Westminster Confession, week 1

Chapter 1: Of the Holy Scripture

1: Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men unexcusable;^[1] yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of His will, which is necessary unto salvation.^[2] Therefore it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal Himself, and to declare that His will unto His Church;^[3] and afterwards for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing;^[4] which makes the Holy Scripture to be most necessary;^[5] those former ways of God’s revealing His will unto His people being now ceased.^[6]

2: Under the name of Holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testament, which are these:

• Of the Old Testament:
• Genesis
• Exodus
• Leviticus
• Numbers
• Deuteronomy
• Joshua
• Judges
• Ruth
• I Samuel
• II Samuel
• I Kings
• II Kings
• I Chronicles
• II Chronicles
• Ezra
• Nehemiah
• Esther
• Job
• Psalms
• Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes
• The Song of Songs
• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• Lamentations
• Ezekiel
• Daniel
• Hosea
• Joel
• Amos
• Obadiah
• Jonah
• Micah
• Nahum
• Habakkuk
• Zephaniah
• Haggai
• Zechariah
• Malachi
• Of the New Testament:
• The Gospels according to
• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke
• John
• The Acts of the Apostles
• Paul’s Epistles to the
• Romans
• Corinthians I
• Corinthians II
• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians
• Thessalonians I
• Thessalonians II
• To Timothy I
• To Timothy II
• To Titus
• To Philemon
• The Epistle to the Hebrews
• The Epistle of James
• The first and second Epistles of Peter
• The first, second, and third Epistles of John
• The Epistle of Jude
• The Revelation of John

All which are given by inspiration of God to be the rule of faith and life.^[7]

3: The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon of the Scripture, and therefore are of no authority in the Church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings.^[8]

Larger Catechism, week 1

Q. 1. What is the chief and highest end of man?
A. Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God,^[1] and fully to enjoy him forever.^[2]

Q. 2. How doth it appear that there is a God?
A. The very light of nature in man, and the works of God, declare plainly that there is a God;^[3] but his word and Spirit only do sufficiently and effectually reveal him unto men for their salvation.^[4]

Q. 3. What is the Word of God?
A. The holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the Word of God,^[5] the only rule of faith and obedience.^[6]

Q. 4. How doth it appear that the Scriptures are of the Word of God?
A. The Scriptures manifest themselves to be the Word of God, by their majesty^[7] and purity;^[8] by the consent of all the parts,^[9] and the scope of the whole, which is to give all glory to God;^[10] by their light and power to convince and convert sinners, to comfort and build up believers unto salvation:^[11] but the Spirit of God bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in the heart of man, is alone able fully to persuade it that they are the very word of God.^[12]

Q. 5. What do the Scriptures principally teach?
A. The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.^[13]