Lord's Day 30 (Cont.)

Question 81

The Commentary of Dr. Zacharias Ursinus on the Heidelberg Catechism Question 81. For Whom Is the Lord’s Supper Instituted?

Question 81. For whom is the Lord’s supper instituted?

Answer. For those who are truly sorrowful for their sins, and yet trust that these are forgiven them for the sake of Christ; and that their remaining infirmities are covered by his passion and death; and who also earnestly desire to have their faith more and more strengthened, and their lives more holy; but hypocrites, and such as turn not to God with sincere hearts, eat and drink judgment to themselves.

Scripture Readings: 1 Cor. 10:19-22; 11:17-34

1 Corinthians 11:17–34 ESV

But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

This question answers the general question of the duty of those receiving the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper (also called “communicants”). These are those who are in community with one another.

A. Who is the Supper for?

repentant believers

what about doubters?

B. Who is the Supper NOT for?

Hypocrites

The unrepentant/unbelieving

Who is the Supper for?

As we read the answer, we can sum up the teaching by saying it is for “repentant believers.” Both of those terms are important to describe what the Heidelberg is saying in the answer.

First, we see “those who are truly displeased with themselves FOR THEIR SINS...” This is important because this is not just for people with low self-esteem looking for a boost. This is not a self-displeasure that one gets because “life sucks” or “you’re not where you need to be...” etc… There has to be an acknowledgement that the only reason that God has provided the sacrifice of his Son that is imaged and proclaimed in the Lord’s Supper is because sin is real.

Second, for these kinds of sinners - because everyone is a sinner, but that alone is not a sufficient condition to partake of the Lord’s Table - who add faith in the person and work of Jesus. The way the Heidelberg Catechism says this is “...and yet TRUST that [their sins] are forgiven them for the sake of Christ...”

That is, those with faith can, may and should come to the Lord’s Table. These should not be refused to come to the table. Eating and drinking the elements are actually acts of faith and they are opportunity to practice and strengthen faith. What about people who profess faith but struggle with some doubt of forgiveness? For instance, it is the practice of some ministers and elders to restrict the Lord’s Supper from people who have committed “really bad” sins EVEN THOUGH FORGIVENESS IS SOUGHT AND SORROW OVER SIN THAT LEADS TO REPENTANCE. In other words, some ministers withhold the sacrament of assurance of forgiveness from those who desperately need to have it! The Westminster Larger Catechism 172 says that those who struggle with assurance of their salvation but still are basically repentant “may and ought to come to the Lord’s Supper, that [they] may be further strengthened.” Which is to say that a person who struggles to know if God really loves them and has forgiven them BUT DESIRES to be forgiven and demonstrates repentance should still partake.

Churches differ between practices of “open communion” and “closed communion.” Open communion can be as lax as communion that is given without restriction whether verbal or through some other sort of self-reflective, vetting process. What I mean is that these sort of churches (often very Liberal churches) will allow anyone to partake of the meal without requiring repentance or faith. The catechism does not hold this view and neither does Scripture. As we read in 1 Cor. 10:21, “you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table or demons.” While, in context, this warning goes out to believers who thought they were “knowledgeable” enough to nuance their practices in the market and in other temples, Paul reminds their that their knowledge needs to account for the real existence of demons. Hence, we can rightly conclude that if believers have no business mixing the practice of fellowship through the Lord’s Table with idolatrous and demonic practices, those practicing idolaters and worshipers of demons have no place at the Lord’s Table either.

Who is the Supper NOT for?

We have already answered this question in saying that it is not for rank unbelievers. It is not for those who have do not have any desire whatsoever to be associated with Christ as his disciples. With this we can readily agree against the concept of an “unrestricted communion.” It is for people of faith and not for unbelievers.

But things get tricky when it comes to professing believers who struggle with assurance of salvation and professing believers who have no desire at all to repent of their sins but still want the benefits of the New Covenant, particularly the forgiveness of their sins. Things also get “tricky” for some churches who refuse to fellowship with other believers who differ on matters of the sacraments to the point that each side will go so far as to say that they are not believers, or at least disobedient ones at best.

