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What Is the Westminster Confession of Faith? An Introduction

Rev. C•D•F• Warrington, M.Div.
By Rev. C•D•F• Warrington, M.Div.

Ordained Minister, M.Div.

March 21, 2026

2 min read

Reformed
Westminster Confession of Faith — an introduction to the Reformed Presbyterian standard

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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Westminster Confession of Faith and when was it written?

The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession produced by the Westminster Assembly, a gathering of English and Scottish theologians that met in London from 1643 to 1652. The Assembly was convened by the English Parliament to reform the Church of England along more thoroughly Protestant lines. The Confession, completed in 1646, became the doctrinal standard for Presbyterian churches worldwide and remains one of the most influential confessions in Protestant history.

What are the main doctrines covered in the Westminster Confession of Faith?

The Westminster Confession addresses Scripture's authority, the doctrine of God, the eternal decrees, creation, providence, the fall, and covenant theology before turning to Christ's mediatorial work, saving grace, the church, and the sacraments. Its thirty-three chapters provide a comprehensive systematic theology grounded in careful biblical exegesis. The Confession is particularly known for its articulation of the doctrines of grace, the covenant of works and covenant of grace, and the regulative principle of worship.

Which denominations use the Westminster Confession of Faith today?

The Westminster Confession of Faith is the confessional standard for Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), the Free Church of Scotland, and numerous other Presbyterian bodies worldwide. Reformed Baptist churches sometimes use a modified version, the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, which adapts Westminster's theology to a Baptist ecclesiology. The Confession's influence also extends to many independent Reformed congregations who adopt it as a subordinate standard alongside Scripture.

How does the Westminster Confession of Faith view Scripture?

Chapter one of the Westminster Confession presents a robust doctrine of Scripture, affirming that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are the inspired, infallible, and sufficient Word of God. The Confession holds that Scripture is self-authenticating, with its authority depending not on the testimony of any church but on God himself as its author. This doctrine of Scripture's supreme authority (sola scriptura) was central to the entire Reformed project of basing doctrine and worship on the Word of God alone.

What does the Westminster Confession teach about predestination?

Chapter three of the Westminster Confession affirms that God has from eternity unchangeably ordained whatsoever comes to pass, including the election of particular persons to salvation and the passing over of others. This high-Calvinist doctrine is carefully balanced with assertions that God is not the author of sin and that the free agency of creatures is not violated. The Confession's treatment of election emphasizes its pastoral comfort for believers who are assured their salvation rests on God's eternal purpose rather than human merit.

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