比利时信条 The Belgic Confession (1561)
比利时信条 The Belgic
Confession (1561)
（洛杉矶华⼈改⾰宗恩约教会译版）
第一条 ~~ 第十条
第十一条 ~~ 第廿条
第廿一条 ~~ 第三十条
第三十一条 ~~ 第三十七条
第三十一条 ~~ 第三十七条
https://yibaniba.blogspot.com/2020/02/belgic-confession-1561-belgicconfession_23.html
https://yibaniba.blogspot.com/2020/02/belgic-confession-1561-belgicconfession_23.html
第三十一条 ~~ 第三十七条
第三十一条 论教会的职分
Article 31: The Officers of the
Church
第三十二条 论教会的秩序与管教
Article 32: The Order and
Discipline of the Church
第三十三条 论圣礼
Article 33: The Sacraments
第三十四条 论圣洗礼
Article 34: The Sacrament of Baptism
第三十五条 论主的圣餐
Article 35: The Sacrament of the
Lord’s Supper
第三十六条 论政府
Article 36: The Civil Government
第三十七条 论末日审判
Article 37: The Last Judgment
第三十一条 论教会的职分
我们相信，上帝圣道的仆人、长老、执事应当由教会奉主的名祈祷，按着次序，经合法的选举，选出来担任各职，正如圣经所吩咐的。
因此，每个人都必须谨慎，不可不恰当的贸然自荐，必须忍耐等候上帝的呼召，这样他可以确信他的呼召，并确知他是主所拣选的。
至于传上帝话语的牧师，不拘他们在哪里，因为他们都有同等的权柄和权威，他们都是基督的使者，基督是唯一的普世监督，教会唯一的元首。
此外，为了保护上帝圣洁的秩序不受侵犯或藐视，我们说每个人都应当格外敬重教会中的圣道的仆人和长老，为着他们所做的工的缘故，尽量与他们和平相处，没有埋怨、口角、或纷争。
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 the Lord, and
in good order, as the Word of God teaches.
So everyone must be careful not to push
himself forward improperly, but he must wait for God’s call, so
that he may be assured of his calling and be certain and sure that he is chosen
by the Lord.
As for the ministers of the Word, they all have
the same power and authority, no matter where they may be, since
they are all servants of Jesus Christ, the only universal bishop, and
the only head of the church.
Moreover, to keep God’s holy order from
being violated or despised, we say that everyone ought, as much as
possible, to hold the ministers of the Word and elders of the church
in special esteem,
because of the work they do, and be at
peace with them,
without grumbling, quarreling, or
fighting.
第三十二条 论教会的秩序与管教
我们也相信，虽然那些治理教会的人制定教会法规来维持教会是好的、有益的，但他们必须注意，不可要离开我们独一的主基督所设立的那些事情。
因此我们反对一切人的发明，以及在我们敬拜上帝的事上，强加在我们身上的以任何形式捆绑、强迫我们良心的一切律法。
因此我们只接纳那些正当维护和睦与合一，并使众人顺服上帝的事。
为这个目的，逐罚以及与此相关的一切事宜，根据上帝的道，都是必须的。
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 Master, has ordained for
us.
Therefore we reject all human innovations and all laws
imposed on us, in our worship of God, which bind and
force our consciences in any way.
So we accept only what is proper to maintain harmony and
unity and to keep all in obedience to God.
To that end excommunication, with all it involves, according
to the Word of God, is required.
第三十三条 论圣礼
我们相信，慈爱的上帝顾念我们的刚硬与软弱，为我们设立了圣礼，来印证祂的应许，来保证祂对我们的美意和恩典，并且来喂养和坚固我们的信心。
祂将这些圣礼加在福音圣道上，更好地向我们的外在感官呈现了祂通过圣道使我们明白的事，和他在我们心中内在所做的事，在我们里面坚固祂所赐给我们的救恩。
因为这些圣礼是内在、不可见之事的可见标记与印证，借此上帝透过圣灵的能力在我们里面作工。因此，它们并非空洞、虚伪的标记，愚弄欺骗我们，因为它们真正的实体是耶稣基督，没有基督它们就一文不值。
此外，我们以基督我们的主人所设立的圣礼数目为满足。只有两个圣礼：圣洗礼与主耶稣基督的圣餐礼。
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 his good will and grace
toward us, and also to nourish and sustain our faith.
