The Belgic Confession, Article V: The Authority of Scripture

We receive all these books and these only as holy and canonical, for the regulating, founding, and establishing of our faith.

And we believe without a doubt all things contained in them – not so much because the church receives and approves them as such but above all because the Holy Spirit testifies in our hearts that they are from God, and also because they prove themselves to be from God.

For even the blind themselves are able to see that the things predicted in them do happen. (BC, Article V)

The authority of Scripture is one of those things about which a lot of people talk, but few people live. Many churches have articles in their respective statements of faith in which they pay some homage to the authority of Scripture, but in reality they hardly ever even preach from the Bible – the supposed authority from which their beliefs reside. Instead of preaching expositionally through the Scriptures and making application after careful exegesis, the Bible is used to prop up the latest ‘culturally relevant’ sermon which was born from the pastor’s latest movie watched or book read.

On the other hand, there are those who believe so strongly in Biblical authority that they try to make the Bible ‘speak’ on subjects to which the Bible never intended to speak. Consider, for example, the strong pietistic bent of many fundamentalist churches that create ‘rules’ for holy living that aren’t in the Bible (I’m sure there are still people who believe that Jesus turned water into grape juice in John 2). Whether Biblical authority is something that is paid lip service to or something that is over abused, we need to come to a proper understanding of Biblical authority.

If you’ve been following the articles on the Belgic Confession, you will know that we’ve been discussing the Scriptures lately; articles II through VII deal in some way with the Scriptures. The authors of the Confession are making a systematic argument for the Scriptures. Beginning in article II, we see that God has revealed himself both in nature (general revelation) and in Scripture (special revelation). Article III goes into more depth regarding special revelation to discuss the “how” of special revelation. Article IV (our last look at the Confession) talked about the “what” of special revelation (what books constitute divine revelation). Today, in discussing Article V of the Belgic Confession, we’re going to look at the question “where” — as in from “where” do the Scriptures derive their dignity and authority?

The question of authority is a very important one in all manners of life, but most importantly in Christian living. Taking an example ripped from our most recent headlines, we are dealing with the issue of authority in the federal government here in the United States. Our current president, Barrack Obama, is by all accounts attempting to consolidate power within the executive branch of the federal government. Whether by executive order (through the appointing of the various ‘Czars’) or through legislative decree (‘Cap and Trade,’ ‘Universal Health Care’), the president is implementing a socialist agenda in this country that over reaches his constitutionally appointed authority as president. This can only be accomplished if one redefines or ignores the Constitution of the United States. That foundational document sets the boundaries and limits of the federal government by establishing checks and balances and vesting power in the three branches of government; thereby protecting against the tendency to abuse power were it consolidated in any one of the branches.

Similarly, the Bible the foundational document in the Christian church. It provides the divine rule for faith and practice and forms the basis for our doctrine and ethics. As such, it is the only authority in the Christian church. Let’s look more closely at Article V of the Belgic Confession.

Article V begins with the following phrase: “We receive all these books and these only as holy and canonical, for the regulating, founding, and establishing of our faith.” The first thing to note on the subject of authority is that the Confession states we receive “all these books only as holy and canonical.” What is being asserted here is that only the canonical books of the Bible (see Article IV) are received as authoritative. In other words, only the 66 books of the Bible can stand as God’s divine word and can serve as our guide to doctrine and ethics. It is these books, and these books only, to which we must conform our Christian living. While other books can be useful in helping us in our Christian living, they can make no demands on us outside of what Scripture already demands. Books by other Christian authors can certainly be edifying and give us instruction in Christian doctrine and ethics, but only Scripture serves as the final authority on these matters. Everything must be tested against Scripture and on that basis either be accepted or rejected. This goes to the heart of the issue over the Apocrypha (Hebrew books of the inter-testamental period whose authority is disputed). This issue will be dealt with more fully when we consider Article VI of the Confession.

