Westminster Confession on Election & predestination
Unconditional — grounded in God's free choice
Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to His eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will, hath chosen, in Christ, unto everlasting glory, out of His mere free grace and love, without any foresight of faith or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving Him thereunto.
THE POSITION
WCF 3.5 rules out foreseen faith by name, and then rules out every substitute for it - foreseen works, foreseen perseverance, 'or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving Him thereunto.' WCF 3.2 has already separated foreknowledge from decree: God knows what would come to pass on all supposed conditions, and has decreed nothing because he foresaw it. Chapter 3 is infralapsarian in shape - 3.6 speaks of the elect 'being fallen in Adam' - and 3.7 states reprobation asymmetrically, God passing by the rest and ordaining them to wrath 'for their sin'.
4 For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love
16 OTHERS HOLD THIS
ABOUT THIS FIGURE
The confessional standard of English-speaking Presbyterianism, completed by the Westminster Assembly in 1646 and adopted with its Scripture proofs. This entry rests on the 1646 text from the manuscript of Cornelius Burges as edited by S. W. Carruthers (1937) for chapters 1-24, and on the 1647 text for chapters 25-33; the Assembly's own proof texts attached to each paragraph supply every reference below.
Cite this page
"Westminster Confession on Election & predestination", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/westminster/election (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/westminster/election).