Ecclesiology - Lesson 5 Fast Link: to the newest section of this chapter Westminster Confession of Faith 29
As we discussed in the chapter on the Sacraments, the Lord's Supper was directly instituted by Jesus Christ as a continuing practice for the church during this era before the final Judgment (Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:19-20 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-25). This has been the universal understanding and practice of bible-based churches. It is the covenant meal which fulfills the Mosaic feast of Passover. Jesus instituted this practice while he partook of the Passover meal with his disciples on the night before his own sacrifice on the cross. He identified the matzoh as his body which was to be crucified on the cross the next day for the sins of his people. He also explained that the cup of wine represented the blood of the covenant in his own blood which was soon to be shed for them. Jesus is called "our Passover" (1 Corinthians 5:7), and "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29). The Mosaic Passover had a prophetic nature. The New Testament sacrament is not the same as Passover. It fulfills what the covenant meal under the Levitical system prefigured. Not all the particulars of it apply to the fulfillment. Many of the details had to do with things symbolized by the coming of the Messiah as our sin bearer. Only what is specified by our Lord for the church applies to the Lord's Supper. We no longer celebrate it but once a year, we don't sacrifice a lamb, we don't celebrate it in our homes led by the head of the family unit, there is a requirement now that all who partake must discern the body of Christ as it is received, etc. As a Sacrament, the Lord's Supper is a sign and seal of the covenant of grace. It is a means by which true believers may spiritually grow and be nourished when received in faith and in the way God has specified in his covenant promises. The benefits are not attached to the elements themselves apart from their proper use. When we rightly partake of this covenant meal we both receive God's promised blessings and attest to our common commitments as believers and as members of Christ's body, the church. By partaking of the elements we come into union with Christ as a united covenant people. For this reason the Lord's Supper is often called Communion. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Westminster Confession of Faith 29
A common confusion arises from the Roman Catholic understanding of the Lord's Supper as the "Mass". Contrary to that teaching, the Bible does not present this sacrament as a re-sacrificing of Jesus Christ. His once-for-all sacrifice is not to be repeated ritually. It is a sacramental practice to commemorate what has already been accomplished and to seal its blessings upon proper recipients. Westminster Confession of Faith 29
The sacraments are to be administered only by those ordained to office as shepherds of the people. The Elders are held responsible in Scripture for the right administration of all the elements of worship. They are the only ones recognized by God's word to properly represent the gathered congregation before God in its times of convocation (see our syllabus notes on the elements of worship). Among the elders, only those examined for their thorough understanding of the Biblical issues involved should lead in the Lord's Supper. We commonly designate such Elders as Pastors or Teaching Elders. Most churches require them to complete seminary level training. According to the institution given both by our Lord and the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11, certain things should always be present in the celebration of the Lord's Supper. Prayer should be offered, the word of God is expounded, the elements are clearly set apart for this special use, the words of Jesus (usually those in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26) are recited, the elements are distributed to and partaken of by the members of Christ's true church. Since this is a communion of the church as a body of Christ, and is to be accompanied by the teaching of the word and the other words required, it should never be administered outside of the called worship of the church under the oversight of its elders, and never to those not present. The practice of taking the Lord's Supper to people in private settings, or the administering of it only to couples in weddings, are in direct violation of this biblical principle and are therefore contrary to the teachings of the Westminster Confession of Faith. They reflect either a superstitious view of the elements as if they have some power or quality infused into them, or are a diminishing of their sacramental use as if they are mere object lessons, endearing ceremonial trappings, or signs, but not seals, of God's Covenant of Grace. The administration of the Lord's Supper to shut-ins, or to those unable for physical reasons to attend the convocations of the church, should always include all the biblical elements of the Sacrament. To honor God's word Pastors and the Elders of the church will sometimes call a worship time at the bedside of those who are disabled. The word is taught, other believers are present as a congregation, and all the things required for its rightful administration are included in the presence of those partaking. Other abuses of this sacrament such as limiting the wine to only those administering it, or the carrying around or venerating of the elements, are pure inventions of men and are contrary to the biblical practice instituted by our Lord and reported by the Apostles in Scripture. They are usually attached to an improper understanding of how the elements of bread and wine convey the blessings promised in the Covenant. Westminster Confession of Faith 29
