The Protestant Reformed Churches (PRC) do not believe in justification by faith alone apart from works, and they do not believe that this justification is salvation. Ministers in the PRC cannot say that we are justified by faith alone and stop there. If asked if we are justified by faith alone, the ministers in the PRC answer, “Yes, but…” They cannot help but add, “But you must also do good works,” under the guise that whom God justifies, he also sanctifies—their definition of sanctification being your life of holiness, your life of good works, or your love of God.

The Protestant Reformed ministers’ insistence that we must also do good works alongside our justification comes out in varied ways in their sermons and writings, but it is perhaps most striking when it comes out in direct opposition to the creeds.

May we say that our salvation consists in our justification?

Belgic Confession article 23 answers,

We believe that our salvation consists in the remission of our sins for Jesus Christ’s sake, and that therein our righteousness before God is implied; as David and Paul teach us, declaring this to be the happiness of man, that God imputes righteousness to him without works. And the same apostle saith that we are justified freely by His grace, through the redemption which is in Jesus Christ. (Confessions and Church Order, 51)

Rev. Bill Langerak answers,

Everybody understands—or should understand—that our salvation doesn’t merely consist of God forgiving me the many, many times I have not loved him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, but that God’s salvation of me delivers me from that sin and evil in such a way that I, in fact, love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, and strength. Our salvation consists of that. Would we ever look at someone who hates God, who hates God with their heart and mind and soul and strength, and say, “Well, they’re saved”? Now, I understand in our old man that’s certainly true, and that must be emphasized and preached also—our depravity, our total depravity in our flesh—but may we and should we ever present that in such a way that my salvation of God through Jesus Christ is of this manner: that God forgives my sins and then leaves the rest up to me, whereby I may or may not in the end love God?

Now, that’s done, and you must understand that’s done from two different perspectives. Some present the gospel of salvation this way: that God does his part; God promises certain things and even works certain things—oh, he gives [the] gift of faith, but now whether you’re saved or not depends on whether you accept that gift and use that gift rightly, whether you fulfill the condition of loving God. If you don’t love God, then God’s not going to love you in return. Or, after rejecting such a concept or gospel, the gospel still can be presented this way: Oh yes, God saves us. God freely gives us faith; he works that faith; he works that act of faith so that we know and trust in God; and chiefly we trust in him for the forgiveness of sins! And since salvation is not conditional and does not depend upon you, it has nothing to do with the law of God; it has nothing to do with loving God. In fact, you really mayn’t preach what we must do, otherwise you’re preaching man, preaching a gospel of man.¹

According to Rev. Bill Langerak, everyone understands that salvation does not consist in the mere forgiveness of sins. Everyone understands that salvation also consists in God’s delivering me from sin so that I love God with my whole heart. Everyone understands that one’s salvation does not consist in his hating God; therefore, one’s salvation must consist in his loving God. Everyone understands that, except the Belgic Confession apparently.

The question is not whether we must do good works. The question is not whether God delivers and renews us from sin in such a way that we do actually love God. The question is, in what does our salvation consist? The question is, may we say that our salvation consists in the forgiveness of our sins for Christ’s sake and stop there?

The PRC says no, our salvation consists in the forgiveness of sins and our love of God; our justification is by faith alone, but we also must do good works. And at every turn her ministers add the works of man alongside the perfect work of Jesus Christ to save his people from their sins. But the Belgic Confession answers yes, we believe that our salvation consists in the remission of our sins for Christ’s sake. Period. The Belgic Confession leaves no room in our salvation for our good works, our repentance, or our love of God. Those are but inevitable fruits of faith, performed out of thankful gratitude to God for justifying us freely by his grace.

And as well as being un-confessional, Rev. Bill Langerak is afraid of the gospel. He shows his fear of the gospel and misrepresents the gospel when he asks,

May we and should we ever present that in such a way that my salvation of God through Jesus Christ is of this manner: that God forgives my sins and then leaves the rest up to me, whereby I may or may not in the end love God?

He then explains what he thinks are two wrong ways to present the gospel—two ditches, if you will. The first is the Arminian presentation of the gospel, in which one must fulfill the conditions of faith and obedience to be saved. The second is the so-called antinomian presentation of the gospel, in which salvation is of God by faith alone (which faith is a gift of God and is worked by God) and has nothing to do with the law of God. It is not a huge stretch to infer that he is referring to the Reformed Protestant Churches with this second presentation. Rev. Bill Langerak is afraid that if the gospel of free forgiveness is preached without the requirement of loving God that the rest is left up to the people, whereby they may or may not love God, whereby they may or may not lead licentious and wicked lives. He forgets Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

The question is not whether a child of God who is forgiven “may or may not in the end love God.” That is not even a question. The question is not whether the child of God must love God. The question is not whether the law has a place in the life of the child of God. The child of God must and will love God because that child has been saved by grace through the gift of faith and has been created unto the good works that God has before ordained for him.

But the question is, may the gospel be set forth in this way: that God through Jesus Christ forgives my sins? The question is, in what does my salvation consist?

And the Belgic Confession is clear: my salvation consists in the remission of my sins for Jesus Christ’s sake, which becomes mine by faith alone apart from works. Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift!