Canons of Dort

The Canons of Dort were established at the Synod of the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands 1618-1619, called the Synod of Dort. The Canons are directed against the Remonstrants and are ( were ) therefore the five articles called against the Remonstrants.

The Synod of Dort was an international synod. This synod was convened by the Representative Assembly ( Staten - General ) of the United Netherlands, to comment on the views of Arminianism. The Remonstrants were unanimously condemned at the Synod. Their doctrine is, according to the Synod, not in harmony with the Bible. In the Canons the conviction is recorded in writing.

The Canons are made up of five chapters. The chapters deal with the following topics:

• Chapter 1: About the divine election and damnation.
• Chapter 2: About the death of Christ and the salvation of mankind through this death.
• Chapter 3 /4: About the depravity of man and the conversion to God and the way of it.
• Chapter 5: Beyond the perseverance of the saints.

In the Canons of Dort the Reformation faith is first positively stated. After each interpretation is a summary of the errors, which discards the Synod. Simplified sees the statement of the Canons of Dort like this:

• The total lostness of every human being.
• God the Father redeemed, whom he wants.
• God the Son (Christ) is the Savior of his children.
• God the Holy Spirit is the elect redeem sure.
• The children of God can be sure certain ( by faith ) of their salvation.

In the English speaking world we know these five points when the five points of calvinism.

The Canons of Dort also value the fact that God can preach the gospel, that man of sin and the penalty of sin to be saved. In Article 5 of the second Lehrstück ( chapter) is:

" Furthermore, the promise of the gospel, that everyone who believes in Christ crucified, not perish, but have everlasting life; this promise must all nations and people to whom God sends the gospel according to his good pleasure, to be proclaimed and presented without distinction, with the command to conversion and faith. "

The Canons of Dort are part of the creed of the Reformed churches. Among the Reformed Churches holding the Orthodox to this day it fixed, in the other is partly a move away from the double predestination in its strict dogmatic implementation observed.