Three Forms Podcast

In these three articles, we start to dig into some of the Biblical evidence of election, not based upon our merit or goodness, but rather in accordance with our heavenly Father's will and purposes. Article 5: The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith The cause or blame for this unbelief, as well as for all other sins, is not at all in God, but in humanity. Faith in Jesus Christ, however, and salvation...

Divine Election and Reprobation are the primary subject of the first Head of Doctrine, but all of these doctrines are intentionally and necessarily intertwined, so Article 1 starts with sin. The First Main Point of Doctrine Divine Election and Reprobation The Judgment Concerning Divine Predestination Which the Synod Declares to Be in Agreement with the Word of God and Accepted Till Now in the Refo...

Today we begin to consider the third of our Three Forms of Unity, the Canons of Dort. In this episode, we discuss its content, context, and point to some helpful resources if you want to dig deeper. Introduction The Decision of the Synod of Dort on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute in the Netherlands is popularly known as the Canons of Dort. It consists of statements of doctrine adopted...

The Belgic Confession ends with a discussion of Last Things, Eschatology, as it points God's people to the eternal reality to come! Article 37: The Last Judgement Finally we believe, according to God’s Word, that when the time appointed by the Lord is come (which is unknown to all creatures) and the number of the elect is complete, our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven, bodily and visibly, a...

The most modified article of the Belgic (like Article 23 in the Westminster Confession), the US context has challenged us to consider exactly what overlap we should expect between church and state. Article 36: The Civil Government We believe that because of the depravity of the human race, our good God has ordained kings, princes, and civil officers. God wants the world to be governed by laws and...

Article 35 is a mouth full in a few different ways! The Lord's Supper, our communal meal, is where our spiritual life is sustained, even if Protestantism has historically been divided over it. Article 35: The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper We believe and confess that our Savior Jesus Christ has ordained and instituted the sacrament of the Holy Supper to nourish and sustain those who are already re...

Baptism is God's welcome to his people, both for those who profess their faith and join from outside, as well as those who are born into the family of God! Article 34: The Sacrament of Baptism We believe and confess that Jesus Christ, in whom the law is fulfilled, has by his shed blood put an end to every other shedding of blood, which anyone might do or wish to do in order to atone or satisfy for...

Two Sacraments are all we find commanded in God's Word! Yet, these gifts from God are signs and seals that build our faith in Christ, and are a blessing for the people of God! Article 33: The Sacraments We believe that our good God, mindful of our crudeness and weakness, has ordained sacraments for us to seal his promises in us, to pledge good will and grace toward us, and also to nourish and sust...

What is the "regulative principle," and how is that meant to shape and guide Reformed Worship? Article 32: The Order and Discipline of the Church We also believe that although it is useful and good for those who govern the churches to establish and set up a certain order among themselves for maintaining the body of the church, they ought always to guard against deviating from what Christ, our only...

Ministers, Elders, and Deacons are the offices that we see in Scripture, and the expectation is for the church to speak and vote on who holds these offices, along with calling on God's name! Article 31: The Officers of the Church We believe that ministers of the Word of God, elders, and deacons ought to be chosen to their offices by a legitimate election of the church, with prayer in the name of t...

How does Christ govern and lead his church? From Scripture, we see that he has given the church three offices, pastors, elders, and deacons. The pastors teach, the elders protect, and deacons to give. Article 30: The Government of the Church We believe that this true church ought to be governed according to the spiritual order that our Lord has taught us in his Word. There should be ministers or p...

What is a church? Certainly every group that has "church" on their front sign would not qualify! Instead, we need to see the faithful implementation of at least three marks, in an ongoing manner. Article 29: The Marks of the True Church We believe that we ought to discern diligently and very carefully, by the Word of God, what is the true church— for all sects in the world today claim for themselv...

Does a Christian need to be a member of a Church? Isn't salvation based on our relationship to Jesus? While that is the root of our salvation, God still expects His people to gather together! Article 28: The Obligations of Church Members We believe that since this holy assembly and congregation is the gathering of those who are saved and there is no salvation apart from it, people ought not to wit...

When did the church begin? Who decides who is in or out? Article 27 teaches that God has one united people, all saved in Jesus, from all times, places, and social and ethnic backgrounds included. Article 27: The Holy Catholic Church We believe and confess one single catholic or universal church— a holy congregation and gathering of true Christian believers, awaiting their entire salvation in Jesus...

Prayers and petitions calling upon dead saints, or Mary? While they shared our humanity, why would we think they hear us, or care more than He who demonstrated His love by laying down His life for us? Article 26: The Intercession of Christ We believe that we have no access to God except through the one and only Mediator and Intercessor, “Jesus Christ the righteous,” who therefore was made human, u...

Is God's ceremonial law still important? Should Christians keep all of these commands? Are these laws now purposeless, and to be ignored? Christ has fulfilled these laws, but they still point to Him! Article 25: The Fulfillment of the Law We believe that the ceremonies and symbols of the law have ended with the coming of Christ, and that all foreshadowings have come to an end, so that the use of t...

The process of Sanctification can not be stopped in those who have been given the Holy Spirit, and yet not all are growing at the same rate. Article 24 challenges us to strive to grow in God's ways. Article 24: The Sanctification of Sinners We believe that this true faith, produced in us by the hearing of God’s Word and by the work of the Holy Spirit, regenerates us and makes us new creatures, cau...

This article reminds us of the absolute necessity of our Salvation and Justification being based solely upon God's work! If we trusted or relied upon our own works at all, Alas, we would be undone. Article 23: The Justification of Sinners We believe that our blessedness lies in the forgiveness of our sins because of Jesus Christ, and that in it our righteousness before God is contained, as David a...

Today we focus on our Justification, how God can now treat us just as if we had never sinned nor been a sinner! How? Not by works, but through the gift of Faith! Article 22: The Righteousness of Faith We believe that for us to acquire the true knowledge of this great mystery the Holy Spirit kindles in our hearts a true faith that embraces Jesus Christ, with all his merits, and makes him its own, a...

In contrast to the never ending sacrifices of the Old Testament, in Jesus atonement, we learn how our Lord, by his precious blood, provided the effective and once for all sacrifice for my sins! Article 21: The Atonement We believe that Jesus Christ is a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek—made such by an oath—and that he presented himself in our name before his Father, to app...

The Gospel can be distorted, when one focuses only upon God's Justice or Mercy. But, as Article 20 teaches, the good news of the Gospel is that these two have perfectly met in Christ' sacrifice! Article 20: The Justice and Mercy of God in Christ We believe that God—who is perfectly merciful and also very just— sent the Son to assume the nature in which the disobedience had been committed, in order...

What do we do with the Biblical account of who Jesus is? Divine? Human? We see that He was both, yet He was just one person? This reality is our focus today, what theologians call the Hypostatic Union. Article 19: The Two Natures of Christ We believe that by being thus conceived the person of the Son has been inseparably united and joined together with human nature, in such a way that there are no...

We worship on Sunday, remembering Jesus resurrection. But as we do, we are also remembering and celebrating the incarnation that made Jesus' death, and thus resurrection possible! Article 18: The Incarnation So then we confess that God fulfilled the promise made to the early fathers and mothers by the mouth of the holy prophets when he sent the only and eternal Son of God into the world at the tim...

One of the shortest Articles in the Confession, here we continue to explore what our God has done to accomplish our salvation. Article 17: The Recovery of Fallen Humanity We believe that our good God, by marvelous divine wisdom and goodness, seeing that Adam and Eve had plunged themselves in this manner into both physical and spiritual death and made themselves completely miserable, set out to fin...

Recognizing our hopeless condition in sin, the Belgic now turns our attention towards our Lord, as we begin to consider what He has done to save us, first through His electing love in Jesus Christ. Belgic Confession Article 16 Eternal Election We believe that all the posterity of Adam being thus fallen into perdition and ruin, by the sin of our first parents, God then did manifest himself such as...