Belgic Confession of Faith

Article 16

This article speaks to us of eternal election. In fact, it speaks of election and reprobation. It speaks of predestination, which implies the gracious election of some unto eternal life, but also of the leaving of others in their perdition and under condemnation in the depth of their fall.

For many, this is a hard doctrine and not very well liked. It is not only the Remonstrant or the Pelagian who stumbles at election, but our proud heart resists this by nature too.

In the Canons of Dordt, our fathers have refuted the ideas of the Arminians with regard to election. You can read of it in the first chapter. There it says that the free gift of God (His grace) proceeds from God’s eternal decree. The cause of this gift is only in God. This decree is from eternity, for “known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18), also the work of election and reprobation. Article 7 states that this election is “the unchangeable purpose of God”; and in Article 9, in opposition to the Remonstrants, we read that “this election was not founded upon foreseen faith, and the obedience of faith, holiness, or any other good quality or disposition in man, as the pre-requisite, cause or condition on which it depended.” Article 10 says that the reason of this gracious election is not in man but “the good pleasure of God is the sole cause of this gracious election; which doth not consist herein, that out of all possible qualities and actions of men God has chosen some.” Article 11 says that this election cannot be annulled: “As God Himself is most wise, unchangeable, omniscient and omnipotent, so the election made by Him can neither be interrupted nor changed, recalled or annulled.” Article 12 states: “The elect in due time [God’s time], though in various degrees and in different measure, attain the assurance of this their eternal and unchangeable election, not by inquisitively prying into the secret and deep things of God, but by observing in themselves with a spiritual joy and holy pleasure, the infallible fruits of election.”

Our Canons of Dordt do not only speak of election; they also speak of reprobation, which is the opposite side. Article 16 states that there is still hope for those who are outside of this grace and do not have a lively faith in Christ and peace of conscience. They should not be terrified by the doctrine of reprobation, but this doctrine is “justly terrible to those, who, regardless of God and of the Savior Jesus Christ, have wholly given themselves up to the cares of the world, and the pleasures of the flesh.” For them this is a terrible doctrine, but it adds, “so long as they are not seriously converted to God”!

“Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you.”

We can see that our fathers in their battle with the Remonstrants have given a clear explanation of the doctrine of predestination. Our Confession of Faith also speaks of it. Dear friends, this is a very important doctrine. This is the heart of the church, the eternal foundation, the unchangeable purpose of God, the good pleasure of God. If this is taken away out of the Word of God or out of the preaching, then the heart of the gospel is undermined. God’s Word says, “Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you.” Let us never speak foolishly by saying that the sovereignty of God would make people careless. This is what the Remonstrants said also, which is a false accusation.

Now, the opposite — this doctrine of election gives comfort to the church of God. If you take it away, you rob their comfort. Calvin called this doctrine the “decretum horribile” — a horrible decree. Horrible means to be feared, something which is related to the greatness of God. “Who would not fear Him?” Calvin calls this a solemn doctrine which speaks of the greatness of God. It is a doctrine before which we may tremble; we must put our shoes from off our feet, for we stand upon holy ground here; therefore he called it the “decretum horribile.”

The Remonstrants, in their conflict with the contra- Remonstrants, tried to hide their enmity somewhat against this doctrine. They acted as if they just wanted to oppose the ideas of the supra-lapsarians, which, they said, put the blame upon God. No, they said, we just want to defend God and His honor. We do not want to say that man saves himself, for God is a God of love. He loves all men with a preceding love. This does not mean that all people will be saved. The Lord wants us to use the opportunity. If we say yes to His love, then the Lord knows that, and He has chosen such a people of whom He has foreseen that they will accept and will believe. This is what they believed. But we must realize that at the Synod of Dordt, infra- as well as supra-lapsarians found each other in the doctrinal standards which we still have. They agreed in their doctrine with an eternal predestination (election), but not because of a foreseen faith, and not because of anything in man.

Election is the work of a Triune God. It is the work of the Father. We read in 1 Peter 1:2 “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father”. It is also the work of the Son, “I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen” (John 13:18). Election is also the work of the Holy Spirit, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). However, election is particularly the work of the Father.

This article of the confession states: “all the posterity of Adam being thus fallen into perdition and ruin, by the sin of our first parents.” There we see the reality of our deep fall. Did you ever see that of yourself? Do not begin by asking the question, “Am I one of the elected ones?” No, that is not the order that our fathers followed. They begin with reality, viewing man as he became after the fall. There he is! “Ichabod, the crown is fallen from his head.” My friends, ask yourself, “Did I ever see that? Did I ever mourn about that? Did I ever have that godly sorrow because I am fallen into perdition and ruin by the sin of my first parent, which is my own sin?”

Then they say, “God then did manifest Himself such as He is.” God manifested Himself in the revelation of His thoughts of peace in the promise to Eve about the seed of the woman which would bruise the head of the serpent. He spoke about the Child who would come, upon whose shoulders the government would be. He spoke about the Mighty Man upon whom was laid help. God manifested Himself in His grace. He revealed that covenant which He had made from eternity — the covenant of grace.

God did manifest Himself such as He is. How is He? Merciful and just. Arnoldus of Rotterdam wrote a beautiful explanation of the Confession of Faith. In it he says that man must know two persons. What two persons must we know, will it be well with us? The first is Adam, the second is Christ. I Corinthians 15:22 says, “For as in Adam all died, even in Christ shall all be made alive.” This is the order — first Adam, then Christ.

“For as in Adam all died, even in Christ shall all he made alive.”

In the experience of God s church they will first learn to know what they have become in Adam before there is really room for Christ. “Will all people be saved?” Arnoldus of Rotterdam asked. No, “he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). Not all people will be saved. But who then will be saved? Who are they? Only those who are chosen shall be saved, as we read in Acts. “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the Word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). They were ordained — that is, chosen, to eternal life. We also read of this in Romans 9:22-23: “What if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory.”

God’s Word speaks even more strongly of “fitted to destruction.” The potter fitteth them to destruction. He is the Father. May He not do with the clay what He wants? We read in 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” We also read in Ephesians 1:11 and Romans 8:29 of His eternal decree of predestination. This is the unchangeable decree about the eternal state of reasonable creatures. That concerns:

a) angels — “I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality” (1 Timothy 5:21). In Matthew 25:41 we read, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”

b) man — “For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ”

(1 Thessalonians 5:9).

In many other places the Lord also speaks about this eternal decree. What is now the purpose of predestination? Why did the Lord elect some and why did He reject others? We have heard it already from the Canons of Dordt. The only purpose is His glory and His honor. It is not that He delighted in some people who were more precious, but the only reason God does what He does is His glory. That is a virtue in God — to seek and to aim at His own glory.

This glory He seeks in two aspects. He will be glorified in two ways — by mercy, but also by justice. “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will” (Ephesians 1:5). “What if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?” (Romans 9:22). This is His justice. “The Lord hath made all things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil” (Proverbs 16:4).

There are two sides, mercy and grace, but also justice. How does the Lord show mercy? By drawing people to Himself, by delivering them in this time state. What is the cause of predestination? The purpose is God’s glory, but the cause is God’s good pleasure, as we already heard from the Canons of Dordt. No, faith and good works are not the cause of election. What then is the relationship of faith and good works to election? They are the fruits of it, not the cause. The cause of election is in God. It is His free, favorable good pleasure. “It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy” (Romans 9:16). But the fruits are faith and good works. We read of that in Matthew 20 and many other places. God has predestinated them unto, not because of, but unto good works.

— (to be continued) —

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