Pastoral Guidance for the Administration of the Holy Supper

— continued —

To strengthen faith

As the sacrament has been instituted for the strengthening of faith, it can only strengthen something that is there. The thought that the Holy Supper can also work faith is therefore cut off. The implanting of faith is only wrought by Word and Spirit. Attending the Lord’s Supper is an act of faith, and it assumes a discerning knowledge of, and the heart’s choice for, the Mediator Jesus Christ. That little plant of faith may still be very small and tender, but it must be there.

The Holy Spirit gives us a living spiritual knowledge of our own heart, which works out three things:

1. A belief with our whole heart of our damnworthy state, which in turn works a loathing of self and a humbling before the Lord.

2. A seeking, by faith, of salvation outside of ourselves in Christ Jesus.

3. A fleeing and seeking by Christ’s power to walk in evangelical obedience.

No worthiness in self, but only in Christ

True self-examination is not meant to find worthiness in ourselves, but on the contrary, to see all worthiness in Christ alone, and at the same time experience our own total unworthiness. It is not a digging in our own heart, because we will never find anything there that will make us worthy guests at the table of the Lord. The deeper we put our hand in our bosom, the more reasons we will find not to attend, and that is exactly what Satan wants. In the examination of ourselves we must consider our relationship with Christ, and we must by faith look to Him with our poverty and our needs, believing in what He wants to be for His children. A true examination of self reflects on what He has done and what He has promised. The Lord Jesus must always be the focal point.

What we need then is not in the first place an established knowledge of our faith in Christ, but a living out-going to Him. This is also accompanied by a hungering and thirsting after Him, a being unable to live without Him, a longing to know Him as my personal Surety, a fleeing to Him, and a beseeching, “Lead me to the Rock which is higher than I.” The exercises of faith are directed to Him, and that always goes together with a turning away from self, and a seeking refuge in Him with all our sins, guilt, and unworthiness.

The more a person is established in faith, the more he realizes his own unworthiness and sinfulness, and the more he needs Jesus. All God’s children, also those who are established in grace, come to Christ as helpless and needy ones, yea, as in themselves lying in the midst of death, so that they may receive food out of His fullness. In true selfexamination the exercises of faith are directed to Him alone. The Holy Supper urges God’s people to go to Jesus with their poverty, and in that way to seek their salvation outside of themselves. He is the only allsufficient Savior. “For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell” (Colossians 1:19).

His hands are pierced hands, full hands; He breaks His own body and He pours out His own blood, and He is the One who says, “Come hither, for all things are ready.” He wants to give to sorrowing and self- condemning children of God gold tried in the fire. He has woven a garment for them so that the shame of their nakedness would be covered. He gives beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Those who seek marks of grace and worthiness in themselves become self-righteous people, who keep the truly hungry hearts away from the table of the Lord.

When the Holy Spirit with His discovering light shines in the heart and uncovers our sins, the little ones find that to be a reason to stay away from the table. That is, however, not the purpose of God’s Spirit. When one of little faith finds nothing but sin in his heart, he should not stay away from the table of the Lord, but he should, lamenting his sins, flee to the Lord Jesus, because He calls us.

When the Heidelberg Catechism asks in Question 81: “For whom is the Lord’s Supper instituted?” it gives the following 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.”

Evangelical penitence

Evangelical penitence always goes together with the evangelical exercises of faith. There are people who say that they know something of the first part, but know nothing of the second part, and are there not many who live on in this way for numerous years? This, however, is not an evangelical knowledge of sin. Saving repentance and a knowledge of our own heart cause us to become active in the begging for grace. The Holy Spirit does not work by halves, but He leads the sinner to Christ. To talk about sin without fleeing to Christ makes us a companion of Cain, who did indeed speak about his crime, but who revealed himself in unbelief, saying, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.” Sinful unbelief can reign so much in the heart of the little ones in faith that they often think that their sins are too many. The first thing they do, therefore, is to improve their lives to make themselves acceptable before the Lord. That is, however, a legalistic servitude.

Evangelical penitence is always connected with evangelical exercises of faith toward Christ. Loathing and abhorring of self goes together with a fleeing to Jesus, a finding shelter in His wounds, and having a childlike trust in His Word. God’s children need Him as their Prophet, to learn from Him the way that they should go. And yet, even if it is but for a very short moment because of the weakness of their faith, at that very moment there is the trust that their sins are forgiven them for the sake of Christ. For he who is driven by sin and guilt and flees to Christ has a true and sincere trust in Him. He exercises faith in the merits of Christ, and at that moment he rests in His grace. Such a trust belongs to the essence of faith.

Not for the established in faith only

The Lord’s Supper is for all true believers who seek their salvation outside of themselves in Jesus Christ.

There is a constant desire in their heart to strengthen their faith more and more, to be established in Christ, and to live acceptably before God’s holy countenance. They cannot continue to remain doubters, for that is exceedingly burdensome to them and not to the honor of God.

Those who are established in Christ also need this establishing grace, so that they also desire to strengthen their faith. They cannot live without that spiritual manna either, because they also experience that their basket is empty again every morning. Each day they have to go out of their tent to gather the manna, and each day they have to stoop down to fill those empty baskets. What a wonder that it was there every day! “And they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.” It is the daily need of a child of God to be fed and strengthened by Christ until he comes unto the land of rest.

God’s child cannot live without Him. What a blessing it is when we may know His table to be the table of our heavenly Bridegroom. Yea, His flesh is meat indeed, and His blood is drink indeed. Here is a picture of the frame of a true communicant. What Jesus is and what He has done is the center of the Lord’s Supper. It is His table, His body and blood. It must become in your heart:

Give me Jesus, else I die, For outside of Jesus is no life, But eternal soul’s destruction.

Those who are strangers of these matters are admonished to keep themselves from the table of the Lord. They who seek their salvation outside of Jesus have no part in Him.

— to be continued —

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