“We all believe with the heart, and confess with the mouth, that there is one only simple and spiritual Being, which we call God; and that he is eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, immutable, infinite, almighty, perfectly wise, just, good, and the overflowing fountain of all good.”
The goal of writing an article on the Belgic Confession of Faith Article 1 is to get you to reflect on a part of the 3 forms of Unity that isn’t so often discussed among young people. The first article begins with a proper understanding of God. As is necessary with all of our thoughts, words, and actions, Jehovah God is to be central, whereby we devote our entire life, body and soul, to His glory. The more we understand who God is, the more we begin to fathom who God is, the more magnificent and marvelous He will become in our eyes. When that happens, our salvation will become all the more astonishing. Here is a God who is eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, immutable, infinite, almighty, perfectly wise, just, good, and yet He still saved sinners. May the church resound with gratitude, “My God, how great Thou art!”.
Let us first understand there is only one God, and He alone is to be worshiped. As the only God, He exercises righteous jealousy for Himself. This is shown when giving the ten commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai. The first commandment of Exodus 20:1 reads, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” This ought to be our daily confession. The world we live in will bring temptations that are bountiful and innumerable. We don’t realize how often we set up idols in our lives, the result being that we put other gods before the One true God. We laugh and scorn those who worship Buddha or other false gods, but are we doing the same thing when we put our trust in our money to deliver us from a need, or in a relationship to satisfy our desires? It was Jesus himself who uttered, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” May we all examine our lives and see where we have fallen short of the first commandment of God, and thus have not held true to this confession: But Jehovah God, He is one Lord, the only Lord.
Furthermore, the article begins, “we all believe with the heart, and confess with the mouth,”and through this the church confesses that this belief of God as our only God is a matter of the heart. Believing with the heart refers to what one truly believes. May it be true of the church, and specifically the youth of the church, that they be not swallowed up by the world, but that in their heart they believe and confess the truths found in Scripture. Is this not the goal of a young person, to ultimately make confession of their faith? Having a right view of God is foundational for all other aspects of the Christian life. May every young person of the church be able to say the words as this scribe in Mark 12:32-33: “And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” The confession is that with all of our being, body and soul, we must devote ourselves to loving Him. In Scripture, they could offer sacrifices and burnt offerings as an expression of their gratitude to God, but how much more does it show the depth of our love for our only Lord when we live for Him with all our heart, with all understanding, with all our soul, and with all our strength.
To conclude, may we humbly bow before the throne of grace as we confess “only thou art holy; there is none beside thee, perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.” As we live the Christian life in this temporal world, may we be found faithful because we believe with our hearts and confess with our mouths the truth about who our God truly is: “eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, immutable, infinite, almighty, perfectly wise, just, good, and the overflowing fountain of all good.”
By Stephanie Holstege
Young Calvinists 