This article discusses Article 7 of the Belgic Confession with focus given to the explanation of the sufficiency of scripture. Because the scripture is sufficient this means that only the scripture can be the rule of faith

Source: The Banner of Truth (NRC), 1976. 5 pages.

The Belgic Confession of Faith Article 7 The Sufficiency of the Holy Scripture

We believe that these Holy Scriptures fully contain the will of God, and that whatsoever man ought to believe, unto salvation, is sufficiently taught therein. For, since the whole manner of worship, which God requires of us, is written in them at large, it is unlawful for any one, though an apostle, to teach otherwise than we are now taught in the Holy Scriptures: nay, though it were an angel from heaven, as the apostle Paul saith. For, since it is forbidden to add unto or take away anything from the Word of God, it doth thereby evidently appear that the doctrine thereof is most perfect and complete in all respects. Neither do we consi­der of equal value any writing of men, however holy these men may have been, with these divine Scriptures, nor ought we to consider custom, or the great multitude, or antiquity, or suc­cession of times and persons, or councils, decrees or statutes, as of equal value with the truth of God, for the truth is above all; for all men are of themselves liars, and more vain than vanity itself. Therefore we reject with all our hearts whatsoever doth not agree with this infallible rule, which the apostles have taught us, saying, "Try the spirits whether they are of God. Likewise, if there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house.

Belgic Confession Article 7

The previous article of our confession (Article 6) spoke about the apocryphal books, and those we really cannot trust. There are so many statements in them which are against God's Word, that we must reject them. It was for this reason that the Synod of Dort placed them in the back of the Bible and added a warning in the use of them. But now in Article VII there is again spoken of God's Word, and the authority of it is acknowledged as a rule for life and faith. We can say it in few words: God's Word is perfect. This was and is the starting point of the churches of the Reformation, namely: We believe that those holy Scriptures fully contain the will of God, and that whatsoever man ought to believe, unto salvation, is sufficiently taught therein.

The Belgic Confession of Faith  Article 7 The Sufficiency of the Holy ScriptureWe know that there are so called "holy" books of other religions, such as the Koran of the Moslems, the book of Mormon, and the Talmud of the Jews. There are many who, in comparing these books with the Bible, say that there is probably a difference to some degree, but no essential difference. These people claim that each religion will of course believe their book to be the best – asking a Moslem about it, he will affirm that the Koran is by far the best; asking a Christian about it, he will consider the Bible far superior. Therefore they say that there really is no difference between these books. What must our answer be to this?

We should suggest that they read all those books and the problem will be solved. It will be clearly proved that those so called "holy" books of other religions are products of men and not of the living God. In them there are so many shortcomings that it is impossible that they were written by a holy God; the leading of the Holy Spirit is completely missing in them. And when you read the Bible? Then we must say, not because we are Christians, but in truth and uprightness, "It is perfect from the beginning to the end, and the leading of the Spirit is in it." We must acknowledge that the Bible is God's Word and bow to His authority. That which is written at the beginning of this article is a testimony of the sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures. It is good and necessary that we believe this, but it would be a greater blessing if the Holy Spirit convinced us of this; then there is no doubt about the authority and sufficiency of God's Word.

The sufficiency of God's Word is one of the great points of difference between the church of Rome and the Reformers. The Reformers taught in the confession of faith that God's Word is clear in all things unto salvation. This does not mean that we immediately understand everything which is written in the Bible; no, not at all. But the will of God is clear therein; and for a hungry and thirsty soul there is to be found in it the bread and water of life and everything necessary to salvation. This virtue of the Bible was denied by Rome, and they went so far as to take it away from the layman, saying that God's Word is a danger in their hands. To avoid errors entering into the church, they felt that God's Word needed an explanation, and when neces­sary, something must be added to it. Only the church could do this, and give proper food to its members. According to Rome their church is infallible, and has a higher authority than God's Word, standing between God and the believer. Thus they claim that only through the church can God have communion with the believer.

The Belgic Confession of Faith  Article 7 The Sufficiency of the Holy ScriptureThis is contrary to the view of the Reformers and of the Bible, as it is stated time and again that we must search the Scriptures. For the Reformers it was so important and so necessary that each hand and each family have the Bible, and they defended this right against all opposition. How­ever, this made them independent from the church, the priests, and the tradition, which was a danger for Rome. The Reformers did not deny that it was not enough to have the Bible and that an explanation was necessary. For, with the Bible in our hands, we still need the leading of the Holy Spirit for head and heart, for confession and conduct, for conscience and affection. In Psalm 119:105 is written, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." And Peter says, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place." This is also written in our confession: "For, since the whole manner of worship, which God requires of us, is written in them at large, it is unlawful for any one, though an apostle, to teach otherwise than we are now taught in the Holy Scriptures: nay, though it were an angel from heaven, as the apostle Paul saith." And this based upon God's Word, (Deuteronomy 12:32) "What thing so ever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." This, of course, goes against the doctrine of Rome when they say that the infallible church stands above God's Word.

