Confession of Faith

The act of publicly declaring one's beliefs, and the documents that articulate those beliefs for a community. Romans 10:9 links salvation with confession: 'If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.' Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi — 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God' (Matthew 16:16) — became a model for all Christian confession. Throughout history, churches have produced confessions (Westminster, Augsburg, Belgic) to articulate their understanding of Scripture on matters of doctrine, worship, and practice.