The Historical Context of the Westminster Assembly

I have recently started teaching a series on the Westminster Confession of Faith. You can find the recordings at this link. In the first lesson, I gave an overview of the confession and its historical context. 

In 1560, the Church of Scotland had been reestablished on the Genevan model as a Presbyterian church through the influence of John Knox and others. Further to the south, the Church of England (the Anglican Church) had gone back and forth under Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary Tutor, settling down in the reign of Elizabeth I with the Calvinist theology of the 39 Articles and Book of Homilies, government by bishops appointed by the monarch, and worship directed by the Book of Common Prayer. 

James I introduced a few Anglican practices in the Church of Scotland and came into conflict with Presbyterian protest. His son, Charles I, became more aggressive against Presbyterians and Puritans. Under his archbishop, William Laud, the Puritans were persecuted and some who embraced Arminianism and “high church” practices were promoted. 

The tipping point was reached when Charles I sought to impose a new Book of Common Prayer on the Church of Scotland in 1637. This led to widespread protest, a firm stand for Presbyterianism by the Scottish church, and successful armed resistance by the Scottish authorities and nation, which caused Charles I to relent. Because this left the king in a poor financial condition, he was forced to assemble the English Parliament to ask for taxes. But since Charles I had ruled without Parliament for eleven years, Parliament had many grievances and desired reforms it sought to act upon once it was called into existence. 

Because of a growing desire for the reformation of the church, the English Parliament called the Westminster Assembly “for the settling of the government and liturgy of the Church of England, and clearing of the Doctrine of said Church from false aspersions and interpretations.” The assembly was composed of about 120 “divines” (ministers of the word) representing all the counties of England and Wales, along with 30 representatives from the English parliament (the members of the assembly are listed here). The assembly began with the work of revising the 39 Articles, with the chief aim of making the Calvinist theology of the articles unmistakably clear. 

A couple months after the assembly began, the Solemn League and Covenant was signed between England and Scotland. This gave the assembly the task of creating new Reformed standards for doctrine, government, and worship for the churches in the three kingdoms of England, Ireland, and Scotland. Scotland sent commissioners to assist the assembly, including Alexander Henderson, George Gillespie, and Samuel Rutherford. The English Civil War had begun between the forces of the king and the forces of the English Parliament, and so the English Parliament allied itself with Scotland by this covenant. 

In The Solemn League and Covenant (1643), the kingdoms pledged,

“I. That we shall sincerely, really, and constantly, through the grace of GOD, endeavor, in our several places and callings, the preservation of the reformed religion in the Church of Scotland, in doctrine, worship, discipline, and government, against our common enemies; the reformation of religion in the kingdoms of England and Ireland, in doctrine, worship, discipline, and government, according to the Word of GOD, and the example of the best reformed Churches; and shall endeavour to bring the Churches of GOD in the three kingdoms to the nearest conjunction and uniformity in religion, Confession of Faith, Form of Church Government, Directory for Worship and Catechising; that we, and our posterity after us, may, as brethren, live in faith and love, and the Lord may delight to dwell in the midst of us. 

“II. That we shall, in like manner, without respect of persons, endeavour the extirpation of Popery, Prelacy (that is, Church government by archbishops, bishops, their chancellors and commissioners, deans, deans and chapters, archdeacons, and all other ecclesiastical officers depending on that hierarchy), superstition, heresy, schism, profaneness, and whatsoever shall be found contrary to sound doctrine and the power of Godliness; lest we partake in other men’s sins, and thereby be in danger to receive of their plagues; and that the Lord may be one, and his name one, in the three kingdoms. 

“III. We shall, with the same sincerity, reality, and constancy, in our several vocations, endeavour, with our estates and lives, mutually to preserve the rights and privileges of the Parliaments, and the liberties of the kingdoms; and to preserve and defend the king’s majesty’s person and authority, in the preservation and defence of the true religion and liberties of the kingdoms; that the world may bear witness with our consciences of our loyalty, and that we have no thoughts or intentions to diminish his majesty’s just power and greatness.” (The full text is available here.)

