V.
The Divine Authority of Scripture
The Word of God originates from Him alone and serves as the complete, unchangeable rule for salvation and service.
V. We believe that the Word contained in these books came from God, from whom alone it draws its authority, and not from men. And since it is the rule of all truth, containing everything necessary for the service of God and for our salvation, it is not permitted for men, or even for angels, to add to it, diminish it, or change it.
The Supremacy of the Word
All human traditions and historical creeds must be tested and validated by the supreme standard of Scripture.
It follows that neither antiquity, customs, the multitude, human wisdom, judgments, rulings, edicts, decrees, councils, visions, nor miracles are to be set against this Holy Scripture; on the contrary, all things must be examined, regulated, and reformed according to it.1 Accordingly, we acknowledge the three creeds—the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian—because they conform to the Word of God.2
Read the original French
V. Nous croyons que la Parole qui est contenue en ces livres, est procédée de Dieu, duquel seul elle prend son autorité, et non des hommes. Et d’autant qu’elle est la règle de toute vérité, contenant tout ce qui est nécessaire pour le service de Dieu et de notre salut, il n’est pas loisible aux hommes, ni même aux Anges, d’y ajouter, diminuer ou changer. D’où il s’ensuit que ni l’antiquité, ni les coutumes, ni la multitude, ni la sagesse humaine, ni les jugements, ni les arrêts, ni les édits, ni les décrets, ni les conciles, ni les visions, ni les miracles, ne doivent être opposés à cette Ecriture sainte, mais, au contraire, toutes choses doivent être examinées, réglées et réformées selon elle. Et suivant cela, nous avouons les trois symboles, savoir: des Apôtres, de Nicée, et d’Athanase, parce qu’ils sont conformes à la parole de Dieu.
Notes
- 1 ↩arrêts is rendered “rulings” to keep it distinct from jugements (“judgments”) and décrets (“decrees”); in sixteenth-century legal French it often means a court’s formal sentence.
- 2 ↩symboles is the technical term for the historic creeds, not “symbols” in the modern English sense. avouons is rendered “acknowledge” to keep it distinct from croyons (“we believe”) in the opening sentence.
French Confession of Faith (Confession de La Rochelle / Gallican 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