VII.
The Creation and the Invisible Spirits
God created all things, including the invisible spirits, some of whom remained obedient while others fell.
VII. We believe that God, in three cooperating persons, by his incomprehensible power, wisdom, and goodness, created all things—not only heaven, earth, and everything they contain, but also the invisible spirits, some of whom have fallen and stumbled into perdition, while others have persisted in obedience.1
The Divergent Paths of Angels
The fallen spirits oppose the Church, while the obedient spirits serve God and the salvation of the elect.
The first, having corrupted themselves in malice, are enemies of all that is good, and consequently of the whole Church.2 The second, having been preserved by the grace of God, are ministers who glorify the name of God and serve the salvation of his elect.
Read the original French
VII. Nous croyons que Dieu en trois personnes coopérantes, par sa vertu, sagesse et bonté incompréhensible, a créé toutes choses, non-seulement le ciel, la terre et tout ce qui y est contenu; mais aussi les esprits invisibles, desquels les uns sont déchus et trébuchés en perdition, les autres ont persisté en obéissance. Que les premiers s’étant corrompus en malice, sont ennemis de tout bien, par conséquent de toute l’Eglise. Les seconds ayant été préservés par la grâce de Dieu, sont ministres pour glorifier le nom de Dieu, et servir au salut de ses élus.
Notes
- 1 ↩French vertu here is power or might (Latin virtus), not moral virtue. The creation triad is power, wisdom, and goodness; incompréhensible is read as modifying the whole triad.
- 2 ↩Opening Que continues Nous croyons que from the preceding sentence; the English presents the content as a complete sentence without repeating We believe.
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