Glossary

Absolute

God is most absolute in that He depends upon nothing outside Himself and is bound by nothing but His own perfect nature. He is not conditioned, limited, or determined by any external thing, for all things derive from Him while He derives from none. His being and His decrees rest entirely upon His own free and sovereign will.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 4 - Of Creation, Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Actual Sin

Also: Actual Sins

The particular sins a person commits in thought, word, and deed, as distinct from the original sin inherited from Adam. Every actual sin flows from our corrupted nature, and every one is a real transgression of God's law for which we are personally responsible. The non-elect are condemned not generally as sinners but specifically for their own sins, both inherited and actual.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1) Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Adiaphora

Also: Things indifferent

Matters neither commanded nor forbidden in Scripture; things indifferent.

Also assigned to: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Adoption

Also: Adopted

An act of God’s free grace, whereby believers are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of, the sons of God.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Amillennialism

The eschatological view holding that the millennium is a present spiritual reign of Christ from heaven rather than a future physical reign on Earth. The "thousand years" is understood as symbolic of the entire period between Christ's first and second comings.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Angels and Men

The two kinds of rational creatures included in God's decree of predestination. The Confession teaches that "some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others fore-ordained to everlasting death," and that their number is so certain it cannot be increased or diminished. God kept the elect angels from falling, while the other angels fell by their own choice. God's decree reaches over all His rational creatures, in heaven and on earth.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Anthropology

The theological study of mankind: how God created humanity in His image, how Adam's fall corrupted human nature through original sin and total depravity, and what it means to be truly human before God.

Also assigned to: Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Anthropomorphism

Also: Anthropomorphic, Anthropopathism

Scripture's use of human language to describe God, speaking of His hand, His eyes, His arm, or of Him relenting or grieving. Since God is a spirit "without body, parts, or passions," these expressions are not literal descriptions of His being but gracious accommodations to our understanding. They speak truly about God, but in a creaturely way, so that finite people can grasp something of an infinite God.

Also assigned to: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Apocrypha

A group of Jewish books written in the centuries between the Old and New Testaments. The Confession teaches that they are "not being of divine inspiration," are "no part of the canon of the Scripture," and have no authority in the church. Some are useful as history or devotional reading, but they are to be used like any other human writing. Rome declared them to be Scripture at the Council of Trent in 1546.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Apostles' Creed

An early Christian statement of faith summarizing core biblical doctrine. Though not authored directly by the apostles, it is so named because it faithfully expresses the apostolic doctrine of the New Testament church.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Arminianism

The teaching of the followers of Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch theologian, who held that God elects people based on His foreknowledge of their faith, that Christ died to make salvation possible for all, that God's saving grace can be finally resisted, and that true believers can fall away. The Synod of Dort answered these views in 1619, and the Westminster Confession teaches the opposite on each point: salvation is entirely of God's free grace.

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Aseity

The attribute by which God exists of and from Himself, owing His being to nothing outside Himself. The word comes from the Latin a se, meaning "from oneself." God alone is self-existent and underived; He is the uncaused source of all things and depends upon nothing, while all else depends entirely upon Him. It is closely bound to His all-sufficiency and independence.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Assurance of Salvation

The subjective certainty, wrought by the Holy Spirit, that a believer is in a state of grace and eternally elected to life. According to the Westminster Standards, this assurance is not a matter of guessing at the secret will of God, but is drawn from the objective promises of scripture, the witness of the Holy Spirit, and the observable fruit of one's effectual calling (faith, repentance, and sincere obedience).

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Athanasian Creed

A detailed historic Christian creed that carefully defines the Trinity and the incarnation of Christ, strongly emphasizing the equality of the three divine persons and the two natures of Christ, and defending essential Trinitarian and Christological truth.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Atonement

Christ's work on the cross to pay for sin and reconcile sinners to God; in Reformed theology, specifically and effectively accomplished for the elect.

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Augustine

Also: Augustine of Hippo

Bishop of Hippo in North Africa (354–430) and one of the most influential theologians in the history of the church. His teaching on sin, grace, and God's sovereignty deeply shaped the Reformers, who saw themselves as recovering the gospel Augustine had taught. Calvin quotes him more than any other early church father.

Appears in: Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Authentical

An older word meaning genuine and fully authoritative. The Confession says the Old Testament in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek, "being immediately inspired by God, and, by his singular care and providence, kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical." Translations are good and necessary, but in all controversies of religion the church is finally to appeal to the original languages.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Author of Sin

Also: Author or Approver of Sin, Author of Evil

The one who originates sin and bears the guilt of it. The Confession insists that although God ordains whatsoever comes to pass, He neither is nor can be "the author or approver of sin." The sinfulness of every sin "proceedeth only from the creature, and not from God." God ordains that sin will come to pass, but man freely chooses it and is fully responsible for it.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Authority of Scripture

The Bible, as the Word of God, has the complete right to demand our belief and command our obedience. This authority does not come from the church, from scholars, or from any human endorsement, but from God alone. It carries full authority simply because God Himself is its author, and God cannot lie or be mistaken.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Bare Permission

The mistaken idea that God merely allows sin to happen without ordaining, bounding, or governing it. The Confession denies this, teaching that God's providence extends even to sin, "not by a bare permission" but with "a most wise and powerful bounding, and otherwise ordering, and governing of them." God is never a helpless bystander, and yet He is never the author of sin. He rules over evil without doing evil.

Appears in: Chapter 5 - Of Providence

BCO

Also: Book of Church Order

The constitutional document that outlines the government, discipline, and worship standards for a Presbyterian denomination.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Belgic Confession

A historic Reformed confession of faith written in 1561 by Guido de Brès, serving as one of the Three Forms of Unity used by continental Reformed churches.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Bereans

Also: Berean

The Jews of Berea who "received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so" (Acts 17:11). They have become a model for Christians who test all teaching, even from trusted teachers, against the Word of God.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Biblical Theology

The study of God's progressive revelation through Scripture's historical unfolding, tracing themes from Genesis to Revelation and showing how God's redemptive plan develops through the covenants and culminates in Christ.

Also assigned to: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Bodily Resurrection

Also: Resurrection

The truth that Christ rose from the dead in the same body in which He suffered, and that at the last day all the dead will be raised with the selfsame bodies, reunited to their souls. The righteous will be raised to honor and the unjust to dishonor. The Christian hope is not escape from the body but the redemption of the body.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Calvin, John

Also: John Calvin, Calvin

Sixteenth-century French Reformer whose systematic theology and pastoral leadership in Geneva became foundational for Reformed churches; author of the Institutes of the Christian Religion.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess

Calvinism

A system of Christian theology that seeks to summarize the teaching of Scripture concerning God’s sovereignty in salvation and all of life. It emphasizes that salvation is entirely of God’s grace, from election before the foundation of the world to the perseverance of the saints, often summarized in the Five Points of Calvinism (TULIP).

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Canon of Scripture

The fixed, authoritative rule of faith and life consisting exclusively of the sixty-six inspired books of the Old and New Testaments. The true church does not create, choose, or give authority to the canon; rather, it simply recognizes and formalizes the specific books that God has uniquely given by divine inspiration.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Canons of Dordt

Also: Canons of Dort

Five doctrinal points formulated at the Synod of Dort (1618–1619) in response to Arminianism, defining the Five Points of Calvinism and forming one of the Three Forms of Unity.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Cappadocian Fathers

A group of fourth-century theologians from Cappadocia (Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa) who clarified the doctrine of the Trinity and advanced the church’s understanding of Christ’s nature and the deity of the Holy Spirit.

