Sunday, October 11, 2009

Sovereign Grace Bible Church

Jim Kang, Pastor-Teacher

A BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL, AND HISTORICAL LOOK

OF THE LORD’S TABLE – PART 2

Selected Scripture

INTRODUCTION

There are two aspects of the Lord’s Table that we cannot ignore, namely our Savior and our sin. Because people may approach the Lord’s Table without thinking, perhaps out of a mere tradition or repetition, those two aspects are often greatly ignored or neglected. For that reason, I want to give a biblical, theological, and historical look of the Lord’s Table this morning. Hence, the way I want to approach this message is by answering a few pertinent questions as my sermon outline. Here are the questions:

1. What is the meaning of the Lord’s Table?
2. Why participate in it?
3. Who can participate in it?
4. When to participate?
5. Where to participate?

Because I devoted the whole message on explaining the first question on last Lord’s Day, I don’t want to rehash it this morning. But I do want to briefly review it for the sake of setting the proper context for this morning’s message.

I. What is the Meaning of the Lord’s Table?

We began with 1 Corinthians 10:16-17. Fundamentally, the Lord’s Supper reminds us that we are one with Christ in sharing the memories of his death and that we are one as his body. In fact, the term communion comes from the Greek word koinwni,a in verse 16, which is translated to “communion” in KJV and NKJ, “sharing” in NAU, and “participation” in ESV. Also, in verses 18 and 20 Paul uses the noun koinwno,j, which is translated “sharers.” All that is to say, the term communion has the meaning of sharing or participating.

The question then is: what exactly are we sharing and participating? According to verse 16, we are sharing the blood of Christ and the body of Christ.

This leads to another question, that is, how do we share the blood and the body of Christ? Some would say we share them literally. Others would say we share them symbolically. So do we share the blood and body literally or symbolically? Hence, on this issue, we have heard three major views:

1. The Roman Catholic View of Transubstantiation
2. The Lutheran View of “In, With, and Under”
3. The Symbolic and Memorial View

To distance himself from Luther’s view, John Calvin and other Reformers argued for the position that the cup and the bread are symbolic representations for the blood and the body of Christ. Hence, Calvin and others believed that church should do so in the spirit of remembrance and reflection, not in sacramental sense that somehow those elements have some spiritual power.

That is why historically the Baptists have not used the term sacraments but ordinances instead, as a strong reaction against the Catholics, whereas, Lutherans, Anglicans, Presbyterians and other Reformed churches still use them. In fact, that is one of the key distinctions between Westminster Confession of Faith and London Baptist Confession of Faith, though both share almost identical soteriology (cf., WCF 27.4 and LBCF 28.1).

Theological Implications from the Lord’s Supper

Let me help you to think through some theological implications from the meaning of the Lord’s Supper:

1. Proclamation of Christ’s death (1 Corinthians 11:26).
2. Participation in the benefits of Christ’s death (John 21:19).
3. Provision for spiritual nourishment (John 6:53-57).
4. Promotion for corporate unity (1 Corinthians 10:17).

II. Why Participate In It?

Initially, the answer for this question is same for those theological implications from the meaning of the Lord’s Supper. That is to say, I participate in the Lord’s Supper because this helps me 1) to proclaim Christ’s death, 2) to participate in the benefits of Christ’s death, 3) to provide spiritual nourishment for me, and 4) to promote corporate unity in a local church.

But there are other biblical reasons:

1. It is commanded by Christ (cf. Matthew 26.26-30; Luke 22:14-20).
2. It was practiced by the early church (Acts 2:42, 46; 20:7, 11).
3. It was taught in the New Covenant letters (1 Corinthians 11:23-34).

III. Who Can Participate In It?

Your answer to this question reveals your understanding of the church, or lack of. This question is so crucial to the life of the church that historically church denominations have split and pastors have lost their jobs. In fact, the greatest theologian that America has ever produced, namely Jonathan Edwards was voted out by his own congregation over this very issue. Again, your answer to this question reveals your ecclesiology. More importantly, your understanding of the church must be biblical, not social or personal.