When Rome teaches that the infallible church stands above God's Word, they can then explain the Bible in their own way. In the Douay version of the Roman Catholic Church, I read about this as follows: The interpretation of the Bible is not left free in the Catholic Church as it is, theoretically, in Protestant sects. The Church tells us that the Bible is infallible; consequently a faithful Catholic may not ascribe to any particular passage a meaning which would be in conflict with another passage. The Church is infallible; consequently any interpretation which would contradict the Church's teachings would be a wrong interpretation. She has defined the exact meaning of a certain number of texts; and she bids us not to go counter to the unanimous teachings of the Fathers in matters of faith and morals. This quotation from the Roman Catholic Church's Bible tells us enough. We do not agree with this viewpoint of Rome, which in practice sets the Church above the Bible.

We confess that the Bible from the beginning to the end is God's Word, and is of great value unto the end of the world. We cannot miss any part of it! That points to another disagreement, because some people think that we can do without parts of the Bible. They say that those times had other customs and that the Bible has a time limitation. We admit that certain parts of the Bible are no longer in force for us and were only for Israel; we are no longer under the ceremonial laws and the civil laws. They are not applicable in the New Testament church. The ceremonial law is fulfilled in Christ; the civil law ceased with the destruction of Jerusalem. Nevertheless, they can still give much instruction. The ending of these laws is misused in our days, making it a basis to say that many other places in God's Word are likewise limited to a certain period of time, and are no longer of value for us.

As an example, Paul forbids women to speak in the churches. The critics cannot deny that this is in the Bible, but they say it was only in effect in Paul's days and that we must explain this in the light of the culture which then existed. These persons forget that Paul explained how this was because of the creation where Adam was created first and was the head of the Covenant of Works. Now they say, since this is no longer in effect and the women may now speak in the churches, they may also become office-bearers, may preach in the church, and may also vote. In this way they make room for the emancipation of women, also in the churches.

The Belgic Confession of Faith  Article 7 The Sufficiency of the Holy ScriptureHow sly these deceivers are; they are instruments of the devil in taking away the authority of the Bible. Formerly they would say that some parts were fantasy or had been falsified by those of later times and therefore the exact details could not be known. Now they are willing to acknow­ledge that it was written by a certain author, but it was limited in time and was only for that period of time and no longer in effect for us. This is more dangerous! Especially when we are young, it can so easily lead us away from the truth. Never forget that if we take something out of the Bible and reject it, that the Lord will reject us!

We will try to give another example of this. In Ephesians 5 Paul says, "Wives, submit your­selves unto your own husbands." This is another text which they say is limited in time – that it was for the society of those days when the relationships between husband and wife were different. It is a thing of the past, for now society has changed and men and women are equal, having the same rights. You can sometimes hear that also in our midst concerning the voting in church matters. It is best that you first read the above chapter before you arrive at such a conclusion. Paul does not speak of the circumstances of his time, but he speaks of the relationship between Christ and His church, which is unchangeable. Christ loves His church with an everlasting love, and by grace the church desires to return this love, as you can find described in the Song of Solomon. Thus it must be in our married life also! Christ is the example. How different it would be in our society if Ephesians 5 was practiced more. There are so many sad situations, also in our congregations, because we for­sake the everlasting Word of God. Husbands and wives, and also young friends, read that chapter and ask the Lord to fulfil this in your life, also in marriage. May we begin with the Lord, and also live according to His Word. In this chapter I can nowhere find the word emancipation in any form.

In this seventh article there is stated, "For, since it is forbidden to add unto or take away anything from the Word of God, it does thereby evidently appear that the doctrine thereof is most perfect and complete in all respects." The Holy Scriptures is the highest authority and has absolute authority because the Lord Himself is speaking. God's servants in the church must tell of the written commandment of the King; and they may not add something of themselves to it, as is done by Rome. The tradition of the church occupies an important place in the religion of Rome. What is the foundation or basis for this? Can they defend it, based upon God's Word? They think so!

We pointed out that the church of Rome makes the tradition of the church occupy such an important place in their religion. It was our intention to give their reasons for this and to show why we do not agree. In the first place they say that prior to the time of Moses there was no written Word and that the believers then lived according to tradition. It is true that there was no written Word before the time of Moses, but the people did not live according to tradition, but according to the Word of God which He had given to His people. This is entirely different than Rome's traditions, which are not God's Word and commandments, but only the thoughts of men. Thus this reason brought forth by them is easily rejected.

