The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647) is widely regarded as the most influential "subordinate standard" (a document secondary only to the Bible) in the history of the English-speaking Church. It provides a systematic summary of Reformed theology and serves as the doctrinal foundation for Presbyterian churches worldwide. 

Historical Origin: The Westminster Assembly

The Confession was produced during the English Civil War by the Westminster Assembly of Divines, a gathering of 121 theologians (plus Scottish commissioners like Alexander Henderson and Samuel Rutherford). They met at Westminster Abbey between 1643 and 1649.

Under the Solemn League and Covenant, the goal was to create a "uniformity of religion" across Scotland, England, and Ireland. While it was eventually rejected in England after the rise of Oliver Cromwell, it was adopted by the Scottish Kirk and became the definitive statement of Scottish Presbyterianism.  The Confession consists of 33 chapters, moving logically from the nature of God to the final judgment. 

Legacy

The Westminster Confession remains the standard for Presbyterian ministers today. It is praised for its precision, its high view of God’s sovereignty, and its ability to condense vast biblical themes into a cohesive legal and spiritual framework.

Detailed Chapter-by-Chapter Summary

Chapter 1: Of the Holy Scripture

The Confession begins with the Bible because it is the source of all the knowledge that follows. It argues that while nature shows there is a God, it cannot provide the knowledge of salvation. Therefore, God committed His truth to writing. It lists the 66 books of the canon, rejects the Apocrypha, and famously states that the "Supreme Judge" in all religious disputes is the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.

Chapter 2: Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

This chapter defines God’s nature: He is infinite, eternal, unchangeable, and completely self-sufficient. It outlines the doctrine of the Trinity, explaining that the Father is of none, the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, and the Holy Ghost eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son.

Chapter 3: Of God’s Eternal Decree

This is the core of "High Calvinism." It asserts that God has "freely and unchangeably ordained whatsoever comes to pass." It introduces the doctrine of double predestination: some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death, all for the praise of His glorious justice and grace.

Chapter 4: Of Creation

It affirms that the Triune God created the world out of nothing "in the space of six days." It highlights that the final act of creation was man, male and female, endowed with rational souls and created in the image of God with the law written in their hearts.

Chapter 5: Of Providence

This chapter explains how God interacts with His creation. God upholds and governs all things by His "most wise and holy providence." It even addresses the "permission" of sin, stating that God’s providence extends to the fall of man and other sins, yet in a way that the sinfulness comes from the creature, not from God.

Chapter 6: Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment thereof

It describes how our first parents, seduced by Satan, ate the forbidden fruit. This sin caused them to lose their original righteousness and fall into "total depravity." Because Adam was the "federal head" of humanity, this guilt and corrupted nature are transmitted to all his descendants by ordinary generation.

Chapter 7: Of God’s Covenant with Man

This introduces Covenant Theology. Because the distance between God and man is so great, man can only enjoy God by way of a "voluntary condescension" (a Covenant).

1. The Covenant of Works: Required perfect, personal obedience from Adam.

2. The Covenant of Grace: Offered through Christ, where God freely offers life and salvation to sinners by faith.

Chapter 8: Of Christ the Mediator

A detailed look at Christology. It affirms that the Son of God took upon Himself man’s nature, with all its essential frailties, yet without sin. He is one person with two distinct natures (God and Man). It outlines His work: His willing obedience, His sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and His ongoing intercession for believers.

Chapter 9: Of Free Will

It divides the human will into four states:

1. In Innocency: Man had freedom and power to do good.

2. In Sin: Man has lost all ability to will any spiritual good.

3. In Grace: God enables the will to freely choose good, though imperfectly.

4. In Glory: The will is made perfectly and unchangeably free to do good alone.

Chapter 10: Of Effectual Calling

This describes how God applies salvation. He calls the elect by His Word and Spirit, taking away their "heart of stone" and giving them a "heart of flesh." It specifies that this call is by God's free grace alone, and man is altogether passive until he is "quickened and renewed" by the Spirit.

