The theological equivalent of the age-old question, “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” is the question, “which comes first, the church or the canon of Scripture?” This was a pressing issue when the Belgic Confession was written, and it remains a pressing issue today. Does the authority of the church precede the authority of Scripture? Does the church give the Bible its authority and determine the extent of the canon? Or is the Holy Spirit alone fit to bear witness to those books which owe their origin to the inspiration of God? These are important questions.

As we saw in Article Three of our confession, when we speak of the inspiration of Scripture we mean that Scripture is breathed forth by God through the agency of various human writers. This is done in such a way that what the human writers produce are the very words of God. Yet this does not sublimate the author’s personality nor override the historical circumstances at the time of their writing. The very essence of Holy Scripture is that it has its origin in the will of God, not in the will of men. Because God breathes-forth Holy Scripture, the Bible comes to us with the full authority of its divine author. In the Bible, God speaks to us in words and sentences, revealing to us his will (the law), as well as revealing to us how he saves sinners from the guilt and power of sin through the person and work of Jesus Christ (the gospel). This is why Scripture alone is suitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). This is why we base what we believe and confess solely upon God’s word, and not upon mere human opinion or religious experience.

To read the rest of this article, An Exposition of Articles Four and Six of the Belgic Confession

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