But, say they, there is more! There are statements in the Bible which they claim give value to tradition. They point to the twelfth verse of 2 John, where he wrote, "Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink; but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face". It is true – not all the words of the Lord Jesus and of His disciples are written in the Bible, as we also know from John 21:25, where we read, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written." This does not give permission to use tradition as God's Word. But they add, the Lord Jesus also spoke of the tradition of the elders, which were commandments not written in the Bible, but orally told from one to another. How do they dare use this reason, since there the Lord Jesus condemns their traditions, (Mark 7:7-8) "Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do." We can understand that the margin in the Roman Catholic Bible gives no commentary on these texts at all.

They have a third reason; they say the Bible is incomplete. For example, you cannot find in the Bible anything about the observance of the Sunday (the first day of the week), or the baptism of women and children. For this reason they claim that tradition is very important and necessary. It is true that God's Word is no dictionary, but they forget that which is written in Psalm 19:7, "The law of the Lord is perfect". In it we can find all that we need to our salvation. In Psalm 119:96 we read, "I have seen an end of all perfection: but Thy commandment is exceeding broad." The Word of God teaches in a simple way that the knowledge of God is necessary, and Who it is that must be served. It also teaches what man has become by sin, and our state of misery and perverseness, unable of ourselves to do any good, making us condemnable before the Lord. However, the same Word teaches us that there is a way of deliverance in Jesus Christ, Who by His active and passive obedience merited everything necessary to salva­tion, and this must be applied to our hearts.

Therefore, in reading the Bible, we do not need the tradition of men, because the Bible shows very clearly how men must live in daily life and in religious life. It is true, "The Law of the Lord is perfect".

This article then continues,

"Neither do we consider of equal value any writing of men, however holy these men may have been, with those divine Scriptures, nor ought we to consider custom, or the great multitude, or antiquity, or succession of times and persons, or councils, decrees or statutes, as of equal value with the truth of God, for the truth is above all; for all men are of themselves liars, and more vain than vanity itself."

The Belgic Confession of Faith  Article 7 The Sufficiency of the Holy ScriptureThis is again against the church of Rome, who use these things to cover up all kinds of error in their doc­trines, such as their seven sacraments, the worship of the virgin Mary, the infallibility of the Pope, etc. For them it does not matter that God's Word is robbed of its authority, although God has spo­ken of the heaviest curses against the people and churches who do this.

The Holy Scriptures are and remain, must remain, the foundation of our faith, as it is stated in the last part of this article. In 1 John 4:1 we read, "Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God." When the good seed is sown, the devil sows his evil seed. He appears as an angel of light and his servants as ambassadors of Christ, but his purpose is to destroy. Think only of Ananias and Sapphira. Satan always tries to penetrate with a worldly spirit, which is so attractive for us. Let us search the Scriptures, so that we may learn the difference between light and darkness. It is written of the inhabitants of Berea that they daily searched the Scriptures; they tested the preaching of Paul with the doctrine of God's Word. Paul did not become angry, but was glad that they did this. They are so opposite from those against whom Paul warns Timothy, saying, "Preach the Word; … for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine." This can also be said about our walk in daily life, when warning is made against all kinds of evil.

How necessary is the searching of the Bible, also for our young people, in order to answer the questions which are so often encountered. The many sects of our days regularly study the Bible, taking from it what they can use, and thus bring confusion into the lives of many when there is no insight in the Word of God or no knowledge of it at all. We wish that some of the enthusiasm of those sects to examine God's Word would be found more in our midst, because we must say that in general even the historical knowledge of God's Word is very low. There are many good books available for instruction, which are worthwhile reading. Boys and girls, your youth is really the best time for this, as later we are often  too busy with other things. And if we had more knowledge of God's Word, it would not be so difficult to discern the difference between the truth and error.

John warns us, "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed." He does not teach us to be ill-mannered or impolite, inciting others to anger. God's Word teaches us (in Paul's letter to the Philippians), "Let your moderation be known unto all men." The Belgic Confession of Faith  Article 7 The Sufficiency of the Holy ScriptureBut John is speaking of those who teach false doctrines, and these we must avoid. In those days it was common to receive God's servants into the home and provide them their needs as they travelled from place to place preaching the Gospel and collecting for the poor. Hospitality was recommended and practiced, and this was misused by the false prophets in spreading their doctrine. Therefore John warns the woman Kuria to be careful and not permit everyone in her home.

In this seventh article of our confession of faith, it is very clear that God's Word has the highest authority. It concludes with the warning to search the Bible and to acknowledge it as the truth. The greatest treasure of this world can be found therein, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. If, by divine grace, we may find Him, then we find life, because through Him we may return to God, Whom we lost in Paradise. This is the greatest blessing of life.

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