A Confessional Baptist

The Canons of the Council of Dort

It is somewhat unusual for Baptists to list as a doctrinal standard the Canons of Dort, but I believe, it is an entirely appropriate and usefull document for Reformed Baptists to confess.

The Canons of Dort provide a concise yet thorough explanation of the Doctrines of Grace, otherwise known as "the five points of Calvinism". They were established as a doctrinal standard of the Reformed church in the Netherlands by an international synod or council of church leaders that assembled to address the "Remonstrance" or protest articles^[1] that challenged John Calvin's and the church's established and biblically founded teachings of God's absolute sovereignty over the salvation of men, as well as the efficacy of divine grace.

This "Remonstrance" was issued in 1610 by the followers of the late Jacob Arminius^[2], who had been a theological professor at Leiden University, and consisted of five points of dispute with the established teaching of sovereign grace. According to these first Arminians: 1.) election was based on God foreseeing a future saving faith generated by men in of themselves in cooperation with and enabled by universal divine grace; 2.) Jesus Christ's cross work provided a universally extensive atonement that is dependant on man's cooperative faith to complete it; 3.) the effects of the fall are overcome by universal divine prevenient grace in all men, that either restores free will or allows a man to use his native free will toward good; 4.) man may certainly resist God's saving grace and divine call; 5.) it may be possible for man to neglect God's preserving grace and lose their salvation.^[3]

In response to this challenge put forth by by the Arminians, the Synod of Dort, having considered these matters carefully from 1618-1619, put forth five counter points establishing in confessional form the biblical doctrines of grace, namely: 1.) election and reprobation are based on the sovereign will of God alone and not conditional upon any action of man, having been predetermined according to the secret will of God in eternity past; 2:) The atonement purchased by Christ is fully efficacious, completed by him on the cross, and limited to the elect of God. The atonement guarantees the salvation and preservation of those for whom Christ died, who paid their redemption price in full; 3.) unregenerate man is depraved in totality, being sinful in mind, actions and affections, is in a state of enmity with God, his will is enslaved by sin and Satan and is, in his natural state since the fall, incapable of and unwilling to please God or making any move toward his own salvation apart from effectual and particular grace; 4.) God's efficacious call to salvation is an irresistable grace through which God the Father calls his elect to the Son by the Holy Spirit who regenerates the hearts of the elect and grants them faith and repentance and new affections; 5.) those whom God has pre-determined to salvation and saved by efficacious grace continue in that grace, upheld by God so that they will not fall away and lose their salvation, but rather grow in grace, being transformed into the image of Christ by the indwelling Holy Spirit.^[4]

The Canons of Dort provide a clear presentation of historic Protestant Calvinism, and not only guard against the historic errors of Arminianism, Pelagianism, and Semi-Pelagianism, but also the modern errors of Open Theism and liberal theology. They also guard against the heresies of the so-called "hyper Calvinists" who teach destructive fatalism and seem especially prevelant among Calvinistic baptists who reject confessions and creeds.

The Canons of Dort are divided into four sections, or Heads of Doctrine, with the third and fourth points combined into one section, giving a statement of the biblical view follwed by a rejection of the errors of the Arminians. This document by no means is an exhaustive study of these weighty doctrines, but provides a clear and concise declaration of the five points of dispute with Arminian theology. This modern English version of the Canons is a translation of the original Latin manuscript adopted by the Christian Reformed Church in 1986, with the subheadings added.^[5]

Go to the First Head of Doctrine

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Footnotes

1. See A Puritans Mind, Arminian Articles for an english translation of the Articles of Remonstrance. For a concise explanation of the Arminian controversy and the Synod of Dort, read the article at Spindle Works, The Arminian Controversy and the Synod of Dort by S. Vandergugten

2. Theopedia article: Jacobus Arminius

3. Theopedia article: Arminianism

4. See the section entitled Calvinism at this site.

5. The Canons of Dort as they appear at this website, aconfessionalbaptist.com, are provided by the Christian Reformed Church at their website; © 1987, CRC Publications, Grand Rapids MI. www.crcna.org. Reprinted with permission under the provision for "a ministry setting".