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Originally Posted by Daniel Ritchie  Okay, I know that you can revise a confession of faith, but I tend to get the impression that once you go down a revisionist road then the whole content of the WCF (for instance) is up in the air. |
Well it didn't take long for the WCF to be revised by those who couldn't agree with it. John Owen and Thomas Goodwin, for example, helped craft the Savoy declaration. And then, of course, you have the 1689 Baptist revision as well. In other words there were eminent figures who struggled with the WCF.
What stops the revisionist slippery slope? The supreme norm of Scripture. Tradition (embodied in confessions) is always to be ruled by Scripture. In most cases where confessions have either ceased to be observed, or become so watered down as to be useless, it's because the supreme norm of Scripture has been surrendered. I agree with your doubts about the papacy precisely because I don't think the WCF position can be defended from Scripture. Scripture is the supreme norm that trumps tradition (and reason and experience) and gives us the confidence to revise a confession if need be.
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Originally Posted by Daniel Ritchie Currently, I only have one exception (that I know of) to the Westminster Standards - that of 25:6 were it affirms that the papacy is in the church, and that the papacy is the man of sin. However, I would be reluctant to call for this to be revised, because once you start, where do you stop? |
I think the WCF is a magnificent document and the Westminster Assembly was perhaps the greatest collective of divines ever to meet in church history, however, Daniel, your objection points to a problem I have with the WCF: it makes decisions on issues that believers should be free to disagree over. I'm not advocating a lowest common denominator Christianity at all--far from it; Christians can't become mature without moving from spiritual "milk" to spiritual "meat" (Heb. 5:11ff.). However, I would think the issue you raise concerning the papacy is a matter of freedom between believers and it's a great pity a line in the sand is drawn by the WCF at this point.
Hence, good men (like you) struggle to stay in a denomination over issues which mature believers can disagree. It's precisely this problem that then gives rise to subscription to the "system of doctrine" taught in the WCF, which is vague and hence causes all sorts of problems.
One other thing to think about is that the WCF doesn't address certain theological controversies that have arisen since 1647. I would think that confessions will need to be written until the Lord returns, precisely because they aren't inspired.
Every blessing brother Daniel.