God’s Law, ‘General Equity’ and the Westminster Confession of Faith

Abstract

According to the Westminster Confession of Faith, the only obligation now placed upon the Christian community towards the Old Testament judicial laws is one of ‘general equity’. How to interpret these words has often been discussed, mainly because of the very stringent position adopted by the Reconstruction Movement. This article reviews the development of the term ‘general equity’ in terms of English Law and its subsequent use by theologians. Because of comments by Calvin and others a study is made of the idea in the writings of Aristotle. The practical application of ‘general equity’ is not without problems, but the conclusion is drawn that it can be implemented in the sense of ‘being reasonable’.