This article explains Article 14 of the Belgic Confession which discusses the creation of man, his fall into sin and the impact the fall had on Adam and his offspring. 

Source: The Banner of Truth (NRC), 1978. 5 pages.

The Belgic Confession of Faith Article 14 Of Creation of Man and his Fall

Of the Creation and Fall of Man, and His Incapacity to Perform What is Truly Good.

This article brings us into anthropology, which is the teaching about the origin, nature and destiny of man, especially from the perspective of his relationship to God. This subject is spoken of in articles 14 through 17, starting first with the creation and fall, then with original sin, next with eternal election, and lastly with the recovery of fallen man.

We begin with creation, which is only known from God's Word. It is well-known that many people reject this doctrine, and believe instead in the so-called 'evolution theory'. In this theory the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other pre-existing types, and the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations. Simply expressed – man would descend from the animals. This cannot be proved, but is a speculation and theory of Darwin, who thought that the lower forms of life increased until they came to man. However, such a change-over from one kind to another has never been observed. No examples can be given as proof that man descends from the animals.

The Belgic Confession of Faith Art 14 Of Creation of Man and his Fall For many years they pro­claimed with great certainty that they had found the skull of an ape-man, but later it was proved to be the knee-cap of an elephant. The well-known Piltdown skull was the greatest discovery in support of the evolution theory, but it was intentionally imitated. The skull was made of a certain lime or plaster, with the addition of a few centimetres of a chim­panzee's jaw. The teeth were filed down to match the length of human teeth and then prepared with potassium to make them old. Thus they manufactured the skull of an ape-man who was to have lived 500,000 years ago, but in reality was less than 500 years. I will not give more examples as I think you have heard of them, and if you desire to spend the time, you can find them given in a number of books.

Especially in your geography lass you will hear various explanations, but remember, young people, that God's Word has never failed in the past. The evolution theory is only a theory and, we repeat, has no proof at all! It not only contradicts God's Word regarding the origin of man, but also in respect to man's unity and place of habitation.

The unity of the human race is clearly proved in God's Word from Acts 17:26, "And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth." Some think that people lived before Adam, based upon Genesis 6:2, where the sons of God took of the daughters of men. Who were the sons of God? The explanation is simple enough when we understand that the sons of God were the sons of Seth who were still keeping the insti­tutions of God. The daughters of men were the children of Cain. By this mixture world conformity became greater, and the service of the Lord was more and more forgotten.

I know that this does not apply to our subject of creation, but today we have the same great danger. The service of the Lord must occupy the first place, also in our married life. When we must add water to the wine of our religion, or make a compromise for our marriage in order to please the other party at the cost of the Lord, then we are in the wrong. Then we love our boyfriend or girlfriend, our husband or our wife, more than the Lord. In this we can never expect the blessing of the Lord in our life. There has already been so much grief in the lives of young people regarding this, but it still seems impossible to convince many of our young people. I can give you many examples of those who regretted this when it was too late; many such marriages end in divorce, and others have a diffi­cult life, sighing daily under the enmity of their partner. Then you often hear it said, "I wish I had listened to my parents." This is sufficient for the moment, but I hope you will take it to heart!

We have seen that Adam and Eve were the first people who inhabited the earth, and this was about six-thousand years ago. Those who disagree have several arguments against it. They speak of the great differences in skull structure, hair, colour, language, morals, customs, etc. I cannot explain everything scientifically, but we do know that the Lord made a difference in the families of Shem, Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah. White people are the descendants of Japheth, the children of Shem are the Israe­lites and the Ishmaelites or Arabs, who are slightly tinted, and the colored are the descendants of Ham. These are the main divisions.

The Belgic Confession of Faith Art 14 Of Creation of Man and his Fall However, when we see the great differences in one family, then you can understand that throughout the centuries these external changes have taken place, and we may not forget also the influence of the climate. Often that which is small in one part of the world can be quite large elsewhere. I think of a simple example in plant life – the poinsettia in Europe is not more than one foot in height, while in California it becomes a tree. This is the influence of the climate.

The differences in language is not difficult to explain, because we find our answer in Genesis 11, which speaks about the confusion of tongues at Babel. Therefore, although there are many differen­ces in the human race, we can still defend the unity of it as all descending from Adam and Eve. Even the blood groups found among the human race form a unity.

We cannot determine where Paradise was located, although in the days of Moses it was a place or country well-known. Most theologians think it was in Mesopotamia or in Babylon.

Against all the unbelief of the world we have the unmovable Word of God, which tells us that the Lord is the Creator of heaven and earth, and also of man. Thus it was stated in this 14th article:

We believe that God created man out of the dust of the earth, and made and formed him after His own image and likeness, good, righteous, and holy, capable in all things to will agreeably to the will of God.

