# Chart Comparing Various Editions of WCF 23.3 (Of The Civil Magistrate)



## sastark (Jan 24, 2012)

I put together a comparison of various editions of Westminster Confession of Faith 23.3 (dealing with the civil magistrate). I've included the original, the ARP, PCA, OPC, RPCNA, EPC, and PCUSA. See it here: The Ruling Elder: A Comparison of WCF 23.3 (Of The Civil Magistrate)


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Jan 24, 2012)

Thanks for this. The men who I am training to be Elders were unaware that there had been changes made to the original WCF. I suspect that is the case for the vast majority of confessional Presbyterian churches.


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## J. Dean (Jan 24, 2012)

Are the changes significant enough to warrant alarm?


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## NaphtaliPress (Jan 24, 2012)

You may be interested in the old UPC text which given the merger is a text no longer held by any church. Pardon any typos; and I left out the scripture references. I may review and add this later if of interest. Without looking at the others, this seems somewhat different again from the other revisions I think.
23.3 The civil magistrate may not assume to himself the administration of the Word and Sacraments, or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven, or in the least interfere to regulate matters of faith and worship. As nursing fathers, magistrates are bound to administer their government according to the revealed principles of Christianity, and to improve the opportunities which their high station and extensive influence afford in promoting the Christian religion as their own most valuable interest and the good of the people demand, by all such means as do not imply any infringement of the inherent rights of the church; or any assumption of dominion over the conscience of men. They ought not to punish any as heretics or schismatics. No authoritative judgment concerning matters of religion is competent to them, as their authority extends only to the external works or practices of their subjects as citizens, and not as Christians. It is their duty to protect the church, in such a manner that all ecclesiastical persons shall enjoy the full, free, and unquestioned liberty of discharging every part of their sacred functions without violence or danger. They should enact no law which would in any way interfere with, or hinder the due exercise of government and discipline established by Jesus Christ in his church. It is their duty, also, to protect the person, good name, estate, natural and civil rights of all their subjects, in such a way that no person be suffered, upon any pretence, to violate them; and to take order that all religious and ecclesiastical assemblies, be held without molestation or disturbance. God alone being Lord of the conscience, the civil magistrate may not compel any under his civil authority to worship God contrary to the dictates of their own consciences, yet it is competent in him to restrain such opinions, and punish such practices, as tend to subvert the foundations of civil society, and violate the common rights of men.​


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## sastark (Jan 24, 2012)

Ben, our particular edition of the WCF has its own unique changes (compare ARP WCF 24.3 with original...or even PCA, OPC, RPCNA editions).

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J. Dean said:


> Are the changes significant enough to warrant alarm?



I'm not sure "alarm" is the right word, but any changes to our confession should be noted, I think, and reasonable justification should be given for such changes.

---------- Post added at 10:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:23 AM ----------

Thanks to some comments here, and some other suggestions, I've already revised and hopefully improved the chart. I changed the paper size to 8.5x11 and I also added the EPC's edition of WCF 23.3. On each page is the original WCF, and then two other editions. Please let me know if you have any further comments.

Chris, maybe I'll add a couple of "no longer existing" editions too, such as the UPC, and the PCUS.


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## KMK (Jan 24, 2012)

What does the RPCNA Testimony mean when it says, "We reject the portion of paragraph 3 after the colon?"


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## NaphtaliPress (Jan 24, 2012)

It seems to me if I recall rightly, that it amounts to landing at the same place the PCUSA does with their revision.


KMK said:


> What does the RPCNA Testimony mean when it says, "We reject the portion of paragraph 3 after the colon?"


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## sastark (Jan 24, 2012)

KMK said:


> What does the RPCNA Testimony mean when it says, "We reject the portion of paragraph 3 after the colon?"



I believe it means they reject the portion of the paragraph that I've *bolded* below:
_
The civil magistrate may not assume to himself the administration of the Word and sacraments, or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven: *yet he hath authority, and it is his duty, to take order, that unity and peace be preserved in the Church, that the truth of God be kept pure and entire; that all blasphemies and heresies be suppressed; all corruptions and abuses in worship and discipline prevented or reformed; and all the ordinances of God duly settled, administered and observed. For the better effecting whereof, he hath power to call synods, to be present at them, and to provide, that whatsoever is transacted in them be according to the mind of God.*_


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## SRoper (Jan 24, 2012)

I would double-check the OPC text. "...interfere in the matter so faith," if in the original, is almost certainly a drafting error.


