The Divine Council and the Reformed Confessions: No Conflict, No Rejection

Does the Divine Council worldview contradict Reformed theology?

Some assume it does, claiming it resembles polytheism or speculative mysticism. But a close examination of the Reformed confessions reveals something surprising:

• They never mention the Divine Council.

• They never condemn it.

• And nothing in their doctrine of God prevents it.

In short, the Divine Council worldview is not rejected by the confessions—and may be harmonized with them.

What Is the Divine Council View?

The Divine Council refers to a biblical concept where God is portrayed as ruling amid a heavenly host of spiritual beings—called “gods” (elohim), “sons of God,” or “holy ones.”

Key passages include:

• Psalm 82:1 – “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment.”

• 1 Kings 22:19–22 – “I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him…”

• Job 1:6; 2:1 – “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD…”

What Do the Reformed Confessions Say?

The major Reformed confessions—Westminster Confession of Faith (1647), the Belgic Confession (1561), and the Second London Baptist Confession (1689)—make no mention of the Divine Council or related terminology (elohim, sons of God, council of heaven, etc.).

But do they affirm anything that would contradict it?

1. The Confessions Affirm God’s Uniqueness—Does NOT Deny Other Beings Called Gods

“The Lord our God is but one only living and true God; whose subsistence is in and of Himself... who alone is immortal, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto…”— Second London Baptist Confession (1689), Chapter 2.1[1]

This clearly affirms monotheism—one uncreated, sovereign God. But it does not deny the existence of created spiritual beings who may be called elohim (cf. Psalm 82:6).

2. The Confessions Recognize Angels—But Say Little About the Broader Spiritual Realm

“He ascended into heaven, and there sits at the right hand of His Father, making intercession, and shall return to judge men and angels at the end of the world.”— Second London Baptist Confession (1689), Chapter 8.10[2]

The confessions affirm angels as part of the created order. But they are silent on the rest of the divine council framework evident in Job 1, 1 Kings 22, Daniel 7, etc.

This silence is not a rejection—only a focus on matters essential to salvation, worship, and church polity.

3. The Confessions Do Not Forbid Supernatural Worldviews Compatible with Scripture

There is no clause in the confessions that forbids belief in:

• Angelic hierarchies (cf. Colossians 1:16),

• God delegating tasks to heavenly beings,

• A divine court or council.

In fact, Puritan and Reformed writers often referenced heavenly assemblies without controversy.

4. Reformation Voices Engaging Divine Council Concepts

What about the Divine Council in the time of the Reformation?

Several respected theologians and commentators from the Reformation era explicitly acknowledged the existence of a heavenly host serving under Yahweh. While they may not have affirmed the full scope of what is now called the “Divine Council worldview,” they engaged with the biblical text and described a heavenly court or senate involving spiritual beings.

Their words show that such ideas were not considered a threat to God’s sovereignty, nor foreign to biblical orthodoxy.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714):“It is by the decree of the watchers; not that the great God needs the counsel or concurrence of the angels in anything he determines or does, but, as he uses their ministration in executing his counsels, so he is sometimes represented, after the manner of men, as if he consulted them. Whom shall I send? Isa. vi. 8. Who shall persuade Ahab? 1 Kings xxii. 20…such was Nebuchadnezzar's doom; it was by the decree of the watchers. [2.] The saints on earth petitioned for it, as well as the angels in heaven: The demand is by the word of the holy ones.”[3]

John Calvin (1509–1564):“But we know it to be no new thing in Scripture for God to join angels with himself, not as equals but as attendants, and to attribute to them so much honor as to deign to call them into counsel. Hence angels are often called God’s counselors… Meanwhile, this sentiment is true — the edict was promulgated at the united consent and demand of the whole celestial host; for angels bear with the greatest reluctance whatever detracts from God’s glory, and all the folly of mankind when they wish to draw and attract to themselves the peculiar attributes of the only God.”[4]

Thomas Manton (1620–1677):“For he sits in the assembly of the gods, the holy angels are round about him: Ps. cxxxviii. 1, ‘Before the gods will I sing praise to thee’—that is, in the presence of the holy angels: 1 Cor. x. 10; Eccles. v. 6.”[5]

Henry Vane (1612–1662):“Yea, it shall be acknowledged and seen that under the most high, the heavens do rule, Dan. 4.26. All matters shall at that time be carried on in the earth, visibly, by the decree of the watchers, (v. 17.) the supreme counsel and senate of judicature wherein the holy angels shall sit and exercise jurisdiction under Christ, for the good of his church on earth…”[6]

Thomas Goodwin (1600–1680):“Who were the watchers? It was not the Persons in the Trinity; they were angels, for it is said, ver. 13, 'the watchman came down from heaven.' Though one angel was the executioner more especially, yet he saith it was by the decree of the watchers; they decreed in heaven, the council of angels did, as being of counsel to the great king…”[7]

Reading these statements, it would not be strange to understand the confessional phrase:

“He is most holy in all His counsels” – 1689 LBCF 2.2

…as including not only God's intra-Trinitarian will, but also His heavenly governance that sometimes includes the participation of His spiritual servants.

These theologians were orthodox, Reformed, and confessional. Their writings show that acknowledging a “divine council” of spiritual beings was not considered a threat to God’s uniqueness, glory, or sovereign rule.

Conclusion: A Council Beneath the Crown

The Divine Council worldview is not a fringe speculation—it is a biblical reality reflected in Scripture, acknowledged in historic theology, and consistent with Reformed confessional commitments.

The Reformers and Puritans recognized that God often executes His purposes through a heavenly host. They didn’t see this as polytheism or as a challenge to God’s sovereignty, but rather as a testimony to His divine majesty and ordered reign.

The confessions affirm that Yahweh alone is eternal, sovereign, and worthy of worship. But they also leave room for the rich supernatural tapestry of Scripture—a world where God rules not only over men but also over angels, principalities, and powers.

So when we speak of the Divine Council, we are not adding to Scripture, but honoring the fullness of it.

“For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” – Psalm 95:3

Footnotes

1. Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689), Chapter 2, Paragraph 1: "Of God and the Holy Trinity"

2. Ibid., Chapter 8, Paragraph 10: "Of Christ the Mediator"

3. Matthew Henry, Commentary on Daniel 4:17, in Henry’s Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible

4. John Calvin, Commentary on Daniel, Vol. 1, Lecture Fourth

5. Thomas Manton, Works of Thomas Manton, Vol. 1, Psalm 138:1

6. Henry Vane, A Pilgrimage into the Land of Promise (1656), on Daniel 4

7. Thomas Goodwin, Exposition of the Epistle to the Ephesians, Sermon XXXII, p. 492