Introduction
Part of the power and enduring value of our confessions is the fact that they arose out of the life of the church. They were not drawn up by men sitting in ivory towers, contemplating the truth of Scripture, but far removed from the battle for the faith. They breath the life of the church's struggles.
The Heidelberg Catechism was written in the struggles between Calvinism on the one hand and Lutheranism and Romanism on the other hand, as these struggles were bitterly fought out in Frederick's Palatinate. The Canons of Dordt arose out of the fierce battle with Arminianism which all but engulfed the churches in the Netherlands in the first part of the 17th century. The Confession of Faith(Sometimes called, The Belgic or Netherlands Confession) was written during and reflects the bitter persecution of the saints in the Lowlands in the early years of the Reformation.
It is this persecution, in the midst of which it was written, that gives to the Confession of Faith its moving power. The affirmations of the confession, "We all believe "; "We confess "; "We bel
Guido de Brès: A Faithful Pastor and Witness of Christ
Guido de Brès, the primary author of the Belgic Confession (), was born in Mons, Belgium in He came from a family of glass painters and he himself was skilled in this trade. He was the fourth child among five siblings.
Guido was introduced to the Reformation doctrines as a teenager. However, it was William Tyndale's martyrdom that had a great impact on him leading him to the serious study of the Scriptures.
"[I]t was through this study that God led him to true faith in Jesus Christ." At that time, persecution of the Protestants in the Lowlands was becoming intense. So after his conversion, Guido escaped the persecution, went to London, and joined a congregation of French-speaking citizens of the Lowlands there. "Here Guido studied for the ministry and listened to the powerful preaching of the great reformers [John] á Lasco and Martin Bucer" (Herman Hanko, "Portraits of Faithful Saints," ).
Guido did not remain in London for long. In he returned to his beloved land and started his ministry as an evangelist and itinerant preacher. His life was almost in c
Guido De Bres
Guido De Bres [1]
an evangelist and martyr of the Walloon Church, was born at Mons in He was brought up in the Church of Rome, but by searching the Scriptures arrived at the knowledge of evangelical truth, and was compelled by persecution to escape to London, where he joined the Walloon Church organized under Edward VI, and prepared himself for the ministry. He afterwards returned to his native country as evangelist and travelling preacher, in which capacity he showed great zeal, first at Lille, where there was a large secret Protestant community, which was dispersed by force in Guido then retired to Ghent, where he published a polemic tract out of the fathers entitled Le baton de la foi. He then went to prosecute his studies at Geneva, where he became a determined adherent of Calvin. Returning to his country, he resumed his evangelical labors, reorganized the three principal communities of Lille, Tournay, and Valenciennes, and made the whole of southern Belgium and northern France, from Dieppe to Sedan and from Valenciennes to Antwerp, the field of his indefatigable activity. Valenciennes, which had become almost entirely Protestant, was stormed by No
After reading through his letter to his wife, and after having the fact of his faith that expressed itself in martyrdom hit home further, I now have a "man crush" on Guido de Brès.
Reproduced below is a brief biography:
Guido de Bres was the main author of the Belgic Confession of Faith, which after only minor revision stands as the main symbolic document of the Continental Reformed Churches and their offspring. In the words of the famous church historian Philip Schaff, the Belgic Confession is "the best symbolic statement of the Calvinistic system of doctrine, with the exception of the Westminster Confession," (Note: symbolics is the study of the creeds and confessions of the church).
Guido de Bres was born in Mons, capital of the southernmost province of Belgium, in - just five years after Martin Luther hammered his ninety-five propositions to the Castle church door in Wittenberg.
Guido and his brothers and sisters grew up amidst the turmoil which accompanied the spread of the Lutheran 'heresy'. His oldest brother Christophe, who was a glassware merchant, used his trade as a cover for the distribution of Bibles and Reformation literature as he travelled all o
Biographies you may also like
Inge jacobsen biography of williams Inge Jacobsen is an Irish-born, Sussex-based contemporary artist who recreates glossy magazine covers and customizes fashion ads by using cross-stitching and embroidery Missing: william hill.
Guru ravidas ji maharaj biography of william गुरु रविदासजी मध्यकाल में एक भारतीय संत कवि सतगुरु थे। इन्हें संत शिरोमणि संत गुरु की उपाधि दी गई है। इन्होंने रविदासीया, पंथ की Missing: william.
Karl blossfeldt biography artist Karl Blossfeldt (13 June – 9 December ) was a German photographer and sculptor. He is best known for his close-up photographs of plants and living things, published in as Urformen der Kunst. He was inspired, as was his father, by nature and the ways in which plants grow. See more.
Gautami tadimalla and daughter മോഹൻലാൽ നായകനായി അഭിനയിച്ച ഹിസ് ഹൈനസ്സ് അബ്ദുള്ള എന്ന ചിത്രത്തിലെ വേഷം വളരെ .
National assembly for wales Senedd Cymru (previously known as the National Assembly for Wales), was created by section 1(1) of the Government of Wales Act (GoWA ): “There is to be an Assembly for .
Angelito banayo biography of albert Angelito "Lito" Tan Banayo (born ) is a Filipino politician with the Nationalist People's Coalition. He was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Manila Economic and Missing: albert.
Ramlath biography of william hill Sir William Hill Irvine (), premier and chief justice, was born on 6 July at Dromalane, Newry, Down, Ireland, sixth of seven children of Hill Irvine, farmer and linen Missing: ramlath.