Sacraments
What are the Sacraments?
To quote from one of the catechisms of the churches of the Reformation; “Sacraments are holy, visible signs and seals, appointed by God for this purpose, that by the use of them he might more fully declare to us the promises of the gospel.” (Heidelberg Catechism L.D. 25)
When it says that God more fully declares the promises of the gospel, the meaning is not that they are more clearly explained, but that they are presented to us in a symbolic visible interactive form that powerfully supports the word.
According to the Bible there are two sacraments only, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Both of these are symbolic representations of the cleansing of the blood of Christ and the gift of his Spirit. Both speak a “word” that must be received in faith if we are to benefit by them. Both are commanded by God for use in the church.
Understanding Baptism From the Bible
Masih was raised in a Hindu home in Pradesh India. With his parents he worshiped many gods. He even became a priest in the village. But the Spirit of the Lord was working in him and he saw the emptiness and hopelessness of life if what he had been taught about the gods was true. He found no peace of mind.
One day he received a gospel tract and read about the love of God revealed in Christ Jesus. He answered the offer on the leaflet and enrolled in a correspondence course to learn more about Jesus. He became convicted of the truth and committed his life to Christ. Three months later, in April of 1978 he was baptized and given his new name, Masih. He was now officially a member of the family of God.
He knew of several others who had come to embrace the good news of peace with God through Jesus Christ. But many had put off being baptized for some years, because it invariably brought persecution. It was understood by all that baptism and the taking of a Christian name symbolized a complete break with the Hindu religion and its many gods. Baptism spoke of spiritual unity with Jesus Christ and trusting in Him alone. That’s why it was so offensive to others in that society. It was a judgment against them and the whole idea that there are many gods.
But Masih did not put it off. He obeyed the command of God even though he knew it would bring a cross for him to bear. And he did very soon face persecution for being identified with Jesus Christ. Yet he did not waiver in his faith. He had found peace with the one true God through his only begotten Son who was given for that very purpose. And he rejoiced in having been set apart by God as his own. He even rejoiced in sharing in the sufferings of Christ as the apostles of old had.
From this missionary account it seems clear that the meaning of baptism is more clearly understood on a primitive mission field in India than it is by many in the “Christian” West. Baptism is a sign and seal that we are set apart by God to be his very own people; a member of a new community which is the body of Christ, saved by the blood he shed on the cross and called to be faithful to him.
1. What is Baptism Physically?
When a person is baptized, water is poured or sprinkled on his/her forehead by the minister of the word during a worship service. The minister will say as he sprinkles the water; “I baptize you ___________ ___________ into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The baptism will be followed by a prayer of thanksgiving and request that the Lord will continue the work begun in this person.
Some churches practice total immersion in the water. We accept this too as a valid baptism. However, we note that when prophesying of the coming of Christ and the new covenant in his blood the prophets of old spoke of the “sprinkling of the nations with clean water”(Isaiah 52:15, Ezek.36:25). And in Hebrews 9:10 in the original language the word baptism is used to refer to the sprinkling of the blood of the sacrifice.
2. What does Baptism signify spiritually?
Contrary to much modern teaching, baptism is not so much a witness to our commitment to God as the sign and seal of God’s covenantal promises to us. (See “covenant” under What’s in a Name?) Baptism is the sign given by God that we are set apart and belong to Him. He “places his name upon us.” In the Revelation to John, God’s people are marked as belonging to him with a mark or name placed “on their foreheads”(Rev.9:4, 14:1, 22:4) The connection to our baptism in the name of the Triune God is hard to miss.
Baptism is a sign and seal of our cleansing by the blood of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and being ingrafted into him, united with him like a branch in a vine. Like a graft in a tree or a vine, so we through faith given by God grow in Christ. We draw our life from him to bear fruit to God. See John 15 and Romans 11 for the words of Christ and Paul respectively on the graft analogy.
It is significant that we are baptized into the name of the Triune God, and not just because that is how he has revealed himself to us. Baptized into the name of the Father we have the assurance of adoption into his family and the hope of his providential care. Baptized into the name of the Son, we have the assurance of the cleansing of his blood which alone can take away our sin. We have the promise also that Christ intercedes for us before the Father and guards us from the evil one. Baptized into the name of the Holy Spirit we have the assurance that he is at work in us applying the work of Christ in our lives, giving understanding and commitment to our hearts.
So like circumcision, the sign of the old covenant, baptism speaks of union and communion with God as his people. It speaks of being made holy by the blood of the sacrifice and the presence of the Spirit, and called to be holy.