He has added these to the Word of the gospel to represent
better to our external senses both what he enables us to understand
by his Word and what he does inwardly in our hearts, confirming in
us the salvation he imparts to us.
For they are visible signs and seals of something internal
and invisible, by means of which God works in us through the power of the
Holy Spirit. So they are not empty and hollow signs to fool and deceive
us, for their truth is Jesus Christ, without whom
they would be nothing.
Moreover, we are satisfied with the number of
sacraments that Christ our Master has ordained for us. There are only two: the
sacrament of baptism
and the Holy Supper of Jesus Christ.
第三十四条 论圣洗礼
我们相信并承认，那成全律法的耶稣基督，藉着祂流出的宝血，已经终止了一切其他为赎罪能做或想做的流血。
基督既除去了用血所立的割礼，就设立了洗礼；借此我们被接纳进上帝的教会，与其他人、一切异教隔离，分别为圣，完全属祂，身上带着祂的印记与记号。洗礼也向我们作见证，祂要永远作我们的上帝，因祂是我们恩慈的父神。
因此祂吩咐一切属祂的人，要“奉圣父、圣子、圣灵的名” 1用清水接受洗礼，借此说明，就如水洗除我们身体的污秽，照样基督的血借着圣灵的能力，浇灌我们里面的灵魂，洁净我们灵魂的罪，重生我们，脱离可恶之子的身分，成为上帝的儿女。
这并不在于外在水的功效，乃在于上帝儿子所洒的宝血；祂是我们的红海，我们必须经过，才能逃离法老的暴政（法老就是魔鬼），进入属灵的迦南美地。因此，牧师们，就他们的工作而言，给予我们的是圣礼，是可见的，但主赐给我们的是圣礼所标记的，就是不可见的恩赐与恩典：清洗、洁净、洗除我们灵魂的一切污秽与不义；更新我们的心，并且用各样安慰来充满它们；赐给我们真正的确据，保证父神的慈爱；叫我们披戴新人，脱去旧人的一切行为。2
因此，我们相信，任何真心寻求永生的人，应当只受洗一次，不必再重覆，因为我们不能生两次。这洗礼不仅在受洗时对我们有益，而是在我们一生中都有益。
因此我们憎恶重洗派的错误，他们认为受洗一次不够；他们也定罪信徒孩童的洗礼。但我们相信，我们的孩童应当受洗，印上恩约的记号，正如以色列人的孩童也要受割礼一样，因为上帝向我们的孩童作了同样的应许。
诚然，基督流血洗净成人的罪，也照样洗净孩童的罪。
因此他们应当接受这记号和基督为他们所成就的圣礼，正如主在律法中所吩咐的，在他们出生后，借着为他们献上一只羊羔，就是耶稣基督的献祭，他们应当有分于基督的受苦与受死的圣礼。
此外，洗礼也为我们的孩童作了割礼为以色列人所作的。为此缘故，保罗称洗礼为“基督的割礼”。3
1 太28:19 2
西3:9-10
3 西2:11
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 sins.
Having abolished circumcision, which was done with blood, he
established in its place the sacrament of baptism. By it we are
received into God’s church and set apart from all other people and
alien religions, that we may be dedicated entirely to him, bearing
his mark and sign.
It also witnesses to us that
he will be our God forever, since he is our gracious Father.
Therefore he has commanded that all those who belong to him
be baptized with pure water “in the name of the Father, and the Son, and
the Holy Spirit.”77 In this way he signifies to us that
just as water washes away the dirt of the body when it is
poured on us and also is seen on the body of the baptized when it is
sprinkled on him,
so too the blood of Christ does the
same thing internally, in the soul, by the Holy
Spirit. It washes and cleanses it from its sins and
transforms us from being the children of wrath into the children of God.
