1561 — Synod of Dort (1619)
Reformed Tradition
Translation: public domain. Section headings and indentations added for clarity.
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The Belgic Confession of Faith was written in 1561 by Guido de Brès, a Reformed minister in the Low Countries, to demonstrate that the Reformed believers were not rebels but faithful Christians who held to sound doctrine. It contains 37 articles covering the full range of Reformed doctrine from the nature of God to the last things.
We all believe with the heart and confess with the mouth that there is one only simple and spiritual Being, which we call God; and that He is eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, immutable, infinite, almighty, perfectly wise, just, good, and the overflowing fountain of all good.
We know Him by two means: First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe; which is before our eyes as a most elegant book, wherein all creatures, great and small, are as so many characters leading us to contemplate the invisible things of God. Second, He makes Himself more clearly and fully known to us by His holy and divine Word, that is to say, as far as is necessary for us to know in this life, to His glory and our salvation.
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 whole manner of worship which God requires of us is written in them at large. It is therefore unlawful for anyone, though an apostle, to teach otherwise than we are now taught in the Holy Scriptures.
We believe that, to attain the true knowledge of this great mystery, the Holy Ghost kindleth in our hearts an upright faith, which embraces Jesus Christ with all His merits, appropriates Him, and seeks nothing more besides Him. For it must needs follow, either that all things which are requisite to our salvation are not in Jesus Christ, or if all things are in Him, that then those who possess Jesus Christ through faith have complete salvation in Him.
We believe and profess one catholic or universal Church, which 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. This Church has been from the beginning of the world and will be to the end thereof; which is evident from this that Christ is an eternal King, which, without subjects, cannot be.
Psalm 19:1
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”
Creation speaks of God, but Scripture alone speaks clearly enough for salvation — Article 2 distinguishes general revelation from the special revelation needed for saving knowledge.
2 Timothy 3:16
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
Nothing may be added or removed from Scripture’s complete and sufficient witness — Article 7 is among the strongest statements of sola scriptura in any Reformed confession.
2 Corinthians 13:14
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
Three persons, one divine being — the foundation of all Christian confession. The Belgic Confession grounds its Trinitarian theology in this apostolic benediction.
Ephesians 1:4
“Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”
Election is in Christ, for God’s glory, and the ground of the believer’s assurance — Article 16 presents divine election as comfort, not terror.
Philippians 3:9
“And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.”
Justification is by faith alone in Christ alone — Article 23 grounds the believer’s acceptance before God entirely in imputed righteousness, not personal merit.
1 Timothy 3:15
“If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.”
The church is recognizable by its faithfulness to Word and Sacrament — Article 29’s marks of the true church guard against both false churches and schism.
1 Corinthians 11:26
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
Genuine spiritual nourishment in the Supper — not merely a bare memorial. Article 35 affirms a real feeding of the soul by faith, rejecting both Roman and Zwinglian extremes.
The English translation presented follows the traditional rendering used in Catholic and/or Protestant traditions.
This text is provided for study, research, and educational purposes in Christian theology and church history.
In 1561, a young Reformed minister named Guido de Brès threw a copy of his confession over the walls of the castle at Doornik in the Spanish Netherlands. He hoped it would reach the authorities who were persecuting the Reformed believers under his care. His goal was simple: to show that these believers were not dangerous rebels but orthodox Christians who held to the ancient faith of the Church.
De Brès based his confession largely on the Confession de Foi of the French Reformed churches (1559), adapting it and expanding it for the situation of the Low Countries. He drew on the thought of John Calvin and other leading Reformers. The confession was adopted by a Synod at Antwerp in 1566 and quickly became the doctrinal standard of the Reformed churches in the Netherlands and Belgium.
De Brès himself was captured and martyred in 1567, but his confession lived on. It was revised and officially adopted at the great Synod of Dort in 1619, alongside the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dort — the three documents that together form the "Three Forms of Unity," the confessional standard of Reformed churches in the Dutch tradition to this day. It is one of the most thorough and carefully argued confessions of the Reformation era.
Today the Belgic Confession is the confessional standard of denominations including the Christian Reformed Church in North America, the Reformed Church in America, the United Reformed Churches, and the Free Reformed Churches, among others. Its influence extends throughout the global Reformed community.
There is one simple, spiritual, eternal, and almighty Being whom we call God — the overflowing fountain of all good.
God is known through two books: the creation (general revelation) and Holy Scripture (special revelation). Scripture reveals what is necessary for salvation.
The Holy Scriptures fully contain the will of God and sufficiently teach all that is necessary for salvation. No tradition or human authority may add to or override Scripture.
God in His mercy delivers from damnation those He has elected in Christ, while leaving the others in their fall by a just judgment. Election is entirely of God's free grace.
The Holy Spirit kindles saving faith which embraces Christ with all His merits. Those who possess Christ through faith have complete salvation in Him — nothing else is required.
There is one holy, catholic Church — a congregation of true believers washed by Christ's blood, sanctified by the Spirit. This Church has existed from the beginning and will endure to the end.
The Belgic Confession is a Reformed confession of faith written in 1561 by Guido de Brès, a minister in the Reformed churches of the Low Countries (modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands). It contains 37 articles setting out the full range of Reformed Christian doctrine. It was adopted at the Synod of Dort in 1619 and remains a confessional standard for many Reformed denominations worldwide.
Guido de Brès (1522–1567), a Reformed minister from the Spanish Netherlands. He wrote the confession to demonstrate that the Reformed believers under his care were not rebels but faithful Christians. De Brès was later captured and executed for his faith in 1567, making him a martyr of the Reformation.
The Three Forms of Unity are the three confessional documents that together define the doctrinal identity of Reformed churches in the Dutch tradition: the Belgic Confession (1561), the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), and the Canons of Dort (1619). They were officially gathered and adopted at the Synod of Dort and remain the confessional standard of denominations such as the Christian Reformed Church, the Reformed Church in America, and the United Reformed Churches.
Article 7 teaches that the Holy Scriptures fully contain the will of God and sufficiently teach everything necessary for salvation. No tradition, council, or human authority may add to or contradict Scripture. The confession also affirms the canonical books of the Bible in Article 4 and the authority and self-attestation of Scripture throughout.
The Belgic Confession teaches that salvation is entirely by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Article 22 teaches justification by faith — that those who embrace Christ through faith have complete salvation in Him and need nothing more. Articles 16–17 affirm election and the bondage of the will, while Articles 23–24 address justification and sanctification.
The Belgic Confession is the confessional standard of several Reformed denominations, including the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA), the Reformed Church in America (RCA), the United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA), the Free Reformed Churches of North America, and many Reformed churches in the Netherlands and South Africa.
Explore our articles, study guides, and historical commentary on the Belgic Confession.