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The Historical Development of the Book of Church Order

Chapter 55 : Confessing the Faith
Paragraph 1 : Public Confession of the Faith

55-1. It is proper for the congregation of God's people publicly to confess their faith, using creeds or confessions that are true to the Word, such as, the Apostle's Creed, the Nicene Creed, or the Westminster Standards.

[DIGEST : This chapter (and its single paragraph) was added in 1975, adopted by the Assembly by way of recommendation from the Constitutional Documents Committee. It was originally numbered as chapter 56. See M3GA, 3-70, p. 83.

BACKGROUND & COMPARISON:
No comparable text in the following editions:
PCA 1973, DfW Adopted text, M1GA, Appendix
Continuing Presbyterian Church 1973, DfW Proposed text
 PCUS 1933, DfW
PCUS 1929, DfW
PCUS 1894, DfW

Comparison with other denominations:
Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Book of Church Order, Directory for Worship, II.3
3. Public Confession of Faith
a. Individual believers are to publicly profess their faith in Christ before God and his people in order formally to pledge their commitment to serve Christ and to be welcomed into all the privileges of full communion with God's people.
b. It is also fitting that the congregation as one body confess its common faith, using creeds that are true to the Word of God, such as the Apostle's Creed or the Nicene Creed.

COMMENTARY:
Morton H. Smith, Commentary on the Book of Church Order, 6th edition, 2007, p. 427.
The Bible teaches that we are to confess our faith publicly. "Because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, . . . with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:9-10). Paul cites a faithful saying, which seems to have been used as a confession in the Church. "Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief' (I Tim. 1:15). He also exhorted Timothy to "confess the good confession," while reminding him of the good confession that our Lord made before Pontius Pilate (1 Tim. 6:11-16).
On the basis of the Biblical teaching that we confess our faith, it is proper for the congregation to make such a profession of faith as a part of its worship of God.