Chapter 11: Of Justification

One of the most important chapters. Justification is defined not as God making a person righteous, but as God legally declaring them righteous. This happens by "imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ" to the believer. Faith is the "alone instrument" of justification.

Chapter 12: Of Adoption

Believers are not just forgiven; they are taken into the family of God. They receive the name of children, have access to the throne of grace, and are sealed to the day of redemption as heirs of everlasting salvation.

Chapter 13: Of Sanctification

While justification is an instantaneous legal act, sanctification is a progressive work. The "dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed," and the believer grows in holiness. It acknowledges a "continual and irreconcilable war" between the flesh and the Spirit.

Chapter 14: Of Saving Faith

Faith is the grace whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls. It is increased and strengthened by the ministry of the Word, the sacraments, and prayer.

Chapter 15: Of Repentance unto Life

Repentance is a "evangelical grace." It involves a deep sense of the danger and filthiness of sin, leading to a turning away from all sins toward God. It notes that no sin is so small that it does not deserve damnation, but no sin is so great that it can bring damnation upon those who truly repent.

Chapter 16: Of Good Works

Good works are only those things God has commanded in Scripture, not things devised by men out of blind zeal. They are the evidence of a living faith but can never merit the pardon of sin or eternal life.

Chapter 17: Of the Perseverance of the Saints

Commonly called "Eternal Security." Those whom God has effectively called can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall "certainly persevere therein to the end."

Chapter 18: Of Assurance of Grace and Salvation

While hypocrites may deceive themselves with false hopes, true believers may be "certainly assured" that they are in a state of grace. This assurance is not a bare guess but is based on the truth of God's promises and the inward evidence of grace.

Chapter 19: Of the Law of God

It categorizes God’s law given to Israel:

1. Moral Law: The Ten Commandments, binding on all people forever.

2. Ceremonial Laws: Prefiguring Christ; now abrogated (cancelled).

3. Judicial Laws: The civil laws of Israel; they expired with that nation, except for their "general equity."

Chapter 20: Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience

This chapter asserts that the believer is free from the "yoke of the ceremonial law" and from the "commandments of men" that contradict the Word of God. It provides a guard against anarchy, stating that Christian liberty is not meant to be a license to sin or to resist lawful authority.

Chapter 21: Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day

It establishes the Regulative Principle: God may not be worshipped in any way not prescribed in Holy Scripture. It identifies the "Religious Worship of God" as consisting of prayer, reading the Word, preaching, and the singing of psalms. It mandates the Sabbath (the Lord's Day) be kept holy.

Chapter 22: Of Lawful Oaths and Vows

An oath is a part of religious worship where a person calls God to witness what they assert or promise. Vows are made to God alone and must be performed with faithfulness.

Chapter 23: Of the Civil Magistrate

God has appointed civil rulers to be under Him and over the people for His own glory. Magistrates may lawfully carry out war upon just and necessary occasions. They are to protect the Church, but they do not have the right to administer the Word, sacraments, or the "keys of the kingdom."

Chapter 24: Of Marriage and Divorce

Marriage is for the mutual help of husband and wife and the increase of mankind with a legitimate issue. It forbids marrying non-Christians ("unbelievers, Papists, or other idolaters"). Divorce is allowed for adultery or "such willful desertion as can no way be remedied."

Chapter 25: Of the Church

The Invisible Church is the whole number of the elect. The Visible Church consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion and their children. It declares there is "no ordinary possibility of salvation" outside the visible church.

Chapter 26: Of the Communion of Saints

Saints are united to Christ their Head and have fellowship with one another in each other’s gifts and graces. They are bound to maintain an "holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God."

Chapter 27: Of the Sacraments

Sacraments are holy signs and seals of the Covenant of Grace. Their efficacy does not depend on the piety of the person administering them, but on the work of the Spirit.

Chapter 28: Of Baptism

Baptism is the sign of admission into the visible Church. It is to be administered by washing with water in the name of the Trinity. It is for believers and the infants of one or both believing parents.

