The Belgic Confession Week 7.

Review:

Article 1.

THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD.

Article 2.

BY WHAT MEANS GOD IS MADE KNOWN UNTO US.

Article 3.

THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD.

Article 4.

CANONICAL BOOKS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURE.

Article 5.

WHENCE THE HOLY SCRIPTURES DERIVE THEIR DIGNITY AND AUTHORITY.

Article 6.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CANONICAL AND APOCRYPHAL BOOKS.

Article 7.

THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES TO BE THE ONLY RULE OF FAITH.

Article 8.

GOD IS ONE IN ESSENCE, YET DISTINGUISHED  IN THREE PERSONS

Article 9.

THE PROOF OF THE FOREGOING ARTICLE OF THE TRINITY  OF PERSONS IN ONE GOD

ARTICLE 10.

JESUS CHRIST IS TRUE AND ETERNAL GOD

ARTICLE 11.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS TRUE AND ETERNAL GOD

ARTICLE 12.

THE CREATION OF ALL THINGS, ESPECIALLY THE ANGELS

We believe that the Father by the Word, that is, by His Son, has created of nothing the heaven, the earth, and all creatures, when it seemed good unto Him; giving unto every creature its being, shape, form, and several offices to serve its Creator; that He also still upholds and governs them by His eternal providence and infinite power for the service of mankind, to the end that man may serve his God.

He also created the angels good, to be His messengers and to serve His elect; some of whom are fallen from that excellency in which God created them into everlasting perdition, and the others have by the grace of God remained steadfast and continued in their first state. The devils and evil spirits are so depraved that they are enemies of God and every good thing; to the utmost of their power as murderers watching to ruin the Church and every member thereof, and by their wicked stratagems to destroy all; and are, therefore, by their own wickedness adjudged to eternal damnation, daily expecting their horrible torments. Therefore we reject and abhor the error of the Sadducees, who deny the existence of spirits and angels; and also that of the Manichees, who assert that the devils have their origin of themselves, and that they are wicked of their own nature, without having been corrupted.

This article is divided into two sections. The creation of all and the creation of the angels.

The Creation of All.

God created all things of nothing, for His own pleasure.

All things created by the Father, through the Son.

Genesis 1:1“1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

John 1:3“3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

God created “Ex-Nihilo” out of nothing.

God did not create by merely organizing existing matter. God Created out of nothing.

There have always been 2 views of creation.

Matter is eternal.

Matter is created by God.

The Biblical view is that matter is created by God.

Mormons for example claim God did not create everything but is Himself a created being and that God merely organized existing matter into His creation.

God created all for His own praise and glory.

Psalm 148:1–6“1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! 2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light! 4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created. 6 He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away.”

God created all by the greatness of His might and the strength of His Power. He calls all things by name.

Isaiah 40:25–26“25 “To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.”

1 Corinthians 8:6 States again that the Father is the origin of all and all is made through and sustained by the Son. “6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”

Colossians 1:16 Ever created thing is made by Christ. This verse include the creation of all the angels. “16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”

Revelation 4:11“11 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.””

Point is, God created all things for His own glory.

God upholds and governs all things.

Not only is God the creator, but God is the One sustaining all things.

Hebrews 1:3“3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Reality exists not only because God created all, but because He sustains all. If God were to stop sustaining all things, they would cease to exist.

This flies in the face of the Deists and Theists who claim God created all things and then stopped being involved. They view creation as a sort of wind up clock. God wound it all up and then took His hands off.

This also flies in the face of what many Christians believe. Provisionists also known as Arminians deny God’s active sovereignty. But without God’s active hand in every aspect of creation, nothing would happen. God is the maker and sustainer of all.

God controls the minute details of creation.

Psalm 104:10“10 He sends the springs into the valleys; They flow among the hills.”

He gives the very breath to all things.

Acts 17:25 “25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.”

That man may serve God.

Westminster Shorter Catechism: Q 1. What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

1 Corinthians 6:20“20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Ephesians 2:10“10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Matthew 4:10“10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ””

Section 2 of our article:

God created the angels.

What are angels? The confession refers to them as angels and spirits. These are the spiritual beings seen in Scripture. Angel is an umbrella term. There are many kinds of spirits talked about in Scripture. Angel is a blanket term. Angel for those who did not fall, demon for those that did. But there are many kinds of spirits. The Bible does not tell us everything about them. Our confession is here saying that God did not create just the physical world. God created the spiritual world as well.

The World is not just stuff. The spiritual and physical worlds exist beside and sometimes overlapping each other.

Example: Scripture speaks of stars as being physical, but also of being supernatural beings.

Angels appear to be governing some of what we would call natural functions.

The point is God created all things, physical and Spiritual.

Some heretics claimed God

Colossians 1:16“16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”

Our confession rejects certain false views.

The Sadducees: This Jewish party denied all things spiritual. They denied spirits and the resurrection.

The Manichees: Denied that God created the spirits. They argued the eternal existence of the spiritual.

What does the Bible teach about Angels?

They were created good.

To be His Messengers.

Angel means messenger.

All through the Bible we see angels delivering messages from God to His people.

Matthew 1:20“20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”

They also deliver praise to God.

Psalm 148:2“2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts!”

To serve His elect People.

Genesis 24:40“40 But he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house.”

Exodus 23:20“20 “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.”

1 Kings 19:5–8“5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.”

*Psalm 34:7“7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.”

Angels carry our souls to the Lord when we die.

Luke 16:22 “22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.”

The Angels delivered the NT saints from many troubles.

Acts 12:7–10 “7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. 8 Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 9 So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.”

Angels also deliver judgement and the wrath of God.

Sodom and Gomorrah.

Angels are said to bring about many physical judgments in the prophetic books like Isaiah and Jeremiah and Revelation.

Some have fallen into everlasting perdition.

Satan fell in Isaiah 14.

John 8:44“44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

2 Peter 2:4“4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;”

Jude 6 “6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;”

These spirits fell into judgement. At least some are bound by God for their sin and also some for their perversion with mankind before the flood.

They are enemies of God and the church.

1 Peter 5:8“8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

Matthew 13:25“25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.”

2 Corinthians 11:3“3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

Revelation 12:17“17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

They are condemned and await judgement.

Genesis 3:15“15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.””

Jude 6 “6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;”

Revelation 12:8–10“8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.”

Central Point:

God created all things out of nothing. God upholds all things. God created the physical and the spiritual. There are spiritual forces of good and evil. We are at war with these forces of darkness.

Christ defeated Satan on the Cross. He crushed the head of satan there. We do not need to fear. The strongman is now bound. Satan will be utterly defeated at the final judgement.

ARTICLE 13.

THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD AND HIS GOVERNMENT OF ALL THINGS

We believe that the same good God, after He had created all things, did not forsake them or give them up to fortune or chance, but that He rules and governs them according to His holy will, so that nothing happens in this world without His appointment; nevertheless, God neither is the Author of nor can be charged with the sins which are committed. For His power and goodness are so great and incomprehensible that He orders and executes His work in the most excellent and just manner, even then when devils and wicked men act unjustly. And as to what He does 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 pupils of Christ, to learn only those things which He has revealed to us in His Word, without transgressing these limits. 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 (Matt. 10:29–30), 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. And therefore we reject that damnable error of the Epicureans, who say that God regards nothing but leaves all things to chance.