What Is the Westminster Confession of Faith? An Introduction

In July 1643, with civil war tearing England apart, Parliament convened an assembly of ministers at Westminster Abbey. Their task was to reform the Church of England along Reformed lines. What they produced over the next five years was not a compromise document but one of the most rigorous and comprehensive confessions of faith in Christian history.

What Makes It Distinctive

The Westminster Confession is distinguished above all by its thoroughness. Its 33 chapters cover every major locus of Christian theology: Scripture, God, the decrees, creation, providence, the fall, the covenants, Christ, calling, justification, adoption, sanctification, faith, repentance, perseverance, assurance, the law, worship, the church, the sacraments, and the last things. No other confessional document in the Reformed tradition attempts this breadth of coverage with the same precision.

Scripture First

The decision to open with a full chapter on Scripture was deliberate and architecturally important. Before saying anything about God, the fall, or salvation, the confession establishes its epistemological foundation: we know what we know about these things because of the Bible. Scripture is 'the only infallible rule of faith and practice.' Everything that follows in the remaining 32 chapters is an unpacking of what the Bible teaches.

Its Enduring Place in Presbyterian Life

Though the English Parliament never implemented the Westminster standards — the Restoration of 1660 ended the Presbyterian experiment in England — Scotland adopted the Confession in 1647 and it spread from there throughout the Presbyterian world. Today it remains a living doctrinal standard, not a museum piece. Ministers are examined on it before ordination. Elders are expected to know it. Congregations read and study it. In the PCA, OPC, and many other bodies, subscription to the Westminster Confession is what it means to be a Presbyterian.