What Does the ARP Confess About the Civil Government? by Rev. Benjamin Glaser

A common problem in our conservative Presbyterian circles is that some members of the PCA believe they not only invented American presbyterianism, but that they and the OPC are the only actual members of the party. One way their aloofness shows itself is through an unwillingness to recognize that not all of us descend from the 1729 Adopting Act nor gauge our history through Francis Makemie or the Philadelphia Assembly of 1789. When Makemie established the first presbytery in the American colonies in 1709 some of us were still in Scotland, both in and out of the revolution settlement CoS. Ebenezer Erskine was a spry twenty-nine years old and Alexander Moncrieff was fourteen. The years 1782 and 1803 are relevant to our history in ways the other dates are not. We are not overly concerned with what the mainliners were up to in those days.

We’ve been blessedly free from that mess for two hundred twenty plus years.

The reason why I bring that up is because the folks who think they hung the moon often assume we all have the same Westminster Confession of Faith. I mean we’re ‘Mericans right? Well, hate to bust the Atlanta crowd’s bubble, but no, we don’t all have the same neutered confession. That may come as a surprise to many ARP ministers and elders as well. I’ve found that it is not uncommon to show folks the differences and witness a shocked look being returned.

While ours is not pure stock as it maybe could be (the Pope is Antichrist) there is a big difference between our two communions when it comes to three particular chapters, Chapter 20 Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience, Chapter 23 Of the Civil Magistrate, and Chapter 31 Of Synods and Councils. For my contribution to Seventeen82 this month what I would like to do is explain the differences between the ARP and our NAPARC brethren and show why it matters, and especially why our ministers and elders should know why there exists this variance and then confess it themselves in their teaching and preaching on civil matters. Here’s a chart to get us going:

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA        ASSOCIATE REFORMED CHURCH

Ch. 20, Sect. 4 And because the powers which God hath ordained, and the liberty which Christ hath purchased, are not intended by God to destroy, but mutually to uphold and preserve one another, they who, upon pretense of Christian liberty, shall oppose any lawful power, or the lawful exercise of it, whether it be civil or ecclesiastical, resist the ordinance of God. And, for their publishing of such opinions, or maintaining of such practices, as are contrary to the light of nature, or to the known principles of Christianity (whether concerning faith, worship, or conversation), or to the power of godliness; or, such erroneous opinions or practices, as either in their own nature, or in the manner of publishing or maintaining them, are destructive to the external peace and order which Christ hath established in the church, they may lawfully be called to account, and proceeded against, by the censures of the church.

Ch. 20, Sect. 4 And because the powers which God hath ordained, and the liberty which Christ hath purchased, are not intended by God to destroy, but mutually to uphold and preserve one another; they who, upon pretense of Christian liberty, shall oppose any lawful power, or the lawful exercise of it, whether it be civil or ecclesiastical, resist the ordinance of God. And for their publishing of such opinions, or maintaining of such practices, as are contrary to the light of nature, or to the known principles of Christianity, whether concerning faith, worship, or conversation; or the order which Christ has established in His Church; they may be lawfully called to account, and proceeded against, by the censures of the church. , and in proportion as their  erroneous opinions or practices, either in their own nature, or in the manner of publishing or maintaining them, are destructive to the external peace of the church and civil society Christ hath established in the Church; they may also be proceeded against by the power of the civil magistrate.

One of the first things you should notice is that the ARP version of Chapter 20, section 4 is longer. That’s because it contains things the PCA version does not. Something you also may not realize is that our take contains alternate verbiage to the original 1647 Westminster Confession of Faith. There is no conflict per se, but our ARP Ch. 20 speaks to it in a modified manner. Without doubt the major difference concerns our belief that the civil authorities have a duty and a responsibility to keep heretics at bay, for they create public problems that concern the well-being of society. 