Also assigned to: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Catechism

Also: Catechisms

A summary of Christian doctrine, usually in question-and-answer form, used to teach the faith clearly and help believers memorize it. The Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechisms are the catechisms of our church. A catechism adds nothing to Scripture; it organizes what Scripture teaches so that it can be learned, remembered, and passed on.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Catholic (Roman Catholic)

Also: Roman Catholic

The Roman Catholic Church under the authority of the Pope, distinct from the Protestant churches, and claiming exclusive continuity with the historic church.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Catholic (Universal)

Also: catholic, Catholicity

Universal; referring to the whole Christian church across time and geography, rather than specifically the Roman Catholic Church.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Chastisement

Also: Chastise

God's fatherly discipline of His children, meant for their correction and good rather than their punishment. The Confession teaches that God sometimes leaves His own children to temptation and the corruption of their own hearts, "to chastise them for their former sins" and to humble them. God's chastening is proof of His love: "the Lord disciplines the one he loves" (Hebrews 12:6).

Appears in: Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Christology

The study of Jesus Christ: who He is (both fully God and fully human united in one person) and what He does (Prophet who reveals God, Priest who died for sins, and King who rules over all).

Also assigned to: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Church Councils

Also: Councils, Decrees of Councils

Assemblies of church leaders gathered to settle questions of doctrine and practice, such as the councils of Nicaea and Chalcedon. The Reformed churches honor faithful councils and their creeds, but confess that all "decrees of councils" are to be examined by Scripture. Councils may err and many have erred, so they are a help to faith, not its rule.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Church Discipline

Also: Discipline

The exercise of authority given the Church by the Lord Jesus Christ to instruct and guide its members and to promote its purity and welfare, including pastoral oversight and the biblical process of correcting sin.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Church Membership

The formal belonging of a believer to a local congregation, entered by public vows and including the oversight and care of the elders. The Confession teaches that the visible church is "the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation." Christ did not save us to live alone, but joined us to His body, and He cares for His sheep through faithful shepherds in the local church.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Clerical Celibacy

Also: Celibacy

The requirement that ministers remain unmarried. Scripture assumes that elders and pastors may be married (1 Timothy 3:2) and calls forbidding marriage a teaching of demons (1 Timothy 4:1–3). The medieval church's imposition of celibacy is an example of binding the conscience with rules God never gave.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Common Grace

God's non-saving favor shown to all humanity, restraining sin, maintaining societal order, and enabling culture.

Appears in: Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Communion of Saints

The spiritual fellowship between all believers, both living and dead, united in Christ and sharing in His gifts, graces, and life.

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Confession

Also: Confess, Confessions, Confession of Faith

The public declaration or formal written summary of biblical doctrines and convictions held by believers and the church.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 4 - Of Creation, Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Conscience

Also: Bind the Conscience, Liberty of Conscience

The inner sense of right and wrong that God has placed in every person, which accuses or excuses our thoughts and actions. Only God can bind the conscience, and He does so only through His Word. No church, officer, or tradition may require a person to believe or do anything as a matter of conscience that God has not commanded in Scripture.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Continental Reformed Churches

Also: Continental Reformed

Protestant churches that trace their heritage to the Reformation on the European continent (especially Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and France), defined historically by the Three Forms of Unity.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Contingency

Also: Contingent, Contingently

That which could happen or not happen, depending on other circumstances. To God "nothing is contingent or uncertain," for He knows and ordains all things. Yet the Confession says the contingency of second causes is not taken away but established: in our experience things really do depend on circumstances and choices. What is uncertain to us is always certain to God.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Continuing Revelation

Also: New Revelation, New Revelations

The claim that God is still giving new, authoritative revelation to the church beyond what is written in Scripture. The Confession teaches that God's former ways of revealing His will are "now ceased," and that nothing is to be added to Scripture "whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men." God still leads, illumines, and comforts His people, but always through His completed Word, never beside it.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Conversion

Also: Converted

The turning of a sinner from sin to God in repentance and faith. Conversion is the visible fruit of God's invisible work of regeneration and effectual calling. We truly turn, yet we turn only because God first turns us. It is God's work in us, accomplished ordinarily through the means of His Word.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Council of Trent

Also: Trent

The Roman Catholic council held between 1545 and 1563 in response to the Reformation. At Trent, Rome formally declared the Apocrypha to be Scripture, placed church tradition alongside Scripture as an authority, and condemned the Reformation doctrine of justification by faith alone.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Covenant

Also: Covenants

A binding relationship that God sovereignly establishes with man, with promises and obligations. The Confession teaches that the distance between God and the creature is so great that we could never enjoy Him "but by some voluntary condescension on God's part, which he hath been pleased to express by way of covenant." Scripture speaks of the covenant of works with Adam and the covenant of grace in Christ.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1) Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1)

Covenant of Grace

God's gracious covenant, made after the fall, in which He "freely offereth unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ; requiring of them faith in him, that they may be saved." It was first announced in Genesis 3:15, administered through promises, sacrifices, and types in the Old Testament, and fulfilled in Christ. There are not two covenants of grace but one, the same in substance in every age.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Covenant of Redemption

Also: Pactum Salutis

The eternal agreement within God in which the Father gave a people to the Son, and the Son undertook to become their Mediator and redeem them, with the Spirit applying that redemption. Salvation was not an emergency plan but was settled in God's eternal counsel before the world began (Ephesians 1:4; John 17:4–6).

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Covenant of Works

Also: Covenant of Life

The first covenant God made with Adam in the garden, in which "life was promised to Adam; and in him to his posterity, upon condition of perfect and personal obedience." The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was the test of that obedience. Adam broke the covenant when he sinned, bringing death on himself and all his descendants. Christ, the second Adam, kept the obedience that Adam failed to keep.

Appears in: Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Covenant Theology

Also: Federal Theology

The Reformed framework for understanding Scripture as the progressive unfolding of God's covenants with humanity: Redemption, Works, and Grace.

Also assigned to: Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Creation Ex Nihilo

Also: Ex Nihilo, Out of Nothing, Make of Nothing

Latin for "out of nothing," describing God's creation of the world without using any pre-existing material. The Confession says it pleased God "to create, or make of nothing, the world, and all things therein." Man can only make something out of something; God alone brings being out of non-being by the word of His power. Because God made all things from nothing, all things belong to Him.

Appears in: Chapter 4 - Of Creation, Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Creed

Also: Creeds

A brief summary of the essential truths of the Christian faith, such as the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. The word comes from the Latin credo, "I believe." The historic creeds are faithful summaries of Scripture received by the church across the ages, though, like all confessions, they stand under the authority of the Word.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Deacon

Also: Deacons, Diaconate

An ordained office of sympathy and service in the Church, responsible for ministry to the needy, stewardship of the congregation's gifts, and the care of its property under the supervision of the Session.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Decree

Also: Decrees, Eternal Decree, Decrees of God, Decreed

God's eternal purpose, according to the counsel of His will, by which He has freely and unchangeably ordained whatsoever comes to pass. The decree is not a reaction to anything in time but the plan by which all of time unfolds. It includes not only the ends God intends but every means by which He brings them about, and it never makes God the author of sin or does violence to the will of the creature.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 4 - Of Creation, Chapter 5 - Of Providence Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Deism

Also: Deist

The false belief that God created the world like a clockmaker winding a clock and then stepped back to let it run on its own. Scripture and the Confession teach the opposite: God continually upholds, directs, disposes, and governs all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least. God did not just make the world; He holds it together moment by moment.