The Westminster Assembly (1643-1652) accordingly went on to produce the Westminster Confession of Faith, Larger and Shorter Catechisms, Directory of Public Worship, and Form of Presbyterial Church Government. The established churches of Ireland and England did not hold to these standards for long, since Charles II rejected them after he became king in 1660. Nevertheless, the Westminster Confession and Catechisms endured as the standards of the Church of Scotland and of confessional Presbyterian churches throughout the world. 

In America, the Westminster Confession and Catechisms were adopted by the Synod of Philadelphia in 1729 and by the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America in 1789 with a few minor revisions regarding church-state relations. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church adopted them in 1936, with a few more minor revisions that had taken place in the meantime. 

Even though the Westminster Assembly (1643-1652) did not bring about the lasting uniformity of religion between Scotland, Ireland, and England that was its goal, it did lay important groundwork for unity among the Scots, Scot-Irish, and English who came to America.

Because of the Solemn League and Covenant between Scotland and England and how it shaped the task of the Westminster Assembly, Presbyterians from the three kingdoms of the British Isles were prepared to form one Presbyterian church in America. They had already gone through the work of agreeing to shared standards for doctrine, worship, and church government. This also united them as they sent missionaries throughout the world. 

The Congregationalists in New England also used the confession and catechisms of the Westminster Assembly, sometimes with modifications, which helped them to work with the Presbyterians in various ways over the years, including the Plan of Union (1803). The Westminster Shorter Catechism was often included in the popular New England Primer. Early Baptists in America also based their confessional documents on the Westminster Confession of Faith and the modifications Congregationalists had made to it.

Today, there are more Presbyterians in Mexico than there are in the USA, more Presbyterians in Brazil than there are in Scotland, and more Presbyterians in South Korea than there are in all these other four countries combined. The legacy of the Westminster Assembly endures. These documents continue to serve as a rich statement of biblical truth and a time-tested summary of the Christian faith.

The Judicial Laws, the 39 Articles, and the Westminster Confession

The Westminster Assembly (1643-1652) addressed the judicial laws of the Old Testament in 19.4 of the Westminster Confession of Faith. To understand its statement, it is helpful to compare it to what the 39 Articles had said previously. The 39 Articles had served as the confession of faith for the Church of England since 1571. In its chapter on the Old Testament, the 39 Articles said, 

“Although the Law given from God by Moses, as touching Ceremonies and Rites, do not bind Christian men, nor the Civil precepts thereof ought of necessity to be received in any commonwealth…”

In their initial revision of the 39 Articles (available in The Minutes and Papers of the Westminster Assembly, 5:326), the Westminster Assembly specified which judicial laws are no longer binding on nations: 

“Although the Law Given from God by Moses, as touching ceremonies and Rites, do not bind Christians, nor the civill precepts given by Moses, such as were peculiarly fitted to the commonwealth of the Jews, are of necessity to be received in any Commonwealth...” (emphasis added)

This helps us understand the distinction made in it the final product of the assembly. In its confession of faith, the Westminster Assembly made the same distinction in a different way, specifying which laws continue to be binding rather than specifying which ones do not. 

"To them also, as a body politic, he gave sundry judicial laws, which expired together with the State of that people, not obliging any other, now, further than the general equity thereof may require." (WCF 19.4) 

This is to say that the judicial laws of the Old Testament are binding on states today as far as they are of universal equity and not peculiarly fitted to Israel, a distinction that was commonly made at the time. 

For example, Johannes Piscator’s appendix to his commentary on Exodus was quoted favorably in the writings of men at the Westminster Assembly (George Gillespie, Francis Cheynell, and Samuel Rutherford). In that appendix, Johannes Piscator (1546—1625) argued that

“the magistrate is obliged to those judicial laws which teach concerning matters which are immutable and universally applicable to all nations, but not to those which teach concerning matters which are mutable and peculiar to the Jewish or Israelite nations for the times when those governments remained in existence.” (Disputations on the Judicial Laws of Moses, Braselton, GA: American Vision, 2015 [1605], 4-5)

While a member of the Westminster Assembly, Samuel Bolton published The True Bounds of Christian Freedom (1645). In this book, he said “in respect of the ceremonial and the judicial law we find few dissenters.” Here is how he explained this common view of the judicial law:

