Westminster Confession and Its Application to Today - Part 3

Ⅲ. Main subject ②

3. Relevance and singularity of Westminster Confession of Faith (C) vs. Doctrine (G) and Small Doctrine (S)

1) Integrative consideration among the three creeds

Westminster's creed begins with a biblical first in the creed history. The criticism of the text from the early 17th century, especially the original text of the Old Testament, was also the reason why the confession of the Bible was first. As God's revelation, the Bible is complete, complete, and sufficient (C 1,1). The confession of God's direct inspiration for the Old Testament in Hebrew (C 1,8) bears in mind that some scholars claim that the later collection of the original Hebrew text was not inspired. The Westminster creed refers to the duality of God's self-revelation: general revelation and special revelation (C 1,1; G 2). The confessional book reveals the ecclesiological and soteriological character of the Bible. God revealed Himself in many ways besides the general revelation through the light and creation and providence of nature, and gave the people who wrote it the Bible and the way of salvation (C 1,1; G 4). Trust in the Bible is given by the Holy Spirit. The arguments presented by the Confession include the celestial nature of the content, the validity of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the unity of all parts, the numerous excellence and the complete integrity of the Bible. In addition, the Bible's authoritative support of the Bible's authority is the complete development of the only way of salvation and the intention of giving all glory to God (C 1,5). This is the sufficiency of the Bible because the Bible explicitly records God's will for everything we need for our salvation, faith, and life. This is because God directly inspired 66 books of the Old and New Testaments (C 1,8) and made them the laws of faith and life (C 1,2). In other words, the Bible is the only law of new conduct (C 1, 4, 6, 7). And the Bible is the final court in all debates of religion (C 1,8). In the background of this confession there is a lot of controversy and persecution that the representatives of the conference experienced at that time and before. They wanted the Bible to be the only law and lived according to the Bible and were persecuted for insisting on translating the Bible, but now they publicly attend this meeting and boldly write this confession.
The Bible is the law of faith and life (C 1,2). Following these confessions, the two questionnaires treat the laws of faith (G 6–90; S 4–38) and the laws of life (G 91–196; S 39–107) in turn. The confession does not strictly follow this turn, but the laws of faith are only partially covered in confessional chapters 1–18, 25–33, and the laws of life in chapters 19–24. Confession books take the form of dividing the laws of faith by covering only a part of the laws of life. Most creeds from the Reformation present and comment on the Apostles' Creed in the Law of Faith and the Ten Commandments and the main prayer in the Law of Life. The Bible is the law of faith and life (C 1,2). Following these confessions, the two answer sheets deal with the laws of faith (G 6–90; S 4–38) and the laws of life (G 91–196; S 39–107). The confession does not strictly follow this turn, but the laws of faith are only partially covered in confessional chapters 1–18, 25–33, and the laws of life in chapters 19–24. Confession books take the form of dividing the laws of faith by covering only a part of the laws of life. Most creeds from the Reformation present and comment on the Apostles' Creed in the Law of Faith and the Ten Commandments and the main prayer in the Law of Life. It is a good way to learn the law of faith based on the confession, and the law of life by comparing the two doctrine questions and answers.

2) Doctrinal emphasis and singularity to watch

The most noteworthy part of the Westminster Confession of Confession is the section on “About the Bible,” especially in Chapter 1. First, the Bible reveals that it is the only special revelation of God. In general, organizational theology starts with ‘theology’, whereas creed starts with the Bible. The best and final authority is given to the Bible. This is a great declaration of the “Bible Only” that faces the challenge of corrupt Roman Catholicism. Through this, we can discern where God's will is and prevent abuse.
One of the characteristics of modern church members is that they often believe that faith grows when they receive direct revelation from God. The Westminster creed clearly states that there is no more direct revelation after the canon has been clearly established from the beginning (C 1,1). The Bible is the only special revelation of God, and the way God revealed to his people through angels, dreams, and prophets in the past has ended. Many heresies of the present time warn of seeking a target. In addition, the Bible is written in 66 books, all of which were given by God's inspiration to be the norms of faith and life (C 1,2), and the books called Apocrypha are non-biblical works in general. (C 1,3) is specified. In contrast, the Catholic Bible compels the Trent Council to include awe. The Bible is nothing more than the Word of God, so we must believe and obey the Bible itself (C 1,4). In this regard, among the theological theories, there are cases in which human reasoning is given priority to the interpretation of the Bible and forcing it to believers. That is why the creed guarantees the unity, completeness, and utility of the Bible (C 1,5). In short, the Bible is an infallible norm (C 1,9), and it is confirmed that the best judge for everything related to faith and the Church is the Holy Spirit (C 1,10) speaking in the Bible.

3) The connection between Westminster creed and King James Bible (KJV)

The three Westminster creeds have many citation footnotes that are based on the Bible, with a total of 16 footnotes in one set and an average of six. The scriptures in the footnotes of the three creeds are usually thousands. However, the reason to pay special attention to this footnote is that all of the quoted Bibles are King James Bible (KJV). The KJV Bible debate is one of the most intense debates in the modern Korean church as much as the debate over prayer of glosssolalia. Along with the controversial controversy between those who should encourage and encourage the prayer of the dialect (glossolalia) and those who say that the prayer of the dialect (glossolalia) is not from the Holy Spirit, those who adhere to the KJV and those who do not recognize the KJV on the basis of manuscripts It is an argument. It is not meaningful for us to support one side unilaterally from the standpoint of the student studying, but it is clear that it would be contrary to the Westminster creed if we asked for a target and refused to acknowledge KJV. I want to point out the reason.
First, when it comes to praying in tongues (glossolalia), “prayer with thanksgiving is a special part of religious worship. (Omitted) When praying out loud, you must speak in a well-known language.” (C 21,3). In 1 Corinthians 14:4, the apostle Paul affirms the personal utility of the glosssolalia itself. However, when it comes to praying in tongues (glossolalia), it seems like a negative nuance, but it is confusing to later generations with unclear expressions (1 Cor. 14:14). It must be done in a known language."
On the other hand, it relies on the first footnote of Confession 2:3, related to the verse that proves the Trinity, “There are three who testify in heaven, the Father and the Word and the Holy Spirit” (1 John 5:7). How many ranks do you have in your personality? The answer is (G 9, S 6), and in manuscripts, KJV is said to be unreliable, claiming that this passage was intentionally inserted in later generations. On the other hand, with regard to the world after death, KJV clearly defines hell, while clearly distinguishing it into two types, heaven and hell, while revising the Korean translation into three. The Westminster creed clearly supports KJV's position. (G 29).
Meanwhile, the Westminster Creed's commentary on the Ten Commandments and the main prayer is renowned for its excellence. Of these, it is noticeable that the translation of the revised version is incorrect in relation to the main prayer. In "As We Forgive Us Those Who Sinned", most versions are interpreted as'debts' as'wrong' or'debt', whereas the amendment and NLT are translated as sins. . The creed makes it very clear that the basis of prayer for apology is not our apology. We must confess that we are sinners who are not entitled to forgiveness. In this commentary of origin, we honestly admit that we owe us to God's justice for original sin. We have already been freed from sin, guilt, and punishment because of Christ's ransom obedience. Therefore, we should rely on the intercession of Jesus, not our merits, to ask God to forgive every day's crimes, and with confidence, we can enjoy peace and joy in fullness. Those who are forgiven in this way can forgive their neighbor's faults. The explanation of our creed is quite just. Just as our faith is not a condition or basis for apology, forgiveness of our neighbors is not a basis for our forgiveness.[3](G 194, S 105)

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