This is again an article of faith, not just of a personal faith, but of all believers.

"We believe, since this holy congregation…" refers to what we have read in Article 27. This is a holy congregation of true Christian believers, all expecting their salvation in Jesus Christ, being washed by His blood, sanctified and sealed by the Holy Ghost. The word congregation is derived from Latin and means flocked together. They are not just around an under-shepherd, but under the Chief Shepherd of the sheep, Jesus Christ. For He is the One who assembles those who were no sheep and who gathers them together. He says in John 10, "Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one Shepherd."

This congregation is an assembly. We again think of the word ecclesia, which means being called out of called together, an assembly of those who are saved. Not "who will be saved," but "those who are saved." The holy congregation is an assembly of those who are saved. We see that our fathers are speaking about the essence of the church, what the church really is, as an assembly gathered under the Chief Shepherd, under the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the holy congregation, that is the invisible church, and those are saved already. They are bought with a price, they are gathered by the irresistible work of the Holy Spirit, and they have been made living members of that congregation.

You may say, "Is that not too high?" Many living members of the church of God often do not dare to say that they are saved. They may say, "I hope I will be saved; I have a hope that I ultimately will be saved from sin, Satan, and myself." Yet here it states they are saved. Our Confession views them as they are in Jesus Christ. It views them as they are in the great Shepherd who has shed His blood for them, who has bought them, and to whom they were given already in the stillness of eternity. Nothing can pluck them out of His hands. This is a statement of faith. That saving work has already begun, and that will be finished perfectly, which He for them has undertaken. This is then the holy congregation.

Then this article emphasizes that outside of that congregation there is no salvation. Were not our fathers a little bit too high, or were they not boasting too much of their church? Were they saying that outside of "our church" there is no salvation? No, read this article carefully. It says that "out of it" (that holy congregation of true believers; outside of that assem­bly of those who are saved) "there is no salvation." Outside of that holy congregation: that is, there is no salvation for those who are not under that Great Shepherd and who are not of the body of which He is the Head. There is no other name, no other way, and no other Shepherd, and there is but one fold. If you are out of it, then you are not under the care of the Great Shepherd. Then you are not among those who are saved, but you are still lost.

This fact also has consequences for our joining the church and for the position we take in regard to that church. For this holy congregation manifests itself in a visible form in its gatherings of worship, when assembled around Word and sacrament. We cannot separate those two. We may not say, "This is merely the visible church." You cannot say, "I belong to the invisible church, and I have nothing to do with the visible church." No, that is not what our fathers meant.

Throughout history there have always been people who wanted to strive for a perfect church, who wanted to have a church of only true believers. You might remember from your confession class that there was a former priest whose name was Jean de Labadie, a minister in the churches of the Reformation in Middelburg in Zeeland. He believed that we must strive for a church of only true believers. Therefore evidences of true conversion must be given before someone could make confession of faith, before he may present a child for baptism, and before he may go to the Lord's Supper. He wanted to have a church of only true believers.

Our fathers believed that this was not what the Lord has taught us in His Word. In Article 24 we will see that there are those who are in the church, but are not of the church. They are not part of it, but they are in it, as Calvin says, like kidney stones in the body; they do not belong to the body.

The Lord Jesus Himself allowed a Judas to be one of the twelve. He even allowed him to go out to speak; He allowed him to remain among His disciples for a long time. The Lord Jesus did not make the separation until Judas made himself public. In His parable, Jesus also spoke of the foolish and wise virgins as being one company. They all had lamps; they were all in the same way; they were all waiting for the same Person, for the Bridegroom. The only difference was that there was oil in the vessels of some, and the others had none. The Lord Jesus also spoke of a field with tares and wheat; they grew up together until the time of the harvest. He spoke of a net with fishes, good and bad fishes, and both were in the same net. It is very evident that there is no ground in Scripture for the idea that we must examine everyone who wants to become a member and require the evidences of God's saving work.

Here in the world the church will remain a mixed company. In the tent of Abraham there was an Isaac and there was an Ishmael. Calvin compares this to the church. He says that Isaac and Ishmael were together, and both were of the same household, yet there was enmity between those two. They could not go together. The time came that Ishmael had to leave. Calvin says that this will happen at the last day, the day of God's judgment, although sometimes the Lord causes the difference to be seen before. The hypocrite may also be revealed while he is still in this life.

