BELGIC CONFESSION OF FAITH - · PDF fileBELGIC CONFESSION OF FAITH ARTICLE #12 ... Genesis 1:3ff –God called each creature into existence. Romans 4:17, Hebrews 11:3. By Speaking

• OVERVIEW:

BELGIC CONFESSIONOF FAITHARTICLE #12

THE CREATION

[Rev. D. Kleyn, PRCA Missionary]

a. How Did God Create All Things? Proof?

Out of Nothing “… of nothing …” There was no pre-existing matter.

Genesis 1:1-2 – God created the mass of material.

Genesis 1:3ff – God called each creature into existence.

Romans 4:17, Hebrews 11:3.

By Speaking “… by the Word, that is, by His Son …”

Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24.

Psalm 33:6, John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 11:3.

b. When Did God Create All Things? Proof?

In The Beginning Genesis 1:1, John 1:1-3, Hebrews 1:10.

Note: God also created time.

The Beginning was about 6,000 years ago Creation happened approximately 4,000 B.C.

Proven through the genealogies in the Bible.

I Chronicles 1ff, Matthew 1, Luke 3.

c. How Long Did It Take God To Create All Things? Proof?

Six Days of 24 Hours Genesis 1 Each day had a “morning” and “evening.” Word for “day” refers elsewhere in the Bible to a 24 hour day.

Exodus 20:11 – “For in six days the LORD made heaven andearth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested theseventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day,and hallowed it.”

How do we explain II Peter 3:8 – “But, beloved, be notignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lordas a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

d. Why Did God Create All Things? Proof?

Negatively: Not because He needed to for Himself. (God is Triune!)

Not for man’s happiness and enjoyment.

Not so man could live forever on this earth.

Positively: For His Glory! The Creation glorifies God – Psalm 19:1-2, Isaiah 43:7,

Revelation 4:11.

God’s work of Salvation in this Creation especially does. Creation is the “stage/setting” for God’s saving work.

Colossians 1:15ff, Proverbs 16:4, Hebrews 2:10, Revelation 5.

e. What Is the Purpose Of Your Life? What Does It Mean That God HasGiven You “Offices” To That End?

Article 12: “… to serve its Creator …”

“… to the end that man may serve his God.”

W.C., Shorter Catechism, Q&A 1 – “Man’s chief end is toglorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”

I Corinthians 10:31 – “Whether therefore ye eat, ordrink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

“Offices” refers to “abilities.” Ephesians 2:8-10.

f. When Did God Create The Angels? How And Why Did Some Of The

Angels Fall (see Isaiah 14:12-15)? Most likely the Angels were Created on the First Day. Genesis 1:1 – “heaven” refers to the heavenly creatures. Job 38:7 – the angels rejoiced as God created all things.

The Fall of the Angels: Isaiah 14:12-15 – the devil and his sin of pride. All wicked/reprobate angels fell with the devil. Double Predestination of God among angels (I Tim. 5:21).

God sovereignly purposed this fall for His glory. Through the salvation of the elect in Christ. Through His just punishment of Satan and his hosts.

g. What Is The Difference Between “Atheistic” and “Theistic” Evolution? What Is Our Basic Response To These?

Theories of Evolution Atheistic Evolution – Darwinianism. “Big Bang.” Simpler

life to more complex. Billions of years. Survival of fittest.

Theistic Evolution – God involved. God started and God controlled the evolutionary process.

Our Response: First 4 Q&A’s above: How did God create?, When did God

create?, How Long did it take?, Why did God create?

We believe what the Bible teaches, because the Bible is the divinely inspired and infallible Word of God.

Genesis 1 is historical fact.

h. How Respond To One Who Says What You Believe About Origin Of The World

Makes No Difference For Salvation?

The Bible is a Unity. All the truth fits together. There is one theme and message, and everything in the Bible is part of it and contributes to it.

God created everything with Christ and His saving work in view. The Creation itself is full of pictures of Christ.

To say it is a “non-salvation” matter is to allow the findings of Science to trump the Word of God. You deny the doctrine of Scripture.

BELGIC CONFESSIONOF FAITHARTICLE #13

DIVINE PROVIDENCE

[Rev. D. Kleyn, PRCA Missionary]

a. What Is God’s Providence?

Providence: God “did not forsake” anything that He created. God did

not “give them [all He created] up to fortune or chance.” God “rules and governs them [all the things that He created]

according to His holy will.” “Nothing happens in this world without His appointment.”

