When we hear the word “confessional,” we instinctively think of the great Reformed confessions: the Westminster Standards of Presbyterianism, or the Three Forms of Unity of the continental Reformed. These are good instincts, but they can miss the foundational and universal confessional reality: the Christian Church confesses “the Holy Scripture to be most necessary” (Westminster Confession of Faith 1.1) because it is the Word of the Triune God, bearing his authority, and so is “to be believed and obeyed” (WCF 1.4) as “the only rule of faith and obedience” (Westminster Larger Catechism 3). A healthy church will be a confessional church because the whole counsel of the Word of God, centered on Jesus Christ, is the full confession of every healthy church and every healthy Christian. It is from the source of this Word that faithful confessions have been written, summarizing biblical truths for positive instruction and guarding against doctrinal and practical error in the life of the church.

Two pitfalls churches may slip into while cherishing a rich confessional heritage are pride and disproportion — the spirit that characterized the scribes and Pharisees during the earthly ministry of our Lord. Often, where a congregation or individual drifts in this direction, there is a legalistic spirit in some areas and a light excusing of sin in others — while there is a form of godliness, the power of godliness that springs from communion with God in Christ is lacking. A genuinely confessional church cherishes both the form and the power of godliness. She loves her Lord deeply, which is why she loves his Word, and faithful ecclesial summaries of it. Healthy churches rejoice in sound doctrine, pursue holiness, and are marked by a gracious, holy love for the saints and compassion for the lost. Scripture testifies to this abundantly, whether in the book of Acts, the Epistles, or the book of Revelation. Each shows the pattern of confessing Christ in Spirit and in truth, in doctrine and life.

This is why a true church planted on the frontiers of gospel advance, even with little or no awareness of historic Reformed confessions, shares in the same desire and direction as a true church steeped in the heritage and awareness of the riches of biblical truth summarized in the Westminster Standards. While they may vary in degree of understanding and maturity in life and doctrine, they share the confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and the whole of Scripture as the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God. Why? Because he has brought them to this glorious confession, and they now know that in him they have all they need for life and growth in vitality to his glory. They love his Word, and love faithful confessional summaries of his Word.