This does not happen by the physical water but
by the sprinkling of the precious blood of the Son of God, who is our Red Sea, through
which we must pass
to escape the tyranny of Pharaoh, who
is the devil, and to enter the spiritual land of Canaan. So
ministers, as far as their work is concerned, give us the
sacrament and what is visible, but our Lord gives what the sacrament
signifies— namely the invisible gifts and graces; washing,
purifying, and cleansing our souls of all filth and unrighteousness; renewing
our hearts and filling them with all comfort; giving us true
assurance of his fatherly goodness; clothing us
with the “new man” and stripping off the “old,” with all its works. 78
For this reason we believe that anyone who
aspires to reach eternal life ought to be baptized only once without ever
repeating it—for we cannot be born twice. Yet this baptism
is profitable not only when the water is on us and when we receive it but
throughout our entire lives.
For that reason we detest the error of the Anabaptists who
are not content with a single baptism once received and
also condemn the baptism of the children of believers. We believe our
children ought to be baptized and sealed with the sign of the covenant, as
little children were circumcised in Israel on the basis of the same promises made
to our children.
And truly, Christ has shed his blood no less for
washing the little children of believers than he did for adults.
Therefore they ought to receive the sign and sacrament of
what Christ has done for them, just as the Lord commanded in the law
that by offering a lamb for them the sacrament of the suffering and
death of Christ would be granted them shortly after
their birth. This was the sacrament of Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, baptism does for our children what
circumcision did for the Jewish people. That is why
Paul calls baptism the “circumcision of Christ.”79
77 Matt. 28:19 78 Col. 3:9-10
79 Col.
2:11
第三十五条 论主的圣餐
我们相信并承认，我们的救主耶稣基督的确设立了圣餐的圣礼，为要喂养并维持那些祂所重生的人，将他们纳入祂的家中，就是祂的教会。
如今那些重生的人有两个生命，一是属肉体暂时的生命，就是从头一次生所得来的，是众人所共有的；另外就是属灵的、属天的生命，是从第二次的生所得来的，是由福音的真道所产生的，与基督的身体联合；这生命是只有上帝的选民才共有的。
因此，为了维持我们肉身属世的生命，上帝曾赐给我们适当的属世的粮食，和生命本身一样，是众人共有的；但是为了维持我们属灵的、属天的生命，祂曾赐给我们从天上来的生命粮，就是耶稣基督。当我们吃喝祂，也就是在灵里相信、接受祂的时候，祂就喂养并坚固信徒属灵的生命。
为了向我们描绘这属灵的、属天的生命之粮，基督就设立了属地的、可见的饼，当作祂身体的圣礼，酒当作祂宝血的圣礼。祂这样做是向我们证明，正如当我们在手中接受这些圣礼，用口吃喝时，我们的生命真的借此得到喂养，同样我们也真的在灵魂中领受了我们唯一救主基督的真身体与血，来支持我们属灵的生命。我们乃是凭信心领受这些的，因为信心是我们灵魂的手和口。
现在我们确实知道，耶稣基督并没有徒然设立祂的圣餐，祂借着这些圣洁的标记在我们心中作工，尽管祂工作的方式超乎我们的理解，我们无法测透，正如圣灵的运行是隐藏的、无法测透。
但是当我们说我们所吃喝的就是基督自己自然的身体与血，我们并没有说错，我们并不是用我们的口，乃是借着信心、靠着圣灵来吃喝祂自己。
这样，基督一直坐在天父上帝的右边，然而祂从未因此不把自己通过信心赐给我们。这是属灵的筵席，其中基督把祂自己和祂一切的益处赐与我们。在这筵席上，祂叫我们享受祂自己，和祂受苦、受死的功德，借着吃祂的肉，祂来喂养、坚固并安慰我们可怜、孤寂的灵魂，借着喝祂的血，祂来复苏、更新我们的灵魂。
此外，虽然这些圣礼与所标记的事物乃是结合在一起的，但并非所有的人都同时领受到它们。邪恶的人领受这圣礼，是吃喝自己的罪，因他们未领受圣餐的实体。正如犹大与行邪术的西门都领受了圣餐，但未领受到基督，就是圣礼所代表的。基督只把自己给了信徒。
最后，我们用谦虚与恭敬的心，在上帝子民的聚集时领受此圣礼，当我们用感谢的心来纪念我们救主基督的死，并承认我们的信心和我们的基督信仰。因此，人不可不先仔细省察自己而来到主的桌前，免得“吃这饼、喝这杯是吃喝自己的罪”。1
简言之，借着使用此圣礼我们得到鼓励，对上帝、对人激发爱心。
因此我们拒绝一切混杂与可恶的发明，就是人所加添并搀杂其他亵渎的礼节；乃要坚称我们应当以基督的命令及使徒所教导我们的为满足，而且一定要以他们所说的来论及有关圣礼的事。
1 林前11:27
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 born again and ingrafted
into his family:
his church.
Now those who are born again have two lives in them. The
one is physical and temporal—they have it from the moment of their first birth,
and it is common to all. The other is spiritual and heavenly, and
is given them in their second birth; it comes through the Word of the gospel in
the communion of the body of Christ; and this life
is common to God’s elect only.
Thus, to support the physical and earthly life God has
prescribed for us
an appropriate earthly and material
bread, which is as common to all as life itself also is. But
to maintain the spiritual and heavenly life that belongs to believers he
has sent a living bread that came down from heaven: namely
Jesus Christ, who nourishes and maintains the spiritual life of believers
when eaten—that is, when appropriated and received spiritually by
faith.
To represent to us this spiritual
and heavenly bread Christ has instituted an earthly and
visible bread as the sacrament of his body and wine as the sacrament of his
blood. He did this to testify to us that just as truly
as we take and hold the sacraments in our hands and eat and drink it in our
mouths, by which our life is then sustained, so truly we receive
into our souls,
for our spiritual life, the
true body and true blood of Christ, our only Savior. We receive
these by faith,
which is the hand and mouth of our
souls.
Now it is certain that Jesus
Christ did not prescribe his sacraments for us in vain, since he works
in us all he represents by these holy signs, although the
manner in which he does it goes beyond our understanding and
is incomprehensible to us, just as the operation of God’s Spirit
is hidden and incomprehensible.
Yet we do not go wrong when we say that what is
eaten is Christ’s own natural body and what is drunk is his own blood—but the
manner in which we eat it is not by the mouth but by the Spirit,
through faith.
In that way Jesus Christ remains always seated at the right
hand of God the Father in heaven—but he never refrains on that
account to communicate himself to us through faith. This banquet is
a spiritual table
at which Christ communicates himself to
us with all his benefits. At that table he makes us enjoy himself as
much as the merits of his suffering and death, as he
nourishes, strengthens, and comforts our poor, desolate souls by
the eating of his flesh, and relieves and renews them by the drinking
of his blood.
Moreover, though the sacraments and the thing
signified are joined together, not all receive both of them. The
wicked person certainly takes the sacrament, to his condemnation, but
does not receive the truth of the sacrament, just as Judas
and Simon the Sorcerer both indeed received the sacrament, but
not Christ, who was signified by it. He is
communicated only to believers.
Finally, with humility and reverence we receive
the holy sacrament
in the gathering of God’s people, as we
engage together,
with thanksgiving, in
a holy remembrance
of the death of Christ our Savior, and
as we thus confess
our faith and Christian religion.
Therefore no one should come to this table without examining himself carefully, lest
“by eating this bread and drinking this cup he eat and
drink to his own judgment.”80
In short, by the use of this holy sacrament we
are moved to a fervent love of God and our neighbors.
Therefore we reject as desecrations
of the sacraments
all the muddled ideas and damnable
inventions that men have added and mixed in with them. And we say that
we should be content with the procedure that Christ and the apostles have
taught us and speak of these things as they have
spoken of them.
80 1 Cor. 11:27
第三十六条 论政府
我们相信，由于人类的败坏，我们恩慈的上帝设立了君王、诸侯与官员。祂要借着律法与政策来治理世界，好约束人类的不法之事，使凡事在人类中间能按着良好的次序进行。
为此缘故，上帝把刀剑的权柄交在政府手中，以刑罚作恶的、保护行善的。
他们如此蒙召来促进社会的进步，这是上帝所喜悦的，同时顺服上帝的律法，除去一切宣讲福音和敬拜上帝的障碍。
他们这样做时，必须完全限制自己施行绝对权柄的倾向，只用赋予他们的工具，在交托给他们的领域里行事。
他们这样做，是为了上帝的道不受阻拦、基督的国得到进展，敌对基督的势力受到抵制。*
此外，每个人不拘在什么身份、境况或阶层，都当顺服政府，向他们纳税，尊重他们，在一切不违反上帝话语的事上顺服他们，为他们祷告，求主在他们一切的行事上乐意引导他们，好叫我们可以敬虔端正，和平安静的度日。
因此我们谴责重洗派和其他无政府主义者，并一切反对在上掌权的和政府官员、颠倒公义、混乱规矩，搅扰上帝在世人中间所设立的良好秩序的人。
* 以上三段取代了以下由各改革宗总会判定为不合圣经的段落：“政府的职责不仅限于照管公共领域，也延伸至保护神圣事工，除去并拆毁一切偶像敬拜和对敌基督者的虚假敬拜；拓展基督的国度；在各处赞助福音的传扬；使上帝的名得荣耀、在各处受敬拜，正如祂的圣经中所吩咐的。”
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. He wants the world to be governed by
laws and policies so that human lawlessness may be restrained and
that everything may be conducted in good order among human beings.
For that purpose he has placed the sword in the hands of the
government, to punish evil people and protect the good.
And being called in this manner to contribute
to the advancement of a society that is pleasing to God, the
civil rulers have the task, subject to God’s law, of removing
every obstacle to the preaching of the gospel and to every
aspect of divine worship.
They should do this while
completely refraining from every tendency toward exercising absolute authority, and
while functioning in the sphere entrusted to them, with the means belonging to
them.
They should do it in order that the Word of God
may have free course; the kingdom of Jesus Christ may make
progress; and every anti-Christian power may be resisted.*
Moreover everyone, regardless of
status, condition, or rank, must be subject to the government, and pay taxes, and
hold its representatives in honor and respect, and obey them in all things that
are not in conflict
with God’s Word, praying for them that
the Lord may be willing to lead them in all their ways and that we may
live a peaceful and quiet life in all piety and decency.
And on this matter we denounce the Anabaptists, other
anarchists, and in general all those who want to reject the
authorities and civil officers and to subvert justice by introducing
common ownership of goods and corrupting the moral order that
God has established among human beings.
* The preceding three paragraphs are a substitution for
the original paragraph below, which various Reformed Synods have judged to be
unbiblical: “And the government’s task is not limited
to caring for and watching
over the public
domain but extends also to upholding the sacred ministry,
with a view to removing
and destroying all idolatry
and false worship of the Antichrist; to promoting the kingdom of Jesus Christ;
and to furthering the
preaching of the gospel everywhere; to the end that God may be honored and served by everyone, as he requires in his Word.”
