It was some time ago that Uncle Garret asked me to write a few articles for our young people. Of course, there are many subjects whereof I could write, but I wanted it to be instructive, especially because of the lack of Christian schools in most of our congregations, so that many things are not too well known to our young people. This problem will not be solved by a few articles, but it is my wish and prayer that the Lord may use them to help the youth in their many problems which there are in these days, but, above all, that we may learn to ask for the Lord in the days of our youth, as King Solomon said. This is the best time of our life!

Solomon says that we must be religious in the true sense of the word. According to the dictionary, "religion" means "the service and worship of God or the supernatural". We know that there are many religions, but the Christian religion is the only true one. In comparing the Christian religion with others, we must not think that this one is a little better; no, in essence it is completely different. All other religions are false because they are from man and do not teach us how we must worship the Lord according to His own will. The creature himself may not decide how to worship the Creator. This must be revealed by the Lord Himself, and this He did in His Word!

Besides the Christian religion, we can speak of the religions of the heathens, the Jews, and the Moslems. The heathen religions are not one, but divided into innumerable groups. Some worship two gods, and we call them "dualists" (duo means two); others worship more gods. In their religions the heathens usually are worshipping powers in nature, spirits of the dead, or images of their own making. This is condemned by God's Word and Law. The Jewish religion has not always been a false religion. Under the Old Testament it was the only true religion, but after the rejection of Christ, the true Messiah, this has changed. The Jews deny the Trinity and acknowledge only God the Father as God. They expect (or expected) a Messiah Who was the servant of the Father, and view the Holy Spirit as a power of God. They try to merit salvation by their works, against which Paul warned already in Romans 3:10. The Moslem religion finds its origin in Arabia at about 600 years after the birth of Christ. Mohammed was the founder of it, and he mixed together parts of the Christian and Jewish re­ligions, and added some of the heathen morals. He taught that man must deserve his salvation by a very strict keeping of his religious directions, of which the most important were: (1) the confession of faith (there is but one God, Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet); (2) prayer at certain times; (3) alms; (4) fasting; and (5) pilgrimage to Mecca. They do not acknowledge the reconciliation with God by the merits of Christ. The Bible is the Koran, and, when necessary, they must use the sword in the "Holy War" to the extension of their kingdom.

These are all false religions, and only the Christian religion is true. But unfortunately, there are among Christians also many divisions and differences. The most important groups are the Roman Catholics, the Greek Catholics, and the Protestants. In our days the Protestants are also divided into many groups, but in the days of the Reformation this was not so; they consisted of Lutherans and Calvinists or Reformed Churches. Originally the Reformed Churches used the same Bible, but in later centuries they began using different translations. The apostle John says, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1). Paul says, (1 Timothy 6:20), "Keep that which is committed to thy trust". Here we see that the Lord com­mands us to keep His Word and Testimony pure.

In others places the Lord requires that we confess His Name – "Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess before My Father which is in heaven". (Matthew 10:32, also John 9:22, Romans 10:9, 10, etc.). This confession of Jesus as the promised Messiah has an important place in the New Testament church. This church based her confession on God's Word. (To confess means: to say the same). In the Confession we say the same as the Bible says. Her doctrinal standards originated in those days when many heresies were appearing in the church. In opposition to these heresies, it was the duty of the church to keep her doctrine free of these false teachings. So it is already in the early days of the New Testament church that we find these Confessions.

The oldest of the Confessions is the Apostles' Creed (or the Twelve Articles) which we hear each Sunday in church. It was written in the second century after Christ by an unknown writer (not by the apostles) probably in Rome. In the year 325 the Nicene Creed was written and in 333 the Athanasian Creed. These three are called Ecumenical Creeds because they are accepted by all Protestant churches. Later, in the days of the Reformation, the Doctrinal Standards of the Reformed Churches were written to defend the unity in doctrine. The purpose was three-fold: (1) to acquaint itself to the world by the Confession of Faith (or Thirty-seven Articles); (2) to propagate the knowledge of faith – by the Heidelberg Catechism; and (3) to preserve the unity of faith – by the 5 Articles against the Remonstrants. The Confession of Faith was written by Guido de Bres in 1559. A few years later the Heidelberg Catechism was written in Heidelberg, Germany, by Zacharias Ursinus, who was then 28 years old, and by Caspar Olevianus, who was 26. In 1618-1619 at the National Synod the Five Articles against the Remon­strants were formed, also called the Canons of Dordt. You can probably remember these names more easily if you note that they all begin with the letter "C" – Confession of Faith; Heidelberg Catechism; and Canons of Dordt.

The late Rev. G. H. Kersten wrote: "It is under His Providential guidance that the Lord caused them to be born in the violent struggle of His church; and although they by no means are to be placed on an equal plane with God's Word, yet they are founded on Scripture, and are more than mere human documents. May the Lord build His church thereon and keep us faithful to the doctrines confessed therein."

The Lord willing, we hope to write some articles about the Confession of Faith, or also called the Thirty-seven Articles, as it contains that many articles. It was written by Guido de Bres at the time when the Reforma­tion was spreading through the Netherlands. Against heavy persecution, he protested by throwing a package over the wall of the castle at Tournay. This package contained a letter and the Confession of Faith. In the same year, 1559, it was published in Geneva. In 1567 de Bres was taken captive by his enemies, and executed on May 31. His writing was discussed at many Synods, and received their approval. Also the Synod of Dordt with its many foreign delegates judged it to be in full accord with God's Word.