3. Why does the church practice baptism?
If for no other reason we would practice baptism simply because God commands it. It is not something the church has dreamed up to appear mysterious. It would be disobedience to the plain teaching of the Word of God to ignore the sacrament. “Going into all the world, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all things, whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matt.28:19,20.
However, the church also practices baptism because it was given for our encouragement in Christ. It supports the preaching of the Word as the means by which God communicates his grace to us and our children. We are taught to cling to God on the basis of his promises to us personally, and to our children. We are reminded of our obligations to God as the second part of the covenant. When the world tugs at us with its pleasures of sin, we are reminded that we died with Christ and live with him too. Sin will not be our master because we are under grace. Therefore we do not let sin reign over us but rather offer ourselves to God. See Romans 6:1-14 for further on this aspect.
4. Who are to be baptized?
According to the Bible the only rightful recipients of baptism are believers and their still dependent children who are under their care and instruction; “their households.” The righteousness on which we base our hope of salvation and that is sealed to us in baptism is a righteousness which is credited to us through the gift of faith in the blood of Jesus (Rom.3:25). The covenant relationship signified in baptism carries the obligation of faith in Jesus. Christ himself said to the Jews “the work of God is this, to believe in the One he has sent”(John 6:29). Therefore a man or women must confess Christ to be a proper recipient of the sign and seal of God’s righteousness.
However, it is also clear throughout Scripture that God includes our little children with us in his gracious covenant. In the Old Testament God said to Abraham “I will be God to you and to your descendants after you.” He then commanded Abraham to give the sign of the covenant to his whole household. His son Isaac received the sign when he was 8 days old. It was a seal of righteousness which is by faith (Rom.4:11), yet it was given to the infant child. Abraham was responsible to train his children up in the fear of the Lord, for they were the Lord’s children. In the New Testament Jesus clearly stated that the kingdom of heaven belonged to the little children who were being brought to him by their believing parents (Luke 18:15-17). Yet how could that be if they did not belong to God? And in fact we do see households baptized (Acts 16:15, 33, I Cor.1:16). As Christian parents, we are obligated to instruct our little ones in the love and fear of the Lord based on the grace given unto them by his sovereign mercies. And we are able to trust and believe that they will understand and receive our instruction by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in them.
There is such a great blessing in knowing that God embraces our children with us from their earliest days. As David confesses in Psalm 51 we know that our children are conceived and born in sin. That means that they are born with the sinful nature of Adam and under the curse of God unless they are somehow covered by the blood of Christ. We are also able to raise and teach them from their earliest days not as those under the law, but under the grace of God as his beloved children.
It is true that there is an abuse of the sacrament of baptism where it is applied to infant children in churches that do not emphasise also the obligations of the covenant; the obligation to love and serve the Lord in thanksgiving. The sacrament and everything religious becomes little more than superstition when people attend worship only for baptisms, weddings and funerals. Yet abuse calls for reformation, not discontinuation, when it is a command of God.
Understanding the Lord’s Supper
It was the time of the Jewish Passover feast. This feast was held in memory of the great act of deliverance when God brought Israel out of slavery in Egypt. After many signs and wonders, God had been about to deliver the most devastating blow of all to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Every first-born son throughout the whole land would die that night, and then Pharaoh would relent and let them go. The Egyptians would even give them gifts and hurry them on their way. God told the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb that night and put its blood on the doorposts of their houses. And the angel of death would pass over that house when he saw the blood on the doorpost.
It was the time of the Jewish Passover feast. And Jesus was about to be sacrificed on the cross, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. On the night he was betrayed, before he was taken and crucified, he gathered with his disciples to eat the Passover meal. When he took the bread he gave thanks and broke it and said to them: “Take and eat, this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them saying: “Drink from it all of you. This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
The breaking of bread and sharing of the cup to commemorate the shedding of Jesus’ blood on the cross for sin has taken the place of the Passover celebration. It is the fulfillment of the Passover, since Jesus is the true Lamb of God of whom the Passover lamb was only a type. It is not a yearly event, but rather a regular part of the church’s worship. The apostle Paul states it this way as the words of Jesus: “Do this as often as you do it in remembrance of me.” (I Cor. 11:25)
1. What is the Lord’s Supper Physically?
During a service of worship the congregation shares a symbolic meal together. A piece of bread and a sip of wine are received by God’s people. There will be minor variations from one fellowship to another in just how everything is done. But with the bread the minister will say something like; “Take, eat, remember and believe that the body of our Lord Jesus Christ was given for a complete remission of all our sins.” Then with the cup he will say; “Take drink, remember and believe that the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ was shed for a complete remission of all our sins. And so shall we eat and drink with him when he comes again in the glory of the Father’s kingdom.”