“As for the judicial law, which was an appendix to the second table, it was an ordinance containing precepts concerning the government of the people in things civil, and it served three purposes: it gave the people a rule of common and public equity, it distinguished them from other peoples, and it gave them a type of the government of Christ. That part of the judicial law which was typical of Christ's government has ceased, but that part which is of common and general equity remains still in force. It is a common maxim: those judgements which are common and natural are moral and perpetual.” (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1964 [1645], 56)

This concept and terminology was also found at this time on the other side of the Atlantic. Thomas Shepherd, minister in Massachusetts, cited and affirmed Piscator's view. The New Haven Colony affirmed in 1642, 

“that the judicial law of God given by Moses and expounded in other parts of scripture, so far as it is a hedge and a fence to the moral law, and neither ceremonial nor typical nor had any reference to Canaan, hath an everlasting equity in it, and should be the rule of their proceedings.” (Charles Hoadly, ed. Records of the Colony and Plantation of New Haven from 1638 to 1649, Hartford: for the Editor, 1857, 69)

I believe that most "theonomists" who seek to be confessional are in agreement with the Westminster Confession of Faith. I would also encourage theonomists to benefit from the clear thinking and hard work that has been done in the Reformed tradition concerning the application of God's law to society. For more on this topic, you can listen to my lesson on this portion of the Westminster Confession, available at this link.

For Thine Is the Kingdom

Question 107: What doth the conclusion of the Lord's Prayer teach us?
Answer: The conclusion of the Lord's Prayer, which is, For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever, Amen. teacheth us to take our encouragement in prayer from God only, and in our prayers to praise him, ascribing kingdom, power, and glory to him; and, in testimony of our desire, and assurance to be heard, we say, Amen. (WSC)

If you open your Bible to Matthew 6:13, you may or might not see this conclusion to the prayer in the text depending on what translation you are using. This conclusion is not in some early Greek manuscripts of the Bible, some of the church fathers do not include it when discussing the Lord’s Prayer, and Jerome did not include it in his Latin translation of the Bible. But it is in most of the Greek manuscripts as well as the Didache (an early church manual from around AD 90) and it is an expected end to a prayer. I think either (1) it is original but accidentally got dropped from a few manuscripts, or (2) the prayer was designed with the expectation that a doxology would be used at the end, and this one was adapted from Scripture (1 Chron. 29:11-12, 2 Tim. 4:18) and put to the prayer very early on, and that it was included in biblical manuscripts because due to its widespread use it was thought to be original. In either case, it is fitting and biblical in content.

This conclusion is a doxology, an expression of praise to God. It declares that he reigns, he is all-powerful, and he is glorious, eternally. Therefore he deserves to be reverenced and obeyed, and therefore he is able to help and deliver us.

This conclusion teaches us to rest upon God alone in prayer. He is our confidence. We make our petitions resting upon his power and goodness. It also teaches us to praise him in our prayers. Not only are we to confess our sins and make our requests known to God, but we are also to give him glory. We are to thank him for all his benefits. We are to praise him for all his excellencies. “Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!” (Psalm 150:2)

God is sovereign over all and deserves praise and service from his creation. He is also our Father who cares for us. Therefore we we draw near to him, that we might glorify God and enjoy him, both now and forever. And to commit to the words of our prayer, witnessing to our sincere desire to be heard and our assurance that we will be heard, we say, “Amen.”

Deliver Us From Evil

Question 106: What do we pray for in the sixth petition?
Answer: In the sixth petition, which is, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, we pray, that God would either keep us from being tempted to sin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted. (WSC)

Not only do we pray for forgiveness - we also pray for a renewal of righteousness within us. Both of these are gifts we receive from God in Christ.

We need to be delivered from evil. The evil one seeks your destruction (1 Peter 5:8). Sinful desires seek to destroy your soul (1 Peter 2:11). The fallen world pressures you to live in immorality (1 Peter 4:3-4). Apart from Christ, we are evil in heart, spurred on by the evil of others around us, and in bondage to the evil one. Even in Christ, we are subject to assaults from these evil forces which seek to destroy us through deceitful temptation. You can resist them only as God strengthens you. Therefore, we are to watch and pray that we may not enter into temptation (Matt 26:41). We are to pray that God would keep us back from sins and would prevent them from having dominion over us (Ps. 19:13).

