The Westminster Confession of Faith begins with the doctrine of Scripture because everything else depends on it. The devotional series from which this wiki draws its content was designed to walk through the entire Confession (171 sections), and the pattern of each episode models how to read Scripture devotionally. ^[raw/en/wcf-intro.md]
Each episode follows a consistent five-fold pattern that can serve as a model for personal Bible reading:
First, read the Confession itself — not a summary or paraphrase. The Westminster Divines chose every word with care, and their precise language is part of the treasure. In personal Bible reading, this means reading the biblical text directly, not merely reading about it. ^[raw/en/wcf-intro.md]
Second, ground every doctrine in specific passages of Scripture. The Confession does not float in mid-air; every statement is tethered to the Word of God by proof texts. The Puritans insisted that we must always go back to the Bible itself. As B.B. Warfield showed, the Westminster divines were not creating new doctrine but confessing what Scripture already teaches. ^[raw/en/wcf-intro.md]
Third, consider the historical context, the errors being opposed, and the theological concerns that shaped the formulation. This requires diligent study using the ordinary means — commentaries, faithful teaching, and the illumination of the Holy Spirit. ^[raw/en/wcf-intro.md]
Fourth, draw from the great teachers of the church — John Calvin, Thomas Watson, A.A. Hodge, Robert Shaw, and others. These men "saw things in Scripture that our generation, in its haste and distraction, has largely forgotten. They lived closer to the text. They prayed more over its pages." ^[raw/en/wcf-intro.md]
Fifth, bring every truth down to the conscience. The Puritan genius is that doctrine is never merely to be known; it is to be lived. Every truth must be examined in the light of our own hearts and pressed upon our wills. ^[raw/en/wcf-intro.md]
Finally, every episode closes with prayer — because theology that does not end in doxology is not true theology. Take the doctrine you have learned and turn it back to God in praise and petition. ^[raw/en/wcf-intro.md]
The Confession teaches that "all things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all: yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded... that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them" (WCF 1.7). ^[raw/en/wcf-ch01-s07.md]
This means the Bible is accessible to every believer. You do not need a degree in theology. You need a hungry heart, a willing mind, and a Bible within reach. As Thomas Watson says, "The Scripture is a garden in which there is not only the tall cedar of lofty mystery, but the hyssop of plain truth, which the weakest Christian may gather."
The Confession speaks of "a due use of the ordinary means." These include:
The Confession teaches: "The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself: and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture... it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly" (WCF 1.9). ^[raw/en/wcf-ch01-s09.md]
John Calvin modelled this in all his commentaries, consistently refusing to impose external meanings on the text and letting Scripture interpret Scripture.
Thomas Watson issues a solemn warning: "Oh how many can be looking at their faces in a glass all the morning — but their eyes begin to be sore when they look upon a Bible! Heathens die for lack of Scripture, and these in contempt of it."
And a precious promise: "The Word has comforted their hearts. When Christians have sat by the rivers weeping — the Word has dropped as honey, and sweetly revived them." ^[raw/en/wcf-ch01-s01.md]