OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

1.  The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible standard of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.  Although the light of nature and the works of creation and providence manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God so much that man is left without any excuse, they are not sufficient to provide that knowledge of God and His will which is necessary for salvation.  Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in diverse manners to reveal Himself, and to declare His will unto his church; and afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church, protecting it against the corruption of the flesh and the malice of Satan and the world, it pleased the Lord to commit His revealed Truth completely to writing.  Therefore, the Holy Scriptures are most necessary, those former ways of God’s revealing His will to His people having now ceased.[1]

2.  Under the name of Holy Scripture, or the written Word of God, are now contained all of the following books of the Old and New Testaments:

Of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

Of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation

All of these books are given by the inspiration of God to be the standard of faith and life.[2]

3.  The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are not part of the canon (or standard) of the Scripture, and are therefore of no authority to the church of God, nor are they to be approved of or made use of any differently than other human writings.[3]

4.  The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, does not depend upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly and completely upon God, its Author, who is Truth itself.  Therefore, it is to be received because it is the Word of God. [4]

5.  We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the people of God to gain a high and reverent estimation of the Holy Scriptures.  We may be similarly affected by the nature of the Scriptures— the heavenliness of the contents, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole, which is to give all glory to God, the full disclosure it makes of the only way of man’s salvation, together with many other incomparable excellencies and entire perfections.  By all the evidence the Scripture more than proves itself to be the Word of God.  Yet, notwithstanding this, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth of Scripture and its divine authority, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.[5]

6.  The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture; unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelation of the Spirit, or traditions of men.  Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word.  There are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed.[6]

7.  All things in Scripture are not equally plain in themselves, nor equally clear to everyone; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed and observed for salvation, are so clearly put forward and revealed in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the educated, but the uneducated, may attain a sufficient understanding of  them by the due use of ordinary means.[7]

8.  The Old Testament in Hebrew, which was the native language of the people of God of old, and the New Testament in Greek, which at the time of the writing of it was most generally known to the nations, were immediately inspired by God, and were kept pure throughout the ages by His singular care and providence.  Therefore, they are authentic, so that in all controversies of religion, the church is to appeal to them as final.  Yet, because these original languages are not known to all the people of God, who have a right to and interest in the Scriptures, and who are commanded to read them and search them in the fear of God, therefore they are to be translated into the ordinary language of every nation into which they come, so that, with the Word of God living richly in all, people may worship Him in an acceptable manner, and through patience and comfort of the Scriptures may have hope.[8]

9.  The infallible standard for the interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself.  Therefore, whenever there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture, which is not manifold but one, it must be searched by other passages that speak more clearly.[9]

10.  The supreme judge, by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and by which must be examined all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, and doctrines of men and private spirits can be no other than the Holy Scripture, delivered by the Spirit. And in the sentence of Scripture we are to rest, for it is in Scripture, delivered by the Spirit, that our faith is finally resolved.[10]