That is an important note that we’ll get into later. First let’s look at another major change:

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA        ASSOCIATE REFORMED CHURCH

Ch. 23, Sect. 3 Civil magistrates may not assume to themselves the administration of the Word and sacraments; or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven; or, in the least, interfere in matters of faith. Yet, as nursing fathers, it is the duty of civil magistrates to protect the church of our common Lord, without giving the preference to any denomination of Christians above the rest, in such a manner that all ecclesiastical persons whatever shall enjoy the full, free, and unquestioned liberty of discharging every part of their sacred functions, without violence or danger. And, as Jesus Christ hath appointed a regular government and discipline in his church, no law of any commonwealth should interfere with, let, or hinder, the due exercise thereof, among the voluntary members of any denomination of Christians, according to their own profession and belief. It is the duty of civil magistrates to protect the person and good name of all their people, in such an effectual manner as that no person be suffered, either upon pretense of religion or of infidelity, to offer any indignity, violence, abuse, or injury to any other person whatsoever: and to take order, that all religious and ecclesiastical assemblies be held without molestation or disturbance.

Ch. 23, Sect. 3 The civil magistrate may not assume to himself administration of the Word and sacraments, or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven; yet, as the gospel revelation lays indispensable obligations upon all classes of peoples who are favored with it, magistrates as such, are bound to execute their respective offices in a subserviency thereunto, administering government on Christan principles, and ruling in the fear of God, according to the directions of his word; as those who shall give an account to the Lord Jesus, whom God has appointed to be judge of the world. Hence magistrates, as such in a Christian country, are bound to promote the Christian religion, as the most valuable interest of their subjects, by all such means as are not inconsistent with civil rights; and do not imply an interference in the policy of the church, which is the free and independent kingdom of the Redeemer, nor an assumption of dominion over conscience.

Now the PCA portion gets to be longer for a change. That comes from the fact that the American revisions need to explain their voluntaryism (a libertarian political philosophy) in a way which would help folks understand why they demur from what the original WCF stated in regard to the duties and responsibilities of the State and the Church. The 23.3 on the left posits a radical division between Church and State. An almost nestorian solid wall meant in their mind to protect the State from the Church and the Church from the State. In defense of the changes the goal was more so to elaborate how a Federal Republic would work with myriads of Christian denominations growing like weeds in the new constitutional realm. It’s worth noting that even the 1789 American WCF assumes a Christian nation. However, the unintended consequence of the modifications was to separate the American presbyterian tradition from its Scottish and Continental Reformed forefathers. They were conspicuously headed in a new way, which leads to the multiplication and protection of not only troublers like the Millerites, but open anti-Christian forces like Islam, Marxism, and Atheism.

If you thought the above two were kind of minor, let me introduce you to Chapter 31.2:

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA        ASSOCIATE REFORMED CHURCH

Ch. 31, Sect. 2 It belongeth to synods and councils, ministerially to determine controversies of faith, and cases of conscience; to set down rules and directions for the better ordering of the public worship of God, and government of His Church; to receive complaints in cases of maladministration, and authoritatively to determine the same: which decrees and determinations, if consonant to the Word of God, are to be received with reverence and submission; not only for their agreement with the Word, but also for the power whereby they are made, as being an ordinance of God appointed thereunto in His Word.

Ch. 31, Sect. 2 The ministers of Christ, of themselves, and by virtue of their office; or they with other fit persons, upon delegation from their churches, have the exclusive right to appoint, adjourn, or dissolve such Synods or Councils: though, in extraordinary cases, it may be proper for magistrates to desire the calling of a Synod of ministers and other fit persons, to consult and advise with about matters of religion; and in such cases, it is the duty of churches to comply with their desire.

Well, that’s not just a change. You may notice that they are not even remotely the same. That’s because what the PCA confesses as Ch. 31.2 is what the ARP confesses as Ch. 31.3. The PCA WCF completely omits what the 1647 and/or the 1799 WCF teaches on this front.

Given the differences (radically so in WCF 31.2) what are we to understand at this point?

The ARP sees Romans 13 and 1 Timothy 2 (along with Isaiah 49:23, Psalm 2:8, Matthew 28:18-20, Col. 1:16-18, etc...) to teach that the State has a calling to promote the Christian religion, and to rule in accordance with Christian principles. Without getting too deep into the weeds on that what the ARP confesses to believe is that our civil government ought to be supporting Biblical Christianity, and through the example of Godly magistrates conforming our nation to the witness of Jesus Christ. That in that work our political authorities should be ensuring that the scurrilous promoters of false religion (in accordance with WCF 20.4) be curbed so that the true gospel can be freely proclaimed, and that Gov. McMaster ought to be inquiring to us in June 11-13, 2024 as we meet at Bonclarken as to how he can best accomplish this, not in a legislative sense, but in a theological one as is our role as a Synod given what WCF 31.2 says.

