The short answer
Disagreement is compatible with Scripture as the final rule. The practical question is how Christians decide a serious dispute when their readings differ.
- Clarity. Westminster claims sufficient clarity about what is necessary for salvation through ordinary means. It recognizes differences across passages and readers. Westminster Confession 1.7
- Councils. Westminster gives councils authority to resolve controversies under Scripture and allows that they can err. Westminster Confession 31.2–3
- Baptism. Westminster includes infants of one or both believing parents. The 1689 Baptist confession requires personal profession. Westminster also allows salvation without baptism, which matters when relating this disagreement to its claim about clarity for salvation. Westminster Confession 28.4–5 · 1689 Baptist Confession 29.2
The apostolic example
In Acts 15, apostles and elders hear testimony, reason from Scripture, and send a decision invoking the Holy Ghost. The next question is what authority Christ intended His Church to have after those apostles. Latter-day Saints believe Christ restored apostolic authority. Evaluate that claim through its own historical and spiritual evidence. Acts 15:6–29 · The Restoration proclamation
What to say
“I trust Scripture and recognize the role of church councils in your tradition. Acts 15 shows apostles and elders resolving a dispute with the Holy Ghost. What authority do you believe Christ intended the Church to have after the apostles? I believe He restored that authority, and I’d like to discuss the evidence for that claim.”
What disagreement shows
Two churches can treat the Bible as their final standard and disagree about whom to baptize. The disagreement establishes that their judgments differ. To infer that Scripture alone is false, you would need a further premise about the agreement an authoritative text should produce. The confessions help test that premise and clarify what authority each church claims to settle the dispute.
What Westminster teaches
Westminster 1.7 describes sufficient clarity about what is necessary for salvation through the ordinary means available to readers. It acknowledges differences in clarity across passages and readers. The claim concerns a defined purpose, so a dispute about a particular doctrine needs to be compared with that purpose. Westminster Confession 1.7
Westminster 1.10 assigns final judgment to the Holy Spirit speaking in Scripture. Chapter 31 gives synods and councils authority to determine controversies and govern the church. Their judgments carry weight when they accord with God’s Word, and councils since the apostles can err. A church can therefore make a binding judgment within its jurisdiction while holding that judgment answerable to Scripture. Westminster Confession 1.10 · Westminster Confession 31.2–3
This is a Reformed confessional account. A Protestant defending it can explain denominational disagreement through fallible interpretation and can describe how a church reaches a judgment within its own communion. The remaining question concerns the grounds, jurisdiction, and finality of that judgment.
Compare two rules for baptism
| Confession | Who should be baptized |
|---|
| Westminster 28.4 | Those who profess faith in Christ and the infants of one or both believing parents |
| Second London Baptist Confession 29.2 | People who personally profess repentance, faith, and obedience to Christ |
An infant of believing parents is eligible under the first rule. Personal profession is required under the second. This makes a real difference for families and congregations. Westminster 28.5 treats neglect of baptism as serious and allows that a person can receive salvation without being baptized. That qualification matters when testing its claim about sufficient clarity for salvation. Westminster Confession 28.4–5 · Second London Baptist Confession 29.2
Acts 2 records Peter calling his hearers to repent and be baptized, followed by the baptism of those who received his word. Colossians 2 connects baptism with burial and resurrection with Christ. The interpretive dispute concerns how accounts of professing converts and the Bible’s covenant language apply to the children of believers. Each church gives an account of how these texts fit together. Acts 2:38–41 · Colossians 2:11–12
How Acts 15 bears on the question
When Christians disputed whether Gentile converts had to be circumcised, the apostles and elders met in Jerusalem. Peter recounted the gift of the Holy Ghost to Gentiles. Paul and Barnabas reported what God had done through them, and James appealed to the prophets. The council sent a decision invoking the Holy Ghost. The episode shows Scripture, testimony, spiritual judgment, and recognized authority at work together. Acts 15:6–29
Both traditions can affirm the authority of those apostles. A Protestant can understand the council as an exercise of authority belonging to the apostolic era and later councils as subordinate interpreters. Latter-day Saints read the council alongside Christ’s gifts of apostles and prophets for the Church’s unity and maturity. The point to examine is what authority Christ intended to guide His Church after the first apostles and where it can be found today. Ephesians 4:11–14
The Restoration claim
Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus Christ restored apostolic authority and continues to guide His Church through revelation. The April 2020 proclamation identifies the restoration of priesthood keys through heavenly messengers as part of that claim. It invites readers to study the Restoration and seek a spiritual witness. The Restoration proclamation
Evaluate that claim through its historical records, its testimony of Christ, and the spiritual inquiry it invites. Apply the same reasoning to all traditions. People can disagree within a community that has a claim to authority. Agreement describes what people hold in common, while a divine commission calls for evidence about who authorized the office. Priesthood restoration accounts · The Book of Mormon witnesses
A reply you can use
“I believe Scripture is the word of God. Presbyterians and Baptists have different rules about who should be baptized, and I grant that both appeal to Scripture. In Acts 15 the apostles and elders weighed the dispute together and gave a decision with the Holy Ghost. What authority do you believe Christ intended the Church to have after the apostles? I believe He restored living apostolic authority, and I’m glad to examine the grounds for that belief with you.”
