Westminster Confession of Faith

#Overview

This root page is the doctrinal map for the Confession. It should not be a dead summary page; it should let readers move into the major chapter articles and quickly see how the system of doctrine is arranged.

The broad doctrinal summary of the Westminster system, organized chapter by chapter for future wiki expansion.

#Confessional map

The Confession is arranged chapter by chapter so readers can see the full system of doctrine rather than a string of isolated statements.

#Major movements

The opening chapters establish Scripture, God, decree, creation, providence, and the fall. The middle chapters move through Christ, calling, justification, adoption, sanctification, faith, repentance, and the church. The later chapters turn to worship, church censures, synods, death, resurrection, and judgment.

#Study note

This root page is a doctrinal portal. The chapters beneath it should carry the finer-grained exposition and the child-page study path.

#Key topics

• Confession
• Doctrine
• Chapter tree
• Standards

These topics mark the doctrinal and navigational center of the page ¹.

#Related pages

• Chapter 1: Of the Holy Scripture — Scripture's authority, sufficiency, and role as the rule of faith and life.
• Chapter 2: Of God, and of the Holy Trinity — The doctrine of God, his attributes, and his triune being.
• Chapter 3: Of God's Eternal Decree — God's eternal purpose in election, providence, and the ordering of history.
• Chapter 4: Of Creation — God's work of creation and the goodness of the world as made.
• Chapter 5: Of Providence — God's preserving and governing of all his creatures and actions.
• Chapter 6: Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof — The entrance of sin, the corruption of humanity, and the resulting judgment.
• Chapter 7: Of God's Covenant with Man — The covenantal framing of God's relationship to humanity in works and grace.
• Chapter 8: Of Christ the Mediator — Christ's person, office, and mediatorial work in redemption.
• Chapter 9: Of Free Will — Human willing after the fall and the limits of natural ability.
• Chapter 10: Of Effectual Calling — God's powerful call that brings sinners into saving union with Christ.
• Chapter 11: Of Justification — How God pardons and accepts believers through Christ's righteousness.
• Chapter 12: Of Adoption — Believers received as children in God's household.
• Chapter 13: Of Sanctification — The ongoing work by which believers are renewed in holiness.
• Chapter 14: Of Saving Faith — Faith as the instrument of receiving Christ and his benefits.
• Chapter 15: Of Repentance unto Life — Evangelical repentance as a grace that accompanies saving faith.
• Chapter 16: Of Good Works — Good works as the fruit and evidence of true faith.
• Chapter 17: Of the Perseverance of the Saints — God's preservation of his people and their continued endurance.
• Chapter 18: Of Assurance of Grace and Salvation — How believers may have confidence in their standing before God.
• Chapter 19: Of the Law of God — The moral law as a continuing rule of life.
• Chapter 20: Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience — Christian freedom, conscience, and the limits of human commands.
• Chapter 21: Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day — Public worship, reverent devotion, and the Sabbath day.
• Chapter 22: Of Lawful Oaths and Vows — The proper use of solemn promises before God.
• Chapter 23: Of the Civil Magistrate — The place of civil government under God's providence.
• Chapter 24: Of Marriage and Divorce — Marriage as a covenant relation and the limited biblical grounds for divorce.
• Chapter 25: Of the Church — The visible church and its place in the life of Christ's people.
• Chapter 26: Of the Communion of Saints — The shared life, gifts, and duties of believers together.
• Chapter 27: Of the Sacraments — The nature and purpose of the sacraments as signs and seals of the covenant of grace.
• Chapter 28: Of Baptism — The sign and seal of initiation into the visible church.
• Chapter 29: Of the Lord's Supper — The sacrament of Christ's body and blood for nourishing believers.
• Chapter 30: Of Church Censures — The church's disciplinary actions for correction and preservation.
• Chapter 31: Of Synods and Councils — Church assemblies, councils, and the place of ordered deliberation.
• Chapter 32: Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead — What follows death and the bodily resurrection at the last day.
• Chapter 33: Of the Last Judgment — Christ's final judgment of all people and the consummation of history.

Use these child pages to move from the overview into narrower study units ¹.

#Study notes

This page is kept summary-first and uses the source links below as reference points ¹.

#Sources

• [1] RPCNA convictions - Official constitutional landing page.
• [2] OPC Westminster Confession of Faith - Public full-text host used as an accessible article reference.

#Rights note

Summary-first treatment only. ²