Pray that God would keep you from temptation by restraining the world and Satan and especially by subduing your evil desires, so that you view the world with purity and uprightness rather than with corrupt imaginations and thoughts. Pray that when you are tempted by the arguments of tempters, by external occasions for sin, and by your inner desire for sin, that you would be enabled to stand firm against such temptation. Pray that God would give you quick and whole-hearted repentance when you do fall into sin. Pray this not only for yourself, but for your brothers and sisters in Christ (“us”), that we all might be delivered from error, sin, and the snares of Satan.

Having prayed this prayer, do not act foolishly and think you are invincible, walking into temptation. Pray for God’s help, and then fight! Be on your guard against temptation. Mortify bad thoughts, cutting them off before they develop. Replace them with good thoughts, good habits, and good words and works.

Pray with hope, knowing that Christ does help his people overcome sin more and more. This prayer will be answered in this age and fully answered in eternity, when all God’s children shall be fully freed from sin, temptation, and all evil, forever.

Forgive Us Our Debts

Question 105: What do we pray for in the fifth petition?
Answer: In the fifth petition, which is, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, we pray that God, for Christ's sake, would freely pardon all our sins; which we are the rather encouraged to ask, because by his grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others. (WSC)

Our trespasses against God’s law are called debts. A debt is created when you do not pay what you owe. We owe to God complete and precise obedience. When we disobey him, justice demands satisfaction.

You are unable to pay your debts. Apart from grace, you only add to your debt. As the song goes, you are “another day older and deeper in debt.” You deserve to loose all you have and undergo eternal judgment.

But Jesus teaches his disciples that they have access to forgiveness. Jesus has paid their debts through his death, so that they might receive forgiveness through faith in him (Col. 2:12-14). God’s forgiveness is described as the forgiving of a debt. This means that when you are forgiven, you are no longer guilty and no longer liable to punishment. You are free from that burden! You are no longer in bondage to your sins.

This is a daily prayer, which implies that we sin daily. Just as we are constantly dependent for our "daily bread," so we are also constantly dependent upon God’s forgiveness. This request is an implicit confession of sins. It admits that one has debts to be forgiven. It means you should regularly confess your sins and seek God’s mercy (1 John 1:7-10).

This request also makes a connection between God’s forgiveness of your debts and your forgiveness of the debts of others. People become indebted to you when they do not fulfill their obligations to you, when they treat you wrongly and unjustly. Jesus teaches that God will not forgive the trespasses of those who do not forgive the trespasses committed against them. Jesus implies as much in the prayer and he says so in Matthew 6:14-15 (see also Matthew 18:21-35). We do not earn God’s forgiveness by forgiving others, but it is a sign that God’s grace is at work in us when we practice this love. If you do not forgive the one who confesses his sin against you, then do not expect God to forgive you when you confess your sin to him. This prayer reminds us to not be hypocritical, asking God for what we will not give others. But if you do forgive the sins of others against you, this is an encouraging sign to you that you are a disciple of Christ and recipient of divine forgiveness.

Our Daily Bread

Question 104: What do we pray for in the fourth petition?
Answer: In the fourth petition, which is, Give us this day our daily bread, we pray that of God’s free gift we may receive a competent portion of the good things of this life, and enjoy his blessing with them. (WSC) 

In this petition, Jesus directs us away from self-sufficiency, anxiety, false asceticism, and greed. He teaches us to ask our heavenly Father to provide for our physical needs. This petition builds on several truths of Scripture.

1. Food is a gift from God, to be received with thanksgiving and joy (1 Tim. 4:1-5, 6:17). We need food and drink and clothing, and he provides good things that are useful and pleasant. “You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart” (Psalm 104:14–15). 
2. God cares for his children. Christ’s disciples are not orphans in this world. We have a heavenly Father who responds to the prayers and needs of his children. “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ … But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:31, 33). 
3. Our daily bread should be received as a gift, with gratitude, contentment, and love. This is the way to joy. And this ability to receive and appreciate his provision is itself a gift of God for which we should ask. “Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 5:19).

Jesus makes this request very practical and concrete by saying “this day our daily bread.” Do you get up in the morning and ask God for that day’s food? Or at night, do you pray for the food and shelter for the following day? Jesus teaches us to be like Israel in the wilderness who collected a new batch of manna from God every day. He teaches us to be dependent on God, not merely in a general way, but for today’s bread.

