The Lord’s Supper and the Three Things Necessary (4)

Rev. J.J. Van Eckeveld, Zeist, the Netherlands

Differing exercises of faith

There are troubled souls who are vexed by much uncertainty; however, they have on occasion sat in church with a burning heart within them, just like the travelers to Emmaus. Their heart is set afire when the gospel of the glory, preciousness, and necessity of Christ is preached unto them. Then their soul’s eye may, at times, be uplifted from their need and deadness, such as when He is pictured in the gospel as the Fairest among men, upon whose lips grace is poured out. Their heart is, as it were, pulled out of their bodies toward Him because He has filled their heart with His wonderful love even though they know so little of Him.

Such souls miss the assurance that Christ is their portion and that their sins are forgiven, but their heart cries out to Him, and they hunger and thirst after His righteousness. Christ has become precious and necessary to them as a Mediator in their own need and lost condition. If they are asked as Christ asked Peter, “Lovest thou Me?” oh, then they may say, “Thou knowest that I love Thee.”

Shouldn’t such ones be invited to the table of the Lord? They are heartily welcome there. Even though they are still severely troubled, even though Jesus is still such a little-known Person for them, He bas not remained a stranger to them. They have seen something of His glory in the gospel, and He has captured their heart. In and of themselves there remains nothing but death and distress; all their attempts to come unto God have come to a dead end, but it lives in their heart, I will not put off my sackcloth until I have found Jesus. We can also say, as Brakel states, “Then the preciousness of Jesus, at times, draws their hands and their feet and their eyes, yea, their entire heart, toward Him.” Shouldn’t such sinners be welcome at the table of the Lord?

There are differences in the exercises of faith. Some have been drawn more closely. They know of a clearer revelation of Christ to their soul by Word and Spirit. They have seen more of Jesus. They have seen more of His preciousness, His necessity, His willingness, and His all-sufficiency. Still others have come to a certainty of their portion in Christ. They may know how the anchor of their hope has been grounded in His righteousness and how all their sins have been washed in His blood. The acquittal was pressed in upon their guilty soul, and they have been gladdened with the robe of righteousness with which they were covered.

Although there are differences in the exercises of faith, faith may be known herein, that no matter at which step of grace a person has been led, Jesus has become precious to us before there is an assured faith. Whether that is in a missing with much apprehension or in possession with much assurance, if He has only become precious and necessary unto us, then we are welcome at the table of the Lord. If it is well with us, we will remain beggars to our last breath.

The part of thankfulness

The Form for the Lord’s Supper also speaks of the part of thankfulness; “Thirdly. That every one examine his own conscience, whether he purposeth henceforth to show true thankfulness to God in his whole life and to walk uprightly before him; as also, whether he hath laid aside unfeignedly all enmity, hatred, and envy, and doth firmly resolve henceforward to walk in true love and peace with his neighbor.” Here, it speaks, therefore, about our walk in a new life.

With someone such as Calvin, the three parts come so clearly to the foreground. He speaks about a deep awareness of our own unworthiness (the part of misery), the hope of salvation in Christ (the part of deliverance), and a desire to walk according to the gospel (the part of thankfulness). With emphasis he stresses the walk in the new life. Our contrition and penitence must be apparent in our works. Not our unworthiness, but a slovenly and careless life stands in the way of a proper use of the Lord’s Supper. In his Treatise on the Lord’s Supper, Calvin states that true contrition is firm and steadfast and that it is not only for one day or one week, but it must keep us striving without interruption against the evil which is indwelling. The part of thankfulness, the continual desire to walk in a new life, has, therefore, a large place with Calvin.

Neither does Brakel forget the part of thankfulness when he speaks about an earnest intention to live a more holy life. In this respect he also adds that we must have a high esteem for the church. That was to counteract the ideas of the Labadists in his days who had contempt for the church.

Very discerningly

Very discerningly, William Teelinck speaks about the part of thankfulness when he addresses the sins of extravagance, carelessness, immodest clothing, and living in discord with our neighbor. Celebration of the Lord’s Supper and living in hatred and envy with our neighbor cannot go together. Teelinck also says that the longing for assurance must be joined with a hating and a fleeing from sin. It is in this that the uprightness of this longing must be visible. Clearly stated—celebrating the Lord’s Supper and, at the same time, living a worldly life cannot and may not go together.

I sometimes fear that in our days more and more is possible by attendees of the Lord’s Supper. How far can I go along with the world and still attend the Supper of the Lord? It is a question which stands in direct opposition to the fear of the Lord. In self-examination with an eye toward keeping the Lord’s Supper, our question should also be, “What is our life, what is our daily walk, and how do others see us?”

Along with this, says Teelinck, belongs our clothing. In Vanity Fair, Idleness noticed Christian and Faithful because of their clothing, the contents of their conversation, and the fact that they had no interest whatsoever in the wares which were displayed there. In earlier days people sometimes spoke of our walk, our talk, and our garb. In addition to that, if we live in disharmony with our neighbor and it is not our hearty desire to do all in our power to solve the problem, and we have not done everything possible to make things right, then we may not in such a condition approach the table of the Lord.

The tender fear of the Lord

There is good reason for God’s children to have a proper walk. A careless walk of life brings on God’s displeasure, and it can also take away so much of the reverence for the table of the Lord. On the other hand, the Lord looks with favor upon a tender and careful walk of life in His fear. That also makes an impression upon others; something is visible which makes others jealous. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). What a blessing it is when our boys and girls may become jealous of those attending the Lord’s Supper, when they walk as examples in the midst of the congregation, when they show something with their lives of the close walk with the Lord and of the hating of sin. Not only in baptism, but also in the Lord’s Supper we are obliged unto a new obedience.

What would be the cause that God’s people are so often in bonds? It is because they live so far from the Lord; they can so easily do without Him. There can be grace, but the tender fear of the Lord is lacking. A life in tender fear is a life close to the Lord, a living out of Christ. When we realize what our sins have cost the Savior, shouldn’t we hate these sins with a deadly hatred? Of this the heart burns within; this is part of thankfulness.

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