THE BELGIC CONFESSION OF FAITH
– A Commentary – By Dr. Chuck Baynard
The Belgic Confession of Faith,
Article XXVII
The Catholic Christian Church
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 Spirit.
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 He cannot be. And this holy Church is preserved or supported by
God against the rage of the whole world; though it sometimes for a while appears
very small, and in the eyes of men to be reduced to nothing; as during the
perilous reign of Ahab the Lord reserved unto Him seven thousand men who had not
bowed their knees to Baal.
Furthermore, this holy Church is not confined, bound, or limited to a
certain place or to certain persons, but is spread and dispersed over the whole
world; and yet is joined and united with heart and will, by the power of faith,
in one and the same Spirit.
Two important things are found in this very short article:
1.
The church has existed from the moment of creation. Christ did not come
into existence in the incarnation, but has eternally existed as a co-equal to
God. As noted here Christ has always been the King and being a king requires
subjects. How foolish then of those that refer to themselves as New testament
churches as if this in some way relieves them from the burden of the law of the
Old Testament.
2.
The proliferation of denominations and more especially the wild growth
the world is experiencing in non-church groups scattered to the four winds in
what some have labeled the post-denominational age is the biggest denial of the
Holy Spirit all claim to be led by that can exist among men.
The Holy Spirit seals believers. The
Holy Spirit will forever lead mankind to all truth and bring unity, never
division to the body of Christ. Nonetheless, throughout history we find men who
cannot find a place of rest within an existing church and begin new
denominations or of a much more non-biblical nature, independent churches or
groups gathering in various homes. They claim that they are following the Holy
Spirit and are the ones worshipping God as God would have it be. To which I say
why did the 7000 in the day of Ahab not begin another group of chosen people?
Why did they not separate themselves and worship outside the temple as God had
commanded? Dare any suggest that this holy remnant preserved by God had not the
wisdom or courage to follow where the Holy Spirit led. Where the Spirit led them
was to refrain from the temptations and stains of the world and those evil ones
within the chosen people and to worship God only as God had commanded.
One Lord, one Spirit, one body, one
baptism stands firm in the onslaught of mankind to create his own system of
worship after his own imagination in denial of the revealed truth of God and
rebellion against God. Paul said where division exists man is yet carnal and in
need of the milk of the Gospel. Babies should not be planting so-called new
churches. The true church of God transcends all of these divisions and man made
boundaries and worships God in truth and spirit. God is spirit and God requires
such to worship Him alone.
To worship in truth means to worship
God only as God has commanded in the Bible. The Bible is the only truth in
existence on earth. To worship God in Spirit means from the inner most being,
naturally as a child worships his parents, not of man’s knowledge, but the
knowledge of God given to all of His creation. God’s word is food for the
soul.
