The Westminster Confession

The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647)

The Westminster Confession of Faith is the most systematic and comprehensive of all the major Reformed confessions. Produced by the Westminster Assembly between 1643 and 1649, its 33 chapters address the full range of Christian doctrine with remarkable thoroughness and precision. It has been the doctrinal standard of Presbyterian churches throughout the English-speaking world for more than three and a half centuries.

Chapter 1 — Of the Holy Scripture

The Westminster Confession opens with Scripture because Scripture is the foundation on which all the remaining chapters rest. Chapter 1 affirms that the Bible is the Word of God, given by inspiration and containing all things necessary for salvation. It is the supreme judge of all religious controversy and the only rule of faith and practice. The chapter's tenth section delivers the famous statement: 'The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.'

Chapters 2–5 — God, the Trinity, and the Decrees

Chapter 2 provides one of the most complete definitions of God in any confessional document: 'There is but one only living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most holy, most free, most absolute, working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will, for His own glory.' Chapters 3 through 5 address the eternal decrees of God (including election and reprobation), the work of creation, and the providence by which God sustains and governs all that He has made.

Chapters 6–8 — The Fall, the Covenant, and Christ

Chapter 6 treats the fall of man and the corruption of human nature that results. Chapter 7 — one of the most distinctive chapters in the Confession — introduces the covenant framework: the Covenant of Works made with Adam, and after the fall, the Covenant of Grace, by which God freely offers life and salvation to sinners through Jesus Christ. Chapter 8 provides a full treatment of the person and work of the Mediator: his two natures, his threefold office as prophet, priest, and king, and the nature of his atonement.

Chapters 9–18 — The Order of Salvation

These chapters trace the application of redemption to the individual believer. Chapter 9 addresses free will — affirming that the will is real but that in the state of nature man is not able to will any spiritual good. Chapters 10 through 13 cover effectual calling, justification, adoption, and sanctification. Chapter 11's statement on justification is definitive: 'Those whom God effectually calls, He also freely justifies: not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous; not for any thing wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ's sake alone.' Chapters 14 through 18 treat faith, repentance, good works, perseverance, and the assurance of salvation.

Chapters 19–26 — The Law, Worship, and the Church

Chapter 19 distinguishes the moral law (binding on all), the ceremonial law (abolished in Christ), and the judicial law of Israel (no longer binding as such). Chapter 21 on religious worship introduces the Regulative Principle: the acceptable way of worshipping God is instituted by Himself and limited by His revealed will. Chapter 25 defines the visible church as the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God. Chapter 26 addresses the communion of saints.

Chapters 27–33 — The Sacraments and Last Things

Chapters 27 through 29 treat the sacraments — defining them as holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace, treating baptism as the sign of ingrafting into Christ, and the Lord's Supper as a commemoration and spiritual feeding on Christ. The final chapters address church government, church censures, synods and councils, the state of man after death, and the final resurrection and judgment. Chapter 33 closes with a vision of the last day: 'God hath appointed a day, wherein He will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ, to whom all power and judgment is given of the Father.'

Historical Context

The Westminster Assembly was convened by the English Parliament in July 1643, during the First English Civil War. Parliament sought to reform the Church of England along Presbyterian lines and invited delegates from the Reformed churches of Scotland, as well as observers from the Dutch and French Reformed churches. The Assembly included 121 ministers and 30 lay assessors, among them some of the finest Reformed theologians of the era: William Twisse (the prolocutor), Thomas Goodwin, John Owen, Anthony Burgess, Samuel Rutherford, and George Gillespie.

The Assembly met for over five years in nearly 1,200 sessions at Westminster Abbey. It produced the Confession of Faith (1646), the Larger Catechism (1647), the Shorter Catechism (1647), and the Directory for Public Worship. The English Parliament ultimately did not implement the Westminster standards — the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 ended the Presbyterian experiment in England. But Scotland adopted the Confession in 1647, and from there it spread throughout the Presbyterian world.

Today the Westminster Confession is the confessional standard of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA), the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, and dozens of other Presbyterian and Reformed denominations worldwide. The Church of Scotland and most British Presbyterian bodies also maintain it as their doctrinal standard, with varying degrees of subscription required of ministers and elders.

Key Articles

Ch. 1

Of the Holy Scripture

Scripture alone is the supreme judge of all religious controversy — the only infallible rule of faith and practice, given by the inspiration of God and containing all things necessary for salvation.

Ch. 3

Of God’s Eternal Decree

God has from all eternity by His most wise and holy counsel freely and unchangeably ordained whatsoever comes to pass — including the election of some to eternal life and the passing by of others.

Ch. 7

Of God’s Covenant with Man

The Covenant of Works (with Adam) and the Covenant of Grace (after the fall) provide the framework for understanding all of Scripture and the whole plan of salvation.

Ch. 11

Of Justification

God justifies sinners freely by pardoning their sins and accounting them righteous, not for anything in themselves but for Christ's sake alone, received through faith.

Ch. 21

Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath

The acceptable way of worshipping God is instituted by Himself and limited by His revealed will — the Regulative Principle that has shaped Presbyterian worship for four centuries.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many chapters does the Westminster Confession of Faith have?

The Westminster Confession of Faith has 33 chapters, covering the full range of Christian doctrine from Scripture and the nature of God through the fall, redemption, the church, the sacraments, and the last judgment. It is the most systematic and comprehensive of all the major Reformed confessions.

What is the difference between the Westminster Confession and the Westminster Catechisms?

The Westminster Assembly produced three documents. The Confession of Faith (1646) is a systematic statement of doctrine for the church's public standards. The Larger Catechism (1647), with 196 questions, was designed for public exposition from the pulpit, especially in its treatment of the Ten Commandments and Lord's Prayer. The Shorter Catechism (1647), with 107 questions, was designed for the instruction of children and new believers. All three are considered part of the Westminster Standards.

Which denominations use the Westminster Confession today?

The Westminster Confession is the doctrinal standard of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, the Free Church of Scotland, the Church of Scotland, and many other Presbyterian bodies worldwide. It is also used as a secondary standard alongside the Three Forms of Unity in some Reformed denominations.

What does the Westminster Confession teach about Scripture?

Chapter 1 of the Westminster Confession is one of the most detailed treatments of Scripture in any confessional document. It affirms that Scripture is given by the inspiration of God, is the Word of God written, and is the only infallible rule of faith and practice. The Holy Spirit speaking in Scripture is the supreme judge by which all controversies are to be determined. The confession also affirms the perspicuity (clarity) of Scripture: the things necessary for salvation are clearly taught and may be understood by ordinary believers.

The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647)