Article 36:

Of Magistrates.

We believe that our gracious God, because of the depravity of mankind, hath appointed kings, princes and magistrates, [1] willing that the world should be governed by certain laws and policies; to the end that the dissoluteness of men might be restrained, and all things carried on among them with good order and decency. For this purpose he hath invested the magistracy with the sword, for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the protection of them that do well.

Their office is, not only to have regard unto, and watch for the welfare of the civil state; but also that they protect [**] the sacred ministry; [2] and thus may remove and prevent all idolatry and false worship [*] ; that the kingdom of anti-Christ may be thus destroyed and the kingdom of Christ promoted. They must therefore countenance the preaching of the Word of the gospel everywhere, that God may be honored and worshipped by every one,as He commands in His Word.

Moreover, It the bounded duty of every one, of what state, quality, or condition so ever he may be, to subject himself to the magistrates; [3] to pay tribute, [4] to show due honor and respect to them, and to obey them in all things which are not repugnant to the Word of God; [5] to supplicate for them in their prayers, that God may rule and guide them in all their ways, and that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. [6]

Wherefore we detest the Anabaptists and other seditious people, and in general all those who reject the higher powers and magistrates, and would subvert justice, [7] introduce community of goods, and confound that decency and good order, which God hath established among men. [8]
Articles
  1. That there is One Only God.
  2. By what means God is made known unto us.
  3. Of the written Word of God.
  4. Canonical Books of the Holy Scripture.
  5. From whence the Holy Scriptures derive their dignity and authority.
  6. The difference between the canonical and apocryphal books.
  7. The sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures, to be the only rule of faith.
  8. That God is one in Essence, yet nevertheless distinguished in three Persons.
  9. The proof of the foregoing article of the Trinity of persons in one God.
  10. That Jesus Christ is true and eternal God.
  11. That the Holy Ghost is true and eternal God.
  12. Of the Creation.
  13. Of Divine Providence.
  14. Of the Creation and Fall of man, and his Incapacity to perform what is truly good.
  15. Of Original Sin.
  16. Of Eternal Election.
  17. Of the Recovery of Fallen Man.
  18. Of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
  19. Of the union and distinction of the two Natures in the person of Christ.
  20. That God hath manifested his justice and mercy in Christ Jesus.
  21. Of the satisfaction of Christ, our only High Priest, for us.
  22. Of Faith in Jesus Christ.
  23. Of Justification.
  24. Of man's Sanctification and Good Works.
  25. Of the abolishing of the Ceremonial Law.
  26. Of Christ's Intercession.
  27. Of the Catholic Christian Church.
  28. That every one is bound to join himself to the true Church.
  29. Of the marks of the true Church, and wherein she differs from the false Church.
  30. Concerning the Government of, and Offices in the Church.
  31. Of the Ministers, Elders, and Deacons.
  32. Of the Order and Discipline of the Church.
  33. Of the Sacraments.
  34. Of Holy Baptism.
  35. Of the Holy Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  36. Of Magistrates.
  37. Of the Last Judgment.
Previous
Next
Scriptural Proof
  1. And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. ... Ex. 18:20, &c;

    Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Rom. 13:1;

    By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. Prov. 8:15;

    O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. Jer. 21:12;

    And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates: Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. Jer. 22:2,3;

    God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. ... have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. Psa. 82:1,6;

    I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing. ... Psa. 101:1, &c.;

    So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes. And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. Deut. 1:15,16;

    Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. Deut. 16:18;

    And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: ... Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. Dan. 2:21, 37;

    O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: Dan. 5:18.

  2. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. ... But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. Isa. 49:23,25;

    And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 1 Kings 15:12;

    And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD. And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant. And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel. ... 2 Kings 23:2-4, &c.

  3. Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, Titus 3:1;

    Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Rom. 13:1.

  4. And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him. Mark 12:17;

    And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? Matt. 17:24.

  5. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. Acts 4:17-19;

    Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29;

    The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment. Hosea 5:10, 11.

  6. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. Jer. 29:7;

    I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 1 Tim. 2:1,2.

  7. But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. 2 Peter 2:10.

  8. Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. ... But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Jude 8,10.

Notes:

* This phrase, touching the office of the magistracy in its relation to the Church, proceeds on the principle of the Established Church, which was first applied by Constantine and afterwards also in many Protestant countries. History, however, does not support the principle of State domination over the Church, but rather the separation of Church and State. Moreover, it is contrary to the New Dispensation that authority be vested in the State to arbitrarily reform the Church, and to deny the Church the right of independently conducting its own affairs as a distinct territory alongside the State. The New Testament does not subject the Christian Church to the authority of the State that it should be governed and extended by political measures, but to our Lord and King only as an independent territory alongside and altogether independent of the State, that it may be governed and edified by its office-bearers and with spiritual weapons only. Practically all Reformed churches have repudiated the idea of the Established Church, and are advocating the autonomy of the churches and personal liberty of conscience in matters pertaining to the service of God.

The Christian Reformed Church in America, [***] being in full accord with this view, feels constrained to declare that it does not conceive of the office of the magistracy in this sense, that it be in duty bound to also exercise political authority in the sphere of religion, by establishing and maintaining a State Church, advancing and supporting the same as the only true Church, and to oppose, to persecute and to destroy by means of the sword all the other churches as being false religions; and to also declare that it does positively hold that, within its own secular sphere, the magistracy has a divine duty towards the first table of the Law as well as towards the second; and furthermore that both State and Church as institutions of God and Christ have mutual rights and duties appointed them from on high, and therefore have a very sacred reciprocal obligation to meet through the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and Son. They may not, however, encroach upon each other's territory. The Church has rights of sovereignty in its own sphere as well as the State." Acta. Synod, 1910.

_______________________________________

** Web Editors comment: "protect," the French has "maintenir," (maintain), the Dutch has "hand te houden," (hold the hand); both terms have the idea of "sustain" in a form including financial support or means which gives rise to the idea of a state supported or financed established church, which is also rejected in the note above.

*** Web Editors comment: The Protestant Reformed Churches arose out of the Christian Reformed Church in 1924, the above decision from 1910 belongs to the PRCA postion on the creed.

Previous
Top
Next