to remain divided, while there is no doctrinal reason whatsoever, is  utterly sinful.,  To acquiesce in such a divided-ness is  contrary to the very essence of the Reformed Faith.

May God open the eyes of all  the Australian Calvinists, that they become more aware of the precious legacy, for which their forefathers died.

That they also become more aware of their  high calling to seek one another in unceasing love.  That would, no doubt, be the best commemoration of  the 400th anniversary of the  Belgic Confession!                   

K. Runia

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