The usual pushback on these fronts have as their weakness a too present-minded opinion. With the radically anti-Christian GOP and DNC running things in 2023 the immediate application of what the ARP WCF says is found wanting for sure. Our Confession of Faith does not envision Chuck Schumer or Joe Biden doing these things, hence why I named the lesser magistrate in the paragraph above. Notice the ARP WCF 23.3 calls for Christian magistrates. Senator Schumer is Jewish and Joe Biden is an atheistic Catholic. However, the options on the other side of the aisle aren’t exactly much better. This may cause massive heartburn and probably some angry tweets, but it’s difficult to see how a personally pro-abortion (notwithstanding his practical work in the repeal of Roe v. Wade) and non-church attending former President Trump fits that label either. Relatedly we need to move ourselves away from the two-headed monster of feeling the need to pick the “lesser of two evils”, for you’re still selecting and promoting that which is not good. A way to do that is remembering that all politics is local. To train up godly leaders means starting at the bottom and working our way up. Ensuring the mayor of Clover is a Bible-believing Christian seems more important, and more impactful, than worrying about calling and emailing a Senator from a State I don’t, and won’t anytime soon, live in.

We as a country have a long way to go before we could see the principles laid out in the ARP WCF 20, 23, and 31 worked out in real life. However, Rome wasn’t built in a day and it wasn’t lost in a day either. If you told King Ethelbert that in a thousand years a Synod would be called to reform the English church and see Presbyterianism established in the three kingdoms he wouldn’t comprehend the statement. Likewise if Samuel Rutherford saw the condition of the Scottish church and state today 450 years after the Solemn League and Covenant he likely would be forming a Covenanting ISIS in the lowlands.

Our goal in confessing what the Bible does about the role of the Christian Church and State in the establishing the work of Jesus Christ and furthering the Great Commission does not depend on radical change in one generation or the next. It relies on the faithful testimony of His people resting in the Bible’s understanding of the way God has ordered His creation and doing the little things to see that it is brought to bear using His weapons of prayer, preaching, and praise. If we hope to have a Christian magistrate in America it begins in the Church in America. Secular political action is a fool’s errand, a vanity in the words of Solomon. Any attempt to Make America Great Again starts with reformation in the pews and in the homes of God’s people. We can’t hope to gain the country back if our hope is in godless leaders and warmongering think tanks and candidates whose vision is not based on the kind of Christian principles testified to in our Confession of Faith.

In closing, how should the ARP move forward on this? To put it simply our Seminary, our Candidates and Credentials committees, and our ministers and elders (not to mention our congregations) should first reacquaint themselves with our confessional documents. Then as we go back to our foundations on the question of our political theology as a denomination we then need to clearly preach and witness to our wicked rulers and call them to repentance and faith. However, to do that we need to follow Ephesians 5:16-19 and fill our minds with pure truth rather than giving our energy to the secular political carnival barkers and snake-oil salesmen who populate popular TV, radio, and the internet. There is a plethora of good material out there which lays out what we ought to believe concerning a Reformed, and confessional understanding of politics, even from the hands of our own Erskine forefathers. Take up and read, and one of the things that will happen even if our nation collapses under the judgment of God, for there is a season for all things, is that the seeds of what comes next will already be taking root, and as Christians have done several times in our history, we shall be prepared to establish a nation based not on avarice, greed, and idolatry, but upon the principles of Gods law and His gracious word. Be ready in season and out, by resting in His ways and means.

Blessings in Christ,

Rev. Benjamin Glaser, D. Min.

Pastor, Bethany ARP Church

PS. - For the original ARP 1799 Confession of Faith see this link. 

For a PDF or our current (the same on 21, 23, and 31) see here.

For the PCA/OPC American Revision WCF click at this point.