God did not abandon His creation, but He cares for it. He continues to give existence to creation and creatures. God provides for the creatures that He created.

Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 10, Q&A 27

Question 27. What do you mean by theprovidence of God? Answer. The almighty and everywhere present

power of God; whereby, as it were by His hand, Heupholds and governs heaven, earth, and allcreatures; so that herbs and grass, rain anddrought, fruitful and barren years, meat anddrink, health and sickness, riches and poverty,yea, and all things come, not by chance, but by Hisfatherly hand.

b. What Are The Two Aspects Of God’s Work Of Providence?

Two Aspects: God UPHOLDS (PRESERVES) His creation. God GOVERNS (RULES) His creation.

Examples of what God Upholds and Governs: Psalm 104 – the creation itself. Matthew 10:29-30 – ordinary things. Matthew 24:7 – extraordinary things. Proverbs 21:1 – nations and kings. Ephesians 2:10 – good works/deeds. II Samuel 16:10, Proverbs 16:4 – evil, sin. Acts 2:23 – the greatest sin ever committed. Job 1:12 & Job 2:6 – the Devil.

c. What Do The Following Views Teach Concerning God’s Relationship To The

World? How Are They Wrong?

1. DEISM View: God is like a clockmaker. Lets world run by itself.

Criticism: Makes God uninterested, uncaring, lazy.

Our Biblical Proofs: Psalm 121:4, John 5:17, Acts 17:28.

2. DUALISM View: God is like a Master chess-player. God is involved.

He faces opposition, but He will make it all turn out OK.

Criticism: Denies God’s absolute sovereignty over all things, specifically His sovereignty over evil.

Our Biblical Proofs: Amos 3:6, Isaiah 45:7, Daniel 4:35.

d. What Should Our Response BeWhen We Don’t Understand

Why God Does Certain Things?

BC: “And, as to what he doth surpassing humanunderstanding, we will not curiously inquire into,farther than our capacity will admit of; but with thegreatest humility and reverence adore the righteousjudgments of God, which are hid from us, contentingourselves that we are disciples of Christ, to learn onlythose things which he has revealed to us in his Word,without transgressing these limits. …”

(1) Humbly Submit to God. (2) Adore and Praise God. (3) Believe and Trust in God Who does and controls all things as “our most gracious and heavenly Father.”

And, as to what he doth surpassing human understanding, we will not curiously inquire into, farther than our capacity will admit of; but with the greatest humility and reverence adore the righteous judgments of God, which are hid from us, contenting ourselves that we are disciples of Christ, to learn only those things which he has revealed to us in his

Word, without transgressing these limits. …

e. How Does The Truth Of God’s Providence Affect OurMaking Plans In Life?

JAMES 4:13-15 – “Go to now, ye that say, To day or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there ayear, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye knownot what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? Itis even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, andthen vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If theLord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”

MATTHEW 6:10 – “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be donein earth, as it is in heaven.”

LUKE 22:42 – “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cupfrom me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”

f. In What Ways Is The Truth Of Providence A Comfort To Us?

This doctrine affords us unspeakable consolation, since we are taught thereby that nothing can befall us

by chance, but by the direction of our most gracious and heavenly Father; Who watches over us with a paternal care, keeping all creatures so under His

power, that not a hair of our head (for they are all numbered), nor a sparrow, can fall to the ground,

without the will of our Father, in Whom we do entirely trust; being persuaded, that He so restrains the devil

and all our enemies, that without His will and permission, they cannot hurt us.

f. In What Ways Is The Truth Of Providence A Comfort To Us?

Nothing happens by chance.

God is our most gracious and heavenly Father.

Our Father, Who loves us, watches over us.

Our Father is almighty and controls everything.

We are never in the devil’s hands – Job 1, Job 2.

No-one and nothing can hurt us – John 10:29.

ALSO, God directs all things for our spiritual & eternal good – Rom. 8:28, II Cor. 4:15, Gen. 50:19-21.

Question 28. What advantage is it to know thatGod has created, and by His providence stillupholds all things? Answer. That we may be patient in adversity;

thankful in prosperity; and that in all things,which may hereafter befall us, we place our firmtrust in our faithful God and Father, that nothingshall separate us from His love; since all creaturesare so in His hand, that without His will theycannot so much as move.

Doctrine According to Godliness, Rev. R. Hanko, p. 93.

