Westminster Confession of Faith

XXIX. 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 the world, for the perpetual remembrance of the sacrifice of Himself in His death; the sealing all benefits thereof unto true believers, their […]

XXI. Of Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Day

The light of nature sheweth that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty over all, is good, and doth good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might. 20Rom. 1:20, Acts […]

XXII. Of Lawful Oaths and Vows

A lawful oath is part of religious worship, 59Deut. 10:20 wherein, upon just occasion, the person swearing solemnly calleth God to witness what he asserteth, or promiseth, and to judge him according to the truth or falsehood of what he sweareth. 60Exod. 20:7, Lev. 19:12, 2 Cor. 1:23, 2 Chron. 6:22–23 2. The name of […]

XXIII. 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 armed them with the power of the sword, for the defense and encouragement of them that are good, and for the […]

VII. 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 Him as their blessedness and reward, but by some voluntary condescension on God’s part, which He hath been pleased to express by way of covenant. […]

VIII. Of Christ the Mediator

1. 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, 110Isa. 42:1, 1 Pet. 1:19–20, John 3:16, 1 Tim. 2:5 the Prophet, 111Acts 3:22 Priest, 112Heb. 5:5–6 and King 113Ps. 2:6, Luke 1:33 the Head and Saviour of […]

IX. Of Free-Will

God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty, that it is neither forced, nor, by any absolute necessity of nature, determined to good, or evil. 153Matt. 17:12, James 1:14, Deut. 30:19 2. Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom, and power to will and to do that which was good and […]

X. 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, 164Rom. 8:30, Rom. 11:7, Eph. 1:10–11 by His word and Spirit, 1652 Thess. 2:13–14, 2 Cor. 3:3,6 out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature to […]

XI. Of Justification

Those whom God effectually calleth, He also freely justifieth: 183Rom. 8:30, Rom. 3:24 not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous; not for any thing wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ’s sake alone; nor by imputing faith itself, the […]

XII. 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, 200Eph. 1:5, Gal. 4:4–5 by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God, 201Rom. 8:17, John 1:12 have His name put upon […]

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