Also assigned to: Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Depravity

The general corruption and moral ruin of human nature resulting from the Fall.

Also assigned to: Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Dispensationalism

A system of interpreting the Bible, developed in the nineteenth century, that divides history into distinct periods, or dispensations, and keeps a sharp distinction between Israel and the church as two peoples of God with different promises. The Reformed churches, by contrast, confess one people of God saved by one covenant of grace in every age, "the same in substance" in the Old Testament and the New.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Divine Attributes

Also: Attributes of God, Attributes, Invisible Attributes

The perfections of God that He has revealed to us, such as His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. The Shorter Catechism summarizes them: God is "a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable" in all of these. Some attributes belong to God alone, such as His eternity and immutability, while others are reflected in a small measure in His creatures, such as wisdom and goodness.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Divine Condescension

Also: Condescension, Condescend

God's gracious stooping down to make Himself known to His creatures. Because the distance between the Creator and the creature is so great, we could never reach up to know God unless He came down to reveal Himself. He does this in His Word, in His covenant, in human language we can understand, and supremely in the incarnation of His Son. All true knowledge of God is a gift of His condescension.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1) Also assigned to: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Divine Simplicity

Also: Simplicity of God

The truth that God is not made up of parts, which is what the Confession means when it says God is "without body, parts, or passions." God does not have love, justice, and power the way we have different qualities; He is His attributes, perfectly and undividedly. This does not mean God is easy to understand, but that He is not assembled or divided. His love and His justice never compete, because they are both simply God.

Also assigned to: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Doctrine

Also: Doctrines

The body of authoritative biblical teachings and foundational principles of the Christian faith.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 4 - Of Creation, Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Doctrines of Grace

Another name for the Five Points of Calvinism (TULIP), emphasizing salvation as entirely God's gracious work.

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Dominion

Rule or authority. God has "most sovereign dominion" over all His creatures, to do with them whatsoever He pleases. At creation, God gave man a delegated dominion over the creatures, to rule and care for the earth as God's servant. Man's dominion is always under God's, never in place of it.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 4 - Of Creation

East-West Schism

Also: Great Schism

The division in 1054 between the church in the West, centered in Rome, and the church in the East, centered in Constantinople. One of its causes was the Western addition of the Filioque to the Nicene Creed, along with disputes over the authority of the bishop of Rome.

Also assigned to: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Eastern Orthodox

Also: Eastern Orthodox Church

The family of churches, such as the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, that descend from the eastern half of the ancient church. They hold to the early creeds and the doctrine of the Trinity, but they reject the Filioque, the Reformation doctrine of justification by faith alone, and Sola Scriptura, giving church tradition a place of authority alongside Scripture.

Also assigned to: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Ecclesiology

The study of the church: what it is (the gathered people of God), what makes a true church (faithful preaching of God's Word, proper administration of baptism and the Lord's Supper, and church discipline), and how it is biblically governed.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Effectual Calling

Also: Effectual Call, Effectually Called, Effectual Vocation

God's powerful summons by the Holy Spirit that brings the elect from spiritual death to spiritual life, enlightening their minds and enabling them to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered in the gospel.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Elder

Also: Elders, Presbyter

A man ordained to the office of spiritual oversight, teaching, and governance of the congregation, divided into two types: teaching elders (ministers) and ruling elders.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Elect Angels

Also: Reprobate Angels

The angels whom God, by His eternal decree, chose to preserve from falling into sin (1 Timothy 5:21). The Confession teaches that "some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life." Since the elect angels never sinned, they do not need a redeemer; God simply kept them. The angels who fell did so by their own choice and are reserved for judgment.

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1)

Election

Also: Elect, Elected

God's sovereign choice from eternity to save certain individuals, not based on anything foreseen in them but solely on His good pleasure and free grace.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Endued

Endowed, furnished, or equipped with. The Confession says God created man "endued with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, after his own image," meaning these qualities were given to Adam as part of his created nature.

Appears in: Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Eschatology

The study of "last things": death, the intermediate state, Christ's second coming, the bodily resurrection, the final judgment, and the eternal state in heaven or hell.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Eternal Generation

Also: Begotten, Eternally Begotten

The eternal relation by which the Son is "eternally begotten of the Father." This does not mean the Son had a beginning or was created; there was never a time when the Son was not. It means that He has always been the Son, eternally from the Father, sharing fully in the one divine substance. Begotten describes a relation within God, not a moment in time.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Eternal Procession

Also: Procession, Proceeding

The eternal relation by which the Holy Ghost is "eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son." Like the Son's eternal generation, the Spirit's procession has no beginning; it describes who the Spirit eternally is in relation to the Father and the Son, not something that happened in time. The Spirit is fully God, equal in power and glory, and distinct as a person.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Evangelical

A term describing churches and Christians that teach salvation by grace through faith alone and are committed to the authority of Scripture and the proclamation of the gospel.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Excommunication

The formal removal of an unrepentant member from church membership and fellowship for the reclamation of the sinner and the purity of the church.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Expiation

The removal, cleansing, or cancelling of guilt and sin through Christ's sacrifice.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Family Worship

Regular household devotions led by the head of the home, typically consisting of reading Scripture, prayer, singing praise, and catechizing.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Federal Headship

Also: Covenantal Representation, Federal Head, Headship

The representative role of Adam and Christ for those under their respective covenants (the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace).

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Filioque

Latin for "and the Son," the phrase added to the Nicene Creed in the Western church confessing that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Westminster Confession affirms this, as Scripture calls the Spirit the Spirit of the Father and the Spirit of the Son (John 15:26; Galatians 4:6). Disagreement over the phrase was one of the causes of the East-West Schism in 1054.

Also assigned to: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

First Cause

God Himself as the ultimate source and reason for everything that comes to pass. Nothing happens apart from His will, power, and decree. Yet God has chosen to bring most things about through second causes, so that both statements are true at once: it rained because God willed it, and it rained because the clouds were full. God is the first cause; the creature is never the first cause, but it is a real cause.

Appears in: Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Five Solas

Five Latin phrases summarizing Reformation principles: Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), Sola Fide (faith alone), Sola Gratia (grace alone), Solus Christus (Christ alone), and Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone be glory).

Also assigned to: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Foreknowledge

Also: Foresight, Foreseen, Foreknew, Foresaw

God's perfect knowledge of all things before they come to pass. God knows "whatsoever may or can come to pass upon all supposed conditions," yet He has not decreed anything "because he foresaw it as future." God does not look ahead to see what His creatures will do and then decide; rather, the future is certain because He has decreed it. God does not foreknow because things will happen; things will happen because God has foreordained them.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Foreordination

Also: Foreordain, Fore-ordained, Foreordained, Ordain, Ordained, Ordains

God's eternal appointment of what will come to pass, both the ends and the means. The Confession teaches that God has "fore-ordained all the means" by which He brings His elect to glory. To ordain is not merely to foresee or permit, but to determine with purpose. What God has foreordained is certain, and it comes to pass in the course of history through ordinary means and genuine human choices.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 4 - Of Creation, Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Fourfold State of Man

Also: Four States of Man, Able Not to Sin, Not Able Not to Sin, Not Able to Sin

A classic summary, going back to Augustine, of man's freedom in relation to sin across redemptive history. In innocence, Adam was able to sin and able not to sin. After the fall, man is not able not to sin. In grace, the believer is able not to sin, though not perfectly in this life. In glory, the saints will not be able to sin. It shows that the will is always free, but its ability depends on the state of the person willing.

Appears in: Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Free Will

Also: Liberty of the Will, Freedom of the Will, Liberty of Their Own Will

The natural liberty God has given to man's will, so that it is never forced by God or by nature to do good or evil, but chooses according to its own desires. God's decree does not take this liberty away. Our ability to choose what is spiritually good, however, depends on our condition: Adam was able not to sin, fallen man is not able not to sin, and the believer is freed by grace to will and do what is good. We always choose freely, but we choose according to what we are.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 4 - Of Creation Also assigned to: Chapter 5 - Of Providence

General Assembly

The highest governing body of a Presbyterian church, composed of teaching and ruling elders representing all presbyteries, responsible for doctrine, discipline, and oversight of the entire denomination.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Glorification

Also: Glorified

The final stage of salvation. At death, the souls of believers are made perfect in holiness and immediately pass into glory; at the resurrection, their bodies are raised in glory and reunited to their souls. Then they will be made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity. Glorification is certain for every believer, for "those whom he justified he also glorified" (Romans 8:30).

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Godhead

The divine nature or Deity—the one, undivided, infinite essence that is God. The single Godhead subsists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, who are one in substance, power, and eternity. To speak of the Godhead is to speak of the fullness of what it is to be God.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1)

Good and Necessary Consequence

Not every Christian doctrine appears word-for-word in the Bible. Some truths must be drawn out by carefully reasoning from what Scripture clearly teaches. The Reformed principle of good and necessary consequence holds that a doctrine carries full biblical authority whether it is explicitly stated in the text or logically and necessarily follows from what the text says. The doctrine of the Trinity is the classic example: the word never appears in Scripture, yet the doctrine is clearly taught there.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Good Deposit

The apostolic body of sound doctrine and biblical truth entrusted to the church to guard, practice, and pass down uncorrupted.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess

Good Works

Works done in obedience to God's commandments, flowing from true faith, and aimed at God's glory. Good works are never the cause or condition of our election or justification, since God chose us "without any foresight of faith or good works." Yet they are the necessary fruit and evidence of true faith. We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for them.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Grace

God's unmerited favor toward sinners; His free gift of salvation and divine enablement that cannot be earned or deserved.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 4 - Of Creation, Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Hardening

Also: Harden, Hardened, Hardens

God's righteous judgment on the wicked in which He withholds His softening grace, removes restraints, and gives them over to their own sinful desires. God does not put new evil into anyone's heart; the wicked "harden themselves, even under those means which God useth for the softening of others." Pharaoh is the great example: God hardened his heart, and Pharaoh hardened his own heart. Hardening is always just, for it is a judgment upon sin already loved.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Heaven

The dwelling place of God, where Christ is now seated at the right hand of the Father. The Confession teaches that at death the souls of the righteous, "being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God, in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies." At the last day, the redeemed will dwell with God in body and soul forever.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Heidelberg Catechism

A Reformed catechism (1563) known for its warm, devotional tone and structure around Guilt, Grace, and Gratitude; one of the Three Forms of Unity.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Hell

The place of everlasting punishment, where the wicked who know not God and obey not the gospel are cast into eternal torment and punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord. Hell is not a place of chaos outside of God's rule but the righteous expression of His justice against sin. There is no one in hell who does not deserve to be there, and there is no one in heaven who does.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Heresy

A false teaching or error that fundamentally departs from and undermines essential biblical truth.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

High Mystery

The Confession's name for the doctrine of predestination, a profound truth of God that reaches beyond our full understanding and must be "handled with special prudence and care." It is not for idle speculation, but rightly taught it gives "matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God; and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation" to all who sincerely obey the gospel.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Historia Salutis

Also: History of Salvation

The unfolding of God’s redemptive work in history, from creation and the fall through Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension, culminating in the final consummation of all things.

Also assigned to: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Historic Premillennialism

Also: Post-tribulational Premillennialism

The premillennial view holding that Christ returns before a literal thousand-year reign on Earth, viewing the church as spiritual Israel and affirming one covenant of grace for all believers throughout history.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Holy Spirit

Also: Holy Ghost, The Holy Spirit

The third person of the Trinity, eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son, who applies redemption through regeneration, indwells believers, and sanctifies them progressively.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Illumination

Also: Inward Illumination, Spiritual Illumination

The supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in the heart and mind of a believer, overcoming spiritual blindness and enabling a saving understanding and conviction of the truth revealed in the written Scriptures. Illumination does not impart new revelation or extra-biblical truth; rather, it opens the eyes of faith to perceive, embrace, and obey the revelation God has already provided in His Word.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Image of God

Also: Imago Dei, Image Bearers, Image Bearer

The unique likeness to God in which man alone was created. The Shorter Catechism teaches that God created man "after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures." The fall marred and corrupted this image but did not destroy it, and it is renewed in the elect through Christ. Because every person bears God's image, every human life is to be honored and protected.

Appears in: Chapter 4 - Of Creation, Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Immense

In the Confession's older usage, immeasurable or without limits, not merely very large. God is "immense" because He cannot be measured or contained by space. He is present everywhere in the fullness of His being, and no place is beyond His reach or outside His rule.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Immutable

Also: Immutability, Unchangeable

Unchangeable in His being, perfections, purposes, and promises. God neither grows nor diminishes, neither learns nor forgets, neither improves nor decays, for He is already and eternally perfect. His immutability is the ground of all confidence in His Word, since what He has decreed and promised can never alter.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Impassibility

Also: Divine Impassibility

The truth that God is "without passions," meaning He is not moved, changed, or overcome by emotions the way creatures are, and He cannot suffer in His divine nature. This does not mean God is cold or uncaring. His love, mercy, and wrath are real and perfect, but they are never mood swings; they are the steady expression of His unchanging character.

Also assigned to: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Imputation

Also: Imputed Righteousness

The legal crediting of one person's record to another: Adam's guilt imputed to humanity, believers' sins imputed to Christ, and Christ's perfect righteousness imputed to believers.

