HOLDING FAST OUR CONFESSION

 Now in paperback!                                                                            

                                                                    PREFACE

The Westminster Confession of Faith has survived intact since being formulated by a special Assembly of an initial one hundred and forty-two “learned, godly and judicious Divines,” and thirty-two lay assessors. The Assembly convened for the first time on July 1^st 1643, and held regular meetings till February 22^nd 1649. The Westminster Confession of Faith itself was completed in 1647.

The Confession, comprising of thirty-three chapters, is simply a summary of the teaching of the whole Bible. Each chapter is a condensation of the Biblical doctrine listed by its heading. Thus, the Confession’s chapters are interconnected because the Bible Itself is a “seamless garment.”

To be sure, some Denominations have felt compelled to either add to or subtract from the Westminster Confession of Faith in order to make it fit with their own particular understanding of the Holy Scriptures. But the Presbyterian Churches throughout the world have asked their officers upon their ordination: “Do you own and accept the Westminster Confession of Faith as an exhibition of the sense in which you understand the Holy Scriptures, and as a confession of your Faith; and do you engage firmly and constantly to adhere thereto, and to the utmost of your power to maintain, and defend the same?”  Thus, the Westminster Confession expresses the sense in which Presbyterians understand the Holy Scriptures.

The Confession seeks only to declare what the infallible Holy Scriptures teach. We believe the Confession does this faithfully and concisely. Therefore, in the following, by utilising the Confession, we simply seek to declare and apply to you the infallible Holy Scriptures to God’s glory.

The following is an exposition of the Biblical teaching of the Westminster Confession of Faith.

The Keys of the Kingdom Review

A Scottish pioneer missionary's biography of angst, deprivation, and even death from the occident to the orient and back, set in the late 1800s and early 1900s. A great piece of fictional writing. The great visualized action, personal interactions piercing the human psyche in war and peace all serve to help the reader overlook the endearing hero's somewhat dodgy theology. A.J. Cronin certainly can write!

THE CUP: A REVIEW

 The Cup contains a sparkling and refreshing well thought out mix of short stories full of thought-provoking bubbles that stimulate the palate.

My personal favourite is The Cup short story itself. A great literary meal! It is a solidly nutritional piece of steroid-free organically-grown meat sandwiched between two thick and crusty slices of prologue and epilogue.

The Cup is fast flowing and really gives the impression that it is going somewhere. It is intellectually stimulating and is well written with intelligent dialogue. It is informative geographically and historically (even with the poetic licence!) – and the stuff in it about King Arthur is intriguing and credible. It marries the ancient with the (almost) contemporary; showing the emptiness and futility of the whole 60’s worldview thing. It shows the corrupting influence of drugs and drink upon the young, vulnerable and easily misled – not to mention its corrupting influence upon older people too.

The Brian Jones postscript brings us back to naked reality from the realm of fiction, and reminds us that The Cup story is an allegory – that fame and fortune is a grasping at the wind, that the “Holy Grail” is not a solid object, but spiritual. Like Geraldine in the story, we naively leave ourselves exposed to lust and evil in others when we are too trusting of smooth-talking strangers with hidden ulterior motives. Like the Heir in the story we need to be careful that we do not abuse whatever power we have over others on account of our own corruption. It was good to read a story that points the reader to the Bible for the answers. Quite brilliant!

I could go on and on praising individually the other stories included in this book. I really liked and enjoyed reading The Cup along with its collection of short stories by Alexander Tait (a.k.a. William Scobie). See also his Whisky in the Jar; Upon This Rock; Mightier than the Sword; Song of the River.

MY COMMENTS ON CONFESSION COMMENTARIES

                         MY COMMENTS ON CONFESSION COMMENTARIES

1.     Probably my favourite commentary on the Confession is Rowland Ward’s The Westminster Confession for the Church Today. I like it for its terse straight to the point brevity. Snapshots as opposed to full length movies makes it great for ready reference.

2.     My next favourite is AA Hodge’s The Confession of Faith for its in-depth analysis with its plethora of Scriptural logical discussion, apt illustrations, and practical applications.

3.     Next favourite is RC Sproul’s Truths We Confess for its affable, pastoral manner. It easily and readily engages the teachable reader for a comprehensive analysis of the Confession.

4.     Next is Robert Shaw’s An Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith for being just that, an exposition of the Confession. It was first published in 1845, but its Scriptural truths are, of course, timeless.

5.     GI Williamson’s The Westminster Confession of Faith for Study Classes, like all of the above, is excellent too. He gives pithy and good discussion.

Also, we would be remiss not to note that Presbyterians worldwide, some more than others, have tweaked the Confession as originally written and intended. Some felt the need to add a chapter or two. Others rewrote portions. WCF 23 Of the Civil Magistrate (particularly Section 3) gets a lot of attention.

Westminster Confession of Faith 23, Section III. The civil magistrate may not assume to himself the administration of the word and sacraments, or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven: yet he hath authority, and it is his duty, to take order, that unity and peace be preserved in the church, that the truth of God be kept pure and entire, that all blasphemies and heresies be suppressed, all corruptions and abuses in worship and discipline prevented or reformed, and all the ordinances of God duly settled, administered, and observed. For the better effecting whereof, he hath power to call synods, to be present at them, and to provide that whatsoever is transacted in them be according to the mind of God.

Says RC Sproul on Chapter 23, “Some people say that the longest word in the dictionary is antidisestablishmentarianism. That word is awkward because it includes a double negative. Antidisestablishmentarianism is the same thing as establishmentarianism, which is a political philosophy that argues that the state should have an established church, such as the Church of England. In many European and Asian nations, a particular faith is supported financially by government taxation and politically by the power of the sword.”

The Confession as originally written was, of course, intended for a national church. I favour the original.