The marks of Christians
Dykstra examines Article 29 of the Belgic Confession, which establishes the three marks of the true church (pure gospel preaching, proper sacrament administration, and Christian discipline) and the marks of true church members. The article grounds these marks in the historical context of the Reformation, contrasting the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church and radical sects with the biblical standards for authentic Christian life and ecclesiology.
Previous article in this series: June 2018, p. 389. The Belgic Confession in Article 29 lists the three well-known marks of the true church of Jesus Christ -- the preaching of the pure gospel, the proper administration of the sacraments, and the exercise of Christian discipline.[1] The necessity of setting forth the distinguishing marks of Christ's church was, first, the deformation of the church in the Middle Ages. When the Belgic Confession was written (1561), the church of Rome was...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org