Confessing Our Faith in the Culture - Chapter 32

Of the Lord’s Supper

The connection between the Lord’s Supper and Baptism consists in this, that they both and equally are symbols of the death of Christ. In Baptism, we show forth the death of Christ as the procuring cause of our new birth into the kingdom of God. In the Lord’s Supper, we show forth the death of Christ as the sustaining power of our spiritual life after it has once begun. In the one, we honor the sanctifying power of the death of Christ, as in the other we honor its regenerating power. Thus both are parts of one whole,—setting before us Christ’s death for men in its two great purposes and results. Augustus H. Strong, Systematic Theology

Primary texts: Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 21; 11:23-26

A. Its purposes

1. Primary

a. perpetual remembrance 1 Corinthians 11:24b, 25b

Jesus adds, “This do in remembrance of me.” It was the desire of our Lord that by means of the supper, here instituted, the church should remember his sacrifice and love him, should reflect on that sacrifice and embrace him by faith, and should look forward in living hope to his glorious return. Surely, the proper celebration of communion is a loving remembrance. It is, however, more than that. Jesus Christ is most certainly, and through his Spirit most actively, present at this genuine feast! Cf. Matt. 18:20. His followers “take” and “eat.” They appropriate Christ by means of living faith, and are strengthened in this faith. Hendriksen, NTC

This expresses the whole design of the ordinance. It is a simple memorial, or remembrancer; designed to recall in a striking and impressive manner the memory of the Redeemer. It does this by a tender appeal to the senses - by the exhibition of the broken bread, and by the wine. The Saviour knew how prone people would be to forget him, and he, therefore, appointed this ordinance as a means by which his memory should be kept up in the world. The ordinance is rightly observed when it recalls the memory of the Saviour; and when its observance is the means of producing a deep, and lively, and vivid impression on the mind, of his death for sin. Barnes’ Notes

b. proclaiming the Gospel 1 Corinthians 11:26b

The good news that we are great sinners and Christ is a great Savior. The Lord’s Supper is a visible Gospel, a memorial of Christ’s work, and should never be isolated from the preaching of the Gospel. It proclaims the glory of the cross where Christ satisfied the justice of God and purchased/accomplished the redemption of his people.

The Lord’s Supper is not properly celebrated if we never get beyond self-examination and confession of sin. It was instituted in the midst of thanksgivings, blessings and hymns. It is to be a spiritual oblation [offering] of all possible praise to God. Waldron, Exposition of the 1689

2. Secondary

a. confirming our faith John 6:29, 35, 47-58

We must believe that the elements truly represent Christ and that He has invited us to His table. This provides ongoing reassurance of His love for us and participation in the blessings He has promised.

[U]nless we would charge God with deceit, we will never presume to say that he holds forth an empty symbol. Therefore, if by the breaking of bread the Lord truly represents the partaking of his body, there ought to be no doubt whatever that he truly exhibits and performs it. The rule which the pious ought always to observe is, whenever they see the symbols instituted by the Lord, to think and feel surely persuaded that the truth of the thing signified is also present. For why does the Lord put the symbol of his body into your hands, but just to assure you that you truly partake of him? If this is true, let us feel as much assured that the visible sign is given us in seal of an invisible gift as that his body itself is given to us. Calvin, Institutes, 4.17.10

b. nourishing our spirituality John 6:53-57

Just as bread and wine nourish or bodies, so partaking of the elements in the Lord’s Supper nourishes our souls because of what we receive there by faith. We receive and feed spiritually on Christ crucified and the benefits of his death.

[T]he presence which grounds this receiving, is only a presence to our faith, of Christ’s body and blood! Hence we construe the Confession we think fairly, to mean by the receiving and feeding, precisely the spiritual actings of faith in Christ as our Redeemer, and on His body slain, and blood poured out, as the steps of His atoning work; so that the thing which the soul actually embraces, is not the corporeal substance of His slain body and shed blood, but their Redeeming virtue. R. L. Dabney, Systematic Theology

That sacred communion of flesh and blood by which Christ transfuses his life into us, just as if it penetrated our bones and marrow, he testifies and seals in the Supper, and that not by presenting a vain or empty sign, but by there exerting an efficacy of the Spirit by which he fulfils what he promises. And truly the thing there signified he exhibits and offers to all who sit down at that spiritual feast, although it is beneficially received by believers only who receive this great benefit with true faith and heartfelt gratitude. Calvin, Institutes, 4.17.10

c. increasing our commitment John 14:15, 21; 15:10

He is offered by the promises not that we may stop short at the sight, or mere knowledge of him, but that we may enjoy true communion with him. And, indeed, I see not how any one can expect to have redemption and righteousness in the cross of Christ, and life in his death, without trusting first of all to true communion with Christ himself. Those blessings could not reach us, did not Christ previously make himself ours. I say then, that in the mystery of the Supper, by the symbols of bread and wine, Christ, his body and his blood, are truly exhibited to us, that in them he fulfilled all obedience, in order to procure righteousness for us, first, that we might become one body with him; and, secondly, that being made partakers of his substance, we might feel the result of this fact in the participation of all his blessings. Calvin, 4.17.11

If we are experiencing true fellowship with Christ, we must be mindful of his final exhortations to his disciples – If you love me, keep my commandments.

d. strengthening our communion 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

The effect of this reception of Christ is two fold. First, he and his people become one; and secondly, all true believers in virtue of this union with Christ become one body “and every one members one of another.” Christ and his people are one in such a sense that it is not they that live, but Christ that liveth in them. (Gal. ii. 20.) He dwells in them; his life is their life; because He lives they shall live also. (John xiv. 19.) They are one in a sense analogous to that in which the head and members of the human body are one. The Holy Spirit given to Him without measure is communicated to his people so that they become one body fitly joined together. (Eph. iv. 16.) By one Spirit they are all baptized into one body. (1 Cor. xii. 13.) This union between Christ and his people is also illustrated by the union between the vine and its branches. The life of the vine and of its branches is one. (John xv.) Again, Christ and his people are one, as husband and wife are one flesh. “We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.” (Eph. v. 30.)

In being thus united to Christ as their common head, believers become one body, in a mystical sense. The Holy Spirit dwelling in each and in all constitutes them one. They have one principle of life. The Spirit works in all alike “both to will and to do.” They have, consequently, one faith, and one religious experience, as well as one Lord, and one God and Father. They are so bound together that if one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or if one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. (1 Cor. xii. 26.) So far as this all churches seem to agree. They all admit that in the Lord’s Supper believers are thus united to Christ and to one another. Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology

B. Its symbolism

The Lord’s Supper sets forth, in general, the death of Christ as the sustaining power of the believer’s life. Strong, Ibid.

1. It symbolizes the death of Christ for our sins. 1 Corinthians 11:26; Mark 14:24; Hebrews 13:20

2. It symbolizes our personal appropriation of the benefits of that death. 1 Corinthians 11:24; 5:7

It is evident not only that the showing forth of the Lord’s death is the primary meaning of the ordinance, but that our partaking of the benefits of that death is as clearly taught as the Israelites’ deliverance was symbolized in the paschal supper. Strong, Ibid.

Just as we take the bread and eat it, the wine and drink it, thus nourishing our body or appropriating the physical benefits of the elements, doing so symbolizes our taking and appropriating [taking possession of] the spiritual benefits that come to us because of what Christ accomplished by his death and subsequent resurrection.

3. It symbolizes the method of this appropriation 1 Corinthians 10:16; Matthew 25:26

a. through union with Christ himself

Apart from union with Christ we have no standing before God on which to claim access to anything. By partaking of the elements in faith, confident of what they represent, we demonstrate that we are united with Christ, that we share in his body and blood.

Is it not the emblem by which the blood of Christ is exhibited, and the means by which our union through that blood is exhibited? Is it not the means by which we express our attachment to him as Christians; showing our union to him and to each other; and showing that we partake in common of the benefits of his blood? The main idea is, that by partaking of this cup they showed that they were united to him and to each other; and that they should regard themselves as set apart to him. Barnes’ Notes

4. It symbolizes the continuous dependence of the believer for all spiritual life upon the once crucified, now living, Savior, to whom he is thus united. John 15:1-5

Just as the Lord’s Supper is observed on a continuing basis, and, just as we depend on daily bread and wine for our physical nourishment, so we continually depend on Christ for the blessings promised to us for this life. Our faith requires continual strengthening; our imperfect understanding needs further continual enlightening; we stand in need of daily forgiveness for sin; our holiness is in need of daily replenishment and enlargement; the flames of our love for Christ are in constant need of fanning and fueling; we need his constant guidance in order to arrive safely home.

5. It symbolizes the coming joy and perfection of the kingdom of God. Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18

Like Baptism, which points forward to the resurrection, the Lord’s Supper is anticipatory also. It brings before us, not simply death, but life; not simply past sacrifice but future glory. It points forward to the great festival, “the marriage supper of the Lamb”. Strong, Ibid.

In this ordinance Christ is not offered up to his Father, nor any real sacrifice made at all, for remission of sin of the quick or dead; but only a memorial of that one offering up of himself, by himself, upon the cross, once for all; and a spiritual oblation of all possible praise unto God for the same. LBCF, 30.2

The Lord’s Supper exhibits the great blessings of redemption, and even Christ himself. This even evident from the words of the institution. To all these things we have a complete attestation in this sacrament, enabling us certainly to conclude that they are as truly exhibited to us as if Christ were placed in bodily presence before our view, or handled by our hands. For these are words which can never lie nor deceive - Take, eat, drink. This is my body, which is broken for you: this is my blood, which is shed for the remission of sins. In bidding us take, he intimates that it is ours: in bidding us eat, he intimates that it becomes one substance with us: in affirming of his body that it was broken, and of his blood that it was shed for us, he shows that both were not so much his own as ours, because he took and laid down both, not for his own advantage, but for our salvation. And we ought carefully to observe, that the chief, and almost the whole energy at the sacrament consists in these words, It is broken for you; it is shed for you. It would not be of much importance to us that the body and blood of the Lord are now distributed, had they not once been set forth for our redemption and salvation. Wherefore they are represented under bread and wine, that we may learn that they are not only ours but intended to nourish our spiritual life; that is, as we formerly observed, by the corporeal things which are produced in the sacrament, we are by a kind of analogy conducted to spiritual things. Thus when bread is given as a symbol of the body of Christ, we must immediately think of this similitude. As bread nourishes, sustains, and protects our bodily life, so the body of Christ is the only food to invigorate and keep alive the soul. When we behold wine set forth as a symbol of blood, we must think that such use as wine serves to the body, the same is spiritually bestowed by the blood of Christ; and the use is to foster, refresh, strengthen, and exhilarate. For if we duly consider what profit we have gained by the breaking of his sacred body and the shedding of his blood, we shall clearly perceive that these properties of bread and wine, agreeably to this analogy, most appropriately represent it when they are communicated to us. Calvin, Institutes, 4.17.3

