THE BELGIC CONFESSION OF FAITH
– A Commentary – By Dr. Chuck Baynard
The Belgic Confession of Faith,
Article XXIV
Man's Sanctification and Good
Works
We believe that this true faith, being wrought in man by the hearing of
the Word of God and the operation of the Holy Spirit, sanctifies him and makes
him a new man, causing him to live a new life, and freeing him from the bondage
of sin. Therefore it is so far from being true that this justifying faith makes
men remiss in a pious and holy life, that on the contrary without it they would
never do anything out of love to God, but only out of self-love or fear of
damnation. Therefore it is impossible that this holy faith can be unfruitful in
man; for we do not speak of a vain faith, but of such a faith which is called in
Scripture a faith working through love, which excites man to the practice of
those works which God has commanded in His Word.
These works, as they proceed from the good root of faith, are good and
acceptable in the sight of God, forasmuch as they are all sanctified by His
grace. Nevertheless they are of no account towards our justification, for it is
by faith in Christ that we are justified, even before we do good works;
otherwise they could not be good works, any more than the fruit of a tree can be
good before the tree itself is good.
Therefore we do good works, but not to merit by them (for what can we
merit?); nay, we are indebted to God for the good works we do, and not He to us,
since it is He who worketh in us both to will and to work, for his good
pleasure. Let us therefore attend to what is written: When ye shall have done
all the things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; we
have done that which it was our duty to do. In the meantime we do not deny that
God rewards good works, but it is through His grace that He crowns His gifts.
Moreover, though we do good works, we do not found our salvation upon
them; for we can do no work but what is polluted by our flesh, and also
punishable; and although we could perform such works, still the remembrance of
one sin is sufficient to make God reject them. Thus, then, we would always be in
doubt, tossed to and fro without any certainty, and our poor consciences would
be continually vexed if they relied not on the merits of the suffering and death
of our Savior.
Some to show
that works are part of true or saving faith has used “Faith working through
love,” from Ephesians to prove this point. This is an error of the most
grievous nature. This confuses sanctification with justification and makes it
appear that there is someway a person can fall out of the estate of grace by sin
(failure to obey all of God’s commands). Man in salvation is freed from the
power of sin, not that man in regeneration will no longer sin. Faith produces
love toward god and love will produce obedience (works). Is there a time
differential between justification, sanctification, and works? Not that we can
measure for all are present in regeneration, yet as the Blegic Confession in
these last three articles has been so careful to lay before us the truth that
works, even in Christ have nothing to do with salvation. Works are visible proof
of the inner working of the Holy Spirit as such, though no empirical proof of
salvation. Christ says to some at the last day who have been laboring in the
name of Christ, depart from me ye that work iniquity, I have never known you.
Ephesians 2:8 stands as the only doorway and the foundation of Reformed
soteriology. You are saved by grace, through faith, and that not of yourself, it
is the gift of God lest any should boast leaves no room for such foolish debate
as Rome and her false teachers scattered throughout Christendom would lead
foolish men to believe.
The error is as
old as the heavens and flows from the evil desire of the created to be like God,
that is to be autonomous.