Also assigned to: Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Incarnation

The eternal Son of God taking on human nature, becoming fully God and fully man in one person without confusion, change, division, or separation.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Incomprehensible

Not that God is unknowable, but that He can never be fully comprehended or exhaustively grasped by any finite mind. The creature may truly know God as He reveals Himself, yet never completely, for the infinite can never be contained by the finite. We know Him truly, but not totally.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Indulgences

Also: Indulgence

In the medieval Roman Catholic Church, a remission of temporal punishment for sin granted by the church, often in exchange for money or pious acts. The sale of indulgences was the immediate cause of Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. It is a clear example of what happens when human tradition is placed over Scripture and the free grace of the gospel.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Inerrancy

Because God is the author of Scripture and God cannot lie, the original manuscripts of the Bible were completely true and entirely free from error of any kind. We do not possess these originals today, but God in His providence has preserved the biblical text so faithfully through copying and transmission that we can know with confidence what the originals said and trust our translations as a reliable and trustworthy rendering of His Word.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Infallible

Also: Infallibly, Infallibility

Where inerrancy speaks to the factual accuracy of the original manuscripts, infallibility speaks to the Bible's complete trustworthiness as our guide for faith and life. Because God cannot deceive, His Word will never mislead us, though we may certainly mislead ourselves through careless or faithless reading of it.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Infant Baptism

Also: Paedobaptism

The covenant sign and seal applied to the children of believers, marking them as members of the visible church and heirs of God's covenant promises.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess

Inspiration

Inspiration refers to the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit breathing out God's Word through chosen human authors. The biblical writers were not robots or passive dictation machines. God worked through their genuine personalities, languages, and experiences so that every word they wrote was truly theirs, and yet every word was also truly God's. The result is a Bible that is fully human in its expression and fully divine in its authority.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Internalizing

Also: Internalizes, Internalize

The act of taking God's Word deeply into one's heart and mind through meditation, understanding, and personal conviction.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess

Invisible Church

Also: Church Invisible

The whole number of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under Christ the Head, known infallibly only to God.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Irresistible Grace

Also: Efficacious Grace

God's saving grace that effectively and sovereignly overcomes all human resistance in those whom He has chosen to save, drawing them freely to Christ.

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Justification

Also: Justified

An act of God’s free grace, wherein He pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Limited Atonement

Also: Definite Atonement, Particular Redemption

The doctrine that Christ's death specifically and effectively secured salvation for the elect, rather than merely making salvation a hypothetical possibility for all.

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Long-suffering

Also: Longsuffering

Patient, slow to anger, bearing long with sinners before bringing judgment. God is "most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering" (Exodus 34:6). His patience is not weakness or indifference to sin, but kindness meant to lead to repentance (Romans 2:4).

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Magisterial Authority

Scripture's supreme, ruling authority over all matters of faith and practice, belonging exclusively to God speaking in His Word.

Also assigned to: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Magisterial Reformers

Also: Magisterial Reformation

Reformation leaders (such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli) whose work shaped the church through biblical teaching in cooperation with civil governing authorities.

Also assigned to: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Manifold

Also: Manifold Dispensation

Many and various. When the Confession says the true sense of Scripture "is not manifold, but one," it means each passage has one true meaning, not many competing meanings. A "manifold dispensation" means God's governing of things in many different ways, and "manifold temptations" means temptations of many kinds.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Membership Vows

Public promises made by a believer when joining a local congregation, affirming faith in Christ, submission to biblical church government and discipline, and mutual commitment to love, serve, and support fellow members.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Merit

Also: Unmerited

What a person deserves or earns by his own works. Before God, sinners merit nothing but wrath, and even our best works cannot earn God's favor, since they are already owed to Him and are stained with sin. That is why salvation is by grace: God's unmerited favor given freely in Christ. The only merit that saves is the merit of Christ's perfect obedience and sacrifice, credited to us by faith.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Millennial Views

Also: Millennium

The interpretations of the "thousand years" in Revelation: amillennialism, postmillennialism, and historic premillennialism (which maintain one people of God), contrasted with dispensational premillennialism.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Ministerial Authority

Also: Ministerial and Declarative

The kind of authority given to church officers and church courts. It is ministerial, meaning they serve under Christ, and declarative, meaning they declare what His Word already says. They may not make new laws or bind the conscience with anything God has not commanded. Only Christ, speaking in Scripture, has ruling authority over the church.

Also assigned to: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Modalism

Also: Sabellianism

The ancient heresy teaching that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three distinct persons but three roles, modes, or masks of one person. Modalism protects God's oneness by destroying His threeness. Scripture shows the Father sending the Son, the Son praying to the Father, and the Spirit proceeding from both, which is impossible if they are merely three names for one person.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Moral Law

Also: Law Written in Their Hearts

God's perfect rule of righteousness, binding all people at all times, summarized in the Ten Commandments and fulfilled in love to God and neighbor. It was written on Adam's heart at creation, which is why even fallen men still have a conscience that accuses and excuses them. The moral law cannot save us, but it shows us our sin, drives us to Christ, and guides the grateful obedience of the believer.

Appears in: Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Mortification

Also: Mortification of Sin, Mortified

The active, Spirit-empowered putting to death of sin and sinful desires in the believer's life.

Appears in: Chapter 5 - Of Providence

NAPARC

Also: North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council

North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council; a fellowship of confessional Presbyterian and Reformed denominations.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Natural Revelation

Also: General Revelation

God has revealed Himself to every human being through the created world and the works of His providence. This revelation is real and true: it communicates genuine knowledge of God's existence, power, goodness, and wisdom. However, it is not saving knowledge. Natural revelation leaves every person without excuse before God on the day of judgment, but it cannot tell us who Christ is, how sinners are forgiven, or what we must do to be saved. It is enough to condemn, but not to save.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

New Heavens and New Earth

Also: New Creation

The eternal, renewed creation where believers will dwell bodily with God in perfect righteousness, with sin and death completely removed.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Nicene Creed

Also: Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed

The fundamental Christian creed formulated at Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381), defining orthodox Trinitarian teaching and affirming the deity of the Son and Holy Spirit.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Omnipotence

Also: Almighty

God's infinite power, by which He is able to do all His holy will. God is "almighty," and nothing is too hard for Him. His omnipotence is never arbitrary; He cannot lie, cannot sin, and cannot deny Himself, because He always acts in perfect harmony with His own holy nature. His power is the believer's comfort, because the God who loves us is able to keep us.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Omniscience

God's perfect and complete knowledge of all things—past, present, and future, actual and possible. He knows all things immediately, eternally, and infallibly, never learning and never forgetting. Nothing is hidden from Him and nothing is uncertain to Him, for His knowledge is infinite and independent of the creature.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Ordinary Means of Grace

Also: Ordinary means, Means of Grace

The primary outward instruments ordained by God—principally the Word, sacraments, and prayer—through which the Holy Spirit works salvation and spiritual growth in believers.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 5 - Of Providence Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1)

Ordinary Providence

Also: Extraordinary Providence, Miracle, Miracles

God's usual way of governing the world through means, such as rain to grow crops, medicine to heal, and preaching to save. The Confession teaches that God "in his ordinary providence, maketh use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against them, at his pleasure." When God works apart from or against ordinary means, as in a miracle, it is called extraordinary providence. Both are the work of the same sovereign God.

Appears in: Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Ordination

The church’s public act of setting apart qualified men for service as elders or deacons, performed through prayer and the laying on of hands, authorizing them to govern, teach, or serve.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Ordo Salutis

Also: Order of Salvation

Latin for "the order of salvation," the order in which the Holy Spirit applies the benefits of Christ's redemption to a sinner. The Confession traces this chain in Chapter 3: the elect are redeemed by Christ, "effectually called unto faith in Christ by his Spirit," and "justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by his power through faith unto salvation." Every link is God's work, and none of His people is lost along the way.