Jesus also directs us to make a modest request. He does not say, “make us rich,” “help me win the lottery,” “make me invincible against all weakness and need.” He does not encourage that approach. Rather, he teaches us to ask for daily bread, for a competent portion of the good things of this life. If God’s gifts come with God’s favor and are received as gifts with contentment, then they can provide great joy and gladness, even if they are small and simple.

From Nebuchadnezzar to Herod

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” 

(Galatians 4:4-5)

When the New Testament begins its narrative, centuries had passed since the events recorded in the historical parts of the Old Testament. What had happened in the meantime? That is what I sought to explain in a recent Sunday school lesson, which you can listen to here. What I have written below is adapted from that lesson. Much of this time period is reviewed in the prophecies of Daniel. Four empires would hold sway from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to the coming of the Christ: Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. 

1. The Jews under the Babylonians

Babylon gained control over Jerusalem in 605 BC, which is when Daniel was taken to Jerusalem. After a rebellion against Babylon, King Jehoiachin of Judah surrendered in 597 BC and was brought to Babylon, along with other exiles like Ezekiel. Jehoiachin's uncle Zedekiah later rebelled against Babylon and was captured in 587 BC. At that time, the temple was destroyed. Yet Jehoiachin was later elevated from prison in 561 BC and his grandson Zerubbabel was appointed as the Persian governor of Judah in 538 BC.

2. The Jews under the Persians

Cyrus the Great consolidated control over the Medes and Persians and then conquered Lydia and Babylon. His son conquered Egypt. After his conquest of Babylon in 539 BC, Cyrus issued a decree in 538 BC encouraging the Jews to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild their temple. A group returned under Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest. They finished the new temple in Jerusalem in 516 BC.

The Bible also records the reforming work of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Malachi in the mid-400s. After this, prophecy ceases and emphasis is given to the work of priests and scribes who copied and taught Scripture, continuing the legacy of Ezra. The Jews remained under Persian rule until 332 BC.

3. The Jews under the Greeks 

Alexander the Great, a Macedonian king who was Greek by education and culture, took over all of Greece, Persia, and beyond. He allowed the Jews to follow their customs. After his death, his kingdom broke up into four successor kingdoms. 

The Ptolemys, the “kings of the south” (i.e. Egypt) maintained control of Judea throughout the 200s and were relatively lenient. A number of Jews moved to Egypt and the Old Testament was translated into Greek during this time (this translation was called the Septuagint).

The Seleucids, the “kings of the north” (i.e. Syria) gained control of Judea in 198 BC and were initially supported by the Jews. King Antiochus III was favorable toward them. He was also friends with the enemies of Rome, like Hannibal, and was defeated in battle by the Romans.

His son, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, fought the Ptolemys. After one unsuccessful campaign in Egypt, he sacked Jerusalem because of their revolt against his appointed high priest, Menelaus (169 BC). After another unsuccessful Egyptian campaign, foiled by Rome, he sent a general to Jerusalem who slaughtered many and promoted pagan worship and customs (168 BC). Antiochus then adopted an official policy of forced Hellenization. As Daniel had prophesied (Dan. 8, 11), Antiochus took action against the holy covenant and persecuted the saints. As 1 Maccabees 1:41-42, 44-50 recounts,

“Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people, and that all should give up their particular customs. … And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah; he directed them to follow customs strange to the land, to forbid burnt-offerings and sacrifices and drink-offerings in the sanctuary, to profane sabbaths and festivals, to defile the sanctuary and the priests, to build altars and sacred precincts and shrines for idols, to sacrifice swine and other unclean animals, and to leave their sons uncircumcised. They were to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, so that they would forget the law and change all the ordinances. He added, ‘And whoever does not obey the command of the king shall die.’”

Some Jews compromised while others remained faithful despite torture and execution. In 167 BC, Antiochus had the temple desecrated with the abomination of desolation. An image of Zeus was placed on the altar of burnt offerings and pig’s flesh was offered on it.

