The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith originating in England in the 1640s. It was intended to bring the Church of England into greater conformity with the Church of Scotland and the Continental Reformed churches. The confession was produced by the Westminster Assembly, which was summoned by the Long Parliament during the English Civil War to reform the Church of England.
The Westminster Confession summarizes certain Christian beliefs, such as those concerning God, revelation, Scripture, salvation, and the Christian life. It has played an important role in helping to define Reformed theology. Along with the Larger and Shorter Westminster Catechisms, the confession remains the doctrinal standard for many Presbyterian churches worldwide.
Background and History
In 1643, during the English Civil War, the Long Parliament summoned an assembly of theologians (known as the Westminster Assembly) to advise Parliament on how to reform the Church of England. The assembly met over 1,163 times between 1643 and 1649. It produced the Westminster Confession of Faith as well as the Larger Catechism and Shorter Catechism.
The confession was heavily influenced by Puritan theology and represents a slight revision to the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion that had guided the Church of England since the reign of Elizabeth I. During the formulation of the confession, the Westminster Assembly reviewed earlier Reformed confessions, including the French Confession of Faith (1559) and the Belgic Confession (1561).
In 1647, the Long Parliament adopted the confession for use in the Church of England. The Church of Scotland adopted it in 1648. During the 1650s, revisions were made to chapter 20-23 on Christian liberty, the civil magistrate, marriage, and divorce. The Savoy Declaration (1658) was a modified version of the confession intended for use in Congregational churches in England.
After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Charles II abolished Presbyterian church governance, and thus the Westminster Confession ceased to be an official confession of the Church of England. However, it remained the authorized doctrinal standard for English Presbyterians. It was also adopted by British Reformed Baptists in the 1680s.
In 1788, revisions were made to the confession by American Presbyterians, reflected in the version known as the American Revision of 1788. This version was adopted by Presbyterian and Congregationalist denominations in the United States. Today, the Westminster Confession remains the official doctrinal standard for a number of Reformed and Presbyterian churches worldwide.
Major Themes and Key Points
Here are some of the major themes and key points in the Westminster Confession of Faith:
Theology Proper
- There is one God who exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (2.1-3).
- God has absolute sovereignty over all things; He has decreed whatsoever comes to pass (3.1).
- God’s decrees are eternal, unchangeable, holy, wise, and sovereign (3.1).
- God created the world from nothing in six days and all things were very good (4.1).
- God providentially upholds, sustains, governs all creatures and actions (5.1-2).
Anthropology
- God created man, male and female, with reasonable and immortal souls (4.2).
- Our first parents fell from their original righteousness into sin (6.1-2).
- The effects of the fall upon mankind are the guilt of Adam’s sin, corruption of human nature, and death (6.3-6).
- God made a covenant of works with Adam, promising life for obedience and death for disobedience (7.2).
Christology
- The Son eternally proceeds from the Father and is of one substance with the Father (8.2).
- Jesus is fully God and fully man with two distinct natures united in one person (8.2).
- Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice and reconcile the elect (8.5).
- Christ makes intercession for the elect and governs all things for their good (8.8).
Soteriology
- God freely justifies the elect, not by infusing righteousness, but by pardoning sins and accounting them righteous (11.1).
- Faith is the alone instrument of justification (11.2).
- Christ merited justification and sanctification for the elect through His obedience and death (11.3).
- God guarantees the perseverance of the elect, who can neither totally nor finally fall from grace (17.1).
Ecclesiology
- The visible church is the congregation of believers in which the Word of God is preached and sacraments administered (25.1-2).
- There is no ordinary possibility of salvation outside of the visible church (25.2).
- The sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper are holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace (27.1).
- Church power is purely spiritual and distinct from civil power; synods and councils may err (31.1-4).
Ethics
- The moral law of the 10 Commandments remains valid for believers today (19.2-3).
- Works done apart from grace and faith cannot please God or make one right before God (16.6).
- Believers have liberty in matters of conscience, yet this does not negate the authority of the Word (20.2).
- The souls of believers immediately pass into glory at death; souls of unbelievers to misery (32.1).
Original Manuscripts
The Westminster Assembly produced several original manuscripts of the confession in English:
- The original manuscript approved by the Assembly on December 3, 1646.
- The Parliamentary copy inscribed to Charles II.
- The Congressional copy inscribed to William III and Mary II.
- The Westminster Abbey copy now kept in Princeton University Library.
These manuscripts differ slightly from the first printed edition of 1647. Scholars have identified at least 70 variations between the manuscripts and printed editions. Most changes are minor, dealing with capitalization, punctuation, or word order.
Revisions and Translations
The Westminster Confession has undergone revisions since its original publication in 1647:
- The Savoy Declaration (1658) modified 26 chapters for Congregationalist use.
- The Presbyterian Church in the U.S. adopted the American Revision in 1788.
- In 1903, the PCUSA revised chapters 34 and 35 on the Holy Spirit and Gospel.
- The Orthodox Presbyterian Church dropped sections in 1958 allowing Christian liberty.
There have also been numerous translations of the Westminster Confession into other languages:
- The first foreign translation was into Dutch in 1649.
- A Latin translation was completed by 1662.
- It was translated into German (1662), French (1665), and Spanish (1770s).
- Today, translations exist in around 20 languages worldwide.
Use in Various Traditions
Here is an overview of how the Westminster Confession is used among different Christian traditions today:
Presbyterian
Used by Presbyterian denominations worldwide as the standard of doctrine, including the Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian Church of America (PCA), Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP), and others.
Reformed
Used by many Continental Reformed and Dutch Reformed churches worldwide as a doctrinal standard alongside the Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism.
Congregational
Used by Congregational churches through the Savoy Declaration. Also used by some Reformed Baptists.
Anglican
Not typically used by Anglicans today. However, it remains an important source for understanding Puritan theology.
Criticisms and Responses
Here are some common criticisms of the Westminster Confession along with responses:
Unbiblical Teachings
Criticism: The confession teaches extrabiblical doctrines not found in Scripture, such as total depravity.
Response: The confession aims to summarize the clear teachings of Scripture. Its doctrines are grounded in biblical exegesis.
Overly Systematic
Criticism: It tries to systematize biblical truth when Scripture is not systematic.
Response: The confession organizes doctrine logically but recognizes that the Bible is not systematically ordered.
Calvinist Bias
Criticism: It only represents a Calvinist interpretation of disputed doctrines.
Response: As a Reformed confession, it does adopt a Calvinist perspective. But its views have been shared by many throughout church history.
Too Rigid
Criticism: It overemphasizes doctrinal precision rather than Christian experience.
Response: It aims for doctrinal clarity but allows liberty in matters not essential to faith.
Outdated Perspectives
Criticism: Some passages reflect outdated 17th-century thinking.
Response: It can be updated judiciously, but most doctrines remain timeless and scriptural.
Contribution and Legacy
The Westminster Confession of Faith has made several valuable and lasting contributions to Christianity:
- It gave concise expression to key Reformed and Calvinist doctrines.
- It helped solidify a Reformed doctrinal consensus among English Protestants.
- It has served as an important doctrinal standard for Presbyterians since the 17th century.
- Translations have disseminated its theology globally across denominations.
- It remains one of the clearest expressions of Reformed theology from the Puritan era.
The Westminster Confession continues to have widespread influence today as a standard of Reformed doctrine. It reflects mature Reformed theology at a key time in the development of Protestant thought. Its clarity and depth make it a valuable resource for study even today.