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Original Manuscripts

Also: Manuscripts, Manuscript, Autographs

The original writings of the biblical books as they were first given by inspiration of God, and the ancient handwritten copies made from them. Inerrancy belongs to the original writings in their original languages. God in His providence has kept the text "pure in all ages" through the abundance of copies, so that the church can know with confidence what the Scriptures say.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Original Sin

Also: Inherited Sin

The guilt of Adam's first sin together with the corrupted nature that every person inherits from him. We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. Original sin is the root from which all actual sins grow, and it is why every person needs not only forgiveness but a new heart.

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Orthodox

Also: Orthodoxy

Conforming faithfully to the historic, established, and biblical faith of the church.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess

Papal Supremacy

Also: Papacy, Pope

The Roman Catholic teaching that the pope, as bishop of Rome, holds supreme authority over the whole church on earth. The Reformed churches reject this, confessing that the Lord Jesus Christ alone is the head of the church and that the Holy Spirit speaking in Scripture is the supreme judge in all controversies of religion.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Passed Over for Death

Also: Reprobation, Reprobate, Preterition, Passed By, Pass By

Also termed reprobation or preterition, this refers to God's sovereign decision, according to His unsearchable counsel, to pass by the non-elect in the distribution of saving grace and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their sins. In Westminster theology, this act manifests God's absolute sovereignty and holy justice, ensuring that while salvation is an act of pure mercy, condemnation is a righteous judgment for human rebellion.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Patriarchs

Also: Patriarch

The founding fathers of Israel, especially Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with whom God established His covenant promises. They were saved the same way we are, by grace through faith in the promised Redeemer, looking forward to Christ as we look back to Him.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Patristic Fathers

Also: Early Church Fathers

Early Christian theologians and church leaders of the first five centuries whose writings helped clarify and defend foundational doctrine concerning the Trinity, Christology, and the canon.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

PCA

Also: Presbyterian Church in America

The Presbyterian Church in America; a conservative, confessional Presbyterian denomination formed in 1973, committed to the inerrancy of Scripture and the Westminster Standards.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Perseverance of the Saints

Also: Preservation of the Saints

The doctrine that all who are truly regenerated and saved by God will continue in faith to the end and never finally fall away, kept securely by God's power.

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Persons

The three distinct persons in the one God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. They are not three gods, not three parts of God, and not three names for one person. Each is fully God, sharing the one undivided divine substance, and they are distinguished from one another by their eternal relations: the Father begets, the Son is begotten, and the Spirit proceeds.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1)

Perspicuity

The Bible is clear. The core truths necessary for salvation are presented so plainly in Scripture that any person, educated or not, can understand them through ordinary reading and hearing of the Word read and preached. This does not mean every passage is equally easy to interpret or that difficult texts do not exist. It means that no one needs a priest, a pope, or a scholarly elite to unlock the Bible's saving message for them. The gospel is accessible to all.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Postmillennialism

The eschatological view that the "thousand years" represents a golden era of gospel prosperity and righteousness brought about before Christ returns.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Praise to God

The ultimate end and purpose of all of God's decrees, particularly the predestination of the elect to everlasting life. This doctrine is designed to strip human beings of all pride and boasting, leading them instead to a state of profound gratitude, worship, and admiration of God's free grace, mercy, and unchangeable love in Christ Jesus.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Predestination

Also: Predestinated, Predestined

God's eternal decree concerning the everlasting destiny of men and angels. The Confession teaches that "some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others fore-ordained to everlasting death." Predestination is one part of God's larger decree of all things. It includes election, God's free choice of some to salvation in Christ, and reprobation, His just passing by of others.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Predestined Unto Life

Also known as election, this is God's eternal, unchangeable, and unconditional choice of certain individuals to be saved and brought to everlasting glory. This decree is made before the foundation of the world, out of God's mere free grace and love, without any foresight of faith, good works, or perseverance in the creature as a condition or cause, and is executed through all the necessary means of salvation (redemption, calling, justification, adoption, sanctification, and preservation).

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1)

Premillennialism

The eschatological view that Christ will return bodily to the earth before a literal thousand-year reign.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Presbyterian

Also: Presbyterianism

A biblical system of church government by representative elders (presbyters) through local sessions, regional presbyteries, and general assemblies.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Presbytery

A regional governing assembly of teaching and ruling elders from local congregations within a defined district, responsible for oversight, discipline, and ordination.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Preservation

Despite centuries of hand-copying across thousands of manuscripts (transmission), God in His providence has kept His Word pure and intact. Minor variations exist between manuscripts, but none affect any doctrine of the faith. The church today possesses an abundance of manuscript evidence, far more than any other ancient document, giving us every confidence that we know what the original texts said. God did not inspire His Word only to lose it. He who gave us Scripture has faithfully kept it.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Private Spirits

Claims of private, individual spiritual insight or revelation. The Confession teaches that all "private spirits," along with councils, ancient writers, and doctrines of men, are to be examined by the Holy Spirit speaking in Scripture. A personal impression is never above the Word, and the Spirit never contradicts what He has written.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Progressive Revelation

God’s unfolding disclosure of His truth and redemptive plan step by step across biblical history, from Genesis to its culmination in Christ.

Also assigned to: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Proof-texting

The misuse of individual Bible verses, pulled out of their context, to support an idea the passage does not actually teach. Citing Scripture to support doctrine is right and good; the Westminster Divines did it throughout the Confession. The problem is ignoring context. Each verse must be read in light of its passage, its book, and the whole counsel of God.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess

Propitiation

Christ's sacrificial death that satisfies the righteous wrath of God against sin and reconciles the sinner to God.

Not yet linked to any lesson.

Propounded

Set forth or presented. The Confession says the things necessary for salvation are "so clearly propounded, and opened in some place of Scripture or other," that even the unlearned can understand them through the ordinary means.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Providence

God's continuous upholding, directing, and governing of all creation, creatures, and events according to His eternal decree and holy wisdom.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Puritans

Also: Puritan

A movement of English and later American Reformed Christians in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries who sought to purify the church according to Scripture and to cultivate godliness in daily life. Many of the Westminster Divines were Puritans, and their writings remain some of the richest pastoral theology in the history of the church.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Redemption

Also: Redeemed, Redeem

The act by which Christ purchased His people out of bondage to sin, death, and Satan by paying the price of His own blood. To redeem is to buy back. The Confession teaches that the elect, "being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ," and that none are redeemed by Christ but the elect only. Christ did not die to make redemption possible, but to actually redeem His people.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Reformation

Also: Protestant Reformation

The sixteenth-century movement, led by men such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, that called the church back to the authority of Scripture and the gospel of grace. The Reformers did not invent new doctrine but recovered the teaching of Scripture and the early church, summarized in the five solas. The Westminster Confession is one of the mature fruits of the Reformation.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Reformed

Also: Reformed Tradition, Reformed Theology

The theological tradition emerging from the Protestant Reformation, characterized by a commitment to God's absolute sovereignty in salvation, covenant theology, and confessional standards.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 4 - Of Creation Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Regeneration

Also: The New Birth, Born Again

The sovereign, supernatural act of the Holy Spirit imparting spiritual life to those dead in sin, making them a new creation and enabling faith.