C. Its celebration

1. remembering 1 Corinthians 11:24b, 25b

We must remember not only what Jesus did but also what he said and in particular what he said his goal was for his disciples.

John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
John 16:20-22 “Truly , truly , I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy. Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.
John 16:24 “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.
John 17:13 “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.

a. mankind’s profound need 2 Corinthians 5:21

b. Christ’s magnificent accomplishment

[A]s I partake in the breaking of the bread when I eat it and the pouring out of the cup when I drink from it, I proclaim again and again that my sins were part of the cause of Jesus’ suffering and death. In this way sorrow, joy, thanksgiving, and deep love for Christ are richly intermingled in the beauty of the Lord’s Supper. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology

2. proclaiming 1 Corinthians 11:26b

a. the Gospel

3. anticipating 1 Corinthians 11:26c

a. the marriage supper of the Lamb

b. the bliss of eternal and perfect fellowship/communion with God

4. rejoicing John 15:11; 16:19-24; 17:13; 20:19-20

John 20:19-20 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

a. God’s love demonstrated

b. God’s blessings bestowed

c. God’s promises kept

(c) The partaking of these elements is of a festal nature.

The Passover was festal in its nature. Gloom and sadness are foreign to the spirit of the Lord’s Supper. The wine is the symbol of the death of Christ, but of that death by which we live. It reminds us that he drank the cup of suffering in order that we might drink the wine of joy. As the bread is broken to sustain our physical life, so Christ’s body was broken by thorns and nails and spear to nourish our spiritual life.

(d) The communion is a festival of commemoration - not simply bringing Christ to our remembrance, but making proclamation of his death to the world.

As the Passover commemorated the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and as the Fourth of July commemorates our birth as a nation, so the Lord’s Supper commemorates the birth of the church in Christ’s death and resurrection. As a mother might bid her children meet over her grave and commemorate her, so Christ bids his people meet and remember him. But subjective remembrance is not its only aim. It is public proclamation also. Whether it brings perceptible blessing to us or not, it is to be observed as a means of confessing Christ, testifying our faith, and publishing the fact of his death to others. Strong, Ibid.

The Lord’s Supper, however, reminds us that Jesus’ payment for our sins has already been accomplished, so we now eat in the Lord’s presence with great rejoicing.

Yet even the Lord’s Supper looks forward to a more wonderful fellowship meal in God’s presence in the future, when the fellowship of Eden will be restored and there will be even greater joy, because those who eat in God’s presence will be forgiven sinners now confirmed in righteousness, never able to sin again. That future time of great rejoicing and eating in the presence of God is hinted at by Jesus when he says, “I tell you I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matt. 26:29). We are told more explicitly in Revelation about the marriage supper of the Lamb: “And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb”’ (Rev. 19:9). This will be a time of great rejoicing in the presence of the Lord, as well as a time of reverence and awe before him. From Genesis to Revelation, then, God’s aim has been to bring his people into fellowship with himself, and one of the great joys of experiencing that fellowship is the fact that we can eat and drink in the presence of the Lord. It would be healthy for the church today to recapture a more vivid sense of God’s presence at the table of the Lord. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology

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Q. How ought this ordinance of the Lord’s Supper to be closed?
A. In singing praises to God vocally and audibly for his great benefits and blessings to his church in the shedding of the most precious blood of his son to take away their sin; which blessings are pointed out in this sacrament. Also we find our Lord and his disciples did close up this ordinance in singing an hymn or psalm; and if Christ did sing, who was going to die, what cause have we to sing for whom he died, that we might not eternally die, but live a spiritual and eternal life with Father, Son, and Spirit in inexpressible glory. Hercules Collins, The Orthodox Catechism, 1680

D. Its defense

Heb. 9:24-28; 10:10-14

1. complete vs. continuing sacrifice

a. “Do in remembrance of me”

i. call to mind, not sacrifice again

b. “It is finished” John 19:30; Hebrews 10:18

i. perfect tense, signifying a process that exists in its completed state

c. an “unbloody” sacrifice is ineffectual Hebrews 9:22

2. spiritual vs. physical presence

a. “This is my body”; compare the seven “I am” statements of Jesus

i. I AM the bread of life. John 6:35, 48

ii. I AM the light of the world. John 8:12; 9:5

iii. I AM the door. John 10:7

iv. I AM the good shepherd. John 10:11-14

v. I AM the resurrection and the life. John 11:25

vi. I AM the way, the truth and the life. John 14:6

vii. I AM the true vine. John 15:1, 5

b. His presence in heaven Acts7:55-56; Hebrews 10:12-13

c. the nature of His return Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16

3. honor vs. worship

a. worship of anything but God Himself is forbidden Exodus 20:3

i. God will not be confined to, in, with or under any tangible substance other than the God-Man Isaiah 42:8; 48:11

b. we honor the elements because of what they represent

c. we don’t worship the elements because of what they are

4. common vs. ministerial priesthood

a. Christ is the High Priest Hebrews 2:17; 3:1; 4:14; 5:5, 10; 6:20; 7:26; 8:1; 9:11 10:21

b. We have the privilege of entering the Holy of Holies Hebrews 10:19-22

c. We have the privilege/right of offering sacrifices Romans 12:1; Hebrews 13:15

d. We are a kingdom of priests 1 Peter 2:9-10; Revelation 1:5,6; 5:10

Confessing Our Faith in the Culture - Chapter 30

Chapter 30 Of Baptism

A. Early confusion!

Matthew 3:6, 11

Vulgate – 382-405; source: Old Latin

6 et baptizabantur in Iordane ab eo confitentes peccata sua; 11 ego quidem vos baptizo in aqua in paenitentiam qui autem post me venturus est fortior me est cuius non sum dignus calciamenta portare ipse vos baptizabit in Spiritu Sancto et igni

Wyclif – 1380; source: Vulgate

6 and thei weren waischun of hym in Jordan, `and knowlechiden her synnes. 11 Y waische you in water, in to penaunce; but he that shal come after me is strongere than Y, whos schoon Y am not worthi to bere; he shal baptise you in the Hooli Goost and fier.

Tyndale – 1526; sources: Erasmus’ Greek and Latin New Testament, as well as Luther’s German version and the Vulgate

6 and were baptised of him in Iorda cofessynge their synnes. 11 I baptise you in water in toke of repentauce: but he ye cometh after me is myghtier then I whose shues I am not worthy to beare. He shall baptise you with ye holy gost and with fyre:

1. transliteration instead of translation

2. 106 occurrences: 4 translated (wash, washed, washing, washings) Mark 7:4, 8; Luke 11:38; Hebrews 9:10

3. clarification: context, extra-biblical usage, tradition/practice

   1. context: consistent with immersing, pouring, sprinkling

   2. extra-biblical usage: The sense of “to bathe” or “to wash” is only occasionally found in Hellenism, usually in sacral [relating to religious rites] contexts. The idea of going under or perishing is nearer the general usage. TDNT

   3. tradition/practice: [T]hey argue that infant baptism was not the practice of the Apostles and their immediate successors, but developed through the convergence of several factors. Gradually paedobaptism came to be the majority position in the church, but probably not until the latter part of the fourth century. …[B]eliever’s baptism did not simply disappear after the apostolic era, but continued to be the accepted position for centuries. Infant baptism became part of ecclesiastical practice gradually, apart from apostolic injunction. Baptism in the Early Church, Foreword by James Renihan

B. What is the relationship between the ordinances and the Covenant?

1. a non-verbal expression of the verbal content of the Gospel

   a divine institution in which the blessings of the new covenant are represented, presented, and applied through signs perceptible to the senses. Such a sacrament has the meaning of a secondary divine testimony in which the primary testimony of the covenant itself is specially confirmed for us. The spiritual thing which is signified by the sacraments of the new covenant is the new covenant itself, or Christ himself with all the blessings which are prepared in him for the faithful. William Ames, Marrow of Theology, Book I, XXXVI, 12, 13, 23

   Keach’s Catechism
   
   Q. 95. What are the outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption?

A. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption are His ordinances, especially the Word, Baptism, the Lord’s Supper and Prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation. (Rom. 10:17; James 1:18; 1 Cor. 3:5; Acts 14:1; 2:41,42)

Q. 98. How do Baptism and the Lord’s Supper become effectual means of salvation?

A. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper become effectual means of salvation, not from any virtue in them or in him that administers them, but only by the blessing of Christ and the working of His Spirit in them that by faith receive them. (1 Peter 3:21; 1 Cor. 3:6,7; 1 Cor. 12:13)

Q. 99. Wherein do Baptism and the Lord’s Supper differ from the other ordinances of God?

A. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper differ from the other ordinances of God in that they were specially instituted by Christ to represent and apply to believers the benefits of the new covenant by visible and outward signs. (Matt. 28:19; Acts 22:16; Matt. 26:26-28; Rom. 6:4)
The sacraments are so designed that the man who is pointed to them by the Word is able to see in the form of the action and in the use of the elements the very promises of the Word set forth patently and visibly. “The testimony of the Gospel is engraven upon the sacraments.” “By the corporeal things which are produced in the sacrament, we are by a kind of analogy conducted to spiritual things.” The sacraments “represent the promises to life, as if painted in a picture”. They are a “sculpture or image of that grace of God which the word more fully illustrates”. …Thus the sacraments in confirming the promises of the Word also clarify them, and, as Calvin points out, it is precisely because they clarify them that they are most effective in confirming them. Ronald Wallace, Calvin on the Word and Sacrament

