The Conclusions of the Synod of Utrecht were the result of a 1905
synod
A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...
of the
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands
The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (, abbreviated ''Gereformeerde kerk'') was the second largest Protestant church in the Netherlands and one of the two major Calvinist denominations along with the Dutch Reformed Church since 1892 unti ...
.
The Synod addressed theological questions including
justification from eternity,
presumptive regeneration
Presumptive regeneration (also presupposed regeneration) is the idea often associated with Abraham Kuyper that parents should baptize their children based on a presumption of the child's being regenerate.
The 1905 synod of the Reformed Churc ...
/immediate regeneration and
Infralapsarian
Reformed Christianity studies the logical order of God's decree to ordain the fall of man in relation to his decree to save some sinners through election and condemn others through reprobation. Several opposing positions have been proposed, all of ...
/
Supralapsarian
Reformed Christianity studies the logical order of God's decree to ordain the fall of man in relation to his decree to save some sinners through election and condemn others through reprobation. Several opposing positions have been proposed, all of ...
;
[Defence of the Truth website, Church History for the Young and Old section, ''111A. From Union 1892 till Liberation 1944 (1)'']
/ref> this came after the publication of books by preacher Dr Abraham Kuyper
Abraham Kuyper ( , ; 29 October 1837 – 8 November 1920) was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands between 1901 and 1905, an influential neo-Calvinist pastor and a journalist. He established the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, which upo ...
and Herman Bavinck
Herman Bavinck (13 December 1854 – 29 July 1921) was a Dutch Calvinist theologian and churchman. He was a significant scholar in the Calvinist tradition, alongside Abraham Kuyper, B. B. Warfield, and Geerhardus Vos.
Biography Backgro ...
and theses by Professor Lucas Lindeboom. The men disagreed on several issues and there was much debate over these for the many years.[Mid-America Reformed Seminary website, ''Abraham Kuyper, Herman Bavinck, and ‘The Conclusions of Utrecht 1905’ '', by J. Mark Beach, 2008]
/ref> and the official "Conclusions of the Synod of Utrecht" were adopted.
The Conclusions were updated in 1942 and 1946.
Official Conclusions
*The Synod adopted the infralapsarian presentation of election, but did not condemn the supralapsarian presentation.
*The Synod did not confirm or disprove eternal justification.
*The Synod confirmed both immediate regeneration (especially with regard to children), and the necessity of preaching from the Bible.
*Synod confirmed that the idea that every elect child is regenerated even before baptism cannot be proved from reading the Bible; it stated that every person must both believe in God and be baptized in order to be saved.
US and Canada
The Christian Reformed Church in North America adopted the Conclusions of Synod Utrecht from 1908 to 1968.
In 1968, the CRC Synod stated that the Conclusions would no longer have the status of binding doctrinal deliverances. Google Books website
''Missionary Baptism & Evangelical Unity: An Historical, Theological, Pastoral Inquiry'', by J. Cameron Fraser (page 5)
References
External links
The Conclusions of Utrecht (1905)Puritanboard.com: Research into the Synod of Utrecht (1905)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conclusion Of Utrecht
1905 documents
20th-century Christian texts
History of Reformed Christianity in the Netherlands
Reformed confessions of faith
20th-century Reformed Christianity