Resistance was first offered by Mattathias, a priest and local leader, in a village 17 miles north of Jerusalem, when an official sought to force them to sacrifice to an idol. He and his five sons (John, Simon, Judas, Eleazar, and Jonathan) would lead the Jews against the Seleucids for decades. In this way, the faithful would “receive a little help” (Dan. 11:34). Judas defeated the forces of Antiochus and led the restoration of the temple in 165 BC on the anniversary of its desecration.

4. The Jews and the Hasmoneans

The descendants of Mattathias were known as the Hasmoneans. They established a largely independent kingdom and ruled the Jews from the 160s to 37 BC. They often served both as king and high priest, ruling along with the Council (the Sanhedrin). They allied themselves with the Roman Republic. Simon’s son, John Hyrcanus, expanded the Hasmonean kingdom and forcefully converted the Idumeans (Edomites) in the south.

These kings, beginning with John Hyrcanus, gradually declined in faithfulness to the law and became increasingly corrupt. Different approaches to the situation led to the formation of various groups in Judea, such as the Sadducees, Pharisees, and Essenes. Eventually their Roman allies had to intervene in a Jewish civil war in 63 BC and took over.

• The Sadducees valued stability, the high priest, and the temple. They supported the Hasmoneans, as well as the Romans when they came to power. They were usually associated with the priests and the upper classes. They prioritized the Torah over the rest of Scripture and tradition. They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead or the final judgment.

• The Pharisees were usually laymen and were more popular with the common people and critical of the compromises of the establishment. They stressed purity and faithfulness to the law as defined by Scripture and the traditions of the elders. They believed in the existence of angels, demons, the resurrection (which had been a source of hope for the Maccabean martyrs), and the final judgment.

• The Essenes stressed purity and were more separatistic and ascetic than the Pharisees. Many of them retreated from society altogether into desert communities such as Qumran.

• Many Jews were not members of any party.

5. The Jews under King Herod and Rome

In 63 BC, Pompey, a Roman governor, intervened in a Jewish civil war between two Hasmonean rivals. He conquered Jerusalem and installed one of them as a ruler and high priest under a Roman governor. But wars between rival claimants continued. Antigonus seized the throne in 40 BC with the help of the Parthians from the east. Herod escaped and was appointed king by the Roman senate. With Roman help, he defeated Antigonus and took possession of the kingdom in 37 BC. He became known as Herod the Great.

Herod the Great replaced the Hasmonean dynasty (his wife Mariamne was Hasmonean). “By religion he was a Jew, by race an Idumaean, by cultural sympathies a Greek, and by political allegiance a Roman” (D.S. Russell). Herod was “the king of the Jews” and a rex socius (a “confederate king”) of Rome, a client king directly under Caesar and the Roman senate, not under a provincial governor. He became famous for his building projects, especially for his reconstruction of the temple in Jerusalem.

Summary

The spread of Greek culture and education under Alexander and his successors known as “Hellenization” provided both temptations and opportunities. On the one hand, the Jews were faced with the temptation to compromise with paganism. Some gave way to temptation while others remained faithful, although there were disagreements on the exact boundaries of faithfulness. On the other hand, the spread of the Greek language fostered international communication. The Old Testament was translated into Greek, the language of the nations, and some Gentiles became proselytes at synagogues throughout the world, from Rome to Alexandria to Babylon. The New Testament would be written in this international language, proclaiming the gospel to Jew and Gentile alike. 

By the time of Christ’s birth, the Roman Empire had been established and its government held sway from the Atlantic Ocean to the Euphrates River, over all the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. On the one hand, this meant that Gentiles still held supreme power over the kingdom of the Jews. But the Romans had established the Pax Romana, a period of remarkable relative peace for 200 years beginning with the reign of Caesar Augustus. Rome had brought peace to lands that had been torn by warring rivals, not only Judea, but also Rome itself and most of the Mediterranean world. Rome and Herod also engaged in significant building projects, such as the Roman roads and the temple. Although the roads were built for the military and trade, they would also be used by apostles and evangelists of Christ.

The Jews had been prepared by various trials for the coming of the Christ. The prophecies and promises regarding the heir of David had been fostering messianic expectations for centuries. Astute readers of Daniel would have noted that they were living the in the days of the kings of the fourth kingdom, in which God would set up his kingdom through the Christ (Dan. 2, 7, 9). Belief in the resurrection of the dead had grown more clear and certain through reflection on Scripture and the trials of persecution. And even though there were various solutions offered, there was a general sense that Israel was being humbled for its sins and defilement and in need of deliverance. 

