NOTES OUT OF THE CATECHISM CLASSES Of Rev. J. Fraanje Using the Catechism Book

Of the Sacraments

Lesson 36 Part I

The first question this afternoon is: What means hath God instituted to promote the work of sanctification?

Answer: The word and sacraments.

What are sacraments actually. What meaning do they have?

Answer: Signs and seals of God’s grace. Romans 4:11 “And he (Abraham) received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of faith.”

Hellenbroek starts out by naming two sets of two things each. 1st. Word and sacrament, 2nd, Signs and seals.

I had mentioned in an earlier lesson that there is an audible word and there is a visible word, both are from God.

Before the fall Adam spoke to God, and God spoke to Adam and He confirmed the spoken word with a visible sign: the tree of life. The Lord indicated, “As certainly as you see this tree and obey me so certainly shall you live.”

The tree of life was, then, a sign or a seal of the spoken word of God to Adam for his benefit.

But conversely, the Lord said something else which had an exactly opposite meaning; If you disobey Me, you will die.

These words were also sealed with a sign which was the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Here, too, was an audible Word and a visible Word.

This is the way it was in Paradise and still is today. The Lord continues to give us His spoken and visible word with which He himself directs to attract and instruct His people. His audible Word is that which He causes His prophets, apostles and ministers to preach. His visible Word is the sacraments which are a sign we can see with our eyes.

Were there sacraments during the Old Testament dispensation?

Yes; Hellenbroek indicates to us the two principal sacraments were circumcision and the passover.

He said, the principle ones; were there still more: Yes, there were, besides these two, five events which were to be commemorated because of their special significance, but not on a continuing basis as was true of circumcision and the passover. Who knows which ones they were:

1st. The passing through the Red Sea. That was a sign and seal of God’s grace which must never be forgotten, but even so need not ever again to be repeated.

2nd. The manna from heaven. Wasn’t that a real sacrament, a sign and seal? It was, but even so, it was a temporary happening and the manna ceased dropping from heaven when the Israelites came into Canaan. They were commanded, though, to commemorate it continually and relate it to their children.

3. Then there was the water out of the rock.

4. The looking upon the brazen serpent as to being Christ.

5. The budding staff of Aaron, Psalm 78. All these were important incidents for the Israelites which were to be recounted to their descendants diligently, even though they were not to re-experience them. Circumcision and passover were the only ones to be observed by performance.

Our lesson asks: In whose time was circumcision instituted?

Answer: In Abraham’s time.

You are all well aware that Abraham was the son of Terah from the generations of Shem. He lived in Ur of the Chaldees when the Lord called him to go to Canaan. He made a covenant with him and ordered him to circumcise all little boys when they were eight days old. The purpose was that all his descendants would be a separate people from all other peoples of the world.

Now you must pay close attention. What came first with Abraham: the sign or the thing signified?

The thing signified. That is clearly understood. The Lord first made the covenant and afterwards He ordered circumcision as a sign of it. In an outward sense through this sign all the descendants of Abraham were different from the heathen and were set apart as holy. But were all of them partakers of the thing signified? Far from it. Paul said, the elect obtained it and the rest were blinded. Those then who were truly sanctified within possessed the thing signified as well as the sign and were truly a distinctive people. But, because the Lord had special intentions for this people in that the Messiah was to be born out of their descendants, this entire nation had to remain separate by means of an outward sign. That is why the sacrament of circumcision was a continuing sacrament, until the Messiah would come.

And now, the passover. When was that instituted?

Answer: During the time of Moses after the Israelites left Egypt.

Because of the hardness of Pharoah’s heart God afflicted the Egyptians with ten plagues. All of you remember these, of course. The last one was the worst, because the oldest child of every household died.

And what were they to do in the land of Goshen?

Answer: During a certain night the Israelites were to kill a one year old male lamb, one without blemish, and strike the blood on the posts of the doorways of their homes. When the angel saw the blood, he knew that an Israelite lived there and so passed by.

That is correct, so it was, but what parts of the door were they to strike with the blood. There are four parts in each door frame.

Answer: On the lintel and on the two side posts.

And why not on the threshold?

Answer: In order that they would not step upon it as they passed through, because the lamb’s blood symbolized the blood of Christ.

What further symbolic meaning would there be in this?

Answer: Just as the blood upon the post was a sign that the angel of death would not touch them, but would kill the Egyptians for their own sins; so those for whom Christ shed His blood need not die as would all those who shall be eternally lost because of their own sins.

The slaughtered lamb had to be totally free of any blemishes because it was the symbol of Christ, Who was to be put to death. And of course this passover lasted until the Great Lamb put an end to it with His own sacrifice. Israel held this sacrament every year for ages and the Lord Jesus Himself celebrated it the night prior to His being made captive. It was inevitable; it had to be just that night (that self same night in which the sacrament was established) that He fulfilled the sign by actually offering up Himself as the Lamb of God.

Afterward there was no reason to celebrate the Passover; that which had been a symbol became a reality. The Apostle could now say: “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” I Cor. 5:7.

(to be continued)

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen