Article II
The Two Books of Divine Knowledge
God reveals his eternal power and divinity through the witness of creation, leaving humanity without excuse.
We know him in two ways. First, through the creation, preservation, and governance of the whole world, which lies before our eyes like a beautiful book in which every creature, great and small, serves as a letter leading us to contemplate the invisible things of God—namely, his eternal power and divinity—as the apostle Paul says.✦ All these things are enough to convict people and leave them without excuse.✦1
The Clarity of the Holy Word
God provides a clearer and more open revelation of himself through his Word for the sake of his glory and our salvation.
Second, he makes himself known to us more clearly and openly through his holy and divine Word—as fully as we need in this life for his glory and the salvation of his own.
Read the original Latin
Nous le connaissons par deux moyens. Premièrement: Par la création, conservation et gouvernement du monde universel, d'autant que c'est devant nos yeux comme un beau livre, auquel toutes créatures, petites et grandes, servent de lettres pour nous faire contempler les choses invisibles de Dieu, savoir sa puissance éternelle et sa divinité, comme dit l'Apôtre saint Paul. (Toutes lesquelles choses sont suffisantes pour convaincre les hommes, et les rendre inexcusables. Secondement: Il se donne à connaître à nous plus manifestement et évidemment par sa sainte et divine Parole, tout autant pleinement qu'il nous est de besoin en cette vie pour sa gloire et le salut des siens.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Rom.1.20 — For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes have been clearly perceived, being understood through the things that have been made: both his eternal power and divine nature. So they are without excuse.
- ↩Rom.1.20 — For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes have been clearly perceived, being understood through the things that have been made: both his eternal power and divine nature. So they are without excuse.
Notes
- 1 ↩Here the older French verb means to establish guilt or convict, rather than merely to persuade.
The Belgic Confession companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit