The Confession of Faith (46)

After the article regarding Holy Baptism, our confession proceeds to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the sacrament of incorporation in the Christian church, while the Lord’s Supper is given for the support of spiritual life. This unity between the sacraments is also described in this article, where it reads: “We believe and confess, that our Saviour Jesus Christ did ordain and institute the sacrament of the holy supper, to nourish and support those whom He hath already regenerated, and incorporated into His family, which is His Church.” The same relationship exists between baptism and the Lord’s Supper as existed between circumcision and the passover.

The passover pre-supposes circumcision as is evident from Exodus 12:48b, “Let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it.” The passover had not only an historical meaning, namely the deliverance of Israel, but also a spiritual meaning as we will find explained in the New Testament. Christ Himself is called the Lamb and the Paschal Lamb (see John 1:29 and 1 Corinthians 5:7). The similarity between the paschal lamb and Christ is so clear that in the New Testament Christ is portrayed as the lamb. Did not Isaiah do the same? He wrote, “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.”

In Christ we find the fulfillment of the passover sacrifice. The believing Israelite under the Old Testament looked by faith through this sacrifice at Christ who would come. The Lord Jesus Himself brought this relationship to the foreground when He instituted the Lord’s Supper. He could have instituted it at another time since they ate together each day, and the cup then also went from the one to the other. However, it was not at any meal other than at the passover that the Lord instituted the Holy Supper. It was also a prophecy of that which would take place at Golgotha.

The Holy Supper is also a spiritual meal which commemorates the deliverance out of the house of bondage by the blood which is poured out for us. It is a deliverance from the satanic Pharaoh by the blood of the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. In the Lord’s Supper God’s people are strengthened by the crucified body and shed blood of Christ.

Holy Baptism is the sacrament of incorporation or birth, whereas the Holy Supper was instituted in the first place for the commemoration of Christ’s death, yet it was also given for the strengthening of faith. In a beautiful though simple way this is described by our fathers in the confession: “Now those, who are regenerated, have in them a two-fold life, the one corporal and temporal, which they have from their first birth, and is common to all men: the other spiritual and heavenly, which is given them in their second birth, which is effected by the word of the gospel, in the communion of the body of Christ; and this life is not common, but is peculiar to God’s elect.”

In this part our confession describes the believers as children who are brought by God into His family, which is the church, where He also nourishes them. The Holy Supper is not a means to work faith, but it is given to strengthen the faith which has been worked, the faith which is present. Faith is worked by the Word under the administration of the Holy Ghost. Just as Creation took place by the Word, so likewise does recreation. It is incomprehensible for us that the world was created by the Word only, and so it is also in regeneration. We know only that the Holy Spirit binds Himself powerfully to the Word to work irresistably in the heart of the elect.

That which is visible in the administration of grace is entrusted to men, but the distribution of the invisible the Lord has reserved for Himself. The heart of the elect is prepared by the Spirit to receive the seed of the Word, which will bring forth fruit in faith and in conversion. When faith has been worked, it has to be continually strengthened. Just as the seed in the ground needs air, rain, and sunshine, so the spiritual seed in the believer needs not only protection but also nourishing. Strengthening of faith is given by the Lord in the preaching of the Word, but He has also especially given the Lord’s Supper for this.

The confession states: “In like manner God has given us, for the support of the bodily and earthly life, earthly and common bread, which is subservient thereto, and is common to all men, even as life itself. But for the support of the spiritual and heavenly life, which believers have, He hath sent a living bread, which descended from heaven, namely, Jesus Christ, who nourishes and strengthens the spiritual life of believers, when they eat Him, that is to say, when they apply and receive Him by faith in the spirit.”

The Lord’s Supper is a meal whereof the Lord Jesus is not only the Institutor, but is also the Host and Administrator, while the true believers are His guests. The institution of this sacrament is described in many places of God’s Word. The fact that it is a divine institution is of the greatest importance, since without being so it would not be a sacrament at all, but at the most a moving ceremony. The sacraments are signs and seals instituted by God. Paul told how the Lord had given him a special revelation that Christ had instituted this sacrament and that it would be in force until the end of the world.

How was it instituted? First, the Lord had taken the bread and the cup, which showed His willingness to die. Secondly, He gave thanks for the bread and the cup, whereby He made the bread and wine the signs of His body and blood. In the third place, He brake the bread, and later gave it and also the wine to the disciples to eat and drink. He gave the command to take, to eat and to drink; after this He gave a promise and an explanation, namely, “This is My body, which is broken for you, and this is My blood which is shed for you.” He also gave a mission for the future, “This do in remembrance of Me!”

The Lord nourishes and strengthens the spiritual life of the believers when they eat and drink Him, that is to say, when they apply and receive Him by faith in the spirit. As natural bread is not only for adults but also for children, so likewise the Lord’s Supper is not only for the assured church but also for those who have a weak faith. Therefore, we read in the catechism that the Holy Ghost works faith in our heart by the preaching of the gospel and confirms it by the use of the sacraments. Here again it is emphasized that we must have faith in order to come to the Lord’s table.

Young people, I hope that the Lord may teach us our misery first. For many, conversion begins with the Lord’s table, but this is not scriptural. Ask for a conversion as it has always been in the past so that we may not deceive ourselves for that great eternity.

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