Westminster Confession on the Trinity
One substance, three persons, co-equal and co-eternal
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. The Father is of none, neither begotten, nor proceeding: the Son is eternally begotten of the Father: the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.
THE POSITION
WCF 2.3 states the Nicene settlement in a single sentence and then adds the Western eternal-relations clause: the Father of none, the Son eternally begotten, the Spirit eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. The filioque is affirmed without argument. Chapter 2 spends its first two paragraphs on the divine attributes and simplicity ('without body, parts, or passions') before naming the persons, so the unity is established before the distinctions are.
7 For there are three that testify:
17 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 the Trinity", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/westminster/trinity (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/westminster/trinity).