1. sign and seal of the Covenant

   1. outward sign of an inward condition – true circumcision Deut 10:16; Jer 4:4; Col 2:11-12; Rom 2:25-29

   2. a seal (confirmation or authentication) of faith present in the individual

      If circumcision is the sign and seal of the Abrahamic Covenant, what then is its New Covenant counterpart? I believe the Scriptures define it to be the circumcision of the heart by the Spirit exhibited in faith. This is why Paul prohibited physical circumcision. They had received its reality in the new heart (Gal. 3:3). Paul tells the Galatians that they do not need physical circumcision to enter into the covenant relationship with God because they have already entered that covenant relationship by the circumcision of Christ, a new heart by union with His death and resurrection. Therefore, as circumcision (the shadow or type) was the sign of entrance into the Abrahamic Covenant and the seal of Abraham’s saving faith, so regeneration (the form or antitype) is the sign of entrance into the New Covenant and the seal of the believer’s faith (Eph. 1:13,14; Jn. 3:5,6).

      Baptism then, is the indirect fulfillment of physical circumcision only through its association with the direct fulfillment, spiritual circumcision. This is why we see only confessors’ baptism in the New Testament record. It was easy to know who entered the Abrahamic Covenant; they were born into the household and were outwardly circumcised. But how can one tell if someone has entered the New Covenant and has experienced spiritual circumcision? Only by his repentance and faith, signified by the outward sign of fulfilled circumcision and cleansing, water baptism. Acts 2:37-42 is clear exegetical proof that the only children baptized were those who received Peter’s word of repentance and faith in Christ (Acts 2:38,39,41). They outwardly showed inward circumcision and then were baptized. This is how Christ ordained to build His church (Mt. 16:16-18; 28:19).

      Water baptism, then, is the outward sign of the inward circumcision of the heart rather than the outward counterpart of the outward circumcision of the flesh. Just as Abraham’s Old Covenant “seed” initially entered the covenant by physical circumcision and confirmed it by spiritual circumcision, his New Covenant “seed” initially enter the covenant by spiritual circumcision and confirm it by baptism. Physical descendants of Abraham’s New Covenant “seed” are not to be permitted the sign of baptism until they show by faith that they have also become the spiritual “seed” of Abraham. David Kingdon’s book, Children of Abraham, is a more thorough study of this concept. Regeneration by the Spirit, not the infant baptism of believers’ “seed,” is the fulfillment of the promise to give a multitude of nations to Abraham as his descendants. Faith comes first as the evidence of regeneration, then comes baptism–not the other way around. Fred Malone, String of Pearls Unstrung
      http://www.founders.org/library/malone1/malone_text.html

   3. a covenantal ceremony

      [The] focus is ‘the party baptized’. Though baptism certainly has a significance for the world and the church, its primary significance is for the one being baptized. This is so because baptism is a covenantal transaction or ceremony between God and the individual. …Baptism is an individual ordinance whereas the Lord’s Supper is a corporate ordinance. Many modern Baptists have so reacted against Roman Catholic sacramentalism that they emphasize that baptism is a sign for the world and the church, but little emphasis is placed on its meaning for the one baptized. This is not in accord with the Scripture’s teaching. While baptism does not save, it does formalize salvation in a covenantal ceremony or transaction between God and the party baptized. Waldron, Exposition of the 1689

C. Who are proper subjects of baptism?

1. Those who profess:

   1. repentance Acts 2:37-41; 1 Peter 3:21

   2. faith Mark 16:15-16; Acts 8:12-13, 10:47-48

   3. obedience Matthew 28:19-20

      Matt. 3:1-12; Mark 1:4-6; Luke 3:3-6; John 4:1-2; 1Cor. 1:13-17; Acts 8:36-38; 9:18; 11:16; 15:9; 16:14-15, 31-34; 18:8; 19:3-5; 22:16; Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:27; Col. 2:12; Jer. 31:31-34; Phil. 3:3; John 1:12-13; Matt. 21:43
      

D. How should the ordinance be administered?

1. with water Matthew 3:11; Acts 8:36, 38

   1. because it is a cleansing agent Acts 22:16

2. in(to) the name of the Trinity Matthew 28:18-20

   1. symbolic identification or unification with the one named

   2. joined in covenant to God

3. by immersion

   1. required by Scriptural (Old and New Testaments) and secular literal usage of the word

      1. Scriptural: Naaman (2 Kings 5:14); washing dishes (Mark 7:3-4)

      2. secular: immerse, submerge, die, plunge, bathe

   2. consistent with Scriptural and secular figurative usage of the word

      1. Scriptural: “lawlessness overwhelms me” (Isaiah 21:4); “baptized with the baptism” (Mark 10:38-39)

      2. secular: plunge, immerse, whelm in ruin, poverty, debts, sleep, ignorance, etc.

E. How do we interact with sacramentalists?

1212 The sacraments of Christian initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist - lay the foundations of every Christian life. “The sharing in the divine nature given to men through the grace of Christ bears a certain likeness to the origin, development, and nourishing of natural life. The faithful are born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life. By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity.”

1213 Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.”

