The Scots Confession, known as the Scots Confession of 1560, is a statement of faith composed in 1560 by six leaders of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland. This Confession served as the first subordinate standard for the Protestant church in Scotland. Together with the Book of Discipline and the Book of Common Order, it is regarded as a foundational document for the Church of Scotland during that period.

In August 1560, the Scottish Parliament consented to reform the country’s religion. To determine what the Reformed Faith would entail, they appointed John Knox as the supervisor over John Winram, John Spottiswood, John Willock, John Douglas, and John Row, collectively referred to as “the Six Johns,” to develop a Confession of Faith. They accomplished this in just four days. The 25 Chapters of the Confession articulate a modern declaration of Christian faith as interpreted by John Calvin’s followers during his lifetime. While the Confession and its related documents emerged from the collaborative effort of the Six Johns, the work is generally credited to John Knox.

Although the Parliament ratified the Confession on 27 August 1560, which was done contrary to the conditions of the Treaty of Edinburgh, Mary, Queen of Scots, a Roman Catholic, did not consent to it. The Confession was not sanctioned by the monarch until 1567, following Mary’s deposition. It remained the official Confession of the Church of Scotland until it was replaced by the Westminster Confession of Faith on 27 August 1647. The confession opens by declaring that the Parliament “ratifeit and apprevit [the confession] as wholesome and sound doctrine grounded upon the infallible truth of God’s word.” Therefore, even though societal changes may have reduced its relevance, believers maintain that the authority of its claims is founded not on parliamentary endorsement but on, as it states, “the infallible truth of God’s word.”

In 1967, it was added to the Book of Confessions of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., together with several other confessional standards, and it is still part of the current Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Book of Confessions. As the Confession of Faith Ratification Act 1560, the Confession continues to be a component of Scots law.