Sermon four of the HCC Commitments sermon series dealt with the idea of being a confessional church. The official confession of our church is the Westminster Confession of Faith, the 1647 version. In sermonic fashion, I want to explore three elements of it in the life of HCC. The first section will revisit the circumstances of its development and in the second section, we will add flesh to its use in the church. Finally, we will look at our exceptions to this tool given to us by the Spirit of God.
Origins
The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) was born out of a tumultuous time in the life of God’s people in England. The nation rapidly and sometimes violently, vacillated between Roman Catholicism and the Protestant Reformation. However in 1643 the English Parliament convened the Westminster Assembly, whose primary goal was to restructure the Church of England’s doctrines and practices. Initially this goal took the form of revising the Thirty-Nine Articles, but as the men went about their task this proved untenable and they shifted to establishing a new confession, which became the WCF. The final draft was presented in 1646, but was sent back so that the men could add scriptural proofs, which pushed its presentation to Parliament to 1647. In the end, the confession was included in what became the Westminster Standards, which included the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF), Westminster Larger Catechism (WLC), and the Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC).
Usage
The WCF which began in England made its way to America by way of Presbyterian ministers. It was adopted in 1729 by what is called the Adopting Act of 1729. This act required that Presbyterian ministers in colonial America subscribe to the WCF as the confessional statement. When one considers the idea of adopting or being a confessional church, what does such a statement mean? As has been stated, it means that the doctrinal statement or statement of faith of a given church is found in the WCF. And as such, pastors and elders who guard the teaching of Scripture subscribe and adopt the WCF as an accurate representation of Scriptural teaching and as their own personal statement of faith. This idea of subscribing does not transfer to the members. One can be a member of presbyterian and reformed congregation and not subscribe to the confession.
Exceptions
While we see the WCF as a faithful reflection of the Scripture’s teaching on core doctrines and practices, it remains a fallible reflection. As such and in keeping with the truth confessed in the Reformation that the Scriptures are the only infallible rule for faith and practice, the confession must be held up to the light of the Scriptures. When this happens, it is the judgment of HCC and other faithful men that it holds up well. Nevertheless, there are areas where we take exceptions to the confession’s teaching. What follows is a list of those places and our rationale for taking an exception.
General
1. While we agree with the doctrines of the WCF, we do not always agree with how those doctrines are supported with the Scripture proof texts which the Westminster Divines cited.
Chapter 1: Of the Holy Scripture
2. Paragraph 2 We are unwilling to be dogmatic as to the Pauline authorship of the book of Hebrews.
3. Paragraph 8. We believe that the original languages to be consulted in the matters of controversy are Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic.
Chapter 7: Of God’s Covenant with Man
4. Paragraph 2 (cf. Ch. 19, Paragraph 1, 6). While we agree with the original intent of the Westminster Divines, we believe the usage of the phrase “covenant of works” is open to misinterpretation by modern Christians. By way of clarification, we deny that any covenant can be kept without faith, and we affirm that good works flow out of faith in God, and not vice versa.
Chapter 21: Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day
5. Paragraph 8. We believe that along with works of piety, necessity, and mercy, the command also calls us to rest physically on the Sabbath (Gen. 2:2-3; Ex. 16:30; 31:15-17).
Chapter 23: Of the Civil Magistrate
6. Paragraph 3. Delete the last phrase, beginning with “to provide that whatsoever…”
Chapter 24: Of Marriage & Divorce
7. Paragraph 4: Delete the last sentence, which reads, “The man may not marry any of his wife’s kindred, nearer in blood than he may of his own: nor the woman of her husband’s kindred, nearer in blood than of her own.”
Chapter 25: Of the Church
8. Paragraph 6. Though we believe the Pope of Rome to be anti-Christian, we do not believe him necessarily to be the anti-Christ.
Chapter 27: Of the Sacraments
9. Paragraph 4. We believe that the Lord’s Supper should not be administered without the oversight of an elder, lawfully ordained.
Chapter 28: Of Baptism
10. Paragraph 3. We believe that the proper modes of baptism include sprinkling, pouring, and immersion. 11. Paragraph 4. Being a church composed of both paedobaptists and those holding to believer’s baptism, we expressly allow men otherwise qualified to serve as elders, but who hold to believer’s baptism, to make an exception to WCF Chapter XXVIII, paragraph 4, which reads: “Not only those that do actually profess faith in and obedience unto Christ, but also the infants of one, or both, believing parents, are to be baptized.”
Sermon link: Holy Covenant Worship 04/27/2025