Based on what Scripture teaches, here are biblical answers to who can participate in the Lord’s Table:

1. Those who experienced the spiritual rebirth (cf. Acts 2:41-42; 1 Corinthians 1:2).
2. Those who have been immersed, namely the believer’s baptism (cf. Acts 2:41; Matthew 28:18-20).
3. Those who have joined a local congregation through church membership (1 Corinthians 11:18-22).

In his book Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, Mark Dever writes:

Uninvolved members confuse both real members and non-Christians about what it means to be a Christian. We “active” members do the voluntarily “inactive” members no service when we allow them to remain members of the church. Membership is the church’s corporate endorsement of a person’s salvation. Yet how can a congregation honestly testify that someone invisible to it is faithfully running the race? If members have left our company and have not gone to any other Bible-believing church, what evidence do we have that they were ever truly a part of us? We do not necessarily know that such uninvolved people are not Christians; we may simply be unable to affirm that they are. We don’t have to tell them that we know they’re going to hell, only that we can’t tell them that we know for sure that they are going to heaven.[1]

Recently I came across one of the best exhortations on joining a church and then becoming a trustworthy member. It is by Ray Ortlund Jr, pastor of Immanuel Church in Nashville. He said, “If you care about the Kingdom, be the kind of person who can be counted on in your own church. Join your church, pray for your church, tithe to your church, participate in your church every Sunday with wholehearted passion.”

Moreover, in his book Christless Christianity Michael Horton strongly exhorts his readers that when you think about those in the church body, they are there because God sovereignly placed them there. He wrote, “Unlike voluntary associations (book clubs, political parties, of fans of the opera or garage bands), the church is not made up of people I chose to be my friends. God chose them for me and me for them. They are my family because of God’s election, not mine.”[2]

4. Those who have examined their hearts before God and are not in willful sin (1 Corinthians 11:28-34).

5. Those who are not under church discipline or church excommunication by a local congregation or other Bible teaching church (1 Corinthians 5:1-13).

IV. When to Participate?

1. The first day of the week, namely the Lord’s Day (Acts 20:7).
2. When a body of believers comes together as a church (1 Corinthians 11:18f).
3. If the Lord’s Table was shared amongst a body of believers when they came together as a church, then it is a plausible interpretation that the ordinance of communion can be carried out every Lord’s Day.

V. Where to Participate?

As you have already noticed from several texts from the Bible, the local church is where Christians participate in the Lord’s Table. In fact, all Christian ordinances, namely the baptism and the Lord’s Supper are to be performed within the context of a local church, not outside. To do so outside of a local church was viewed aberrant and cultic, according to our church history.

In fact, the two notable historical confessions such as Westminster Confession of Faith and London Baptist Confession of Faith both state that Lord’s Supper is an ordinance that Christ gave to his church.

Our Lord Jesus, in the night wherein he was betrayed, instituted the sacrament of his body and blood, called the Lord’s Supper, to be observed in his Church unto the end of the world… (italicized mine, WCF 29.1).

The supper of the Lord Jesus was instituted by him the same night wherein he was betrayed, to be observed in his churches… (italicized mine, LBCF 30.1).

Furthermore, both documents emphasize that such ordinance should be led by ordained ministers, not just anyone (WCF 29.3; LBCF 30.3). Moreover, WCF goes further than LBCF in that it prohibits distribution to those who failed to participate during the church’s communion.

The Lord Jesus hath, in this ordinance, appointed his ministers to declare his word of institution to the people, to pray, and bless the elements of bread and wine, and thereby to set them apart from a common to an holy use; and to take and break the bread, to take the cup, and (they communicating also themselves) to give both to the communicants; but to none who are not then present in the congregation (italicized mine, WCF 29.3).

Here’s a follow-up question: then what about those who practice ordinances that is not a church, such as para-church ministries? According to the Regulative Principles of Worship, it is not legitimate.

CONCLUSION

As I mentioned at the onset of this message, there are two aspects of Lord’s Table that we cannot ignore, namely our Savior and our sin. For that reason:

1. We must thank our God and Savior, Jesus Christ for graciously inviting us to his table. We come not because we are such deserving people but Jesus provided the way for us to come. That is to say, he paid the price so that we can come.
2. Think seriously about the Lord’s Table. Ponder on these truths anew as a way to prepare yourself prior to communion.

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[1] Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2004), 163.

[2] Michael Horton, Christless Christanity (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008), 226