Good And Necessary Consequence In The Westminster Confession -- By: C. J. Williams

Journal: Reformed Presbyterian Theological Journal
Volume: RPTJ 01:2 (Spring 2015)
Article: Good And Necessary Consequence In The Westminster Confession
Author: C. J. Williams


Good And Necessary Consequence In The Westminster Confession

C. J. Williams

Professor of Old Testament Studies
Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary

The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word: and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature, and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be obeyed. (WCF I:6)

The first chapter of the Westminster Confession has left the reformed church with a definitive statement of the perfection and completeness of the Holy Scriptures that is unrivaled in confessional literature. B.B. Warfield said of this chapter, “There is certainly in the whole mass of confessional literature no more nobly conceived or ably wrought-out statement of doctrine than the chapter ‘Of the Holy Scripture,’ which the Westminster Divines placed at the head of their confession and laid at the foundation of their system of doctrine.”1 Although a bold claim, it is hard to disagree with Warfield. The doctrine of Scripture propounded by the Westminster Confession has withstood the test of time as a remarkably sound and precise confessional statement of the biblical doctrine of the Holy Scriptures.

The comprehensiveness of Scripture is the initial emphasis of paragraph six (“The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary…”). This emphasis leads into a statement of the principal scope of Scripture: the glory of God and the salvation, faith and life of man. The Confession does not limit the whole counsel of God on these exalted to “what is expressly set down in Scripture.” An important distinction at this point identifies another mechanism by which one comprehends biblical truth. The Confession states that the whole counsel of God includes what “by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture.” This essay will explore the background, formulation, and application of this important provision.

At the time of the Westminster Assembly, the belief that one could deduce Scriptural verity and arrive at certain aspects of biblical tru...

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