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## rbcbob (Jan 24, 2012)

Thanks Seth. I filed it for future reference.


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## KMK (Jan 24, 2012)

sastark said:


> KMK said:
> 
> 
> > What does the RPCNA Testimony mean when it says, "We reject the portion of paragraph 3 after the colon?"
> ...



But, in the original it is a semicolon not a colon.


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## sastark (Jan 24, 2012)

SRoper said:


> I would double-check the OPC text. "...interfere in the matter so faith," if in the original, is almost certainly a drafting error.



Thanks, Scott! I've corrected the typo and reposted.

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KMK said:


> But, in the original it is a semicolon not a colon.



True. But in the RPCNA edition, it's a colon. I'll have to check my facsimile edition of the original Confession later today.


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## JS116 (Jan 24, 2012)

Interesting..after all this time I had the confession I never really looked up the differences within the denominations..

So let me get this right (Please correct me if i'm wrong) Th RPCNA believes it is the civil magistrates responsibility to keep heresies and blasphemies out the church?


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## Peairtach (Jan 24, 2012)

Office-bearers in the Free Church of Scotland subscribe to the original WCF with this rider:




> ACT XII, 1846: ACT ANENT QUESTIONS AND FORMULA (AS AMENDED BY ACT II, 1874)
> 
> Whereas it has become necessary, in consequence of the late change in the outward condition of the Church, to amend the Questions and Formula to be used at the licensing of Probationers, and the ordination of Deacons, Elders, and Ministers respectively, the General Assembly, with consent of a majority of Presbyteries, enact and ordain, that the following shall be the questions so to be used: And, considering that the Formula, to this Act subjoined, embodies the substance of the answers to the said questions, the Assembly appoint the same to be subscribed by all Pro-bationers of the Church before receiving license to preach the gospel, and by all Office-bearers at the time of their admission: And the General Assembly, in passing this Act, think it right to de-clare, that, while the Church firmly maintains the same scriptural principles as to the duties of nations and their rulers in reference to true religion and the Church of Christ, for which she has hitherto contended, she disclaims intolerant or persecuting principles, and does not regard her Confession of Faith, or any portion thereof, when fairly interpreted, as favouring intolerance or persecution, or consider that her office-bearers, by subscribing it, profess any principles inconsis-tent with liberty of conscience and the right of private judgment.


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## PuritanCovenanter (Jan 24, 2012)

I believe this is the portion rejected and the following testimony in points 19 and 20 explain why. The following portion is not the Civil Governments job according to the Testimony. That is the Church's responsibility. 



> yet he hath authority, and it is his duty, to take order, that unity and peace be preserved in the Church, that the truth of God be kept pure and entire; that all blasphemies and heresies be suppressed; all corruptions and abuses in worship and discipline prevented or reformed; and all the ordinances of God duly settled, administered and observed. For the better effecting whereof, he hath power to call synods, to be present at them, and to provide, that whatsoever is transacted in them be according to the mind of God.





> http://reformedpresbyterian.org/assets/pdf/Constitution04.pdf
> Testimony of RPCNA
> 
> 18. _We reject _the portion of paragraph 3 after the colon.
> ...


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## PuritanCovenanter (Jan 24, 2012)

KMK said:


> sastark said:
> 
> 
> > KMK said:
> ...



In the 1646 it is a Colon.


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## J. Dean (Jan 24, 2012)

JS116 said:


> Interesting..after all this time I had the confession I never really looked up the differences within the denominations..
> 
> So let me get this right (Please correct me if i'm wrong) Th RPCNA believes it is the civil magistrates responsibility to keep heresies and blasphemies out the church?


You have to remember that at the time of the Reformation, there was no concept of "separation of church and state" from either Rome or Luther. Calvin went a little further with the concept, but even he did not believe in the complete divorce of the two. As a matter of fact, the first time I read of the severing of it comes from the Anabaptists.


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Jan 24, 2012)




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## Dearly Bought (Jan 24, 2012)

with his


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## sastark (Jan 26, 2012)

I added a little bit of commentary to my chart and The Aquila Report has posted it as an article today: What Does Your Church Believe About the Civil Magistrate?


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## Craig.Scott (Jan 26, 2012)

I find it a bit strange how the churches of America have a different (to an extent) Confession of Faith to us in the UK. I personally could not be in an elder in any of the Reformed churches that did not hold fast to _the_ Westminster Confession of Faith.








In Christ


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