Also assigned to: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Regulative Principle of Worship

Also: RPW

The teaching that God is to be worshiped only in the ways He has commanded in Scripture. The Confession says God "may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men... or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scripture." The elements of worship, such as prayer, the reading and preaching of the Word, singing, and the sacraments, are set by God; only circumstances such as the time of the service are left to sanctified wisdom.

Also assigned to: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Repentance

Also: Repentance unto Life

An evangelical grace wherein a sinner, with true grief and hatred of sin, turns from sin to God with full purpose of and endeavor after new obedience.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Revelation

God's direct act of making His character, will, and redemptive purpose known to mankind, culminated in the written Scriptures. See also Natural Revelation and Special Revelation.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Rule of Faith

Also: Scripture Interprets Scripture, Rule of Interpretation

Because God is the single author of Scripture, the Bible never contradicts itself. This means the Bible is its own best interpreter. When a passage is difficult or obscure, the answer is not to look to church tradition or human reason as the final word, but to compare that passage with other parts of Scripture that speak more clearly on the same subject. Difficult texts are always interpreted in light of clearer ones, never the other way around.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Ruling Elder

Also: Ruling Elders

An ordained elder who governs and shepherds the congregation alongside teaching elders, exercising equal authority in church courts.

Also assigned to: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Sabbath

Also: Lord's Day, Christian Sabbath

The one day in seven that God has appointed to be kept holy to Him. From creation to the resurrection of Christ it was the last day of the week; since the resurrection it has been the first day, called the Lord's Day, the Christian Sabbath. It is to be spent in rest from ordinary work and recreation and in the public and private worship of God, and in works of necessity and mercy.

Also assigned to: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Sacrament

Also: Sacraments

A holy sign and seal of the covenant of grace, instituted by Christ, to represent Christ and His benefits and to confirm our interest in Him. The sacraments also mark the difference between those who belong to the church and the rest of the world. There are two sacraments of the New Testament: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. They are made effective not by any power in them, but by the work of the Spirit and the blessing of Christ.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Sanctification

Also: Progressive Sanctification, Sanctified

The work of God’s free grace, whereby believers are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Sanctified Wisdom

Also: Prudence, Christian Prudence

Scripture does not answer every practical question the church will face. For matters the Bible leaves open, church officers are called to apply their knowledge of the Word, their God-given wisdom, and their care for their congregation to make faithful decisions. These decisions are not binding declarations and must always remain subject to Scripture.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Second Causes

Also: Second Cause, Secondary Causes

The created causes through which God ordinarily works: the choices of men, the laws of nature, and the circumstances of life. God is the first cause of all things, yet He orders things to fall out "according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently." Rain truly makes the crops grow, and a man truly chooses what he does. God's decree does not take these causes away but establishes them.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Self-Authenticating

Also: Self-Authenticating Scripture

The truth that Scripture carries its own authority because God is its author, so that it does not depend on the approval of any man or church to be the Word of God. The church recognizes the Scriptures; it does not make them authoritative. As the Confession says, Scripture's authority depends "not upon the testimony of any man, or church; but wholly upon God (who is truth itself) the author thereof."

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Self-Sufficiency

God is entirely complete and perfect within Himself. He lacks absolutely nothing and has no needs, weaknesses, or dependencies that must be fulfilled by anyone or anything outside of Himself.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Session

Also: Church Session, Kirk Session, Sessions

The governing body of elders in a local church, composed of the pastor (teaching elder) and ruling elders exercising spiritual rule and pastoral care.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Simony

The buying or selling of church offices or spiritual things, named after Simon the magician, who tried to buy the power of the Holy Spirit with money (Acts 8:18–24). Simony was widespread in the medieval church and was one of the corruptions the Reformation sought to remedy.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Sola Fide

Also: Faith Alone

The Reformation doctrine that believers are justified before God solely by faith in Jesus Christ, apart from works.

Also assigned to: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Sola Gratia

Also: Grace Alone

The Reformation doctrine that salvation is entirely by God’s free grace, without any human merit or contribution.

Also assigned to: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Sola Scriptura

Also: Scripture Alone

Latin for "Scripture alone," the Reformation principle that Scripture is the final and supreme authority over the faith and life of the church. We value creeds, confessions, and the wisdom of the church as faithful summaries of Scripture, but they have no authority of their own. No council, pope, elder, or tradition can bind the conscience where Scripture has not spoken.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Soli Deo Gloria

Also: To God Alone be the Glory

The Reformation principle that all of creation, salvation, and human life exist ultimately to glorify God alone.

Also assigned to: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Solus Christus

Also: Christ Alone

The Reformation principle that Jesus Christ is the only mediator and sufficient Savior for fallen humanity.

Also assigned to: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Soteriology

The theological study of salvation: its planning from eternity (election), accomplishment in history (atonement), application in time (calling, regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification), and final completion (glorification).

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Soul

Also: Souls, Immortal Soul, Reasonable Soul

The spiritual part of man, created by God and joined to the body. The Confession teaches that God created man "with reasonable and immortal souls," meaning souls able to think, know, and will, and souls that will never cease to exist. At death the body returns to dust while the soul lives on, awaiting the resurrection, when body and soul will be reunited forever. Man is not a soul trapped in a body, but a unity of body and soul made to glorify God.

Appears in: Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Sovereignty

Also: Sovereignty of God

God's absolute, supreme, and unchallengeable authority and dominion over the entire universe.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Special Revelation

God's voluntary condescension to actively step in and communicate His character, His specific will, and the plan of salvation directly to His chosen people. Historically given 'at sundry times, and in divers manners' through methods like dreams, visions, and the prophets, it has now been fully and permanently committed to writing in the Holy Scriptures.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Spirit

A being without body or material parts, immaterial and invisible. To confess God as "a most pure spirit" affirms that He has no physical form and is not composed of parts, but is simple, whole, and undivided in His being. As spirit, He is present everywhere and is perceived not by the senses but known through His revelation.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Subordinate Standards

Also: Secondary Standards

Confessions and catechisms that possess secondary, derived authority in the church, always subject to the supreme authority of Scripture.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Substance

The essential divine nature shared identically, fully, and indivisibly by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1)

Sufficiency of Scripture

The Bible contains everything necessary for salvation and godly living. God has given us in Scripture the complete counsel of His will for His glory, our salvation, and our daily lives. Because Scripture is fully sufficient, nothing may be added to it. We do not need new revelation. We need faithful obedience to the revelation we already have.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Sundry

Also: Divers, Divers Manners

Various, of many kinds. When the Confession says God revealed Himself "at sundry times, and in divers manners," it means at many different times and in many different ways, such as through prophets, dreams, and visions (Hebrews 1:1). "Sundry other just and holy ends" means various other purposes.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Supreme Judge

When religious controversies arise, something must serve as the final word. For the Reformed church that final word is not a pope, a council, or a private spiritual experience. It is the Holy Spirit speaking through the written Scripture. This means that every theological debate, every church ruling, and every theological claim must ultimately be brought to the bar of Scripture and settled there.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Synod of Dort

Also: Synod of Dordt

The 1618–1619 international Reformed assembly that rejected Arminianism and formulated the Canons of Dort.