So we believe that the church is a mixed company from which we may not withdraw ourselves. We may not live in a separate state from it. In times of decay and of much darkness in the church, some have thought that it would be better just to take an old writer and sit with a book in a corner at home, as they felt there was no Spirit and no ministry in the church anymore.

There have always been people who said that the Lord had departed from His church and that the Spirit was not there anymore. Sometimes they were not rebellious, but downcast, as Elijah was. He thought he was the only one left, but the Lord had yet seven thousand men who had not bowed unto Baal. Those people thought that the Lord had forsaken the church, and they preferred to stay at home. But the Lord says in Hebrews 10, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is." And He promised in Matthew 18:20, "Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them."

If we want to be wiser than God, wiser than what He says in His Word, we will bring darkness upon ourselves, even if we might have spiritual life. Do not forget that the Lord has promised, "Lo, I am with you," that is, with His living church, "unto the end of the world." You may say that the living church might perhaps be sitting at home. But, no, this is not according to God's testimony. The Lord has commanded to administer the Lord's Supper until He comes; and this sacrament may be administered only in a gathering of the church, in a worship service, and not at home by individuals. They withdraw themselves from the food and drink which the Lord still gives unto His church. In spite of all the imperfections, all the things we would like to change, and all the concerns about the visible church, also today, our fathers have said that we may not withdraw ourselves from that church to live in a separate state from it.

All men are in duty bound to join and unite themselves with this holy congregation. There is the duty to seek fellowship, to be longing for the means which the Lord still gives in His house. David expressed his longing for God's house in Psalm 27:4. Also some of the children of God who had to stay at home longed for an opportunity to go to a place of worship. There were those who sometimes walked for hours and hours to hear the truth. They mourned when they were unable to go to the house of God. David knew of that, too. He says in Psalm 42, when he was on the other side of Jordan, "I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise." One of the first fruits of spiritual life is not only a certain interest in, but also a longing to be under, the means of grace, and to join and unite oneself with it, maintaining the unity of the church.

We should not forget that this article was also written against the Anabaptists, who did not have much esteem for the Word of God. They said that it was just a pope of paper, for they had the Bible in their heart. They did not want to bow under that new pope. So there was an unlimited subjectivism, and everyone was, as it were, his own teacher and his own guide. They separated themselves from the church, did not maintain the unity of the church, promoted schisms, and did not exercise the unity of the church as being one body.

Also in our days there are many denominations and sometimes even many differences of opinion within churches. It ought to be a matter of grief if God's people are not exercising or maintaining the unity of the church. Our fathers meant this: the oneness of all true believers should be practiced and exercised, and they should seek this unity also in its manifestation, even though the visible church remains imperfect. Our fathers have stated here what Scripture says about the church, "Maintaining the unity of the Church." The Bridegroom says in Song of Solomon 6:9, "My dove, My undefiled is one."

We should also submit ourselves to the doctrine and discipline thereof. This is again a warning against those who, in reaction to the hierarchy and the popish tyranny in the Romish church, wanted to have no supervision at all, and who one-sidedly stressed the office of all believers. Some did not want to submit to the doctrine and discipline of the church. Our fathers have said that this also is wrong. When you join the church, you also bow your neck under the yoke of Jesus Christ. You bow under His ordinances, under His offices; you bow under the Scriptures first of all, but you also submit yourself to the doctrine and discipline of the church. When someone makes public confession of faith, he publicly promises also to submit himself to the good instruction, if it is biblical, and the discipline of the church, "bowing their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ."

We also read positively what we have to do: "And as mutual members of the same body serving to the edification of the brethren." As members of the same body we have a mutual task. That is "serving to the edification of the brethren, according to the talents God has given."

There is the duty to join the church, as we have already seen. There is the duty to submit to the doctrine, which also means to receive instruction, to be taught. You join the church to pray together, to worship together, to care for each other and for the poor and needy, to comfort each other, and to witness also to those who are outside of the church. The church has to be a city upon a hill and a light upon the candlestick – that is the calling of evangelism. How is it in our life? Everyone has a task also in that respect. But we also should "serve to the edification of the brethren."

Arnoldus van Rotterdam, one of our forefathers, wrote a beautiful book about the Confession of Faith, in which he gives a few points on how to edify the brethren. I will quote from his work: "We should do this first with the heart; secondly, with the mouth; and thirdly, with the hands, thus with our deeds, with our acts."