Thy Will Be Done

Question 103: What do we pray for in the third petition?
Answer: In the third petition, which is, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven, we pray, that God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven. (WSC) 

Sometimes we use these words, “thy will be done” to say, “Let your eternal decree be fulfilled in history. I am content with your providential guidance of history, even when I don’t like it, for you love me and are wiser than I am.” This is a good prayer. Nevertheless, it is not the main point of this phrase in the Lord’s Prayer, although contentment and submission to God are part of it.

“Your will,” in this passage, refers primarily to God’s law. It refers to his revealed will, contained in Scripture. It “being done” refers to obedience and submission. His revealed will is currently not being done on earth as it is in heaven. Much of earth is in rebellion against him. In heaven his will is perfectly obeyed by angels (Ps. 103:20-21). This prayer asks God to bring humanity on earth into the same conformity to his righteous will (Ps. 119:33-37).

We have rebelled and it is only through God’s grace that we can do his will. His grace gives us the ability to understand his revealed will. His grace renews our will so that we want to obey and submit to his will. More and more, God brings our thoughts and actions into conformity with his good will, and we look forward to the day in which this work will be complete in glory.

We desire obedience to his will, because God deserves obedience and we are zealous for our Father. We desire it because God’s will is good. If we love God’s character, we will want his will obeyed. We desire it because rebellion against God’s will is a source of disorder, judgement, and misery. We desire it for ourselves and we desire it for all the peoples of the earth, that earth may be as heaven.

As John Chrysostom, a noted preacher of the early church, said concerning this verse:

“He hath enjoined each one of us, who pray, to take upon himself the care of the whole world. For He did not say, ‘Thy will be done’ in me, or in us, but everywhere on the earth; so that error may be destroyed, and truth implanted, and all wickedness cast out, and virtue return, and no difference in this respect be henceforth between heaven and earth.”

Thy Kingdom Come

Question 102: What do we pray for in the second petition?
Answer: In the second petition, which is, Thy kingdom come, we pray, that Satan's kingdom may be destroyed; and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it; and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened. (WSC)

We pray that God’s kingdom would come. This coming is further explained by the phrase that concludes the first three petitions of the Lord's Prayer, "on earth as it is in heaven." God's kingdom comes to earth from heaven. The Gospel of Matthew usually calls it the "kingdom of heaven" even while teaching that it comes to earth. When man sinned, earth revolted from heaven and joined Satan’s kingdom, but now the king has come and God is reasserting his reign on earth. 

When does God’s kingdom come? It came with Jesus’ coming, as he himself proclaimed (Matt. 4:17, Luke 11:20). It comes more and more throughout this age, as a tree grows and as leaven works in bread, not all at once (Matt. 13:31-33). It will come in its consummated state when Jesus returns and judges all men, glorifying his people and purifying and restoring creation (Matt. 13:36-43, 2 Peter 3:4-13).

The kingdom of God is administered by Jesus in his capacity as our mediator. It comes by his gospel and Spirit at work in the salvation of sinners (“the kingdom of grace”) and by his providence and judgment (“the kingdom of his power,” see WLC 191 below). Only by being born again by water and the Spirit can a person enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5). Within this kingdom there is peace and protection through Christ the king. The kingdom comes as the word is preached, as disciples are baptized and trained, as they obey the king willingly in all areas of life, and as Christ guides history for the sake of his church. The world is transformed by this process, as dough is transformed by leaven. As Calvin comments, 

"The substance of this prayer is, that God would enlighten the world by the light of his Word, — would form the hearts of men, by the influences of his Spirit, to obey his justice, and would restore to order, by the gracious exercise of his power, all the disorder that exists in the world." 

The visible church is the institutional expression of this kingdom in history (Matt. 13:47-50) and its officers bear the “keys of the kingdom” (Matt. 16:18-19, 18:17-20). The members of the visible church manifest the reign of Christ as they confess him as Lord and Savior and serve him in every sphere of human endeavor with “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). When he returns, the kingdom will be brought to perfection and glory (“the kingdom of glory”).

Here is the Westminster Larger Catechism’s version of this answer:

“In the second petition, (which is, Thy kingdom come,) acknowledging ourselves and all mankind to be by nature under the dominion of sin and Satan, we pray, that the kingdom of sin and Satan may be destroyed, the gospel propagated throughout the world, the Jews called, the fullness of the Gentiles brought in; the church furnished with all gospel-officers and ordinances, purged from corruption, countenanced and maintained by the civil magistrate: that the ordinances of Christ may be purely dispensed, and made effectual to the converting of those that are yet in their sins, and the confirming, comforting, and building up of those that are already converted: that Christ would rule in our hearts here, and hasten the time of his second coming, and our reigning with him forever: and that he would be pleased so to exercise the kingdom of his power in all the world, as may best conduce to these ends.” (WLC, Q. 191)

 

Hallowed Be Thy Name

Question 101: What do we pray for in the first petition?
Answer: In the first petition, which is, Hallowed be thy name, we pray, that God would enable us, and others, to glorify him in all that whereby he maketh himself known; and that he would dispose all things to his own glory. (WSC)

To be hallowed is to be made or regarded as holy, set apart from what is common. God’s name is holy, and we pray that it would be honored and glorified as such. God’s name refers to his revelation of himself, including the names and titles applied to him in Scripture, and his reputation and fame. This request aims at the way people treat God’s good name and whether he is honored or despised. Rebellious man tears down God’s good name, slanders it, despises it, treats it lightly. But it ought to be reverenced and glorified - esteemed in your heart and publicly praised.

The prophet Malachi condemned the priests of his day for despising God’s name (Malachi 1). How did they despise God’s name? By despising his worship and offering blind and lame sacrifices not even worthy of a human ruler. In response God said that he would make his name great among the nations. He would cause the nations to fear his name, to honor him as a great king, and to offer pure worship fitting for such a king.

Our Father is worthy to be praised. It is right and fitting that we recount in our prayers the reasons why he is worthy of glory and reverence, as many of the Psalms do. We should meditate on his perfect attributes and his mighty works.

Our Father does not yet receive the praise due to him. We are unable of ourselves to glorify him, but are rebellious and seek our own glory and praise. The world ought to glorify God, but much of it despises and distorts his name. Part of our motivation for evangelism is a zeal for the glory that is due God’s name. But this is also a motivation for prayer.

Knowing the depravity of man, we pray that God would enable all his creation to glorify him and join in the worship of heaven. We desire and pray that God would enable ourselves to treat God as holy in our hearts, in our words of praise and witness, in our reception of his word, and in our lives, that they might be lived to the glory of God. Let us pray that God would vindicate his name, uphold his reputation, and bring all men to honor him as the true God. 

Praying to Our Heavenly Father

Question 100: What doth the preface of the Lord's Prayer teach us?
Answer: The preface of the Lord's Prayer, which is, Our Father which art in heaven, teacheth us to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us; and that we should pray with and for others. (WSC)

In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus taught his disciples to pray using a prayer commonly known as the Lord's Prayer. This prayer begins by addressing God, “Our Father, who is in heaven…” (6:9, NASB). These opening words remind us of several truths:

• We should pray to God through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the one who gives us the right to be called children of God (John 1:12). We become children of God by grace. Jesus makes God our Father through regeneration and through adoption. We become children of God by union with the only-begotten Son of God. We know God as our Father and not as a hostile judge through faith in Christ.  

• God is our Father, therefore we should give him reverence. We are commanded to honor our earthly fathers and mothers in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:12). Honor and revere, then, your Father in heaven (Malachi 1:6). 

• God is our Father, therefore we should come with confidence. He cares for his children. “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ... If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matt. 7:9–11)

• God is our Father in heaven, therefore we should distinguish him from the faults of earthly fathers and remember that God is all-powerful, and therefore able to do what we ask. “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3).

• God is our Father, therefore we pray with brothers and sisters, children of the same Father. I do not just mean the people that you connect with - I mean the people that God has brought into his family, the church. If you love God, you will love his children (1 John 4:20-5:1). You should pray with God’s children, since Jesus envisions the disciples praying this together. You should pray for God’s children, since you make these requests for “us.” You should remember God’s children even when you “go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret” (Matt. 6:6).