第三十七条 论末日审判
最后，我们相信，根据上帝的道，当主所定的时候来到（一切受造物都不知道），选民的数目完全时，我们的主耶稣基督将有体的、可见的从天降临，正如祂升天时一样，用伟大的荣耀与威严，来宣告祂自己就是审判活人死人的审判者。祂要用火焚烧这个旧世界，洁净它。
那时全人类都要亲身来到这位大审判官面前，从世界之始到世界的末了，所有的男人、女人、儿童。他们都要被天使长的声音和上帝的号角声召唤。1
所有在这以先死去的人都要从死里复活，他们的灵魂要与自己曾经的身体联合。而那些还活着的人则不会像其他人那样死去，而是在眨眼之间改变，从朽坏的变为不朽坏的。2
然后，“案卷”（就是良心）展开了，死了的人要按着他们在世上所行的，或善或恶受报。3的确，每个人所说的闲话，世人认为只是玩笑而已，在审判的日子必要句句供出来。4人的秘密和伪善都要被揭发，在众人面前赤露敞开。
因此，这个审判对作恶的人真是可怕的，但对蒙拣选的义人却是最欢喜的，是极大的安慰，因为到那时他们完全的救赎将会成就。他们要得到自己劳苦的果实；众人要知道他们是无辜的；而且他们要看见恶人遭受上帝极其可怕的报应，就是那些在世上极其残酷地逼迫他们、压迫他们、虐待他们的人。
那些作恶的人要因自己良心的见证而自责，他们要成为不朽，但却在为魔鬼及其使者所预备的永远的火湖中受折磨。5
相反地，那些忠信的选民则要得荣耀和尊贵的冠冕。上帝的儿子要在父神以及蒙拣选的圣天使面前，承认他们的名字；6他们一切的眼泪都要被擦去；7他们在地上时，被许多审判官与官长定为异端与恶者的原因，到时都要显明是“为了上帝儿子的缘故”。
作为主恩慈的赏赐，祂要使他们拥有那人心未曾想到过的荣耀。
因此，我们极其盼望那伟大的日子来到，好完全享受上帝在我们的主耶稣基督里所赐给我们的应许。阿们！
1 帖前4:16 2林前15:51-53 3 启20:12 4
太12:36 5
太25:14.
6 太10:32 7启7:17
Article 37: The
Last Judgment
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, as he ascended, with
great glory and majesty, to declare himself the judge of the living
and the dead. He will burn this old world, in fire and flame, in
order to cleanse it.
Then all human creatures will appear in person before that
great judge—men, women, and children, who have lived
from the beginning until the end of the world. They will be
summoned there by the voice of the archangel and by the
sound of the divine trumpet.81
For all those who died before that time will be raised from
the earth, their spirits being joined and united with their own bodies in
which they lived.
And as for those who are still alive,
they will not die like the others but will be changed “in the twinkling
of an eye” from “corruptible to incorruptible.”82
Then “the books” (that is, the consciences) will be opened,
and the dead will be judged according to the things they did in the
world,83 whether good or evil. Indeed, all people will give account of all the idle words
they have spoken,84 which
the world regards as only playing games. And then the secrets and hypocrisies of men will be publicly uncovered in the sight of all.
Therefore, with good reason the thought of this judgment is horrible and dreadful to wicked and evil people. But it is very pleasant and a great comfort to the righteous and elect, since their total redemption will then be accomplished. They will then receive the fruits of their labor and of the
trouble they have suffered; their
innocence will be openly recognized by all; and they will see the terrible
vengeance that God will bring on the evil ones who tyrannized, oppressed, and tormented
them in this world.
The evil ones will be convicted by the
witness of their own consciences, and shall be made immortal— but only to be
tormented in the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.85
In contrast, the faithful and elect will
be crowned with glory and honor. The Son of God will “confess their names”86
before God his Father and the holy and elect angels; all tears will be “wiped
from their eyes”;87 and their cause—at
present condemned as heretical and evil by many judges and civil officers—will be acknowledged as the “cause of the Son of God.”
And as a gracious reward the Lord will
make them possess a glory such as the heart of man could never imagine.
So we look forward to that great day with longing
in order to enjoy fully the promises of God in Christ Jesus, our
Lord.
81 1 Thess. 4:16
82 1
Cor. 15:51-53 83 Rev.
20:12 84 Matt. 12:36 85 Matt. 25:14 86 Matt. 10:32 87 Rev.
7:17