The Westminster Confession of Faith

1 TheWestminsterConfessionofFaithThe WestminsterConfession of FaithThe Westminster Confession of Faith is perhaps the most notableexpression in creedal form of the truths of the Bible. It was the workof that assembly of divines which was called together by Parliamentand met in London, at Westminster Abbey, during the years 1643 -1648. It was this assembly which also produced the Larger andShorter Catechisms. The Confession and the Catechisms are used bymany Churches as their doctrinal standards, subordinate to the Wordof God. The text of the Confession as given on the following pagesis in the form adopted by the Bible Presbyterian Church in 1938,and, except for a few revisions, which are largely concerned witheschatology, as well as with the relation of the civil magistrate to theChurch, it agrees with the text of the original manuscript of theConfession.

2 The changes have been stated as of FaithCHAPTER IOf the holy ScriptureI. Although the light of nature, and the works of creation andprovidence, do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power ofGod, as to leave men inexcusable; yet they are not sufficient to givethat knowledge of God, and of his will, which is necessary untosalvation: therefore it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and indivers manners, to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto hisChurch; and afterwards, for the better preserving and propagating ofthe truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of theChurch against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satanand of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; whichmaketh the holy Scripture to be most necessary; those former waysof God s revealing his will unto his people being now ceased.

3 II. Under the name of holy Scripture, or the Word of God written ,are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testaments,which are these:OF THE OLD Song of Confession OF Faith 10OF THE NEW TESTAMENTThe Gospelsaccording Acts of s ThessaloniansII. ThessaloniansI. The Epistle to Epistle of First and SecondEpistles of First, Second,and Third Epistlesof Epislte of Revelation of which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of Faith The books commonly called the Apocrypha, not being of divineinspiration, are no part of the canon of the Scripture; and thereforeare of no authority in the Church of God, nor to be any otherwiseapproved, or made use of, than other human The authority of the holy Scripture, for which it ought to bebelieved and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any manor Church, but wholly upon God, (who is truth itself,) the authorthereof.

4 And therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Churchto an high and reverent esteem of the holy Scripture, and theheavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majestyof the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole,(which is to give all glory to God,) the full discovery it makes of theonly way of man s salvation, the many other incomparableexcellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are argumentswhereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God;yet, notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of theinfallible truth, and divine authority thereof, is from the inward workTHE Confession OF FAITH11of the holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the Word in The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for hisown glory, man s salvation, Faith , and life, is either expressly setdown in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may bededuced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to beadded, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of , we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spiritof God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such thingsas are revealed in the Word.

5 And that there are some circumstancesconcerning the worship of God, and government of the Church,common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered bythe light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the generalrules of the Word, which are always to be All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alikeclear unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known,believed, and observed, for salvation, are so clearly propounded andopened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only thelearned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, mayattain unto a sufficient understanding of The Old Testament in Hebrew, (which was the native languageof the people of God of old,) and the New Testament in Greek,(which at the time of the writing of it was most generally known tothe nations,) being immediately inspired by God, and by his singularcare and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical;so as in all controversies of religion the Church is finally to appealunto them.

6 But because these original tongues are not known to allthe people of God, who have right unto and interest in theScriptures, and are commanded, in the fear of God, to read andsearch them, therefore they are to be translated into the vulgarlanguage of every nation unto which they come, that the Word ofGod dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship him in anacceptable manner, and, through patience and comfort of theScriptures, may have Confession OF Faith 12IX. The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scriptureitself; and therefore, when there is a question about the true and fullsense of any Scripture, (which is not manifold, but one,) it must besearched and known by other places that speak more The Supreme Judge, by whom all controversies of religion are tobe determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancientwriters, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined,and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the HolySpirit speaking in the IIOf God, and of the holy TrinityI.

7 There is but one only living and true God, who is infinite in beingand perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, orpassions, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty,most wise, most holy , most free, most absolute, working all thingsaccording to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteouswill, for his own glory; most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering,abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression,and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek him; and withalmost just and terrible in his judgments; hating all sin, and who willby no means clear the God hath all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of himself;and is alone in and unto himself all-sufficient, not standing in needof any creatures which he hath made, nor deriving any glory fromthem, but only manifesting his own glory, in, by, unto, and uponthem: he is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom,and to whom, are all things; and hath most sovereign dominion overthem, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever himselfpleaseth.

8 In his sight all things are open and manifest; his knowledgeis infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature, so asnothing is to him contingent or uncertain. He is most holy in all hiscounsels, in all his works, and in all his commands. To him is dueTHE Confession OF FAITH13from angels and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship,service, or obedience, he is pleased to require of In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of onesubstance, power, and eternity; God the Father, God the Son, andGod the holy Ghost. The Father is of none, neither begotten norproceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the HolyGhost eternally proceeding from the Father and the IIIOf God s Eternal DecreeI. God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of hisown will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass:yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violenceoffered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingencyof second causes taken away, but rather Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass uponall supposed conditions; yet hath he not decreed any thing becausehe forsaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass uponsuch By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, somemen and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and othersforeordained to everlasting These angels and men, thus predestinated and foreordained, areparticularly and unchangeably designed.

9 And their number is socertain and definite that it cannot be either increased or Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, beforethe foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal andimmutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of hiswill, hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory, out of his mere freegrace and love, without any foresight of Faith or good works, orperseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, Confession OF Faith 14conditions, or causes moving him thereunto; and all to the praise ofhis glorious As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so hath he, by theeternal and most free purpose of his will, foreordained all the meansthereunto. Wherefore they who are elected being fallen in Adam, areredeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto Faith in Christ by hisSpirit working in due season; are justified, adopted, sanctified, andkept by his power through Faith unto salvation.

10 Neither are any otherredeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified,and saved, but the elect The rest of mankind, God was pleased, according to theunsearchable counsel of his own will, whereby he extendeth orwithholdeth mercy as he pleaseth, for the glory of his sovereignpower over his creatures, to pass by, and to ordain them to dishonorand wrath for their sin, to the praise of his glorious The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to behandled with special prudence and care, that men attending the willof God revealed in his Word, and yielding obedience thereunto,may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of theireternal election. So shall this doctrine afford matter of praise,reverence, and admiration of God; and of humility, diligence, andabundant consolation, to all that sincerely obey the IVOf CreationI.