“God’s presence and preserving power in the creation area wonderful testimony to the believer of the God heknows and loves in Christ.

“One who knows that in God he lives and moves and hashis being will never be afraid of anything, and he will beforever thankful, not only because God preserves andprotects his spiritual life, but also because God gives him,day by day, life and breath and all things (Acts 17: 25).

“He will die in peace in the confidence that the one Whogives and preserves life also takes it away again, and thatGod is the faithful Father of His people, even in death.”

Our Reformed Confessions say: “NO! Absolutely not!” Canons of Dordt, Head 1, Art. 15 – And this decree of reprobation … by no means

makes God the author of sin (the very thought of which is blasphemy), but declaresHim to be an awful, irreprehensible, and righteous judge and avenger thereof.

Belgic Confession, Art. 13 – … nevertheless, God neither is the author of, nor canbe charged with, the sins that are committed. For His power and goodness are sogreat and incomprehensible, that He orders and executes His will in the mostexcellent and just manner, even then when devils and wicked men act unjustly.

Why God cannot be the author of sin:

1. Impossible for God to be the author of sin because He hates sin.

2. God decreed sin, but depraved man is the moral origin of sin.

3. Man is fully responsible for sin because man wilfully commits sin.

4. God always has a good purpose in His plan, control, and use of sin.

EXTRA: Does The Truth Of Providence Imply That God Is The Author Of Sin?

“PROVIDENCE” AND “COMMON GRACE”

SCRIPTURE: PSALM 73

God’s Providence is the Almighty and omnipresent power of God whereby He upholds all things and governs them according to His own counsel.

Providence means God cares for the world He made.

God did not abandon the universe after He created it, but is very interested and very involved in the world.

The creation could not continue to exist without God –without His presence, power, involvement, etc.

Nothing happens by chance, or because of an independent devil, laws of nature, etc. All happens because of God.

GOD’S PROVIDENCE

1. PRESERVATION – God UPHOLDING

God continues to give existence and life to the creatures He made. Without Him, no creature could exist. All creatures are fully dependent on the Almighty God.

Hebrews 1:3, Acts 17:25-28.

2. GOVERNMENT – God RULING

God controls all things (nothing is by chance). And God leads (directs) all things to the purpose He has for them –namely, His glory through the salvation of His church.

Acts 15:18, Ephesians 1:10-13.

THE TWO ASPECTS OFGOD’S PROVIDENCE

WHY CONSIDER “COMMON GRACE” IN CONNECTION WITH PROVIDENCE?

Providence means that God cares for all His creatures. God therefore cares for (upholds/preserves), not only the

elect whom He loves, but also the wicked reprobate.

God not only gives life, health, food, success, etc. to His chosen people, but also to the wicked and ungodly.

QUESTION: Does God’s care of all creatures demonstrate that He loves them all and is gracious to them all? If so, then the view of “common grace” is correct – that God is

gracious/favorable to all mankind.

If not, then how do we explain the things that God does for and gives to the wicked reprobates?

HISTORY

Adopted by Synod of Christian Reformed Church in 1924.

Opposed by Rev’s H. Hoeksema, H. Danhof, and G. Ophoff.

These men and their consistories were deposed (wrongly).

This led to the beginning of the PRCA denomination.

THE THREE POINTS (in summary)

1. God’s grace is common to all men – to both elect & reprobate.

2. The Spirit restrains sin in the hearts of all – also in reprobates.

3. The unregenerate (unsaved) are able to do good works.

THE THREE POINTS OFCOMMON GRACE

THE FIRST POINTOF COMMON GRACE

Regarding the first point, touching the favorable attitude of God toward mankind in general and not

only toward the elect, Synod declares that according to Scripture and the Confession, it is established, that

besides the saving grace of God shown only to the elect unto eternal life, there is also a certain favor or grace

of God which He shows to his creatures in general.

[Psalm 145:9, Matthew 5:44-45, Luke 6:35-36, Acts 14:16-17, I Timothy 4:10, Romans 2:4, Ezekiel 33:11, Ezekiel 18:23]

BIBLICAL SUPPORT USED FOR THE FIRST POINT OF COMMON GRACE

• PSALM 145:9 – “The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are overall his works.”

• MATTHEW 5:44-45 – “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless themthat curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them whichdespitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children ofyour Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the eviland on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

• LUKE 6:35-36 – “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hopingfor nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be thechildren of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”

• ACTS 14:16-17 – “Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in theirown ways. Nevertheless, he left not himself without witness, in that hedid good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling ourhearts with food and gladness.”

