Westminster Confession of Faith
By Westminster Assembly, London, England. The Westminster Divines were assembled and assigned by parliament to reform the Church of England.
- Chapter 1: Of the Holy Scripture
Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence, do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not... - Chapter 2: Of God, and of the Holy Trinity
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,... - Chapter 3: Of God's Eternal Decree
God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby neither is God the... - Chapter 4: Of Creation
It pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for the manifestation of the glory of his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, in the beginning, to create or make of nothing... - Chapter 5: Of Providence
God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and... - Chapter 6: Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof
Our first parents, being seduced by the subtlety and temptation of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin God was pleased, according to his wise and holy... - Chapter 7: Of God's Covenant with Man
The distance between God and the creature is so great that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience unto him as their Creator, yet they could never have any fruition of... - Chapter 8: Of Christ the Mediator
It pleased God, in his eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, his only-begotten Son, to be the Mediator between God and man, the Prophet, Priest, and King; the... - Chapter 9: Of Free Will
God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty, that is neither forced nor by any absolute necessity of nature determined to good or evil. - Chapter 10: Of Effectual Calling
All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, he is pleased, in his appointed and accepted time, effectually to call, by his Word and Spirit, out of that... - Chapter 11: Of Justification
Those whom God effectually calleth he also freely justifieth; not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their... - Chapter 12: Of Adoption
All those that are justified God vouchsafeth, in and for his only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption; by which they are taken into the number, and... - Chapter 13: Of Sanctification
They who are effectually called and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified, really and personally, through the virtue of... - Chapter 14: Of Saving Faith
The grace of faith, whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls, is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts, and is ordinarily wrought by the... - Chapter 15: Of Repentance unto Life
Repentance unto life is an evangelical grace, the doctrine whereof is to be preached by every minister of the gospel, as well as that of faith in Christ. - Chapter 16: Of Good Works
Good works are only such as God hath commanded in his holy Word, and not such as, without the warrant thereof, are devised by men out of blind zeal, or upon any pretense of... - Chapter 17: Of the Perseverance of the Saints
They whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall... - Chapter 18: Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation
Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favour of God and estate of salvation,... - Chapter 19: Of the Law of God
God gave to Adam a law, as a covenant of works, by which he bound him and all his posterity to personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience; promised life upon the... - Chapter 20: Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience
The liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the gospel consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God, the curse of the moral law;... - Chapter 21: Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day
The light of nature showeth that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty over all; is good, and doeth good unto all; and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised,... - Chapter 22: Of Lawful Oaths and Vows
A lawful oath is a part of religious worship, wherein, upon just occasion, the person swearing solemnly calleth God to witness what he asserteth or promiseth; and to judge him... - Chapter 23: Of the Civil Magistrate
God, the Supreme Lord and King of all the world, hath ordained civil magistrates to be under him, over the people, for his own glory and the public good, and to this end hath... - Chapter 24: Of Marriage and Divorce
Marriage is to be between one man and one woman: neither is it lawful for any man to have more than one wife, nor for any woman to have more than one husband at the same time. - Chapter 25: Of the Church
The catholic or universal Church, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ the head... - Chapter 26: Of the Communion of Saints
All saints that are united to Jesus Christ their head, by his Spirit and by faith, have fellowship with him in his graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory: and being... - Chapter 27: Of the Sacraments
Sacraments are holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace, immediately instituted by God, to represent Christ and his benefits, and to confirm our interest in him: as also... - Chapter 28: Of Baptism
Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible Church, but also to be unto him... - Chapter 29: Of the Lord's Supper
Our Lord Jesus, in the night wherein he was betrayed, instituted the sacrament of his body and blood, called the Lord's Supper, to be observed in his Church, unto the end of... - Chapter 30: Of Church Censures
The Lord Jesus, as king and head of his Church, hath therein appointed a government in the hand of Church officers, distinct from the civil magistrate. - Chapter 31: Of Synods and Councils
For the better government and further edification of the Church, there ought to be such assemblies as are commonly called synods or councils. - Chapter 32: Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead
The bodies of men, after death, return to dust, and see corruption; but their souls (which neither die nor sleep), having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who... - Chapter 33: Of the Last Judgment
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. In which day, not only the...