That which we quoted from this article of our confession is also stated in the catechism and in the five articles against the Remonstrants. God is the Creator of heaven and earth, but also of mankind. The Lord did not need man for His glory, as He is All-sufficient in Himself, but it was His pleasure and sovereign will to make man. And it is remarkable to see the difference between the creation in general and the creation of man.

In creating all the other things, the Lord only commanded and it came into existence. With the creation of man it was different, for we read, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, and after our likeness." When the Lord had finished everything of creation, He then called man into, existence and made Him the possessor, the owner, of the earth. The Lord made the body of Adam of the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Man is of high descent in virtue of his creation, Adam is called the son of God. Man is the jewel of creation, because, as the Bible tells us, they were made after God's image and likeness.

These are not two different things, as Rome teaches, but they express the same thought, namely, that man was created in the likeness of God's image, consisting in knowledge, righteousness and holiness. The whole essence of man, in ability, power, nature and attributes, was without any shortcomings. It proceeded from God's hand perfectly good; thus man was the image-bearer of God. It is possible when we speak about likeness, that we mistakenly think it means to look like God. That cannot be true of our body, since God has no body. He is a Spirit. Therefore this is out of the question. What then can be the likeness?

God has given to man an imprint in the soul of His communicable attributes. This is the likeness of man to God. In the state of innocence, man was pure and had an upright relationship with God, just as this article states. However, when we speak of the image of God found in man, then we can make a division in a wider and narrower sense. In the wider sense, the image of God is visible in his whole appearance ­in the figure of the body, in his government over the beasts, and in the immortality of the soul. The image of God in the narrow sense is knowledge, righteousness and holiness.

It has pleased the Lord to create some traces of His attributes in the soul of man. These attributes are infinite in God, but finite in man. Man knew God and rejoiced in Him as the all-sufficient God of his salvation. His mind was so enlightened that he knew God as the triune God and as the fountain of his salvation. The communion with God was his highest joy. Adam knew God, and his obedience to Him was not a burden, but the greatest good he had.

We cannot imagine what this has been for Adam, but we know what the church may say by faith: "I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness." In addition to this highest peak of knowledge, man also possessed righteousness, which was an ability to be and to do good. Man wanted to fulfil God's will and serve Him in uprightness. Man was also holy and without one sin, even not a sinful thought. The soul was as a brook of crystal, wherein not a speck of dust or any uncleanness was to be found. The soul went out to the Lord and rejoiced in the blessed communion with Him. Thus man lived in immediate communion and in the friendship of God. O, in what a glorious state was man created!

The Belgic Confession of Faith Art 14 Of Creation of Man and his Fall Thus we have seen that the Lord created man of the dust of the earth. In creating Eve, we know that the Lord caused a deep sleep to come upon Adam, and of one of his ribs the Lord made the woman and brought her to Adam. There we have the first marriage, an institution of the Lord. What a blessing that the Lord has permitted this to also exist after the fall; it is one of the few things left from Paradise. The first human couple lived under the Lord as king and queen in Paradise. There the wolf and the lamb lived together; there was peace on this earth since the relationship with the Lord was as it should be.

The perfect knowledge which Adam possessed became evident in his giving of names to all the animals. The Lord led all the animals to him, and he gave them names which were fit for them. In our days the names mean little or nothing, but this was not true for Adam and Eve. The names which he gave the beasts of the field expressed their very character. All these animals were also in subjection to Adam and Eve. Man was the center of the creation, and was the mouth of the universe to praise the Name of the Lord.

Adam and Eve lived in a continual communion with God, and walked with God as a friend with his friend. The whole world breathed peace and life, light and glory. If man would obey the Lord and continue to live to His glory, then they would receive an unchangeable glory. Solomon said, "Lo, this only have I found, that God has made man upright." Herein we see that God had created man good, and we can never lay any blame upon the Lord for the misery into which we have come. Perhaps we will not do this with our lips, but there can come so many sinful thoughts in our hearts whereby we condemn the Lord.

How necessary it is to believe the truth about our creation, but it would be of greater benefit if, under the administration of the Holy Spirit, we learned that it is the Truth.

Man was in such an excellent state that he possessed everything necessary to honor, know and love God. Seeing the abilities and qualities of man by which he could resist all the temptations that could come, we may never blame the Lord for what has happened in Paradise. Notice what this article of our confession says:

But being in honor, he understood it not, neither knew his excellency, but wilfully subjected himself to sin, and consequently to death and the curse, giving ear to the words of the devil.

Calvin said that man had a free choice between good and evil, to stay obedient or become disobedient, as God had left room for sin in human life. How could that disobedience occur? God had made a covenant with Adam, which is the Covenant of Works, and he accepted this with his whole heart. In this covenant the Lord had invented a way by which man could attain to the highest good, eternal salvation or communion with Him, and this was then unchangeable; by our works we would merit eternal life. Because man loved God above all, he accepted all that the Lord asked of him. In the state of innocence man could refuse to sin, and, after obedience for a set period he would come to a state wherein he could not sin anymore. In this way man could come to a higher state, but it was also possible that he could leave the Lord; and this is what happened, to our destruction.

