Resources

Structure

Thirty-seven articles arranged systematically from the knowledge of God and the authority of Scripture through creation, the fall, Christ's redemption, the church, the sacraments, and civil government — one of the most comprehensive Reformed confessions ever produced.

Purpose

Written in 1561 by Guido de Brès to demonstrate to King Philip II of Spain that Reformed believers were orthodox Christians, not anarchists or heretics. He hoped to secure freedom of worship and end the persecution of Reformed congregations in the Low Countries.

Usage

Adopted at the Synod of Dort (1619) alongside the Heidelberg Catechism and Canons of Dort as one of the 'Three Forms of Unity' — the doctrinal standards of Reformed and Christian Reformed churches across the Netherlands, North America, South Africa, and beyond.

Influence

Remains one of the most precise and comprehensive confessional statements in the Reformed tradition, guiding Reformed churches for over 460 years and serving as a model for how systematic theology can be presented in accessible, confessional form for the whole church.