2. What is the Spiritual Meaning of the Supper?
The bread and the wine represent to us in symbolic language the body and blood of Jesus given to take away our sins and grant eternal life. They remind us of his sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. Having taken our sins upon himself he suffered the whole wrath of God against sin in our place.
To eat the bread and drink the wine is to confess that we deserved his death, but in him we have been given life. It looks back to Calvary and ahead to his return and the great wedding feast. Eating the bread and drinking the wine speaks of our unity with Christ, as flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones, such that we died with him and now also live with him. The bread and wine, representing his blood and Spirit, are food for our souls.
It is also noteworthy that the pieces of bread come from a loaf. The apostle explains this symbolism as revealing our unity with one another. As members of Christ we are also members of one another. This is such a significant part of the symbolism of the Supper that it can only be properly celebrated with love for one another.
3. Who are to come to the Table of the Lord?
All those who are baptized and live in communion with Jesus Christ in the fellowship of his church should come to the Supper which is also called “holy communion. Living in communion with Christ implies trusting in his love by the power of his Spirit. Living in the fellowship of the church implies that a person is a member of a local church, taking part in its worship and life and serving in the world. It implies that his life is free of scandalous sins that would bring the name of the Lord into disrepute. It is a covenantal meal for all who live in faithful covenant with God.
4. What about visitors who attend worship?
If visitors are members of another church and confess Christ they are invited to take part as well. If a visitor has been out of fellowship with Christ and his church or has never been baptized, he/she should first confess Christ and/or be baptized before coming to the Table. This is not a judgment against anyone. The judgment of charity seeing anyone gather for worship is that the Lord is bringing them near, and we receive all visitors with open arms as the Lord has received us. Yet all things should be done decently and in good order, and the Table of the Lord is a holy ordinance.
Why Our Children Eat With Us
No doubt many who read this will be aware that there has been considerable discussion within faithful Reformed church federations over the last 40 years or more on matters concerning the Lord’s Table. By and large it has been a peaceful discussion with respected theologians taking different positions without accusation or discipline.
It has been a peaceful discussion because, properly understood, the point of disagreement does not touch our fundamental understanding of the nature of the meal. Contrary to Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox teachings we are agreed that the presence of Christ in the sacrament is spiritual and therefore faith must be present if one is to receive personal benefit from the sacrament. Also, given the intimate connection between true faith and thankful obedience we are also agreed on the need for withholding the sacrament from those who live in rebellious disobedience to God. This kind of disobedience is clearly revealed in Scripture as unbelief (Heb.3:19).
But the point of disagreement has been whether the baptized children of believers have a place at the Table of the Lord on the basis of their membership in the covenant and a life consistent with that membership appropriate to their age, or if the elements should be withheld from them until they have a mature understanding of the faith and can make a vow of commitment or, as it is commonly called, a “confession of faith.” Among Reformed churches the usual age for such a confession has commonly been anything over 14 given the inappropriate nature of placing little children under any kind of oath.
It’s obvious that from the time of the Protestant Reformation (16th century) to recent years there has been virtual unanimity in support of the practice of having the children come to the Table only upon taking an oath of faith and commitment. It appears that it may not have been so in the early church, nor has it ever been the case in Eastern Orthodoxy. But given the strength of the more recent Western tradition and the stature of the theologians who have defended it, we want to be careful and humble in defending the alternative. See our Pastor’s personal page for his own struggle with this issue. We continue to maintain the highest respect for those whose biblical study leaves them in support of the practice of admitting only adult believers. It is our desire to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace as the broader church body continues to explore the theological issues touching the question.
Those who are interested can find book length in-depth learned arguments for and against the little children of believers coming to the Table of the Lord with their parents. For our part, we offer a very simplified explanation in a question and answer form for why our children eat with us. It is our hope that this is the kind of explanation that anyone who can read the Bible can understand and appreciate even if in the end they still disagree. It is also our hope that these questions and answers help us recognize the great depth of agreement among all truly Reformed believers on this question.
1. How does God teach us as believers to receive our children from His hand?
We are to receive our children as belonging to God and members of the kingdom of heaven. As the sheep are His, so are the lambs. When the disciples told the parents not to bother Jesus with their little ones, Jesus rebuked them and said “let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Luke 18:16)
2. What sign did God give that our children are holy by virtue of Christ’s blood?
They are to be baptized in infancy as a sign and seal of God‘s covenant with them, just as in the Old Testament Isaac was circumcised when 8 days old. Like baptism, circumcision was a sign and seal of the righteousness which is by faith (Rom.4:11), yet God commanded that the infant son of Abraham be circumcised. As was circumcision, baptism is the sign of having been grafted into the body of Christ as a branch in a tree and counted holy in him. As the root is holy so are the branches. (John 15:1-8, Rom.11:13-24)
3. Why should our children eat at the Lord’s Table with us as soon as bread and wine are appropriate to their physical nourishment?
