The Belgic Confession
The Belgic Confession is a historic summary of the Christian faith, first published in 1561. Written mainly by the Reformed pastor Guido de Brès during a season of persecution in the Low Countries (modern-day Netherlands and Belgium), it aimed to show that Reformed Christians were faithful to Scripture and the ancient creeds, and loyal citizens of their lands. The title "Belgic" refers to the Low Countries (Confessio Belgica in Latin); it was first written in French and later affirmed as a doctrinal standard at the Synod of Dort (1618–19).
The Confession has 37 short articles. It begins with who God is and how He makes Himself known in Scripture and in creation. It then sets out core teachings on the Trinity; creation and providence; Jesus Christ and His saving work; the Holy Spirit; salvation by grace through faith; the church and its marks; the sacraments; civil government; and the final judgement.
The Three Forms of Unity
The Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort are together known as the Three Forms of Unity. Many Reformed churches use them as a shared summary of the Christian faith, grounded in Scripture and always subject to its authority.
Each has a different purpose: the Belgic Confession sets out the faith in 37 articles; the Heidelberg Catechism teaches it through 129 questions and answers arranged into 52 Lord’s Days; and the Canons of Dort explain and defend the biblical teaching of salvation by God’s grace. Together, they help churches teach, confess, and live out their faith.
This Edition
Translation Note
This edition uses contemporary language to make the confession more accessible to modern readers while carefully preserving the theological precision and original meaning of the text. Updates include replacing archaic terms with their modern equivalents and clarifying sentence structures, but the doctrinal content and biblical faithfulness of the original remain unchanged.
Footnotes & References
Throughout the confession, numbered superscripts1 link to corresponding scripture references that support each statement. These references demonstrate how the confession is grounded in biblical teaching. You can toggle the visibility of these footnotes using the settings button (located at the bottom-right corner of the page) available on each article page, allowing you to read the text with or without the reference markers according to your preference.
1Footnotes look like this
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Contact
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