1257 The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation. He also commands his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and to baptize them. Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament. The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are “reborn of water and the Spirit.” God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.

1263 By Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin. In those who have been reborn nothing remains that would impede their entry into the Kingdom of God, neither Adam’s sin, nor personal sin, nor the consequences of sin, the gravest of which is separation from God.

1265 Baptism not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte “a new creature,” an adopted son of God, who has become a “partaker of the divine nature,” member of Christ and co-heir with him, and a temple of the Holy Spirit.

1266 The Most Holy Trinity gives the baptized sanctifying grace, the grace of justification:
- enabling them to believe in God, to hope in him, and to love him through the theological virtues;
- giving them the power to live and act under the prompting of the Holy Spirit through the gifts of the Holy Spirit;
- allowing them to grow in goodness through the moral virtues.
Thus the whole organism of the Christian’s supernatural life has its roots in Baptism.

Catechism of the Catholic Church; http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/baptism.html

1. Remind them we are saved by faith ALONE

   1. faith is the gift of God Ephesians 2:8; Philippians 1:29

   2. faith is a fruit of the Spirit, and therefore cannot be meritorious Galatians 5:22

   3. Faith denies it own justifying value, and affirms the sole merit of that on which it trusts Romans 3:25-26; 4:20-22; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 1:12-13; 1 John 5:10

2. The believer is justified

   1. without works Romans 3:28

   2. in the name of Christ 1 Corinthians 6:11

   3. by his blood Romans 5:9

   4. freely, by his grace, through faith Romans 3:24-28

For further reflection:

1. The essence of the covenant of grace was first revealed in Genesis 3:15.

2. Infant circumcision was first revealed in the covenant of circumcision.

3. Ergo, infant circumcision is not of the essence of the covenant of grace.

One could substitute infant circumcision with covenantal infant inclusion.

1. The essence of the covenant of grace was first revealed in Genesis 3:15.

2. Covenantal infant inclusion was first revealed in the covenant of circumcision.

3. Ergo, covenantal infant inclusion is not of the essence of the covenant of grace.

Both infant circumcision and covenantal infant inclusion were added later along side of the covenant of grace as temporary redemptive-historical appendages to create the Old Covenant nation of Israel and bring in the Messiah. Their historical function has found its terminus in Christ.

Rich Barcellos, http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/mctsblog/~3/268354382/

Confessing Our Faith In the Culture - Chapter 29

Of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
(also, Chapter 31, Of the Laying On of Hands)

A. What is an ordinance?

1. What’s the definition?

   It is plainly, therefore, impossible to determine the nature or the number of the sacraments from either the etymology or the usage of the word “sacrament.” We want a thorough definition of the thing, not of the name. This we can get only by taking Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which all men acknowledge to be genuine sacraments, and, by a strict examination of their origin, nature, and uses, determine (a.) the true character of the class of ordinances to which they belong, and (b.) whether any other ordinances belong to the same class or not. In this way the definition of a sacrament given in our Standards was formed. A. A. Hodge, The Confession of Faith

2. What is required for it to be an ordinance?

   The express institution of God is essentially requisite to constitute a sacrament. No ordinances ought to be observed in the Christian Church but such as have been appointed by Christ, her alone king and head. He only can have authority to institute sacraments, who has power to confer the blessings which are thereby represented and applied. No rite, therefore, can deserve the name of a sacrament, unless it bear the stamp of divine institution. Shaw, Exposition of WCF

3. What makes an ordinance unique?

   The underlying ground and reason for the Christian sacraments must be found in their unique relation to the redemptive scheme. They were not instituted simply in view of the fact that we naturally discern spiritual things most easily through the medium of such visible representations. They have their occasion and need in human sinfulness, and in the spiritual blindness which such sinfulness induces. They rest, in a word, on the same basis as the incarnation. Their great primary purpose is to exhibit in visible and significant form the blessings bestowed through the mediation of Christ upon all who truly believe in him. And this exhibition is made in order to confirm the faith of believers, to give them greater assurance respecting their personal salvation, and to strengthen them in their Christian graces and in the discharge of all their duties toward the Savior and toward one another as members together of his spiritual household. On this ground these ordinances are directly associated with the Word and the Holy Spirit and with the other ordained means of grace, as important if not indispensable helps in the Christian life. Morris, Theology of the Westminster Symbols, p. 667ff

4. Is laying on of hands an ordinance in the same sense/way as baptism & communion?

   In answer to the query from Newtown church: Whether laying on of hands be an ordinance of the gospel to be administered to all baptized persons, or only in particular cases? We observe, that imposition of hands on baptized persons has been the general practice of the churches in union with this Association, and is still used by most of them; but it was never considered by the Association as a bar of communion. Resolved, That any person scrupling to submit thereto, may be admitted to the fellowship of the church without it. Philadelphia Baptist Association Minutes, 1783

B. Why these two?

1. The Lord’s Table

   1. instituted on the night he was betrayed 1 Cor. 11:23-25

2. Baptism

   1. commanded after his resurrection Matthew 28:18-20

C. To whom have they been entrusted?

1. to the church 1 Cor. 11:17, 18, 20, 33, 34

2. overseen by the stewards of the mysteries of God. 1 Cor. 4:1-2; Luke 12:42; Titus 1:7

