The Belgic Confession Week 8.

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

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.

Article 13 is the end of the first section of the Belgic. It is the final article covering the doctrine of God.

The Doctrine of God (1-13)

The Doctrine of Man (14-15)

The Doctrine of Christ (16-21)

The Doctrine of Salvation (22-26)

The Doctrine of the Church (27-35)

The Doctrine of the Magistracy (36)

The Doctrine of the End (37)

Quote: Daniel Hyde: “Here we confess that the God who is “eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, immutable, infinite” and “almighty” (article 1) is personal. Here we truly believe and confess with heart and mouth that the Creator (article 12) is “the overflowing fountain of all good” (article 1) as our provider. His providence extends to every atom, corner, and creature in the universe. And because he cares for us as his people, especially, we receive great practical benefit from knowing and experiencing this.”

The Heidelberg states the doctrine of providence this way:

27. What dost thou mean by the providence of God?

The almighty and everywhere present power of God; whereby, as it were by His hand, He upholds and governs heaven, earth, and all creatures; so that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, yea, and all things come, not by chance, but by His fatherly hand.

The central idea in understanding the providence of God is knowing that nothing comes by chance. But all things come by God’s will. And both the Heidelberg and the Belgic demonstrate that this doctrine is not really a difficult doctrine but instead one that brings great comfort.

28. What advantage is it to us to know that God has created, and by His providence doth still uphold all things?

That we may be patient in adversity; thankful in prosperity; and that in all things, which may hereafter befall us, we place our firm trust in our faithful God and Father, that nothing shall separate us from His love; since all creatures are so in His hand, that without His will they cannot so much as move.

But sadly, many are uncomfortable with this idea. In many Christian circles the words “reformed” or “Calvinist” are borderline swear words. And that is because they object to the idea of the complete sovereignty of God. But sadly, those who reject the complete sovereignty of God reject true and lasting peace in the face of the turmoil of life.

But the idea that God is in complete control and that nothing happens outside of His will is the biblical view as we will see. And it is in fact one of the single most comforting doctrines in Scripture.

We can divide this article into five sections.

God rules over all according to His holy will.

Nothing comes by chance, but by God’s appointment only.

God is just, even wen men and the devil act unjustly.

God’s ways are beyond understanding, but not beyond belief.

God watches over us with a Fatherly care.

So let’s dive in.

1. God rules over all according to His holy will.

Article 13 begins with:

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;

God rules over all people.

Acts 17:25–26 “25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,”

Christ created all and actively governs all.

Hebrews 1:1–3“1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 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,”

All of Job 38-41. Read this:

Job 38:1–7“1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 2 “Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge? 3 Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. 4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

We see statements like this all over Scripture. All of the passages like this serve to demonstrate that God has not abandoned His creation but governs it all.

The ending of our article also speaks to this. “And therefore we reject that damnable error of the Epicureans, who say that God regards nothing but leaves all things to chance.”

Summary: We reject that God has abandoned His creation. He did not create everything and then leave it to chance. He actively governs and upholds all things according to His will.

The rest of this flushes this out and deals with the implications of this.

2. Nothing come by chance, but by God’s appointment only.

Let’s look at our confession again.

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;

Central to reformed thinking is the idea that nothing happens by chance. There are no accidents. If God is in complete control, then the natural conclusion of this is that there is no such thing as chance. And Scripture makes this clear.

One of the clearest passages teaching this is:

Isaiah 46:9–11 “9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ 11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.”

We learn from this that God is uniquely in control of all.

He declares the end from the beginning. This means He literally orchestrated all of history from the very beginning.

His council cannot be thwarted. He does as He pleases.

He controls the smallest details, even calling birds to go where He wants.

Everything He determines will come to pass.

God does as He wishes.

Psalm 115:3“3 But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.”

God is in control of all earthly rulers.

Proverbs 21:1“1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.”

God is in control of earthly calamities.

Amos 3:6 “6 If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?”

Isaiah 45:7“7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.’”

God was sovereign over the death of Christ.

Acts 2:23 “23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;”

God was sovereign over Joseph’s life.

Genesis 45:8“8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”

Genesis 50:20“20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”

Christians are to actively acknowledge God’s complete control and our own lack of control.

James 4:13–15“13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.””

God is sovereign over salvation.

Acts 13:48 “48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.”

Ephesians 1:3–6 “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”

Romans 8:29–30“29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

Objection: What about free will?

What do we mean by free will?

2 views.

1. Pagan free will is autonomous free will. Man is free to do whatever and is ultimately a moral free agent outside of God’s sovereignty.

2. Biblical free will is “creaturely free will.” Man is inside of God’s sovereignty and is not a moral free agent. He is free to act according to his nature.

Romans 9.

10 And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac 11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), 12 it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”

Objection. Is God unjust for choosing to save some and damn others? We would be tempted to say “That’s not fair!” Remember this objection. This is the objection Paul anticipates.

14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” 18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.

Point: God has the freedom to soften and harden hearts at His will. He is free to save and to damn as He pleases. As God, this is His right.

Objection: If everything that happens is God’s will, how can He condemn sinners?

3. God is just, even when men and the devil act unjustly.

Paul anticipates this objection. Again we are tempted to say “that’s not fair!” Here is God’s answer given through the apostle Paul.

Romans 9:19-23. 19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” 20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,

The Potter has right over the clay. God displays His justice in damning sinners to hell. God displays His mercy in saving some.

Argumentation: This is all solved when we understand that we are all sinners and what that sin deserves.

Facts:

Adam, our covenant head damned all of humanity to be sinners. We are now inherently predisposed toward sin. We are not moral free agents. Our will is corrupt and we are free in this corrupt will.

In this corrupt will, we all have wilfully chosen to sin. (Example of the tigers.)

What we need is a new will.

God chooses to save some, bringing them to life and giving them a new will.

God shows His justice in damning sinners. God shows His mercy in saving some. God is obligated to save no one. God in mercy and grace saves some.

In this, God is shown to be gracious and just. And even though God is sovereign over everything, He is not responsible for our sin. We choose sin. He chooses to save us.

1 John 3:5 “5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.”

Why does God do it this way? How are we to understand this?

4. God’s ways are beyond understanding, but not beyond belief.

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.

Isaiah 55:8 “8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.”

As Romans 9 says, who are we to answer back to God? We must recognize that this is what God has revealed. We may not perfectly understand this, but we are to accept it by faith.

And in accepting this by faith, we find that the sovereignty of God is the most comforting doctrine to us.

5. God watches over us with a fatherly care and power.

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.

The God who is in such complete control of the universe that not one atom acts outside of His will, loves you and cares for you.

I have had so many people object to this biblical truth, but the reality is that in crisis everyone loves this doctrine. In crisis, everyone is a Calvinist.

When someone experiences tragedy, what is the one phrase we all instantly use? God has a plan. The sovereign God of the universe who is in complete control, loves you.

Daniel 3:16–18“16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.””

God can save us. We believe He will save us. But even if He doesn’t, we will trust Him. This is trust in the sovereignty of God.

The sovereignty of God gives us peace because it reminds us that even in the worst of times, God is still in control.

Some comforting verses about God’s control.

Matthew 6:30–32“30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”

Matthew 10:29–30“29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”

May we find peace, not discomfort in the sovereignty of God.