In our modern, hyper-individualized culture, it is common to hear people say, “I love Jesus, but I don’t need the church.” Many view the church as a helpful, but ultimately optional, voluntary association of like-minded religious consumers. The Westminster Confession utterly shatters this low view of the church. In Chapter 25, the divines present a… Continue reading The Body of Christ: On the Nature of the Church (WCF 25.1–25.6)
Category: Westminster Confession of Faith
One Flesh: On Marriage and Divorce (WCF 24.1–24.6)
Few institutions in the modern world have been as fiercely debated, redefined, and fractured as marriage. Contemporary culture increasingly views marriage as a fluid social contract based on personal fulfillment, to be entered and exited at will. Against this cultural confusion, the Westminster Confession offers a profoundly stabilizing, biblical theology of the family. In Chapter… Continue reading One Flesh: On Marriage and Divorce (WCF 24.1–24.6)
The American Revision: Church, State, and Religious Liberty
In our previous article on the Civil Magistrate (WCF 23), we explored the original 1646 text of the Westminster Confession. While it correctly established that government is ordained by God, its third paragraph contained a glaring issue for modern readers: it granted the civil government the power to suppress heresies, reform worship, and call church… Continue reading The American Revision: Church, State, and Religious Liberty
God’s Minister for Good: On the Civil Magistrate (WCF 23.1–23.4)
How should a Christian view the government? Throughout history, believers have often swung between two dangerous extremes: either idolizing the state (treating politics as the ultimate savior) or completely withdrawing from it (viewing all government as inherently demonic). In Chapter 23, the Westminster Confession charts a biblical middle course. Drawing heavily on Romans 13, the… Continue reading God’s Minister for Good: On the Civil Magistrate (WCF 23.1–23.4)
A Solemn Promise: On Lawful Oaths and Vows (WCF 22.1–22.7)
In a modern culture where words are cheap, contracts are routinely broken, and truth is often treated as relative, the biblical doctrine of oaths and vows might seem like an archaic relic. Yet, the Westminster Confession dedicates an entire chapter to this topic, elevating truth-telling and promise-keeping to profound theological acts. When a witness places… Continue reading A Solemn Promise: On Lawful Oaths and Vows (WCF 22.1–22.7)
A Perpetual Rest: On the Sabbath Day (WCF 21.7–21.8)
In the first half of Chapter 21, we learned how we are to worship God (according to His Word alone). In the second half of the chapter, the Confession turns to the question of when we are to worship Him. While Christians are called to worship God every day in private and with their families, God has also claimed… Continue reading A Perpetual Rest: On the Sabbath Day (WCF 21.7–21.8)
In Spirit and in Truth: On Religious Worship (WCF 21.1–21.6)
In Chapter 20, we learned that God alone is Lord of the conscience, freeing the Christian from the man-made traditions and commandments of church leaders. This powerful principle naturally leads to a crucial question: If we are free from the traditions of men, how then should we worship God? Can we worship God however we… Continue reading In Spirit and in Truth: On Religious Worship (WCF 21.1–21.6)
Free from Men: On Christian Liberty and Conscience (WCF 20.1–20.4)
In Chapter 19, we learned that the Moral Law of God remains a permanent rule of life for the believer. But this immediately raises a tension: didn’t the Apostle Paul declare, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1)? If we… Continue reading Free from Men: On Christian Liberty and Conscience (WCF 20.1–20.4)
The Use of the Law: On the Abiding Validity of God’s Law (WCF 19.5–19.7)
In our previous article, we saw how the Westminster Confession divides the Old Testament law into three categories: Ceremonial (which is abolished), Judicial (which expired with the nation of Israel), and Moral (which remains forever). But this raises a profound question: If Christians are saved entirely by grace, and if Paul explicitly states that we… Continue reading The Use of the Law: On the Abiding Validity of God’s Law (WCF 19.5–19.7)
A Rule for Life: On the Law of God (WCF 19.1–19.4)
If we are justified entirely by God’s grace through faith in Christ, and if our good works cannot merit salvation, what do we do with the Old Testament Law? Are Christians completely free from the Ten Commandments? Should modern nations enforce the civil codes of ancient Israel? Do we still need to observe Jewish dietary… Continue reading A Rule for Life: On the Law of God (WCF 19.1–19.4)