Vessels Unto Honor and Dishonor

A century after the Reformation began in earnest, heresy arose within the reformed churches. In large part, the heresy concerned the doctrine of election. The heretics thought that the doctrine of election made God the author of sin or portrayed Him as arbitrary. The Synod of Dordt was convened to answer these errors and the "Canons" became the official answer. At the end of the Canons of Dordt, which presented the true doctrine and rejected the errors of the heretics, the following summary was written: "The doctrine of this creed is drawn from the Word of God and is in harmony with other Reformed creeds of the day. The Synod rejects the notion that the doctrine of God's sovereign grace set forth in the creed gives cause for men to sin or have a false sense of assurance. Likewise, it does not make God either arbitrary or the author of sin." In no small part, the text before us informed the delegates to the synod and determined their doctrine and they quote verse 20 directly in their argument. (Article 18) – Pastor Schlegel