Living by Faith

Book Description:

Of the many ecclesiastical gatherings that have been held in the Netherlands over the centuries, the Synod of Dordrecht (1618-1619) probably had the greatest impact on the country's church life. It produced a Church Order, Orders of Worship were crafted for worship services, and provision was made for a new Dutch Bible translation (with annotations) which was ready in 1637, and became known as the States Translation (Statenvertaling-in English: The Dort Study Bible). Moreover, the delegates also adopted the Heidelberg Catechism and the Belgic Confession as confessions for the Reformed Churches. In addition, a third confession was produced entitled: "the Canons of Dordrecht," commonly referred to as "the Canons of Dort."
The stimulus for the existence of the Canons of Dort goes back to the controversy between two professors, Gomarus and Arminius at the University of Leiden. In this dispute the age-old issue of whether the human will was free or not was central. Can a person on his own choose for God or not? What causes people to respond so differently to the gospel? Already in early church history (5th century) Augustine and Pelagius confronted each other about this question, and during the Reformation (16th century) Erasmus discovered in Luther a strong opponent to the doctrine of the free will. The question of whether the will is free or not is related as well to the doctrine of double predestination, meaning that God elected and reprobated from eternity.
--- From the Author's Preface

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