The second thing to note regarding the authority of Scripture is where the Confession states that the Scriptures are “for the regulating, founding, and establishing of our faith.” The primary purpose of Scripture is to serve as the basis for our faith — doctrine and ethics. As the Apostle Paul states in his second letter to Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). What is of special import is that last part of the passage. Scripture is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training. The result is that the man of God will be “competent, equipped for every good work.” The Scriptures give us everything we need to know in order to live this thing called the Christian life. Some want to assert that the Scriptures speak to all areas of life. I don’t necessarily want to refute this belief, but we need to know that the purpose of the Scriptures isn’t to speak to all areas of life. The Bible is not a practical ‘how-to’ guide for living. It is not the “user’s manual” for life. It is not a history of the world book or a science textbook. Everything the Bible speaks on it speaks truly, but it doesn’t not speak on every subject of interest. The Bible is a story of redemption, and when it does speak, it speaks redemptively. It’s a story of paradise, paradise lost and paradise regained with God as the ‘hero’ of the story and how we can move from paradise lost to paradise regained. Can the Bible be applied to all areas of life? It probably can, but not at the expense of losing the main thrust of the story.

The next point made by Article V of the Confession discusses the source of Scripture’s authority: And we believe without a doubt all things contained in them – not so much because the church receives and approves them as such but above all because the Holy Spirit testifies in our hearts that they are from God, and also because they prove themselves to be from God. The age old question regarding the authority of Scripture is: Does the church determine what is or isn’t Scripture, or does the church simply recognize what is or isn’t Scripture? What the Confession is putting forth is that the Bible receives its authority from God alone, not from church councils. Christians are to accept the authoritative teachings of the Bible, not because the church decrees it to be so, but because the Holy Spirit testifies as much. Much can be said about this, but the bottom line is that the internal witness of the Holy Spirit is the main determining factor in regards to the authority of Scripture. This is not to say that it is only by the witness of the Holy Spirit that we can accept and recognize Scripture’s authority, but it is the deciding factor.

Historically, there have been four main criteria used to recognize and canonize Scripture:

1. Apostolic Origin (Scripture must have been written by an apostle or a close associate)
2. Universal Acceptance (Acknowledged by all, or nearly all, Christian communities)
3. Liturgical Use (Read publicly during Christian worship)
4. Consistent Message (Consistent in message and theology with other accepted Christian writings)

The point being none of these are, whether taken together or individually, enough to quell all doubts. The internal witness of the Holy Spirit is the trump card; he quickens our hearts to hear and accept what Scripture says. This is what Paul meant when he said, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Spiritual discernment requires not only a regenerated spirit within, but also the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The last clause of Article V states: For even the blind themselves are able to see that the things predicted in them do happen. Because the Bible is the very spoken word of God as attested to by the internal witness of the Holy Spirit, it has predictive power. The very first prophecy recorded in Scripture is Genesis 3:15 — called the Proto-evangellium. In it, God promises that the “seed of the woman” would come and crush the head of the serpent, while in turn having his heel crushed in the process. This is the first promise of the coming redeemer and was fulfilled at the cross of Christ. Other OT prophecies point forward to the coming Messiah-Redeemer. In addition to this, many NT passages foretell the return of Messiah to close the end of the age. The point being that just as the things prophesied about the first coming of Messiah came true, so also the prophecies concerning his return will also be fulfilled. Therefore, the Bible is not only authoritative in its teachings on doctrine and ethics, but also in its teleology as well.

The Scriptures are the divinely inspired, authoritative writings which govern the faith and practice of God’s people. They derive their authority not from church councils, but from God himself — with the Holy Spirit bearing witness within our hearts. As such, we should endeavor to diligently study the Scriptures — both corporately and individually — in order to determine its rule for our lives. Let us not simply pay lip service to the concept of Biblical authority while ignoring its commands and exhortations. Neither let us speak where the Bible remains silent! In our next look at the Belgic Confession, we will discuss in more detail the differences between the canonical books and the apocryphal books. Until then…

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!