10 Things You Should Know About the Westminster Confession of Faith

This article is part of the 10 Things You Should Know series.

1. The Westminster Assembly was not a Presbyterian gathering.

Although the Confession became a doctrinal standard in Presbyterian churches, the Puritan Divines (or theologians) appointed by the “Long Parliament” were a council of Anglicans, Independents, and Presbyterians that produced the Westminster Standards. The 121 commissioners represented every English and Welsh county, as well as Oxford and Cambridge Universities. The subsequent appointment of six Scottish commissioners may have encouraged a Presbyterian direction, but their influence was limited as non-voting advisors.

2. The Westminster Assembly failed in the assignment given to it.

Originally convened for “vindicating and clearing of the doctrine of the Church of England from all false calumnies and aspersions,” the Westminster Assembly failed in its mission when the monarchy was restored in England and the Act of Uniformity returned the nation to Anglican establishment. But the unanticipated international influence of the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms for nearly four centuries has established confessional Presbyterianism on all inhabited continents. Beyond Presbyterians, it has shaped Anglicans, Baptists, and Congregational churches. In England, adaptations of the Confession were produced by Independents (the Savoy Declaration in 1658) and Particular Baptists (the Second London Confession of 1689). In the American colonies, it was similarly adopted with modifications by Congregationalists and Baptists.

The Westminster Confession of Faith

J. V. Fesko, John R. Muether, D. Blair Smith

This collection of essays, written by faculty from Reformed Theological Seminary, presents an essential, single-volume guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith for modern audiences.

3. The Westminster Confession of Faith is both orthodox and classical, even while expressing Reformed emphases.

The Westminster Confession of Faith does not depart from the ancient creeds of the Christian church. For example, in chapter 8 of “Of Christ the Mediator,” we see the Confession receiving and re-articulating classical Christology as expressed in the Chalcedonian Definition. At the same time, we see Reformed notes added to the reception of classical Christology, such as when, in paragraph three, it emphasizes Christ being sanctified and anointed with the Holy Spirit in order to execute his office as mediator. Thus, the Confession is both orthodox and classical while also expressing Reformed emphases.

4. The Westminster Confession follows the pattern of the Apostles’ Creed.

While the Confession does not mention the Apostles’ Creed, it follows the Creed even more closely than its confessional predecessors. The chart illustrates this pattern:

5. The most quoted theologian at the Westminster Assembly was Theodore Beza, followed by Augustine and Calvin.

The top-ten theologians cited were as follows:

6. A sense of the imminent coming of Christ did not keep the Divines from their work.

Some of the Westminster divines, such as Thomas Goodwin, believed that Christ would return in 1666, roughly twenty years after the assembly was meeting. And yet, they busied themselves with writing a confession and catechisms for the reformation of the churches.

7. The longest chapter in the Confession is chapter 1, “On Holy Scripture.”

The opening chapter weighed in at nearly a thousand words in ten paragraphs. There are important reasons for that, including the need to confess the extent of the canon, the authority of Scripture vis-à-vis tradition, and proper interpretation of Scripture in light of debates emerging out of the Reformation. B. B. Warfield certainly thought the lengthy chapter was fitting when he wrote:

There is certainly in the whole mass of confessional literature no more nobly conceived or ably wrought-out statement of doctrine than the first chapter of the Holy Scripture, which the Westminster Divines placed at the head of their Confession, and laid at the foundation of their system of doctrine. It has commanded the hearty admiration of all competent readers.

8. The shortest chapter in the Confession is chapter 12, “Of Adoption.”

However, its brevity—100 words in one paragraph—does not reflect a lack of importance (or the brevity of any other chapter). Worthy of noting is that the Westminster Confession of Faith is the first confessional statement with a chapter on adoption.

9. The original plan of the Assembly was to write one catechism to complement the teaching of the Confession of Faith.

When this proved to be a struggle for the Divines to compose, they determined instead to write two catechisms to summarize Reformed teaching that would serve different audiences and purposes. The Shorter Catechism, designed for children and those of “weaker capacity,” is in concise form for easy memorization. The Larger Catechism, written for ministers and teachers, is more comprehensive and detailed, and it focuses especially on the corporate church.

10. Strictly speaking, and with few exceptions, no contemporary American Presbyterian denomination today claims the Westminster Confession of Faith as its doctrinal standard.

PCA Elders and Deacons subscribe, for example, to the Confession of Faith and Catechisms of the Presbyterian Church in America. This language (employed similarly by the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church) accounts for the ways in which American Presbyterians have amended the Westminster Standards in several places to serve the context in which they are called to witness.

J. V. Fesko, John R. Muether, and D. Blair Smith are editors of The Westminster Confession of Faith: A Comprehensive Commentary on Its History, Theology, and Application.

J. V. Fesko (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is the Harriet Barbour Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. He is an ordained minister and has served as a church planter and pastor. He and his family live in the greater Jackson area.

John R. Muether (MAR, Westminster Theological Seminary) serves as dean of libraries and professor of church history at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando. He has authored and coauthored several books, most notably Cornelius Van Til. John and his wife, Kathy, have four children and six grandchildren.

D. Blair Smith (PhD, Durham University) is president and professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte. Smith has authored Reformed Confessionalism and The Fatherhood of God. Blair is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America. He and his wife, Lisa, have six children.

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