Handling a High Mystery: The Westminster Confession on Preaching Predestination
Puritan Reformed Journal 2:2 (June 2010): 235–258
Daniel R. Hyde
How should a pastor preach predestination? The Westminster divines' pastoral handling of a doctrine meant to give humility and comfort.
Predestination has long stirred debate, confusion, and even fear within the church.
This study explores how the Westminster divines treated this “high mystery” in their Confession of Faith, offering guidance for preachers and comfort for believers.
Blending history, biblical insight, and pastoral wisdom, it traces the doctrine’s treatment from Augustine through the Reformation to the Westminster Assembly, showing how it has been taught for the glory of God and the assurance of His people.
Readers will discover how predestination, far from being a cold abstraction, is meant to inspire humility, strengthen holiness, and provide deep consolation in Christ.
For pastors, students of theology, and thoughtful Christians, this article uncovers the rich, practical, and doxological heart of a doctrine often misunderstood yet vital to the Christian.