27
August 1647 A.D. Church
of Scotland Adopts Westminster Confession of Faith
Archivist.
“August 27: Church of Scotland Adopts WCF (1647).” This
Day in Presbyterian History. 27 Aug
2014. http://www.thisday.pcahistory.org/2014/08/august-27/. Accessed 27 Aug 2014.
August 27: Church of Scotland Adopts WCF (1647)
Westminster Confession Approved by Church of Scotland
You
may ask upon reading the title of this contribution, why are we thinking
about adoption of the Westminster
Confession of Faith, when the whole This Day in Presbyterian History blog
deals with Presbyterian history in the United States? And that is a fair
question. But it is quickly answered by two considerations. First, this
Reformed standard—The
Westminster Confession of Faith—was, with few changes, the
subordinate standard of all the Presbyterian denominations in the United
States. And second, the Scots-Irish immigrants who came over to this
country in its earliest days held strongly to this Reformed creedal statement.
The Westminster Confession of Faith was
formulated by the Westminster Assembly of divines (i.e, pastors and
theologians) in the mid-seventeenth century, meeting at Westminster Abby in
London, England. To the one hundred and twenty
divines, primarily from the Church of England, were added nine Scottish
divines from the Church of Scotland. While the latter were seated as
non-voting members of that Assembly, still their presence was felt in very
effective ways during the six-year study that produced this confessional standard.
When
it was adopted by the Parliament in England, it then went to the General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland, where it was adopted without amendment
on August 29,
1647. It then became the summary of the teachings of
the Old and New Testaments which was “owned” by the officers of the
Church—the teaching and ruling elders, as well as the diaconate—in every local
congregation. Down through the centuries, some changes in the Confession were
made, most notably in 1789, but these have not affected the overall doctrinal
content of the Confession. The majority of those changes were made in 1789. You
can ask your pastor for more information about those changes.
The
historic importance of this document remains relevant to this day as a focal
point of our unity as Presbyterians, and so we seek to make our friends more
knowledgeable of its magnificent statements.
Words to live by: Most of the Presbyterian denominations do not
require their lay members to take vows which speak of their adoption of these
historical creedal standards in order to join the church. Yet a careful
study of, and acceptance of this Confession of Westminster will give you a
solid foundation for understanding the doctrine and life of the Word of
God. We urge you to do so, perhaps asking for a class in your church on
it, or just studying it yourself for your personal and family benefit.
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