D. Is all this important?

1. God bestows grace on HIS terms. Rom. 9:15-16

2. The one who institutes also regulates.

   The exclusive author is Jesus Christ. We are baptized and eat the Lord’s Supper properly only when we do it because he told us to do so [and in the manner in which he instructed, Ed.] There is no glory or benefit in observing these rites out of tradition or because they seem like a good idea to us. When, however, we feel upon our hearts the authority of Christ in his Word and respond to that authority, then what glory there is in these ordinances! Then there is a fresh sense of the living life, the reality and the presence of Christ in the ordinances. There is also, in conscious obedience to his authority, a refreshing consciousness of our living attachment to Christ. Waldron, Exposition of the 1689

3. God takes proper observance seriously. 1 Cor. 11:27-34

   Careful observation of and obedience to Christ’s ‘positive and sovereign institutions’ manifest a peculiar love for and loyalty to the will of Christ the King. Despising his ordinances argues a lack of respect for Christ’s kingly office. …Properly observing the ordinances of Christ exhibits a love for Christ’s will just because it is Christ’s will.

Confessing Our Faith In the Culture - Chapter 28

Of the Communion of Saints

1.       ALL saints are united to Jesus Christ their head by His Spirit and by faith. But this does not mean that they become one person with Him. Yet they have fellowship in His graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory. Also, as they are united to one another in love, they enjoy fellowship in the gifts and graces one of another, and are under obligation to render such services, public and private, as promote their mutual well-being, in both spiritual and temporal matters.

2.       By their profession of faith, saints are committed to the maintenance of a holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God and in the performance of such other special services as promote their mutual well-being. They are also bound to relieve one another in their temporal concerns according to their various needs and abilities. According to the rule of the gospel, this type of fellowship, while it particularly applies to the family and church relationships of saints, is to be extended, as God gives opportunity, to the whole household of faith, that is to say, to all who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus. At the same time, however, it must be understood that such a sharing one with another as saints, does not deprive any man of the title and proprietorship which he has in his own goods and possessions, nor does it infringe such title.
From  “A Faith to Confess”

A. What we have in common John 17:20-23

“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. NASB

1.       Head of the body Col. 1:18

2.       common profession of faith Eph. 4:4-6

3.       common Gospel to preach Gal. 1:6-9

4.       common life Col. 3:12-16

a.      but with individual duties/gifts Eph 4:11-16

5.       common reputation Gal. 6:1-2

As they constitute one body in the eyes of the world, they have a common reputation, and are all severally and collectively honored or dishonored with each other. Hence all schisms in the body, injurious controversies, malignant misrepresentations of Christian by Christian, are self-defaming as well as wicked. A. A. Hodge, Commentary on the WCF

B. With whom we have it in common

1.       those who profess the true faith Rom. 16:17; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14; 2 John 9-11

2.       those who proclaim a true Gospel Mark 16:15; 3 John 5-8 (see next page)

3.       who hold to what is of first importance 1 Corinthians 15:1-5

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you–unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ESV

a.      Theological Triage Dr. Albert Mohler, 9Marks Journal

                                                         i.            First-level issues

1.       Trinity, full deity & humanity of Christ, sola fide, sola scriptura

                                                       ii.            Second-level issues

1.       meaning and mode of baptism, women pastors

                                                      iii.            Third-level issues

1.       eschatology, worship music, Bible translation

4.       family, church, household of faith

Since this is the union of all true believers with the Lord and with each other, and since, consequently, a “communion of saints” so intimate necessarily flourishes among true believers in proportion to their intelligence and their advancement in grace, it follows that all branches of the visible Church, and all the individual members thereof, should do all within their power to act upon the principles of the “communion of saints” in their intercourse with all who profess the true religion. If the Church is one, the churches are one. If all saints are one, and are embraced in this holy “communion” then all who profess to be saints should regard and treat all their fellow-professors on the presumption that they are saints and “heirs together with them of the grace of life.” Think of it ! In spite of all controversies and jealousies, one in the eternal electing love of God ! one in the purchase of Christ’s sacrificial blood ! one in the beautifying indwelling of the Holy Ghost ! one in the eternal inheritance of glory ! Surely, we should be also one in all the charities, sympathies and helpful offices possible in these short and evil days of earthly pilgrimage. These mutual duties are, of course, some of them public as between different evangelical churches and many of them private and personal. Many of them relate to the souls, and many also to the bodies of the saints. The rule is the law of love in the heart, and the principles and examples of saints recorded in Scripture applied to the special circumstances of every individual case. But while these mutual relations and offices of the saints sanctify, they are not designed to supersede the fundamental principles of human society, as the rights of property and the family tie. A. A. Hodge, Commentary on the WCF

C. What we should do in common

3 John 5-8 (ESV) Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

1.       pursue true fellowship founded on pure doctrine

Unity has too often been pursued by those who are not advocates of the “great foundation truths.” “Unity”—interpreted as organizational oneness—has been treated as a good remedy to stop the decline of Christian influence, with “fellowship” given priority over “doctrine,” contrary to Acts 2:41.