In our discussion of the Sacraments we explained that the elements used in them convey blessings due to the promise attached, rather than by any change in the actual elements themselves. They must be rightly received to be of any real spiritual benefit. Rather than repeat that material here we direct the reader back to that earlier chapter. When Jesus administered the bread and wine at his last supper with his apostles, he said that the bread was his body and the wine was the new covenant in his blood. There could have been no confusion in the minds of those present. In that context, nothing indicates that he was speaking of a physical transformation which would mean that what he called bread was no longer bread as they understood it, nor that what he gave them as wine was anything other than what God's laws of Passover required it to be. There is nothing to make us expect that his command to continue the sacrament implied that things would be any different after his resurrection. The Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation teaches that the whole substance of the bread is changed into the literal body of Jesus, and that the wine is changed in substance into the literal blood of Jesus. Their view protects itself from the obvious objections by saying that they continue to have the outward characteristics of bread and wine, but they are no longer what they appear to be. The view of Rome has led to superstitions about the power and efficacy of the elements themselves. The bread is sometimes paraded around invoking followers to worship it and to expect actual blessings to flow from its mere presence. Extreme measures have been taken to keep the leftovers of the consecrated bread or wine from being treated with disrespect, since they are believed to remain the body and blood of Jesus even outside of the context of the administration of the sacrament. The administration of the elements have been guarded so that no crumbs of the sacred body or drops of our Savior's true blood would fall accidentally. A special wafer was designed to replace the bread so that it would be laid intact into the mouth of the participant and could not produce crumbs. The Lutheran view was a modified form of the Roman doctrine. Their view is often called consubstantiation. Though they also beleived that in consecration the actual physical body and blood of our Lord became present in, with and under the elements, nevertheless the real bread and wine remained also. Most of the confusion which led to these extreme positions has to do with a basic misunderstanding of the concept of the sacramental relationship which unites the outward forms with that which they represent. They put a very unnatural reading upon the words of Jesus when he said, "this is my body". Throughout Scripture figures of speech are used where the thing representing something is spoken of in terms of the thing it represents. Though Jesus calls his disciples the light of the world and the salt of the earth, they are not transformed into photons or Sodium Chloride crystals. There are many classical discussions of this issue and we will not try to reproduce all the details of the arguments here. In response to these abuses some have taken a view often called Memorialism. It reduces the entire Sacrament to an object lesson denying that the body and blood of Christ are received in any real sense at all. (This was also discussed briefly in the earlier lesson about the Sacraments). The position of the Reformed churches differs from these other schools of theology. The classic Reformed symbols indicate that there is a real presence of Christ in the elements, but it is not a physical presence. By virtue of God's promise we partake of Christ's body and blood spiritually, receiving the benefits of his covenantal presence when those rightly qualified partake obedietly and in faith, trusting in God's assurance that blessing will accompany this means of grace. Westminster Confession of Faith 29
Those who receive the elements of the Lord's Supper in ignorance or with a wicked intent cannot receive the blessing promised. God looks upon the heart and blesses only those who come as he specifies in his word.
Paul carefully instructed the church at Corinth about the right reception of the Lord's Supper.
In 1 Corinthians 11 he wrote,
Those who receive the elements without faith in or awareness of what they represent and of the church gathered as the body of Christ to receive them, are unworthy receivers and bring condemnation upon themselves rather than blessing. For this reason most Reformed churches require communicants to be qualified by the examination of the Elders in order to be admitted to the Lord's table. Children and new members must show that they are acting with understanding and a credible faith in Christ before they are welcomed to this Sacrament. Some admit all baptized children on the basis of their covenantal union in the body of Christ and interpret this passage in a way they believe allows for that. The admitting of children is called Paedo-Communion. Study committees in most Reformed bodies have not been convinced by the arguments offered by this movement, but it is a worthy issue for study and challenges us to improve our understanding of the Sacraments and their Covenant nature. This is one of those areas where the detailed practices of the ancient Jewish celebration of the Passover are not brought over into the New Testament era without change. Most believe that the caution Paul presents in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 shows how the prefiguring of the Lord's Supper changed as it was replaced by the fulfilled form of the Sacrament after the finshed work of Christ was more fully revealed. Since the Lord's Supper is a means by which grace grows in the believer based upon the promise of God, those who have faith in Christ, who understand the Sacrament and the church receiving it, and who have been admitted by the Elders of the church ought not to exempt themselves from the elements. It is a good time for confessing sin and renewing commitments to the Lord. The idea that one must first have made full restitution for the effects of all his sins is not biblical. Passages relating to the Levitical sacrificial system and its demands for outward purity should not be transposed into the New Testament era in a way that keeps a truly repentant believer from taking advantage of this important means of grace. There are many issues which have engaged the church in the study of this Sacrament. Some say fermented wine should always be used and others insist on the use of unfermented grape juice. Some demand that the bread be unleavened while others prefer the ordinary leavened bread in common use. Some receive the elements while remaining seated as a congregation. Others come to the front of the church and kneel while receiving it. Some eat and drink each element as it is received while others wait until all have been served and partake as a congregation. Some administer the sacrament every Sunday, others monthly, some quarterly. These are fascinating areas of discussion and have been used by God to provoke his people into studies that explore the depths of his word for answers. Great caution should be exercised regarding these differences lest things not directly addressed in God's word should be used by the enemy of our faith to divide us and derail our joint efforts to preserve true biblical worship, individual spiritual maturity, and the declaration of the gospel to the world. The members of local churches should submit to the judgment of the Elders of the church in such matters as these, unless they find sound biblical cause to do otherwise. return to the top of this page |
