Article XXXIII
The Purpose of the Sacraments
God graciously provides visible signs to nourish our faith and confirm his inward work in our hearts.
We believe that our good God, mindful of our limitations and weakness, has instituted the Sacraments to seal his promises within us, to serve as pledges of his goodwill and grace toward us, and also to nourish and sustain our faith. He added them to the word of the Gospel so that our outward senses might better grasp both what he teaches us through his Word and what he does inwardly in our hearts, confirming within us the salvation he gives us. For they are visible signs and seals of an inward and invisible reality, through which God works in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Substance and Number of the Sacraments
The sacraments derive their entire meaning from Christ and are limited to the two he personally instituted.
Therefore, these signs aren't empty or meaningless, meant to mislead or deceive us, for Jesus Christ is their true substance; without him, they would be nothing. Moreover, we are satisfied with the number of Sacraments that Christ our Master instituted for us. There are only two: the Sacrament of Baptism and the Holy Supper of Jesus Christ.
Read the original Latin
Nous croyons que notre bon Dieu ayant égard à notre rudesse et infirmité, nous a ordonné des Sacrements, pour sceller en nous ses promesses, et nous être gages de la bonne volonté et grâce de Dieu envers nous, et aussi pour nourrir et soutenir notre foi; lesquels il a ajoutés à la parole de l'Évangile, pour mieux représenter à nos sens extérieurs, tant ce qu'il nous donne à entendre par sa Parole, que ce qu'il fait intérieurement en nos cœurs, en ratifiant en nous le salut qu'il nous communique. Car ce sont signes et sceaux visibles de la chose intérieure et invisible, moyennant lesquels Dieu opère en nous par la vertu du SaintEsprit. Les signes donc ne sont pas vains et vides pour nous tromper et décevoir; car ils ont Jésus-Christ pour leur vérité, sans lequel ils ne seraient rien. De plus, nous nous contentons du nombre des sacrements que Christ notre Maître nous a ordonnés: lesquels ne sont que deux seulement, savoir le sacrement du Baptême et de la Sainte Cène de Jésus-Christ.
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