Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - July/93

Contributor - Rev. John Muller

Title - Our God And How He Reveals Himself (Belgic Confession)

Topic - God

Our Belgic Confession begins with God. So does our Bible. "In the beginning God..." (Genesis 1:1). Where else should we begin? Is anything else so important?

God is the beginning and the end. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the first and the last. He was before all things, and will continue after the end. He is the Eternal One. He is the one theme of all our worship and preaching. "To know Him is life eternal." (John 17:3)

The Confession begins with a brief description about God in Article 1. "We all believe with the heart, and confess with the mouth, that there is one simple and spiritual being whom we call God." God is one, and He is simple. When we speak of His simplicity, we mean that He is not a composite person. He cannot be divided or be reduced to various parts. He is identical with His being. Simplicity in God is no bare, abstract notion, but just one aspect of His full perfection. It is a concept of God which we must retain.

The Confession also states that God IS spiritual. This fits the Scriptural picture in John 4:24: "God is a Spirit." Paul also told the Athenians that "we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, a representation by the art and imagination of man." (Acts 17:29) This spirituality of God is to be held firmly even though the Scriptures frequently represent Him in human form, as though He had human characteristics. This is necessary for us, as human beings, to understand God. God's nature and being have a mysterious depth. He is incomparable. Isaiah 40:18 asks: "To whom then will ye liken God, or what likeness com pare with Him?" The Being of God is characterized by a depth, a fullness, a variety and a glory far beyond our comprehension. The Bible represents His Being as one glorious, harmonious whole without contradictions.

The Confession states some of the qualities of God. We also speak of them as attributes, perfections or characteristics of God. "He is eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, immutable, infinite, almighty, perfectly wise, just, good, and the overflowing fountain of eternal. all good." God is above time

His ways are past finding out, beyond our searching - incomprehensible. He is not visible to us, so we walk by faith invisible. He does not change, He remains the same - immutable. He has no limits, we cannot flee from His presence - infinite. He is mighty and powerful, with Him all things are possible almighty. His wisdom is seen in all of creation, and also in His salvation perfectly wise. His justice and righteousness are clearly exhibited in His remaining just while justifying those who believe - just. His goodness is exhibited in His mercy and loving kindness toward His creatures - good. The Confession concludes with a noble statement describing God's glory - "the overflowing fountain of all good."

This is the God that we believe with our hearts and confess with our mouths. In Him we place our trust. He is our God.

How do we come to know this God? Calvin states that "no man can take a survey of himself but he must immediately turn to the contemplation of God, in who he lives and moves." (Institutes, Vol. 1, p.47)

The Confession states that we know Him by two means - first by creation, and second by His Holy Word. We speak of these means as natural revelation and special revelation.

God discloses Himself through His creation and His providence. This 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, namely, His eternal power and Godhead." That which we can see should lead us to meditate on the living God Himself. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night shows knowledge." (Psalm 19:1,2) "And yet He left not Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness." (Acts 14:17) "The invisible things of Him since the creation of the world are clearly seen." (Romans 1:19)

Warfield distinguishes between general and special revelation as follows: "The one is addressed generally to all intelligent creatures, and is therefore accessible to all men-, the other is addressed to a special class of sinners, to whom God would make know His salvation."

The Confession states that God makes Himself known to us in "His holy and divine word more fully and clearly." Thus the superiority of God's special revelation over the revelation in creation is clearly stated. "In His mercy God has given us a new revelation, spoken through prophets and apostles, and supremely through Jesus Christ, which, in its revelation of the nature of God and His holy will, vastly supersedes that which is given in nature and in providence." (Osterhaven) Calvin speaks of special revelation as spectacles through which we are enabled to read God's first volume afight

Since we are a fallen race, we need redemption. Creation alone cannot give us knowledge of this. To know God the Redeemer, and His plan of Redemption, we need the Bible, and the Bible only. The Bible not only presents some god to be worshipped, but tells us that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Word reveals God "as far as is necessary for us to know in this life." This Confession statement is an important phrase. Even the Word does not answer all of our questions. It does not satisfy our curiosity completely. There are many things we won't know until we get to heaven. The Word tells us what is necessary to know down here.

The final purpose of God's revelation is "to His glory and our salvation." It gives glory to God and lays clearly before us the way of salvation through Jesus Christ, which can assure us of eternal life.

Thus by universe and by Word we come to know God. We not only can learn to know about God, but we can know Him as a person. We come close to Him through Jesus Christ, who "has made Him known." (John 1:18).

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