WCF 25.2

Westminster Confession of Faith

25.2. Of the Church

The visible Church, which is also catholic or universal under the Gospel (not confined to one nation as before under the law), consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion; and of their children: and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.

Proof texts

1 Cor. 1:2 — [2] To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
1 Cor. 12:12, 13 — [12] For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. [13] For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
Ps. 2:8 — [8] Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
Rev. 7:9 — [9] After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
Rom. 15:9, 10, 11, 12 — [9] and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” [10] And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” [11] And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” [12] And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”
1 Cor. 7:14 — [14] For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
Acts 2:39 — [39] For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
Ezek. 16:20, 21 — [20] And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter [21] that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them?
Rom. 11:16 — [16] If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
Gen. 3:15 — [15] I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Gen. 17:7 — [7] And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
Matt. 13:47 — [47] “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.
Isa. 9:7 — [7] Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Eph. 2:19 — [19] So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Eph. 3:15 — [15] from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
Acts 2:47 — [47] praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

For discussion

The Assembly cited 1 Cor. 1:2 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
16 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
WLC Q62 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
WLC Q63 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WLC Q62 · WLC Q63 · BC 7.1 · HC Q54 · HC Q55 · BC 7.4 · BC 7.5 · BC 7.6 · HC Q83 · HC Q84 · HC Q85 · 1689 26.1 · SD 26.1 · IAR 7.1 · SC60 6.1 · SC60 6.2 · SC60 6.3 · SC60 6.4 · SC60 6.5 · SHC 6.1 · SHC 6.2

Leader's notes

A Commentary on the Confession of Faith (A.A. Hodge): These Sections teach that there is also a catholic or universal visible Church, consisting of those of every nation who profess the true religion, together with their children. This proposition involves — (1.) The truth that the true Church, consisting of persons, a part of whom are always living, and, with more or less faithfulness, bringing forth visible fruits of holiness on the earth, of course is itself always in part, and with greater or less clearness, visible. The universal visible Church is therefore not a diiferent Church from that which has just been described as invisible. It is the same body, as its successive generations pass in their order and are imperfectly discriminated from the rest of mankind by…

An Exposition of the Confession of Faith (Robert Shaw): The Greek word Ecclesia, which we render Church, is derived from a word which signifies to call out, and denotes an assembly called out and convened for any particular purpose. In democratic states it was applied to the assemblies of the people, who were called out by a public herald, and gathered into a certain place, in order to deliberate together. To specify the various meanings which this word bears in the New Testament is at present unnecessary; it is sufficient for our purpose to remark, that the term is used to denote an assembly or society of men, called by the gospel out of the world which lieth in wickedness, into the faith and fellowship of Jesus Christ. But…