The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was instituted at Passover revealing the typological fulfillment in Christ’s blood. As is the case with baptism replacing circumcision, not every aspect of the Old Testament rite is maintained in the New. However, the precious truth that the blood of the Passover lamb also covered the little ones to save them from death has to be part of that which remains. We are all born in sin and worthy of death. Our only hope from the earliest age is in the blood of the true Lamb of God. We must instruct our children in the blessings and responsibilities of their baptism based on God‘s sovereign mercy toward them. Participation in the Supper is part of that instruction as it encourages both them and their parents to hope in the Lord. It also reveals to all that we are at no time on neutral ground, free to sow our wild oats.
4. Do baptism and participation in the Lord‘s Supper mean a child can never fall away?
Not at all. Neither does adult baptism and participation in the Supper. We must remain in the vine and bear fruit unto God or we will be cut off. Yet the sacraments are blessed means of grace for the strengthening of our faith, both great and small alike, supporting the Word. Therefore we seek to make use of them as a covenant community as we believe God commands us. As to whether someone might some day fall away, we are content to draw wisdom from the words of Moses; “The secret things belong to God, but the things he has revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may follow all the words of his law.” (Deut.29:29)
5. But doesn’t the Table of the Lord hereby lose its sacred place in the church?
Not at all. Rather we lose all sense that we must pass some test of personal righteousness and knowledge or have some mystical experience in order to come into the presence of God. We come one and all at God’s command as those who live by grace. From this perspective we are able freely and consistently also to include covenant members with mental disabilities. In fact, we are reminded of the words of Jesus that we must all become as little children or we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
6. But the apostle Paul states clearly “a man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment to himself.”
What the apostle says here should not be understood in contradiction to his words in chapter 10:17; “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.” We are agreed that our children are to be counted as members of the one body of our Lord Jesus Christ. On what grounds would they not visibly partake of that one loaf to witness to that truth? Paul’s warning to self-examination is not to be received as a threat as if it might be safer not to eat at the table of the Lord. He is calling us to approve ourselves by coming in faith expressing itself in love; faith that recognizes the body of the Lord crucified and therefore loves the Lord‘s body saved, the church. Children must be taught in view of Christ’s gift to love one another. But the warning is especially for adults who should know better but often allow class distinctions or family feuds to destroy fellowship in the body, or who act divisively because “they are of Paul or Apollos” (fill in our favourite theologians or seminaries), or who so often take offence and refuse to forgive. It is this attitude that denies the faith and brings the judgment of God on the congregation.
7. So how does church discipline by withholding the sacrament function in the case of little children?
We want to speak with great care on this matter, but there are certain principles we believe need to be kept in mind. The first is that mom and dad do not take church discipline in their own hands and threaten Johnny with no Lord’s Supper if he doesn’t apologize to sister Jane before church. It is church discipline, so the church must be involved via her elders. This should prevent the Lord’s Supper from being abused in a home lacking proper parental discipline. At the same time, the parents have a tremendous added tool for teaching why we forgive and how we properly come to the Lord’s Table. When a child grows older, if there comes to be a truly consistently rebellious spirit, the elders would have to be called in to try to help deal with it, also possibly in terms of church discipline.
8. What about the classical distinction between the sacraments that says that baptism is passive and the Lord’s Supper active, therefore children should be withheld?
There is some value in the distinction in as far as it reminds us that baptism is not our dedication to God but God’s covenant promises to us. The Lord’s Supper also focuses our attention on the blood and Spirit of Christ as all our hope, but it is at the same time an act of communion, a two-way celebration of fellowship. Why this distinction should mean that the children are to be withheld from the second sacrament has yet to be shown by anyone. Their understanding may be limited, but they are being taught that they are God’s children, loved and forgiven and nourished by the Father. Also, just as each baptism is given not just for the individual but for the encouragement and reminder to parents and the whole community, so the administration of the Lord’s Supper is not only for the individual, but has communal dimensions that must be kept in mind.
9. What do you do if someone worships with you who believes otherwise?
We do not make this a test of fellowship in the Lord, nor do we seek to compel anyone against his or her conscience. “Whatever does not come from faith is sin.” (Rom.14:23) We would welcome them not only to worship with us but to full membership in the church.
