Protestant Confessions

by Westminster Assembly

Historically, the Protestant churches have utilized written confessions as a means of clarifying and systematizing Christian belief, and as a means of exposing and opposing error. It is recognized that without a systematic expression of the various elements of Scripture – an expression that displays their internal relations, that shows their harmony and consistency, and that vindicates their cogency against objections - individuals will either lack Christian instruction, or what instruction they receive will vary according to the individual knowledge, abilities, and dedication of their teachers. In order to prevent ignorance of God's word, confessions can supplement Scripture memorization and catechism-based instruction. The Thirty-Nine Articles were a revision of previous Protestant documents, reflecting the British monarch's desire to unify the national church, and to define differences with the Roman Catholic church, and with nonconforming Protestants. They were finalized in 1571. Along with the Book of Common Prayer, the Thirty-Nine Articles have had a worldwide influence in Episcopal churches. In the United States, an 1801 revision adjusted the articles' content to a situation without a national church. The Westminster Confession was written in 1646 by a multi-national assembly as part of an attempt to restructure the Church of England by rejecting Episcopalianism and adopting Presbyterianism. Drawing upon both British and continental Protestant documents, the Westminster Confession expresses a consensus position. The restructuring attempt in Britain was rejected in 1660 with the restoration of the monarchy. England's national church never returned to Presbyterianism. Scotland's national church again adopted the Westminster standards in 1690. In the United States, a 1788 revision adjusted the document to a situation without a national church. The Baptist believers of the English Separatist movement held convictions which were incompatible with the established churches of the 1600s. The central differences were belief that baptism should be performed only upon profession of faith, and congregational independence. These convictions are expressed in the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. In contrast to the Episcopalians and Presbyterians, Baptist believers never envisioned a national church. For this reason, their position never required the adjustment to different circumstances which occurred with the revisions of the Thirty-Nine Articles and the Westminster Confession.

131 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2019

About the author

The Westminster Assembly of Divines was a synod composed of theologians (or "divines") and members of Parliament appointed to restructure the Church of England. It was called during the lead up to the First English Civil War by the Long Parliament, which was influenced by Puritanism and opposed to the religious policies of Charles I and William Laud. As part of a military alliance with Scotland, Parliament agreed that the outcome of the Assembly would bring the English Church into closer conformity with the Church of Scotland, which was presbyterian. Scottish commissioners attended and advised the Assembly as part of the agreement. The Assembly met for ten years (1643–53), and in the process produced a new Form of Government, a Confession of Faith, two catechisms (Shorter and Larger), and a liturgical manual for the Churches of England and Scotland.

Disagreements over church government caused open division in the Assembly, despite attempts to maintain unity. The party of divines who favored presbyterianism, or government by hierarchies of elected assemblies, was in the majority. However, political and military realities led to greater influence for the congregational party, which favored autonomy for individual congregations. Parliament eventually adopted a presbyterian form of government, but not to the degree the presbyterian divines desired. During the Restoration in 1660, all of the documents of the Assembly were repudiated and episcopal church government was reinstated in England. However, because of their acceptance by dissenting churches and the Church of Scotland, these documents became influential worldwide through missionary expansion.

The Assembly worked in the Reformed theological tradition. It took the Bible as the authoritative word of God, from which all theological reflection must be based. Though the divines were committed to the doctrine of predestination to salvation, there was some disagreement over the doctrine of particular redemption—that Christ died only for those whom the Father chose to save. The Assembly also held to Reformed covenant theology, a framework for interpreting the Bible. The Assembly's Confession was the first of the Reformed confessions to include the covenant of works, in which God promised life to Adam on condition of perfect obedience.