1.   With the heart⤒🔗

Our hearts should not only be concerned about our own needs, our own salvation, and our own profit, but should be concerned about the needs of the brothers and sisters in the faith. We should think about those needs, so let those needs be known unto each other. Therefore let us not keep everything to ourselves. The needs which others do not know cannot be brought into their inner room. But there should be times when you are thinking about the needs of others who belong to that body.

Secondly, with the heart means not only that we think about them, but also search for means to help and come to the rescue. How can I help them out? How can I support them? How can I rescue them?

2.   With your mouth←⤒🔗

He mentioned, in the first place, assisting them with your counsel, with your advice, with your words of comfort. Let your speaking also be a speaking which guides others. And I hope that there may be those who seek that guidance. For the Lord uses others to be a hand or a foot, not to push away, but to give advice. What a blessing it is if we may be teachable and may love to sit at the feet of others. Everyone cannot be a teacher, but all may assist each other with advice and comfort.

To edify with the mouth means also to promote and defend their good name. He mentioned Jonathan as an example, who defended David before Saul. To edify with the mouth also means to recommend them to those who can help: as Ebedmelech spoke a word of recommendation for Jeremiah; as Daniel did for his friends; as Paul did for Onesimus, the slave who had left his master.

Edifying with the mouth also includes proclaiming by public confession that those members who are saved are our friends. So David did when he was mocked by his wife Michal; he said, "And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maid­servants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honor."

Edifying each other with the mouth means that there is also public prayer for each other, as when Peter was in prison. We read in Acts 12 that "prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him." How is it in our prayers? And then there should also be an exhort­ing and instructing of each other to every good thing, as we already heard in the words of advice, but it is also to instruct and warn each other in love.

3.   With your deeds←⤒🔗

That is helping the needy ones, for instance, and comforting those who are bowed down, by giving them your actual help, if you are able to help out, in whatever way it may be. We read in 2 Samuel 9:1 that David said, "Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" He wanted to show kindness, not only with words, but with deeds. And Obadiah, that godly man in the court of Ahab, hid a hundred prophets in a cave and gave them bread and water every day; we read of it in 1 Kings 18. That is to the edification of the brethren with our life and our deeds.

This should be done "according to the talents God has given." There is variety of talents; there is variety in office, too. There are those who may have an office in the church, as an elder, as a deacon, or as a minister. These are also, if it is well, used for the edification of the brethren with their life and their deeds. The variety of talents does not only apply to office-bearers in the church, but also to those who have the office of all believers. They all have certain gifts. The one has sharp eyes, the other has good ears, another has eloquence to speak, and another has strong hands to help. So there is variety among the members, but they should help and serve to the edification of the brethren according to the talents which God has given them.

And finally, "that this may be the more effectually observed, it is the duty of all believers, according to the Word of God, to separate themselves" (that is the other side of the coin) "from those who do not belong to the church, and to join themselves to this congregation, wheresoever God has established it," even if it would cost life or freedom. How many would still join the church if that would be the cost today? If the stakes were burning in our days, or if we would have to go into prison, as many have had to do in Russia and in China, how many would be in church this coming Sunday? How many would come if the police were standing on the corners of the streets writing down names? How many would come to catechism class if it could mean that the parents would see their children being taken out of their homes to receive education from the state instead of from the church? And how many ministers, and I include myself, would still have the courage to preach, unless the Lord would give grace for the time of need?

In the time that our confession was written there was that need, for it reads, "even though the magistrates and edicts of princes were against it." How many would then join themselves to the church and separate themselves from those who do not belong to the church? At that time Rome was the false church. Today we could say that this means we should separate ourselves from every church which is false in its doctrine and which does not have the marks of the true church. So the other side is, "Be ye separate," as we read in 2 Corin­thians 6:17, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord"; and in Isaiah 52:11, "Depart ye, depart ye; go out from thence."

This happened also in the time of the Remonstrants. There came a separation; it was the separation which the fathers have commanded: "From those who are not from the church." "Therefore all those, who separate themselves from the same, or do not join themselves to it, act contrary to the ordinance of God." That is the warning which comes to us from this article. We are to join ourselves to the true church. May we by grace be a living member of it.