For instance, some Baptist and Presbyterians - because of differences on the practice of infant baptism - will NOT serve communion to each other. There are some practicing Baptist who will not allow Presbyterians or Lutherans to partake of the sacraments because they believe that they are in a state of sin by rejecting their particular views of the sacraments and allows the practice of infant baptism. If you have ever had a discussion on this matter with a Baptist, then you know how quickly both sides can be prone to throw accusations of disobedience and such to each other. Likewise, there are some strict Presbyterian bodies (OPC, RPCNA) that limit those who can partake of the Supper at their churches to “members in good standing” and have the approval of the elders. There are other professing Christian denominations that have this practice in place which would mean if you were visiting their church, you would not be allowed to partake of the Lord’s Supper.

Now there are many reasons - even some great sounding reasons, some Biblically sounding reasons - why a church might do this. These include things like theological/doctrinal unity and purity (which communicates that you are not really “one of us” unless you believe and practices exactly like us). This is usually grounded in the idea that communion is a corporate confession, not just something we do individually and privately. These all sound great, but based on what we read in 1 Cor. 11:17-24, we must be careful that we do not “divide” (Gk. schisma) and create “factions” (Gk haresis, where we get our English word ‘heresies) the body of Christ using metrics that Scripture has not given.

That is, being Baptist or Presbyterian is not a requirement for partaking of the Lord’s Supper. We have already established that this covenant meal is for those who are members of the New Covenant and its community through faith in Jesus Christ. It is for those who are united to Christ and thereby, united to each other. There is a sense in which protecting the unity and purity of the church is a good motive to restrict. However, the restriction must not go further than Scripture. If the Supper is for repentant believers, then it should not matter if I am Baptist, Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, etc… If I am trusting in Jesus Christ as a member of the New Covenant, then nothing else should restrict one’s access to that meal. We must be weary about creating a division/schism in the body which is a heresy (faction).

One of the interesting things about the passage in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, from where the words of institution are read from everytime a PCA minister adminsters the Lord’s Supper, is that mention of the phrase “when you come together.” It is mentioned 5 times in vv17, 18, 20, 33 and 34. The emphasis on the correct practice of the Lord’s Supper is on unity certainly. But the context, leads to see that there is something going on that was not dividing differences in theology. Rather, we see that it was the economic and social “haves” and “those who have nothing” (v22). You see, the earliest practices of the Lord’s Supper was not as institutionalized as it is today. The fellowship meals that this church shares is after some services is probably closer to the earliest practices of the Lord’s Supper. What might happen is that the rich patrons would bring their food to the home of another believer where the Christians would gather for fellowship. Perhaps they might eat their meal before the other slave class Christians showed up and the food was already gone or maybe they did not share their food at all (scholars are divided on which is the case). However, what we do know is that what should have brought the believers together in greater unity, ended up as a betrayal session as believers betrayed others with food and drink. This is why Paul brings up the betrayal of Judas in verse 23.

When brothers use things at the Supper to divide and exclude that should not, the one’s excluding are betraying their brothers even as Judas betrayed the Lord for money. The Lord’s Supper is properly performed when it brings believers together and displays unity, not when it excludes and leaves out other believers.

Hence, it would seem that the practice of a restricted communion that is not restricted by repentance and faith in Christ is not a Biblical practice. Thankfully, the PCA does not restrict the table to only PCA members. You all have heard many times, and rightfully so, that the Lord’s Table is not the table of the PCA but of the Lord Jesus. Hence, all who are in fellowship with him must be allowed to fellowship with His body as expressed in the local church. What Paul seems to be hinting at, especially because he repeats the phrase “when you come together” is that the Lord’s Supper is supposed to be a practice that unifies Christians, not divides or separates them. Yes, differences will exist but union with Christ must take priority over all of those.

Does this mean that all are allowed without restriction? Not necessarily. Remember that only repentant believers are allowed access to the supper because it is for believers. However, to determine and make a judgment about who is a repentant believer is a process. Everyone has sin that they bring when we come to the Lord’s Supper, but true believers hate their sin and do not wish to live contrary to the Lord who died for them. True believers will always have some sin that they bring to the table (no pun intended). However, some professing believers desire to cling to their sin. In Matthew 18:15-20, Jesus lays out a process for regaining or removing a brother from the fellowship of the Church which would remove them from receiving the Lord’s Supper. When a brother is lost in sin, the obligation to regain your brother or sister falls on us to confront them privately so that they might repent and reveal themselves to be true believers. Paul seems to allude to this in v19 when he says, that “there must be factions among you IN ORDER THAT those who are genuine among you may be recognized.” Conflict has a role to play besides the simple purpose of suffering . It reveals who is a true believer and who is not. The goal in confronting another in their sin (be sure its sin and not personal or cultural differences, cf. Rom. 14 ) is regaining them to repent and demonstrate their faith in Jesus through obedience. If they do not repent at the urging of one, then the regainer takes two or three others as witnesses in their effort to regain the brother or sister to the Lord. If they do not listen then the entire church gets involved to regain this person to repentance and faith. Finally, if after all that, he or she does not “listen” by repenting, then - and only then - are they to be treated like a Gentile and a Tax Collector which is to emphasize their betrayal of the brethren as Jews betrayed each other by collecting taxes for Rome as well as to be an outsider of the covenants as Gentiles were considered to be by Jews (cf. Eph. 2:11-22).

