WCF 23.1

Westminster Confession of Faith

23.1. Of the Civil Magistrate

God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, hath ordained civil magistrates, to be, under Him, over the people, for His own glory, and the public good: and, to this end, hath armed them with the power of the sword, for the defence and encouragement of them that are good, and for the punishment of evil doers.

Proof texts

Rom. 13:1, 2, 3, 4 — [1] Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. [2] Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. [3] For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, [4] for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
1 Pet. 2:13, 14 — [13] Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, [14] or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

For discussion

The Assembly cited Rom. 13:1, 2, 3, 4 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
WSC Q64 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
WLC Q127 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q64 · WLC Q127 · WLC Q128 · WLC Q129 · BC 9.1 · BC 9.2 · SC60 8.1 · IAR 6.12 · SHC 10.1 · SHC 10.2

Leader's notes

A Commentary on the Confession of Faith (A.A. Hodge): These Sections teach as follows : 1st. Civil government is a divine institution, and hence the duty of obedience to our legitimate rulers is a duty owed to God, as well as to our fellow-men. Some have supposed that the right or legitimate authority of human government has its foundation ultimately in "the consent of the governed," "the will of the majority," or in some imaginary " social compact" entered into by the forefathers of the race at the origin of social life. It is self-evident, however, that the divine will is the source of all government, and the obligajion to obey that will resting upon all moral agents the ultimate ground of all obligation to obey human governments. This…

An Exposition of the Confession of Faith (Robert Shaw): The Sacred Scriptures are a perfect " rule of faith and manners." They prescribe the duty incumbent upon men in every station and relation, whether as members of the Church or of the commonwealth — whether as rulers or as subjects. Any summary of Christian doctrine, therefore, which did not exhibit the duty of civil rulers, especially in reference to religion and the kingdom of Christ, wovild be extremely defective. This subject, accordingly, occupies a prominent place in the Confessions of all the Reformed Churches; and the harmony of these Confessions is a strong presumptive proof that the doctrine of the Holy Scriptures on this interesting topic is neither ambiguous nor " hard to be understood." It is true that…