God is gracious to all mankind in the world.

He is gracious to the elect, and also to the reprobate.

He is gracious to the righteous, and also to the wicked.

The evidence/proof of this common grace of God is that God bestows on all men alike the things of this present life – rain, sunshine, food, earthly success, pleasure, etc.

God’s common grace is limited to earthly life & history.

God shows His common grace to the wicked now.

But the wicked will eternally be the objects of God’s wrath.

WHAT “COMMON GRACE” TEACHES

1. It is Contrary to Scripture.

God is never gracious to reprobates, but always hates them.

Psalms 5:5 & 11:5, Proverbs 3;33, Romans 9:13, I Peter 3:12.

2. It confuses “grace” and “things.”

Grace is not in things, just as the curse is not in things.

Grace is a favorable attitude of God, shown only to the elect.

3. It creates contradiction in God.

Now in time and history, God supposedly is gracious to all.

But at the end of time, He will send the reprobate to hell.

THE SCRIPTURAL & REFORMED RESPONSE TO “COMMON GRACE”

BIBLICAL PASSAGES THAT DISPROVETHE FIRST POINT OF COMMON GRACE

• PSALM 5:5 – “The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatestall workers of iniquity.”

• PSALM 11:5 – “The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked andhim that loveth violence his soul hateth.”

• PROVERBS 3:33 – “The curse of the Lord is in the house of thewicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.”

• ROMANS 9:13 – “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau haveI hated.”

• I PETER 3:12 – “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, andhis ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord isagainst them that do evil.”

God, in His providence, does give good things to the reprobate. Rain, sun, health, food, riches, etc., are good gifts (James 1:17).

But while the elect and reprobate have many things in common (many earthly things), they do not have God’s grace in common.

The grace of God is His attitude of favor, and that grace is not common (for all men), but particular (only for the elect).

God never has a favorable attitude toward the reprobate wicked when He gives good things to them. God always hates them.

The important question is “WHY does God give these things to the wicked?” For their condemnation & destruction (Ps. 73:17-20, 92:7).

NOTE: God’s providence is common to all men, but God’s grace is never common to all men!

THE SCRIPTURAL & REFORMED EXPLANATION

A common providence is

not the same thing as a

common grace, and the two

should not be confused.

Doctrine According To Godliness, p. 96Rev. R. Hanko

Verse 1 – This verse expresses the theme of the Psalm: God is always good to His people. God’s goodness and grace are particular.

Verses 2-16 – The elect are tempted to doubt God’s goodness to them:

When we see that the wicked have a life of ease and prosperity.

When we, on the other hand, experience suffering.

Verse 17 – To understand this, we must look at things in light of eternity.

Verses 18-20 – The prosperity of the wicked is part of God’s work of leading them to destruction.

Verses 23-24 – In contrast to this, God never forsakes His people. He is lovingly leading them to and preparing them for heaven.

Verses 21-22 – It is wrong and sinful to determine whether God is good to people on the basis of outward things or circumstances.

Verses 25-28 – We must have faith in God. He is always good to His people, thus we should draw near to and put our trust in Him.

PSALM 73 CONCERNING“COMMON GRACE”

JOHN CALVIN

“How does it come about that God not only makes Hissun rise on the good and the evil, but that with respectto the uses of the present life his inestimable liberalityconstantly flows in great plenty? Hence, we surelyrecognize that the things proper to Christ and hismembers also pour forth abundantly upon the wicked,not to become their lawful possession, but rather torender them inexcusable … [and to] lead to theirgreater condemnation.”

[Calvin’s Institutes, Book III, Chapter 25, Paragraph 9]

Perhaps the greatest danger, though, in the teaching of

common grace is that it destroys our comfort in God. If rain

and sunshine, health and life, are in themselves grace, what

are we to conclude when God sends us the opposite: sickness,

poverty, drought, or death? Are these things his curse? Does

he send them because he hates us? If grace is in “good

things,” have we no grace when God does not give us those

good things? Are we not rather to conclude this: that all he

sends us, his people, whether health or sickness, poverty or

prosperity, life or death, he sends in his love and grace and

for our good (Rom. 8: 28), but that everything he sends the

wicked, even though it be in itself “good,” is nevertheless for

their condemnation? How else shall we be comforted in all

our sorrows and afflictions?

[R. Hanko, Doctrine According To Godliness, p. 96]