Westminster Confession of Faith
E4210
The Westminster Confession of Faith is a 17th-century Reformed doctrinal standard that systematically sets out key Calvinist beliefs on theology, worship, and church life.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Westminster Standards | 2 |
| Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms | 1 |
Statements (56)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Reformed confession of faith
ⓘ
doctrinal standard ⓘ symbolic book ⓘ |
| adoptedBy |
Church of Scotland
ⓘ
Free Church of Scotland ⓘ Orthodox Presbyterian Church ⓘ Presbyterian Church in America ⓘ Presbyterian Church in the United States of America ⓘ |
| affirmsDoctrine |
Holy Eucharist
ⓘ
surface form:
Lord's Supper
baptism ⓘ covenant theology ⓘ doctrine of God and the Holy Trinity ⓘ doctrine of Scripture ⓘ doctrine of predestination ⓘ irresistible grace ⓘ justification by faith alone ⓘ limited atonement ⓘ perseverance of the saints ⓘ sacraments ⓘ sanctification ⓘ total depravity ⓘ unconditional election ⓘ |
| commissionedBy |
Parliament of England
ⓘ
surface form:
English Parliament
|
| dateWritten | 1646 ⓘ |
| draftedBy | Westminster Assembly ⓘ |
| hasCatechism |
Westminster Larger Catechism
ⓘ
Westminster Shorter Catechism ⓘ |
| hasPart | 33 chapters ⓘ |
| hasRevision |
American revisions of 1788
ⓘ
various denominational adaptations ⓘ |
| historicalContext |
17th-century British Reformation
ⓘ
English Civil War ⓘ |
| influenced |
Baptist confessions of faith
ⓘ
Congregationalism ⓘ Presbyterianism ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
John Calvin
ⓘ
Reformed scholasticism ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| placeWritten |
London, England
ⓘ
surface form:
London
|
| primaryPurpose |
to provide a systematic statement of Reformed doctrine
ⓘ
to serve as a doctrinal standard for churches ⓘ |
| religiousTradition | Reformed Christianity ⓘ |
| statusInPresbyterianism | subordinate standard under Scripture ⓘ |
| subject |
Christian ethics
ⓘ
Christian theology ⓘ church government ⓘ worship ⓘ |
| theologicalOrientation | Calvinism ⓘ |
| viewOnChrist | Christ is the only mediator between God and man ⓘ |
| viewOnChurch | visible and invisible church distinction ⓘ |
| viewOnCivilGovernment | civil magistrate has authority in civil matters but not in word and sacrament ⓘ |
| viewOnGod | God is a most pure spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable ⓘ |
| viewOnSalvation | salvation is by grace through faith ⓘ |
| viewOnScripture |
Scripture is self-interpreting in necessary matters
ⓘ
Scripture is the only infallible rule of faith and practice ⓘ |
| viewOnWorship | regulative principle of worship ⓘ |
Referenced by (19)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
Presbyterian Church in the United States of America
→
confessionalStandard
→
Westminster Confession of Faith
ⓘ
this entity surface form:
Westminster Standards
this entity surface form:
Westminster Standards
this entity surface form:
Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms