God’s Presence Teaches the Truth
Sunday Seminary—1
Know What You Believe. Believe What You Know.
This post begins our journey through the basics of the Christian Faith using the Belgic Confession of Faith of 1561. The Belgic Confession was a martyr’s confession, written by Guido dé Bres, and affirmed by the persecuted churches “under the cross” in the sixteenth century Netherlands. This Confession continues to be confessed by believers across the world, to inspire them to living faith in the world, and to be a source of comfort in times of struggle, and to be used as a public witness to those who do not yet believe or who are genuinely curious about what a Reformed church is all about. We invite you to join us in this study!
“Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes” (Psalm 119:135). In this verse, the “face” of God represents His presence with us in grace—His smile upon His people. Psychologists have observed that babies and toddlers smile more when they see their fathers because they associate their fathers with fun and play. A father’s smile strengthens social and neurological development and even releases chemicals in the brain that promote happiness. Similarly, God’s “smile” upon us nurtures our hearts, minds, and souls.
Psalm 119:135 links God’s presence and His Word through the parallel of His face shining and teaching. From as early as the Garden, one of the ways God’s presence came among our first parents was through his Word. The God who simply spoke and all came to be (Gen. 1:1), then had a conversation with his image bearers (Gen. 1:28–30). Abraham experienced the same: “The word of the Lord came” (Gen. 12:1). God appeared, but it was described as his Word appearing. In the fullness of time (Gal. 4:4), this “Word became flesh” in Jesus: “we have seen His glory…no one has ever seen God; the only Son has declared Him” (John 1:14, 18).
Psalm 119:135 is a prayer. Recognizing God’s presence through His Word leads us to pray for more—more understanding, more wisdom, more of Him. Why? So that we’ll learn His truth. To have God’s face shine is to have our eyes opened; to be taught His statutes is to behold His wondrous truth (Ps. 119:18).
Jesus calls His followers “disciples,” or students, and we are those students. He’s our teacher; His classroom is the church; His curriculum is the Word (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Since the Bible is such a big book, for us in the Reformed Christian tradition, we use summaries of the Word to express our faith. One of them is the 1561 Belgic Confession. This is our syllabus for this “Sunday Seminary” class. The learning objectives of this syllabus are three:
Title page of a 1566 copy of the Belgic Confession
To Know What We Believe, is to Know God
Knowing what we believe is ultimately knowing God. Studying His Word via our doctrinal confession, should deepen our connection to Him, not create distance. Our theologizing should connect the dots in His Word back to Him. Too often we bury our heads in the good book and miss the presence of God Himself.
To Know Why We Believe it, is to Love God
Understanding why we believe is an act of love. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Psalm 119 brings expresses the beautiful love language of the Word:
I delight in your commandments, which I love (119:47, 48).
I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold (Ps. 119:112).
Oh, how I love your law (Ps. 119:97 cf. vv. 113, 127, 159, 163, 165, 167).
Parents show love not only by providing for needs but also by teaching, warning, and guiding repeatedly. In the same way, God teaches us through His Word because He loves us
To Know How to Defend and Share What We Believe, is to Love Our Neighbor
Finally, knowing how to defend and share our faith is an expression of love for our neighbor (1 Peter 3:15). Our learning is not only for our benefit but for the good of those around us.
The prayer, “Make your face shine and teach me your statutes” (Ps. 119:135) is a call to discipleship. Jesus is your teacher. You are His student. The church is His classroom. The Word is the curriculum. The Belgic Confession is our syllabus. And the objectives are simple: to know God, to love God, and to love our neighbor.