The fall did not take place unexpectedly for the Lord; it did not happen outside of God's counsel. No, we may not say this, but neither may we make God the author of sin. We have left the Lord willingly! When we listened to Satan, we became a subject of death, as the Lord had foretold. What a terrible moment it was when Eve took of the forbidden fruit, for there she ate herself to death. When Adam took of the forbidden fruit from his wife, then it was not only Adam that became a subject of death, but also the whole human race whom he represented. Our article expresses it clearly:

For the commandment of life, which he had received, he transgressed, having corrupted his whole nature, whereby he made himself liable to corporal and spiritual death.

The meaning of 'the commandment of life' is clear; the Lord had said, "Do this and thou shalt live." Obedience and life went together, but also disobedience and death. How far reaching are the consequences of the fall, so that we must speak of it as a terrible fall, and not, as some in foolishness say, a blessed fall. From the moment we have taken of the forbidden fruit, we have lost everything with the exception of temporal life with all its sorrows. From that moment we no longer have a knowledge of God, we no longer have happiness in God and we no longer behold the countenance of God. We lost salvation, the excellency came to an end, and the righteousness and holiness of God filled man with fear because they were now sinners and God could not have communion with them. Instead of knowledge of God, we had knowledge to do evil, inspired by Satan; instead of righteous­ness, the seed of sin is now sown which brings forth hatred and unrest. The Belgic Confession of Faith Art 14 Of Creation of Man and his Fall Instead of being holy, we are now covered with the mire of unholiness; instead of harmony, there is disharmony. It is as the waves on the shore, which are never at rest; the one follows the other. There is no rest or peace, always a condemning conscience. Even the government over the animals was no longer the same in the life of man.

Thus God's wrath became public; the angels were indignant, but the devils rejoiced, as they had overcome the jewel of creation. Man, who was created to life eternal, is now subjected to a threefold death. The spiritual life becomes evident in our lives, as we sin in thoughts, words and deeds. The Lord fulfils His threatened punishment of temporal death when the separa­tion comes between soul and body and we must give account of all our deeds. And, without regeneration, it will end in eternal death!

How miserable we have become, just as it is written in our confession:

And being thus become wicked, perverse, and corrupt in all his ways, he has lost all his excellent gifts, which he had received from God, and only retained a few remains thereof, which, however, are sufficient to leave man without excuses; for all the light which is in us is changed into darkness, as the Scriptures teach us, saying: The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not: where St. John calleth men darkness.

Oh! how great our misery has become!

From God's Word it is evident that we must know our misery, not only by an historical knowledge, but also experimentally. There is a great danger in our days in that so many are satisfied with a superficial religion, wherein they comfort themselves with Jesus, without a knowledge of misery. This is im­possible; without a knowledge of our sins, there can be no place for Christ in our life. It is through the knowledge of our misery that the Holy Spirit will drive us out to the only Way of deliverance, which is in Christ. By nature we do not like to hear of our misery, but God's people desire to be saved in an upright way.

After the fall we remained man, a reasonable creature, responsible for our deeds, although our nature is corrupt. We are under the spiritual death, unable to please the Lord anymore, but we did not become, as Luther taught, a stock or a block. This is not true; man is fallen very deeply, but still we have a mind and a will. There is also a remnant of the image of god, so that we know there is a higher Being, which we call God. This is not sufficient for salvation, but we have some knowledge in order to see the difference between honest and dishonest, so that we can do some morally good things. These remnants leave us without excuse before God to live without Him.

The Belgic Confession of Faith Art 14 Of Creation of Man and his Fall Directly opposite to the doctrine of Luther, we find everywhere in our days the doctrine of free will. This goes too far and teaches that we are able of ourselves to work out our salvation. Pelagius was the man who taught this. He was born in England in the year 354, the same year as his opponent, Augustine. Pelagius taught that man could make up his own mind to choose between good and evil, and denied original sin and the corruption of the human nature. He left no room for free grace at all.

Free grace was strongly defended by Augustine, which led to the condemning of Pelagius. This does not mean that his doctrine came to an end, because we still find in our days the same dangerous doctrine throughout the world. Many say that there is some good left in man. It is true that moral good is left in man; we did not become beasts, but we are spiritually dead in sins and trespasses. This state of death is denied. However, just as Augustine taught, as long as we are not born again, we are dead in sins and trespasses. There are only two states – dead by nature or alive, which is by God's grace. Christ has taught it so clearly: "Without Me you can so nothing." Blessed are the people who may learn this.

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