WCF 2.1-3

This chapter needs a serious overhaul. First, I think the title should be changed to "Of God" or to "Of the Holy Trinity" or even to "Of God, the Holy Trinity". I also think the last section should be the first so that the doctrine of the Trinity is established as the context in which the rest of our understanding about God is couched. If it wasn't for the last section this chapter might as well advocate unitarianism. I think a restructuring of this section is necessary if only from a pedagogical standpoint for those new Christians who come to the Confession looking to solidify their understanding of God. The main problem with this chapter is that it attempts to describe and define God seemingly apart from the ontological truth/reality of the Trinity. Much theology has been written on this in recent centuries (some of it very good, from what I understand) since the formulation of the Confession and such work should probably be taken into account now. This chapter grates on my theological nerves and it isn't the content so much as it is the format in which that content is being displayed. This could be done much, much better.



Chapter 2 - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity


I. There is but one only,(1) living, and true God,(2) who is infinite in being and perfection,(3) a most pure spirit,(4) invisible,(5) without body, parts(6) or passions;(7) immutable,(8) immense,(9) eternal,(10) incomprehensible,(11) almighty,(12) most wise,(13) most holy,(14) most free,(15) most absolute;(16) working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will,(17) for His own glory;(18) most loving,(19) gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin;(20) the rewarder of them that dilligently seek Him;(21) and withal, most just, and terrible in His judgments,(22) hating all sin,(23) and who will by no means clear the guilty.(24)

I. There is only one (1) living and true God.(2) He is infinite in being and perfection.(3) He is a spirit.(4) He is immutable,(8) immense (9) and without beginning or end;(10) He cannot be fully or completely comprehended.(11) God is almighty,(12) most wise,(13) most holy,(14) most free (15) and most absolute.(16) He works all things according to the council of His will (17) and for His own glory.(18) He is most loving,(19) gracious and merciful; He is abundant in goodness, truth and forgiveness.(20) He rewards those who dilligently seek Him (21) and He is most just in His judgments.(22) He hates all sin (23) and will not let the guilty go unpunished.(24)

I've left some things completely out and reworded a few others in this section. First thing that I've left out is "invisible, without body, parts or passions". I've removed "invisible" because it's almost redundant following "spirit" and because Paul says that God is clearly "seen" by all men, even if only in and through the created order. I've removed "without body, parts or passions" partly because it is also redundant following "spirit" but also because the section goes on to note several "passions" God does, in fact, have (e.g. love, graciousness, mercy, etc.). I changed "eternal" into "without beginning or end" to accommodate both those who believe God is outside of time and those who believe He is not. I've changed "incomprensible" to "cannot be fully or completely comprehended" because the former seems to create a picture of total ignorance on our part, as if we can have no knowledge of God at all. Everything else is, more or less, intact.

II. God hath all life,(25) glory,(26) goodness,(27) blessedness,(28) in and of Himself; and is alone in and unto Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which He hath made,(29) nor deriving any glory from them,(30) but only manifesting His own glory in, by, unto, and upon them. He is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things (31) and hath most sovereign dominion over them, to do by them, for them, or upon them whatsoever Himself pleaseth.(32) In His sight all things are open and manifested,(33) His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature,(34) so as nothing is to Him contingent, or uncertain.(35) He is most holy in all His counsels, in all His works, and in all His commands.(36) To Him is due from angels and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience He is pleased to require of them.(37)

II. God has all life,(25) glory(26) and goodness(27) in and of Himself. He alone is all-sufficient and is in need of nothing but Himself.(29) Neither does He derive glory from His creation,(30) rather He manifests His own glory in and through it. He is the source of all being and nothing exists apart from His sustaining power.(31) God has complete sovereign dominion over all things so that He does to them that which is according to His will alone.(32) In His sight all things are open and made clear,(33) His knowledge is infinite, infallible and is not dependent upon anything.(34) There is nothing that is contingent or uncertain to God.(35) He is most holy in all His counsels, in all His works, and in all His commands.(36) God alone is to be worshiped and obeyed by men, angels and all of creation in accordance with His stipulations as He sees fit to require.(37)

Here I've done little other than rearrange. I left out "blessedness" because I feel like it clutters more than it helps but everything else is basically the same. I don't like that the Confession, here, says that God does not derive glory from His creation because it seems like the Scriptures speak clearly to the contrary. God does not need to derive glory from us or from His creation, but that is different from saying that He doesn't derive glory from us or it at all. I will readily concede that the glory He receives from us and from creation is His own and not new or additional glory as if He can have more or as if we (or creation) could generate our own apart from Him (here the Confession is right). Even though it is His own glory that He receives from us and creation, it is from us and creation that He receives it and, thus, He does derive glory from us and His creation. In other words (and more simply), I think this is a contradiction that needs to be rectified.

III. In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost:(38) the Father is of none, neither begotten, nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father;(39) the Holy Ghost is eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. (40)

III. The unity of the Godhead consists of three persons in one substance, power and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.(38) The Father is of none, neither is He an only son, nor does He proceed from anything or anyone. The Son is eternally the only son of the Father.(39) The Holy Spirit is eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.(40)

I changed "Ghost" to "Spirit" simply because the word "ghost" seems archaic and, somehow, less accurate than "spirit" when describing the third person of the Trinity. Also, the word "begotten" is sort of tricky so I took the meaning of the Greek word monogenes which denotes "only child" in this context.