Moreover, consider Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:21-26 as consistent with this practice. Jesus taught that anger has no place in the believer, in “your brother or sister,” or even to be effected in outsiders. Anger is that damaging. Jesus said, “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” Jesus was concerned about unity and relationships among his disciples, who are brothers and sisters. The same concern is present in Paul’s words to the Corinthians regarding the Lord’s Supper. So serious is the treatment of your brothers ans sisters in Christ and how it relates to the Supper, John writes in 1 John 3-4 that the way a person treats their “brother” in Christ reveals whether or not a person has been born again.

Without the unity of the brothers, Paul says that they are not even eating the Lord’s Supper at all. It was all a facade. They were just going through a ritual at most, and at worst were profaning their Lord by despising and humiliating their brothers and sisters in Christ. Moreover, just as Jesus taught that consequences would follow them for how they treated their brothers and sisters, and as he taught that the same measures by which they judged others that they would be judged, judgments from God were already being experienced by the community of Corinth. He says in v30, “That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.” In Matthew, Jesus said they would “thrown into prison” which is to inflict temporal judgments that may or may not be preludes to eternal judgment.

When Paul says, “If we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged,” he is alluding to Jesus’ teaching about judging others in Matthew 7:1-6. We all know this passage on its surface because it is often cited by people who do not wan to repent when confronted by others with their sin: “Judge not lest you be judged...” The passage does not teach to not judge. Rather, it teaches to be careful about the standards that are applied to make judgments, which are pronouncements of eternal damnation. It is easy to disregard a brother or sister because you have disagreements about things, but the warning from Jesus is that He himself will apply the measures you use to judge others on yourself. Jesus is not saying to not judge. But he does challenge to consider the standards you use to look at your brother or sister. Are you seeing them correctly through the lens of the kingdom of God or are you judging by some other standard (the log; cf. Rom. 14:12-19).

Hence, Question 82 of the Heidelberg says that the ones who show themselves to be unbelieving and ungodly are to be excluded from the supper. The ones who show themselves to be this way, however, are those who have failed to be regained because of their own lack of repentance. There is a “due process,” if you will, excludes a person “by the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” A minister or an elder cannot make a judgment like this without the regaining process that Jesus laid out for the church.

The Supper is for sinners. Sin is not what excludes. Sin, in one sense, is why it exists and for sinners. But we partake of the substance, of the thing signified - which is union with Christ (WLC 168; WCF 27.2-3, 29.1,7) through faith which is evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit who unites us to Christ and to the entire Church, the body of Jesus composed of all the elect of all ages. Partaking of the Supper with faith is to receive all the benefits of the Covenant which it signifies including the forgiveness of sins. All those who partake of the elements without faith - which can be evidenced in a life of hypocrisy (though every believer is such to some degree), lack of repentance and anger and maltreatment of one’s brothers and sisters in Christ - drink judgment upon themselves. That is, the judgment of the cross that was Christ will become theirs because they reject the union with the life of Christ by faith. In covenant dealings, there is only blessing and curse. In refusing to lay hold of the blessing through faith, then the sign of the covenant brings the curse of the covenant.

By all means, if you are believer, take the bread and the cup. But the signs of a believer are revealed in a life of fellowship with other believers as well. It is not just a “you and Jesus” and he will forgive your signs despite how you treat others, especially. Remember Jesus taught us to pray that our sins might be forgiven as we forgive our debtors. He put us and our forgiveness into our relationships with others. Examine yourselves always before you take and ask, “Do i really believe that Jesus died on the Cross to forgive all the sins of his people?” “Do I trust Jesus has done what he said through his death?” “Do I believe that Jesus left this practice of eating with other believers?” If you do, then through your faith, eat and drink. If you don’t believe that, then do not partake. Why would you?