You Must Be Baptized to Receive the Lord’s Supper – Article Up at Mere Orthodoxy
I have an article this morning up at Mere Orthodoxy. This summer I had several conversations with members of my congregation about this, and then the EPC General Assembly debated the topic. Looking around, I discovered there was very little actually written about this subject, and so wrote this to serve as a kind of googleable default for people wondering about this question.
Here’s an excerpt,
Discerning the body entails seeing and acknowledging in the sacrament what and why Jesus has acted for our salvation.
This last aspect of trust has a dual implication. On the one hand it means the act of faith: resting upon the body and blood of Jesus for salvation. Coming to the table, eating and drinking, is trusting in the work of Jesus on the cross for your salvation, which he gives to you as surely as you eat the bread and drink the cup. On the other hand, trusting Jesus means following him in repentance. He has bought us with his body and blood, and discerning that includes our acknowledgement of our grateful duty to him. Trusting Jesus means following him.
This is why discerning his body in the sacrament is part of our self-examination. We are judging whether we truly grasp our need for a savior and rest in the death of Jesus for that salvation. Failure to repent, the Corinthian problem, means that we don’t take the death of Jesus seriously: we welcome the benefits (salvation, the meal) without being moved to see that we and our sinful ways were the cause of Christ’s death.
Why A Sunday Evening Worship Service?
From time-to-time I write an extended theological essay for my church. These are intended to help guide conversation among the elders and then equip and edify the congregation. My church is beginning a weekly, Sunday evening worship service, and this essay was written to explain why we would want to do that. Our elders also read Harrison Perkins’ “A Rationale For Evening Services” in Modern Reformation, “The Forgotten Gift of Evening Worship” by Jim McCarthy in reformation21, and listened to Alistair Begg preach on the subject. These other pieces are either aimed at pastors or are explaining a current practice to a church; I wrote this essay to explain why we would want to start an evening service and emphasized a biblical vision of delight, joy, and wisdom…
Precision Questions on Baptism
Below is a series of nine questions on baptism from my sent folder, intended to highlight the difference between the position of the Reformed tradition and someone who prefers administering baptism only to those who profess faith. Yes, all of the citations are confessional texts, not biblical texts, because these questions were designed to show what our doctrine is. Nor are these all the important questions and such about baptism.
Is repentance/belief a necessary prerequisite to receive the sacrament of baptism?
No, repentance/belief is not a necessary prerequisite. The sacrament confirms Christ’s action and is a means by which Christ through his Spirit works repentance/belief (WCF 27. 3, 28.1, 28.6; WLC 161-162, 165-166, 177).
Does the covenant of grace include the promise of regeneration, remission of sins, and justification? Do the sacraments of the covenant of grace sign and seal all of the covenant of grace and its benefits…
What is Christ’s Commission in Matthew 28?
This was originally posted in February, 2022 but I edited and wanted to re-up the essay.
Starting from the position that Jesus here, in what is often called the Great Commission, appoints every individual Christian to go and share the gospel as the central mandate of the church and Christian life ignores Matthew on his own terms. The 11 apostles are specifically identified as the ones who received this command from Jesus; the question is, What does that commission have to do with the church today? What does it mean to be a Great Commission church?
We see two things are given here. The first is the authority that Christ has received over all heaven and earth. The second is the command given by Jesus to disciple all the nations. The command to disciple is linked to the authority given to Christ. Because Jesus has received authority, he is giving the task of discipleship. The task given and those who received the task is intertwined with the nature of the authority Christ received….
Article up at Ref21: ‘A Missing Question in the Westminster Catechisms?’
Read the article at ref21. Here is an excerpt:
Westminster Shorter Catechism 85 asks, “What doth God require of us that we may escape his wrath and curse due to us for sin?” This is a hugely important question! The answer comes in three parts: 1) Faith in Jesus Christ. 2) Repentance unto life. 3) An answer that may make any self-respecting, sola gratia & sola fide holding Protestant spit out their coffee: The diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption.
There are things and our use of things that God requires for us to escape his wrath and curse. These things and our use of them is how Jesus gives us the benefits of redemption. In other words, this is how Jesus gives us salvation… This allows us to ask our question, “How is prayer made effectual for salvation…”