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Systematic Theology

Also: Systematic, Systematize, Systematizing

The orderly arrangement of all biblical doctrine by topic, demonstrating the harmony and consistency of God's revelation across Scripture.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess

Teaching Elder

Also: Minister of the Word, Pastor

A minister of the Word ordained to the office of elder with the specific calling to preach, administer the sacraments, and shepherd the congregation, equal in office to ruling elders.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Testimony of the Holy Spirit

Also: Inward Testimony, Internal Testimony of the Spirit, Inward Work of the Holy Spirit

The work of the Holy Spirit by which He persuades the believer that the Scriptures are truly the Word of God. The Confession teaches that "our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts." Evidences and arguments can strengthen our confidence, but only the Spirit gives certainty. The Spirit does not add to the Word; He bears witness to it.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

The Fall

Also: Fall of Man, First Fall, Fallen

The first sin of Adam and Eve, when they ate of the forbidden tree and broke the covenant of works. Because Adam stood as the representative of all mankind, the guilt of that sin is imputed to his posterity and the corruption of it is passed on to every person born by ordinary generation. Creation itself was subjected to the curse. The fall did not take God by surprise; it was ordained for His holy ends, yet it was entirely man's doing.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 4 - Of Creation, Chapter 5 - Of Providence

The Father

Also: God the Father

The first person of the Trinity. The Confession says "the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding." He planned salvation from eternity, chose a people in Christ, sent the Son into the world, and, with the Son, sends the Spirit. Through Christ, believers are adopted as His children and may call Him "Abba, Father."

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 4 - Of Creation

The Light of Nature

The knowledge of God and of right and wrong that all people have through creation, providence, and conscience. The Confession teaches that the light of nature shows God's goodness, wisdom, and power so clearly "as to leave men unexcusable," yet it is not sufficient to give the knowledge of God necessary for salvation. Some circumstances of worship and church government are also to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence. See also Natural Revelation.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

The Son

Also: God the Son

The second person of the Trinity, eternally begotten of the Father, who became incarnate as Jesus Christ to accomplish redemption and now reigns at the Father's right hand.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Theology

In its narrow sense, the study of God Himself; in its broad sense, the systematic study of everything God has revealed in Scripture.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess

Three Forms of Unity

The confessional standards of continental Reformed churches, consisting of the Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, and Canons of Dort.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Total Depravity

The Reformed doctrine that the fall has corrupted every facet of human nature, leaving humanity spiritually dead and wholly unable to turn to God on its own.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess

Translation

The rendering of the Bible from its original Hebrew and Greek into the common language of each people. The Confession teaches that because all God's people "have right unto, and interest in the Scriptures," and are commanded to read and search them, the Scriptures are "to be translated into the vulgar language of every nation." The original languages remain the final standard, but faithful translations truly give us the Word of God.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Transmission

The process by which the biblical text was copied and handed down through the centuries. Before the printing press, every copy was made by hand, and scribes sometimes made small mistakes. Yet God oversaw this process by His providence, so that the text has been "kept pure in all ages" and the church can know with confidence what the original Scriptures said.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Trinity

Also: Triune

The biblical truth that the one true God eternally exists as three distinct, co-equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 4 - Of Creation

TULIP

Also: Five Points of Calvinism

The acronym for the Five Points of Calvinism: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints.

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Typology

Also: Type and Shadow, Types and Shadows

The way God used real people, events, and institutions in the Old Testament to foreshadow Christ and His work. The Passover lamb, the temple, the priesthood, and the sacrifices were real in their own time, and they were also shadows pointing forward to the substance, which is Christ. Types are not hidden codes but God's pattern in history, fulfilled in His Son.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Unconditional Election

God's eternal choice to save certain individuals based solely on His sovereign grace and good pleasure, not on any foreseen merit or condition in the creature.

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1)

Under Shepherds

Also: Under-shepherds

Pastors and elders ordained to watch over, feed, and guide the local flock of God under the authority of Christ, the Good Shepherd.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess

Unexcusable

Without excuse. The Confession says that the light of nature and the works of creation and providence reveal enough of God's goodness, wisdom, and power "as to leave men unexcusable." No one can stand before God and plead that they did not know He existed (Romans 1:20).

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1)

Union with Christ

The spiritual and vital bond uniting the believer to Jesus Christ, from which all saving blessings flow.

Also assigned to: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)

Visible Church

Also: Church Visible

The church as outwardly seen on earth: all who profess the true religion together with their children.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Vivification

The second part of sanctification, the counterpart of mortification. Mortification is dying to sin; vivification is coming alive to righteousness. By the Spirit, believers are "more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of true holiness."

Also assigned to: Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Vulgar Language

The common, everyday language of a people, not the language of scholars. In the Confession, "vulgar" does not mean crude; it means ordinary, from the Latin vulgus, "the common people." The Confession teaches that the Scriptures must be translated into the vulgar language of every nation, so that the Word of God may dwell plentifully in all.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Westminster Assembly

The 1643–1649 assembly of theologians, pastors, and parliamentarians called to produce the Westminster Standards for the churches of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Westminster Confession of Faith

Also: Westminster Confession, WCF

The confession of faith written by the Westminster Assembly in the 1640s and published in 1647. It is a summary of the system of doctrine taught in Scripture, organized in thirty-three chapters, and it serves, with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, as the doctrinal standard of Presbyterian churches such as the PCA. It is a subordinate standard, always under the authority of Scripture.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 1), Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2), Chapter 4 - Of Creation, Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Westminster Confessional Churches

Also: Westminster Confessional Presbyterian Churches

Reformed churches adhering to Presbyterian government and the Westminster Standards.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Westminster Divines

Also: Divines

The theologians and pastors who composed the Westminster Assembly (1643–1649).

Appears in: Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Westminster Larger Catechism

Also: Larger Catechism, WLC

A detailed catechism produced by the Westminster Assembly for comprehensive doctrinal instruction, particularly suited for ministers and teachers.

Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Also: Shorter Catechism, WSC

A concise catechism produced by the Westminster Assembly, designed for instructing children and beginners in the Christian faith.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 4 - Of Creation

Westminster Standards

The Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger Catechism, and the Shorter Catechism together, produced by the Westminster Assembly in the 1640s. They are the doctrinal standards of Presbyterian churches such as the PCA. They are subordinate standards, always under Scripture, but they are a faithful summary of the system of doctrine taught in Scripture.

Appears in: Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2) Also assigned to: Introduction - Why We Confess

Whole Counsel of God

The complete, comprehensive scope of God's revealed truth and purpose contained across all of Scripture.

Appears in: Introduction - Why We Confess, Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2)

Withal

Old English for "in addition" or "at the same time." When the Confession says God is merciful "and withal most just and terrible in his judgments," it means God is both at once. His mercy and His justice are never in tension.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 5 - Of Providence

Worship

Also: Corporate Worship

The reverent and obedient response of God’s people to His glory, expressed through prayer, praise, the reading and preaching of Scripture, and the sacraments, all according to God’s Word.

Appears in: Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture (Part 2), Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity

Wrath of God

Also: Wrath, Divine Wrath

God's holy, settled, and just opposition to sin. God's wrath is not a sudden mood or loss of temper but the steady response of His unchanging holiness to evil. The same God who loves what is good necessarily opposes what is evil. For believers, God's wrath has been fully borne by Christ; for the unrepentant, it remains.

Appears in: Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 1), Chapter 3 - Of God’s Eternal Decree (Part 2)