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IN ONE MONTH volume two of The Belgic Confession commentary will be printed, completing the two-volume set written by Professor David J. Engelsma.

We provide you with an excerpt from Chapter 17: Justification as Experience.

Justification by faith alone, without works, not only excludes works from God’s justifying act, but also from the believer’s knowledge and certainty of righteousness with God. If this were not the case, “we should always be in doubt, tossed to and fro without any certainty, and our poor consciences would be continually vexed.”

Therefore, to teach that in the end the experience and assurance of righteousness with God are realized by the sinner’s good works, or are somehow dependent upon the good works of the sinner, is the denial of justification by faith alone. In that case, faith would need the help of the sinner’s works to give the blessing of justification. Union with Christ and his work would not be enough.

April 1 Standard Bearer preview article

Who Am I?

“…God, whose I am, and whom I serve.” Acts 27:23b.

“Who am I?” This is the second most important question to ask and answer. Now and throughout all of life, every morning when you awake, every night before you go to sleep, and before every decision you make between waking and sleeping, you should be answering this question of self-identity.¹ But before asking ourselves this, we must be aware of the first most important question, which is “Who is God?” Catechism students studying the “Essentials of Reformed Doctrine” will recognize this if they remember the six loci of Reformed doctrine, the first being Theology, which answers this question. Let us be sure to start here. Begin with this question every day, for if you do not first know who God is, you will “mess up” the knowledge of who you are. Only in keeping that crucial knowledge of God’s identity in mind will one rightly answer the second most important question—number two of the six loci (Anthropology)—“Who am I?”

The Marks of the False Church (concluded)

The identifying mark of the false church is that she lacks the marks of the true church, i.e., the pure doctrine of holy scripture, a pure administration of the sacraments; and the exercise of church discipline in the correcting of sin. Rich in the incidentals of size, ecclesiastical reputation, earthly influence, religious ritual and busyness, and pomp (which, alas, fascinate many professing Christians in every age); she is destitute of the essentials of the body of Jesus Christ in the world. 

The Royal Sufferer

To this divinely anointed King, this book is witness. Behold your King, and worship him!

The Marks of the False Church

". . .As for the false Church, she ascribes more power and authority to herself and her ordinances than to the Word of God, and will not submit herself to the yoke of Christ. Neither does she administer the sacraments as appointed by Christ in His Word, but adds to and takes from them, as she thinks proper; she relieth more upon men than upon Christ; and persecutes those, who live holily according to the Word of God, and rebuke her for her errors, covetousness, and idolatry. These two Churches are easily known and distinguished from each other."—Belgic Confession, Article 29

The "problem" of the article of our Confession of Faith quoted above is its absolute distinction between the true church and the false church. It does not speak of purer and less pure churches, of manifestations of Jesus' body that vary in degree of faithfulness and doctrinal purity; but of "two Churches," the true and the false.

Moses' Forsaking of Egypt

"By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible." Hebrews 11:27

Choose we must. We must always choose between Christ and Satan, between the service of the Lord and that of the devil, between Egypt and the people of God, between the things above and the things below. And this choice is inevitable. No compromise is possible. It is either God or mammon, Christ or Belial, the church or the world. And to choose for God and Christ is possible only by faith. 

Moreover, once we make the choice we must act. Our conscious choosing and definite action are always inseparable. Faith in Christ and a spiritual walk are inseparably connected. Indeed, to express a preference for God and his cause and then to seek the things below is surely dishonest. How true this is of Moses! That faith and action are inseparably connected will also become plain as we dwell a few moments upon the incident in this particular word of God. Fact is, this is the thrust of this passage. 

The Incident

To which incident does this text refer? Moses left Egypt twice: he left Egypt when he fled to Midian, and he again left Egypt at the exodus. Which incident is meant here? The commentators are not in agreement; there is much to be said in favor of both explanations. 

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