True believers do disagree over some issues in Scripture—church government and the ordinance of baptism, for a start. Yet history has shown that all attempts to downplay these distinctives, and thus to end denominations, are going to fail. Believers are going to hold convictions on all that Scripture reveals. The policy of John Wesley and others to deem anything “not fundamental” as “mere opinion” is not good enough. Given the imperfect understanding of all Christians, and the need for corporate agreement on some secondary issues, denominations of one kind or another will remain. Better for us to accept this fact and, as J.C. Ryle says, keep the walls as low as possible and shake hands over them often. This is not to deny that the distinction between secondary and fundamental truths, while not always easy to determine, is an important one. A Senior Saint on Unity, 9Marks Journal, Iain Murray

2.       promote the Gospel

Instead of attempting to form new alliances and organizations, we need to discern what God is doing. His work will last for eternity. It is one of the brightest hopes in the United States at the present time that gospel preachers, from different denominational backgrounds, are being spontaneously drawn together in a common concern to advance the cause of Christ. This cause does not need new labels or structures; most of all it needs the anointing of the Spirit, more prayer, love, and humility. Announcements of success, or satisfaction with numbers, are to be feared rather than sought. God’s work needs no publicity. A true advance and recovery will be marked by the sense of weakness and need which gives all glory to God. Let us not stop short of seeking a real spiritual awakening! Ibid, 9Marks Journal, Iain Murray

See also Fellow Workers for the Truth by Andy Johnson, 9Marks Journal, http://filemanager.silaspartners.com/dox/9marks/9news/mar-apr08ejournal.pdf

Confessing Our Faith In the Culture - Chapter 27

Of the Church

A. What makes a church?

1. called and commanded (¶ 5)

   1. called by Christ to Himself

      1. by his Word John 10:27-30; Rom. 1:15-17; Rom. 10:13-15

      2. by his Spirit John 3:5-8; Acts 5:31-32

         The church is indeed the company of men who are called (1Cor 1:24 but for those who are called, whether Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. and 1Cor 10:32 Put no stumbling-block in the way of Jews or Greeks or the church of God.) Because the end of calling is faith and the work of faith is a grafting into Christ, and this union brings with it communion with Christ, the church can be defined at once as a company of believers, a company of those who are in Christ, and a company of those who have communion with him. William Ames, Marrow of Theology, 1.31.7

   2. commanded by Christ to walk together

      1. by implication Matt. 18:15-20

      2. by apostolic example Acts 14:21-23
         
         It is a society of believers because the same thing makes a church visible in profession which in its inward and real nature makes it a mystical church, namely, faith. Ibid, 1.32.7

2. consent and covenant (¶ 6)

   1. willing consent Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-42

   2. covenanted together 1 Cor. 12:1-27
      
      Believers do not make a particular church, even though by chance many may meet and live together in the same place, unless they are joined together by a special bond among themselves. Otherwise, any one church would often be dissolved into many, and many also merged into one. This bond is a covenant, expressed or implicit, by which believers bind themselves individually to perform all those duties toward God and toward one another which relate to the purpose of the church and its edification. Ibid, 1.32.14 & 15

3. officers and members (¶

   1. officers

      1. elders Acts 20:17-28

         In Acts 14:23, Luke mentions that Paul and Barnabas traveled to certain cities in Asia Minor and “ordained them elders in every church.” Finally, Paul calls for Titus to “ordain elders in every city. . . .” Titus 1:5

      2. deacons Acts 6:1-6; Phil. 1:1

         Charged with supplementing/enhancing the “spiritual” ministry of the elders by addressing practical needs that would interfere with the proper functioning of the body.

         The first aspect of diaconal ministry is that of meeting physical needs, caring for the needs of other members of the congregation. The second aspect is that diaconal ministry must promote unity within the body; in Acts 6 physical neglect had resulted in spiritual disunity and the deacons were needed to restore unified fellowship. Their service to individuals would result in strengthening and building up the whole body. The third aspect is that diaconal ministry especially supports the elders, freeing the teachers of the Word to serve well in their own ministry. Deacons should be the front-line models in encouraging and building one another up by coordinating the effective use of resources within the body.

         No sudden coming together and exercise of holy communion [fellowship] suffices to make a church unless there is also that continuity, at least in intention, which gives the body and its members a certain spiritual polity. Ibid, 1.32.21

      3. members Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1-4; Heb. 13:7, 17

         The church is instituted by God and by Christ (Heb 3.3-4 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.). …The gathering of an instituted church, however, is so effected by God that his command and man’s duty and labor come first. It is instituted by God and Christ alone because men have no power in themselves to institute or frame a church for Christ. …Their greatest honor is that they are servants in the house of God. (Heb 3.5 5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant) Ibid, 1.32.22 & 23

B. What are the marks of a true church? (¶ 7)

1. worship (Ch. 22, ¶ 4 & 5)

   1. prayer Psa. 95:1-7

   2. ministry of the Word 1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:2; Luk 8:18; capsulized Neh. 8:1-12

   3. singing Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:19

   4. ordinances Matt. 28:18-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26

2. discipline Matt. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 5:1-5 and 2 Cor. 2:5-11