{"id": "card_n_fa1b8a8871c5", "kind": "note", "title": "Belgic Art. 23: Wherein Our Justification Before God Consists", "body": "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.", "source": {"label": "Belgic Confession (1561)", "url": "/codex.html#belgic-art23", "ref": "Article 23", "authority_tier": "creed"}, "shelf": "codex", "box": "confession_belgic", "bands": ["belgic", "continental_reformed", "three_forms_of_unity", "article_23", "Ps 32:1-2", "Rom 4:6-8", "2 Cor 5:21"], "connections": [{"to_card_id": "card_n_e5c0cda9157a", "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": "2026-05-19T13:05:02.385372+00:00", "source_hash": "01a8bf12f4ce6400f9e4b91792200f2a97bed97f3f98f3a8ae3d5d8ecf9c9666", "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"}