The Belgic Confession Week 10.

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

ARTICLE 14.

THE CREATION AND FALL OF MAN, AND HIS INCAPACITY TO PERFORM WHAT IS TRULY GOOD

ARTICLE 15.

ORIGINAL SIN

ARTICLE 16.

ETERNAL ELECTION

We believe that, all the posterity of Adam being thus fallen into perdition and ruin by the sin of our first parents, God then did manifest Himself such as He is; that is to say, merciful and just: merciful, since He delivers and preserves from this perdition all whom He in His eternal and unchangeable counsel of mere goodness has elected in Christ Jesus our Lord, without any respect to their works; just in leaving others in the fall and perdition wherein they have involved themselves.

ARTICLE 17.

THE RECOVERY OF FALLEN MAN

We believe that our most gracious God, in His admirable wisdom and goodness, seeing that man had thus thrown himself into physical and spiritual death and made himself wholly miserable, was pleased to seek and comfort him, when he trembling fled from His presence, promising him that He would give His Son (who would be born of a woman [Gal.4:4]) to bruise the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15) and to make him blessed.

ARTICLE 18.

THE INCARNATION OF JESUS CHRIST

We confess, therefore, that God has fulfilled the promise which He made to the fathers by the mouth of His holy prophets, when He sent into the world, at the time appointed by Him, His own only-begotten and eternal Son, who took the form of a servant and came in the likeness of men (Phil. 2:7), really assuming the true human nature with all its infirmities, sin excepted; being conceived in the womb of the blessed virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit without the means of man; and did not only assume human nature as to the body, but also a true human soul, that He might be a real man. For since the soul was lost as well as the body, it was necessary that He should take both upon Him to save both.

Therefore we confess (in opposition to the heresy of the Anabaptists, who deny that Christ assumed human flesh of His mother) that Christ partook of the flesh and blood of the children (Heb 2:14); that He is a fruit of the body of David according to the flesh (Acts 2:30); born of the seed of David according to the flesh (Rom. 1:3); a fruit of the womb of Mary (Lk. 1:42); born of a woman (Gal.4:4); a branch of David (Jer. 33:15); a Rod from the stem of Jesse (Isa. 11:1); sprung from the tribe of Judah (Heb. 7:14); descended from the Jews according to the flesh; of the seed of Abraham, since He took on Him the seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:16), and was made like His brethren in all things, sin excepted (Heb. 2:17; 4:15); so that in truth He is our IMMANUEL, that is to say, God with us (Matt. 1:23).

Therefore we confess (in opposition to the heresy of the Anabaptists, who deny that Christ assumed human flesh of His mother)

that Christ partook of the flesh and blood of the children (Hebrews 2:14 “14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,” );

that He is a fruit of the body of David according to the flesh (Acts 2:30 “30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,” );

born of the seed of David according to the flesh (Romans 1:3 “3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,” );

a fruit of the womb of Mary (Lk. 1:42);

born of a woman (Galatians 4:4 “4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,” );

a branch of David (Jeremiah 33:15 “15 ‘In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David A Branch of righteousness; He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.” );

a Rod from the stem of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1 “1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” );

sprung from the tribe of Judah (Hebrews 7:14 “14 For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.” );

descended from the Jews according to the flesh; of the seed of Abraham, since He took on Him the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16 “16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.” ),

and was made like His brethren in all things, sin excepted (Hebrews 2:17 “17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” ;

so that in truth He is our IMMANUEL, that is to say, God with us (Matthew 1:23 “23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”” ).

Hebrews 4:15 “15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” );