Chapter 29: Of the Lord’s Supper

This is a spiritual meal for the perpetual remembrance of Christ's sacrifice. It rejects the "Popish sacrifice of the mass" and the doctrine of transubstantiation, stating that the bread and wine remain physically bread and wine while spiritually representing Christ.

Chapter 30: Of Church Censures

The Lord Jesus, as King of His Church, has appointed a government in the hand of Church officers. They have the "keys of the kingdom" to shut the kingdom against the impenitent through admonition, suspension from the Lord's Supper, and excommunication.

Chapter 31: Of Synods and Councils

To ensure the peace and unity of the Church, there should be assemblies of overseers. These councils are to determine controversies of faith and set down rules for the government of the Church. It notes that "all synods or councils since the Apostles' times... may err."

Chapter 32: Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead

After death, the bodies of men return to dust, but their souls (which neither die nor sleep) immediately return to God. The souls of the righteous are received into heaven; the souls of the wicked are cast into hell. On the last day, those who are alive shall not die but be changed, and the dead shall be raised with their bodies.

Chapter 33: Of the Last Judgment

God has appointed a day wherein He will judge the world by Jesus Christ. The purpose of this day is the manifestation of the glory of His mercy (in the salvation of the elect) and of His justice (in the damnation of the reprobate).

The 1647 Westminster Confession of Faith contains several statements specifically directed against the Roman Catholic Church (referred to in the text as "Popery") and strict guidelines for the social and spiritual separation of the godly from "infidels" and "idolaters."

Below is a summary of the specific chapters where these views are codified.

1. The Pope as the Antichrist (Chapter 25, Article 6)

In the original 1647 text, the Confession is explicit regarding the headship of the Church. While it affirms that Jesus Christ is the only Head of the Church, it directs a specific condemnation toward the Papacy:

• The Statement: It asserts that the Pope of Rome cannot, in any sense, be the head of the Church.

• The Designation: It goes further to state that the Pope is "that Antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalteth himself, in the Church, against Christ and all that is called God."

• The Context: This view was based on the Covenanters' interpretation of 2 Thessalonians 2 and Revelation. They believed the Papacy had usurped Christ’s royal authority by claiming spiritual and temporal supremacy.

Note: It remains a core part of the original 1647 document used by strict Covenanters, and as such by Cameronians.

2. The Catholic Mass as Idolatry (Chapter 29, Articles 2 & 6)

The Confession provides a blistering critique of the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist, specifically the doctrine of Transubstantiation (the belief that the bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ).

• Against the Sacrifice: Chapter 29, Article 2 states that the "Popish sacrifice of the mass" is "most abominably injurious to Christ’s one, only sacrifice." They believed that because Christ died once for all, the idea of "re-offering" Him in a Mass was blasphemous.

• Accusation of Idolatry: Article 6 declares that the worship of the elements (the bread and wine), known as the "elevation" or "adoration" of the host, is "idolatry, damnedly contrary to the nature of this sacrament."

• The Regulative Principle: Because they believed God only accepts worship commanded in the Bible, any ritual added by the Catholic Church was viewed as "will-worship" and "idolatry."

3. Prohibiting Marriage with Non-Christians (Chapter 24, Article 3)

The Confession views marriage not just as a civil contract, but as a spiritual union that must not compromise a believer’s faithfulness to God.

• The Requirement: It states that those who profess the true reformed religion should only marry "in the Lord" (other believers).

• The Prohibition: It explicitly forbids believers from marrying "infidels, Papists, or other idolaters."

• The Reasoning: The Divines argued that a Christian should not be "unequally yoked" (citing 2 Corinthians 6:14). They feared that marrying someone who followed the Catholic faith or no faith at all would lead the believer into sin, compromise their worship, or cause them to support "damnable heresies."

Why this mattered to the Covenanters

For the Covenanters, these were not just "mean-spirited" comments; they were legal protections for the soul. They believed as we do, that the "true religion" was a narrow path and that any compromise with the Roman Catholic system, whether through a King’s decree or a personal marriage, would bring God’s judgment upon the entire nation.

A full version of the Westminster Confession can be found here.