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Three Forms of Unity – Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, And THE THREE FORMS OF UNITY The Heidelberg Catechism The Belgic Confession The Canons of the Council of Dordrecht along with the Ecumenical Creeds www.start.URClearning.org For help, send an email to: [email protected] ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` 1 INTRODUCTION Since the Bible teaches that Christians continue to sin, the church will be corrupted over time. Therefore, Christians should always be attempting to reform the church, to put it back in accordance with biblical teachings and practice. During the sixteenth century, Roman Catholics chose to stop participating in this process and actually condemned those who attempted such reform. Reformers were forced outside of the Roman Catholic Church and participated in the Reformation in Protestant churches such as the Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed. From 1618 to 1619, the Reformed churches from dozens of countries throughout the world sent representatives to meet at the Synod, or Council, of Dordrecht. There, they collectively stated their faith and summarized biblical teachings with three documents, or forms, of unity: the Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, and Canons of Dort. The United Reformed Churches in North America are the descendants of these international Reformed churches, and as participants in this Reformation here offer these statements of faith as summaries of biblical teaching. The Church has always stated its faith for many reasons and these Three Forms of Unity perform ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` 2 many roles. They summarize biblical teachings such as the doctrines of the Trinity, the Incarnation, Predestination, Justification, and the Church. They allow members to gather together around shared beliefs about fundamental teachings in the Bible, and thereby relegate non-essential doctrines (political positions, educational platforms, etc.) to personal opinion lest the church needlessly split. They also help others understand what we believe and thereby provide a basis upon which ecumenical unity can be built. Different types of documents serve different purposes. Catechisms, such as the Heidelberg Catechism (written in Heidelberg, Germany) are documents written in a question-and-answer format that help explain biblical teaching to children and those new to the faith; the Heidelberg is divided into 52 Sundays, or Lord’s Days, which allows it to be worked through in a year. Confessions, such as the Belgic Confession (written in Belgium) explain various biblical teachings. Finally, canons, such as the Canons of Dort (written at the Synod of Dordrecht), are series of technical responses to specific theological issues. These documents were originally written in Greek, Latin, French and German. The English translations of the four ecumenical creeds (Apostles’, Nicene, Athanasian and Chalcedonian) and the three forms of unity (Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession and Canons of the Synod of Dordrecht) were created ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` 3 and reviewed by various individuals, including pastors and elders in the URC. The English translation of the three forms of unity offered here may look different than others. Many modern English editions are translations of translations or the products of various alterations and additions to the text of the documents including scriptural citations and dubious historical notes. The Belgic Confession offered here is a new translation. Current English editions select specific versions of the confession, used only in limited locations for limited periods of time, as the sources of their translations. The international churches, however, gathered together at the Synod of Dort and collected these versions and edited them (added to them, subtracted from them, and re-wrote entire articles). The text that serves as the basis of this new translation represents the consensus of the international movement from which the URC traces its roots. The sources of the Heidelberg Catechism and Canons of Dort used at Dort could not be precisely identified. For the Canons of Dort, the translation of the CRC’s Psalter Hymnal is offered, and for the Heidelberg Catechism, we offer a typical amalgamation without textual pedigree but rendered in modern English and bearing bible verses. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction.....................................................................2 Apostles' Creed...............................................................6 Nicene Creed....................................................................7 Athanasian Creed............................................................8 Chalcedonian Creed.....................................................11 The Heidelberg Catechism.........................................12 The Belgic Confession.................................................72 The Canons of Dordrecht..........................................115 ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` 5 Apostles' Creed I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there he shall come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. AMEN. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` 6 Nicene Creed We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, The Lord and Giver of life; who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spake by the prophets. And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` 7 Athanasian Creed Whosoever wants to be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost is all One, the Glory Equal, the Majesty Co-Eternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father Uncreated, the Son Uncreated, and the Holy Ghost Uncreated. The Father Incomprehensible, the Son Incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost Incomprehensible. The Father Eternal, the Son Eternal, and the Holy Ghost Eternal and yet they are not Three Eternals but One Eternal. As also there are not Three Uncreated, nor Three Incomprehensibles, but One Uncreated, and One Incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not Three Almighties but One Almighty. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not Three Gods, but One God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord, and yet not Three ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` 8 Lords but One Lord. For, like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, so are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say, there be Three Gods or Three Lords. The Father is made of none, neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father, and of the Son neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. So there is One Father, not Three Fathers; one Son, not Three Sons; One Holy Ghost, not Three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is afore or after Other, None is greater or less than Another, but the whole Three Persons are Co-eternal together, and Co-equal. So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity is Trinity, and the Trinity is Unity is to be worshiped. He therefore that wants to be saved, must thus think of the Trinity. Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting Salvation, that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is, that we believe and
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