{"id": "card_n_13002c646fe4", "kind": "note", "title": "Belgic Art. 29: The Marks of the True Church, and Wherein She Differs from the False Church", "body": "We believe that we ought diligently and circumspectly to discern from the Word of God which is the true Church, since all sects in the world assume to themselves the name. The marks: pure preaching of the gospel, pure administration of the sacraments, exercise of church discipline.", "source": {"label": "Belgic Confession (1561)", "url": "/codex.html#belgic-art29", "ref": "Article 29", "authority_tier": "creed"}, "shelf": "codex", "box": "confession_belgic", "bands": ["belgic", "continental_reformed", "three_forms_of_unity", "article_29", "Eph 2:20", "Acts 17:11-12", "Col 1:23"], "connections": [{"to_card_id": "card_n_14f20aaddc9b", "relationship": "same_section", "origin": "nesting_2026_06_12"}], "author": "engine", "created_at": "2026-05-19T00:00:00Z", "visibility": "public", "lifecycle_stage": "public", "volatility": "permanent", "metrics": {"paperclips_count": 0, "helpful_count": 0, "not_helpful_count": 0, "cite_count": 0, "walks_through_count": 0, "flagged_count": 0}, "updated_at": "2026-05-19T13:05:02.388357+00:00", "source_hash": "bc5a212fa3807fb2d06f4fd9cb809af831a2eccb8701d379ed9398ae82304e64", "witnesses": [{"class": "manuscript_tradition", "label": "Original French 1561 — Guido de Bres", "ref": "Belgic-1561"}, {"class": "translation", "label": "Dutch translation (Synod of Antwerp 1566)", "ref": "Belgic-NL"}, {"class": "critical_edition", "label": "Synod of Dort revision (1618-19)", "ref": "Belgic-Dort"}, {"class": "republication", "label": "CCEL — Belgic Confession", "url": "https://www.ccel.org/creeds/belgic.html", "ref": "CCEL-Belgic"}, {"class": "proof_text", "label": "Scripture proof texts", "ref": "Belgic-proofs"}], "witness_status": "passed", "witness_status_reason": "5 witnesses across 5 independence classes: ['critical_edition', 'manuscript_tradition', 'proof_text', 'republication', 'translation']", "surface": "witness"}