Article XX
The authority of the Church
The Church teaches and orders its life under Scripture.
The Article
OF THE AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH
THE Church hath power to decree Rites or Ceremonies, and authority in Controversies of Faith: And yet it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary to God’s Word written, neither may it so expound one place of Scripture, that it be repugnant to another. Wherefore, although the Church be a witness and a keeper of holy Writ, yet, as it ought not to decree any thing against the same, so besides the same ought it not to enforce any thing to be believed for necessity of Salvation.
In modern English
The Church has authority to establish rites and ceremonies and to decide disputed questions of faith. However, it may not command anything contrary to God's written Word. It may not interpret one part of Scripture in a way that contradicts another. The Church is a witness to Scripture and its guardian. It must neither decree anything against Scripture nor require anything beyond Scripture to be believed as necessary for salvation.
Scripture readings
- Acts 15:7–11, 19–20
- 2 Timothy 3:16–17
- Mark 7:6–11, 13
Understand the teaching
Why the Church needs authority
Article XX gives the Church real authority to order worship and address controversies of faith. Christian communities need shared decisions about teaching, practice and the common life. Without such authority, the loudest personality or the most persistent preference can quietly govern everything. The Article recognises a corporate responsibility to discern and act. It also places that responsibility under the written Word of God. Church authority is therefore meaningful and bounded: leaders and councils must remain answerable to the revelation they are entrusted to serve.
The historical context includes disputes about whether inherited ecclesiastical decisions could bind Christians even when their biblical warrant was challenged. The Reformers asserted Scripture's governing authority while retaining an ordered church, ministry and common worship. Article XX reflects this combination. It does not imagine that every believer must independently recreate the Christian faith, nor that church institutions may determine doctrine without constraint. The Church receives a ministry of teaching, witnessing and guarding within a prior allegiance to God's Word.
What the Church may decide
The first sentence refers to rites and ceremonies and to controversies of faith. Rites concern the ordered practices of shared worship; controversies require judgement about what Christians should teach. These are genuine responsibilities. A congregation needs decisions about service arrangements, and the wider Church needs ways to address disputed doctrine. The following Articles explore councils and traditions further. Here the basic principle is that ecclesial decision-making has a legitimate place within Christian obedience, even where Scripture does not provide a detailed timetable or local procedure.
Yet the Church may ordain nothing contrary to God's written Word. It must also avoid interpreting one passage in a way that contradicts another. These limits require careful reading of the whole biblical witness. A phrase detached from its context cannot responsibly carry the weight of a doctrine that conflicts with Scripture elsewhere. Teachers should attend to genre, argument, historical setting and the relationship between passages. The Article's rule encourages theological coherence while leaving considerable work for faithful interpretation.
Biblical authority within the community
Acts 15 shows the early Church addressing a major controversy concerning Gentile believers. Apostolic testimony, the work of God and the words of Scripture inform a shared judgement. The chapter should not be treated as a simple blueprint for every later council, because the apostles have a foundational role. Nevertheless, it demonstrates that doctrinal controversy belongs within the discernment of the Church and that decisions must be related to God's revealed action and purpose.
Acts 17:10–12 commends the Bereans for examining the Scriptures in response to Paul's preaching. Their openness to instruction and their testing of it belong together. Mark 7:6–13 gives the corresponding warning: religious tradition can be used to set aside God's command. Second Timothy 3:14–17 describes Scripture's capacity to teach, correct and equip. Taken together, these passages support an accountable teaching ministry in which authority serves the Word and encourages informed, faithful reception rather than discouraging questions.
A witness and keeper of Scripture
The Article calls the Church a witness and keeper of holy Scripture. This honours its role in receiving, preserving, reading and proclaiming the biblical writings. We receive the Bible within a history of Christian transmission and testimony. Yet witnessing to an authority does not place the witness above it. The Church's service to Scripture includes allowing its teaching and conduct to be corrected. Institutional continuity and confidence cannot substitute for faithfulness to what God has given.
The final clause places a further limit on what can be required for salvation. The Church must not add necessary beliefs beyond Scripture. This connects directly with Article VI on biblical sufficiency. It does not forbid theological vocabulary, creeds or careful explanation; these can express scriptural teaching faithfully. It does forbid turning an unsupported requirement into a condition of salvation. Leaders should therefore distinguish central Christian doctrine, responsible theological judgement and practical arrangements, rather than presenting every local expectation with identical spiritual weight.
Authority exercised with humility
Imagine a church leader saying that questioning a preferred worship style shows resistance to God. Article XX would require more careful reasoning. The Church may make orderly decisions about worship, and members should take those decisions seriously. Yet a particular style does not automatically acquire the status of revealed doctrine. Good leadership explains the purpose, acknowledges the level of authority involved and listens to concerns. This makes obedience more intelligible and reduces the danger of personal preference becoming a spiritual test.
For application, practise asking respectful, specific questions: which biblical teaching supports this claim, how does it fit the wider witness of Scripture, and is it being presented as essential to salvation? Leaders can model the same discipline when making decisions. Members should remain teachable and willing to be corrected themselves. Article XX calls the whole Church into accountable confidence: we may teach and order our common life with conviction, while continually submitting our judgements to the Word of the Lord we serve.
Bring it into everyday life
- When your church makes a decision, how clearly are biblical principles distinguished from preferences?