Confession Study

Chapter 27, I'll begin reading in paragraph 1 of the Communion of Saints. All saints that are united to Jesus Christ, their head, by His Spirit and faith, although they are not made there by one person with Him, have fellowship in His graces, sufferings, death, resurrection and glory. and being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other's gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, in an orderly way, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man. Saints, by profession, are bound to maintain an holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God, and in performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification, as also in relieving each other in outward things according to their several abilities and necessities, which communion, according to the rule of the gospel, though especially to be exercised by them in the relations wherein they stand, whether in families or churches, Yet, as God offereth opportunity, is to be extended to all the household of faith, even all those who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus. Nevertheless, their communion, one with another as saints, doth not take away or infringe the title or propriety which each man hath in his goods and possessions.

Amen.

Introduction

So a natural outflow of chapter 26, which concerns the church. Chapter 27 goes a bit deeper in terms of the actual relationships that obtain between members of churches. In other words, communion with one another. And that communion is founded or grounded in our communion with Jesus Christ, and then it's to flow externally or outwardly based on what we have in common with reference to our salvation in Christ. we are to have exercise specific responsibilities or duties one to another.

So paragraph one sets forth the nature of the communion of the saints, and then paragraph two deals with the duties involved in the communion of the saints.

Nature of Communion: Union with Christ

So with reference to the nature of the communion of the saints, notice that it's founded upon the believer's union with Christ. In other words, we don't have communion with saints if there are no saints. The way that man becomes a saint is by God's grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. owing to his own works or his own merits or his own abilities. He doesn't get to the level of sainthood, but rather by God's grace he is saved, he is justified freely by grace, and then constituted as a saint.

And so the believer's union with Christ in the first part of paragraph one is foundational to all that follows.

Defining Communion

Now with reference to communion, we often hear that term, we know that it means at least loosely relationship with one another. It may mean, in other contexts, the Lord's Supper. I think Renahan helps us get at the particular meaning as it's defined here, or as it's used here, rather, in the Confession of Faith. He says the first three occurrences of the word communion all relate to personal communion with God.

The first man and woman were happy in their original communion with God, and by the fall they lost their communion with God. In each of these cases, communion relates to profound personal mutuality. There is a true depth of fellowship and participation. And he also cites the Oxford English Dictionary.

The definition simply is this, sharing or holding in common participation, fellowship, association in actions or relations, spiritual intercourse. So of course, you can see how important this is to be worked out in the lives of God's people who find themselves connected first and foremost to Christ, and then relationally to one another in the context of the local church.

Union with Christ as Mediator

And with reference to our headship, the headship of the Lord Jesus and our union with him, notice in paragraph one, all saints that are united to Jesus Christ, their head by his spirit and faith, although they are not made there by one person with him. So, the covenant of redemption is certainly behind the scenes, the fact that God has purposed to save a great multitude that no man can number, and then, of course, the covenant of grace, wherein Jesus assumes our humanity, is the mediator of a better covenant, lives for us, dies for us, and is raised again for us. So that is highlighted here at the outset. All saints that are united to Jesus Christ their head, by His Spirit and faith, And then there's this qualifier, although they are not made there by one person with him.

So the manner by which the believer's union with Christ comes to pass is by his spirit and by faith. Without the Holy Spirit we remain dead in our trespasses and sins, and certainly when we're regenerated or born again or effectually called, We are given the graces of faith and repentance, by which we close with our Lord Jesus. But the confession, as I said, qualifies what this union with Christ means, although they are not made there by one person with Him. Now, the Second London Confession follows the Savoy Declaration at this particular point. where it says, although they are not made there by one person with him.

The statement is absent from Westminster Confession, but Westminster has a third paragraph which in part reads, the communion which the saints have with Christ doth not make them in any wise partakers of the substance of his Godhead or to be equal with Christ in any respect. So that qualification is necessary. We're not divinized in salvation. We are not partakers of the divine essence.

We have union with Christ, but there is that distinction made within the confession, although they are not made there by one person with him. The union that we have should not be understood as increasing our status. Again, we're not divinized. We don't become the fourth or fifth and the millionth. you know, person of the Godhead, but rather the emphasis is on the mediatorial office of Jesus Christ.

The union that we have should not be understood as diminishing Christ's status either. He's not compromised with reference to this union. The head to the body does not mean that the body is now the head. And Dixon asks the question, did not likewise the Manicheans err who blasphemously taught that the divine essence was mingled with the soul and body of every man, and that therefore all his actions were wholly divine?

After giving several scriptural confutations, he ends by saying, because the Manichean error is the utmost stretch of Satan's invention, beyond which he is not able to go, they deserve not confutation, but to be looked upon as devils incarnate. So if we do maintain that man does, in union with Christ, assume divinity, then as Dixon well says here, this is to be looked upon as a devilish doctrine. It's a complete contrary to what scripture teaches. Van Dixhorn, a modern commentator, says the communion that we have with Christ is with Christ as our mediator, not with Christ in his being, in his substance as a member of the Trinity.

In the early church at the Reformation and today, there are those who devalue Jesus or overvalue the rest of us. This is a great mistake. Again, if we suggest that we are divinized by union with Christ, it increases our status and diminishes or takes away from His status.

Fellowship in Christ's Graces and Sufferings

Now, as the confession goes on, it explains that union that we have with our Lord. Notice after the qualifying statement, it says, have fellowship in His graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory. So His graces, we know that, well we can look at a few passages. Notice in John 1, in the prologue, specifically at verse 16, there's a contrast, a covenantal contrast, set up between Christ and Moses.

And in John 1, 16, it says, and of His fullness we have all received in grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." So there's this profusion of benefit in terms of our relationship to Christ as mediator.

So as the Confession says, we have fellowship in His graces. And of course Paul blesses God because of all the spiritual blessings that God has given to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. And so the confession highlights that blessed reality and then moves on to his sufferings. We see that in Philippians chapter 3, his death, his resurrection, his glory.

So we have this union with Christ, again, that does not increase our status as divine beings, nor decrease Jesus' status as the third person of the Trinity, but it does result in this fellowship, this intimacy, this communion, as the Oxford Dictionary says, sharing or holding in common participation, fellowship, association and actions or relations, and spiritual intercourse. So the first part of paragraph one is absolutely crucial to the latter part of paragraph one that goes on then to describe our communion or our fellowship with one another.

Communion Among the Saints

Notice it continues, and being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other's gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, in an orderly way, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man. So we have this union in love. Turn to 1 John chapter 3. 1 John chapter 3. First John 3.13, do not marvel my brethren if the world hates you.

We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. So what we have there is this reference to the basic reality that if we have love for the brethren, we have passed from death to life.

As non-Christians, as pagans, as heathen, we don't look favorably upon the brethren. In fact, we want to try and avoid the brethren. We don't go to their churches, we don't hang out at their barbecues, we don't have coffee with them, if it's brethrenly things that they want to chat about. We try to distance ourselves from them because we don't like, as Jesus explains in John 3, when the darkness comes to the light, it hates the light because the light exposes the darkness.

So this is a test provided by the apostle. By this we know that we've passed from death to life if we have love for the brethren. Again, that love is going to grow, that love is going to increase, that love is not at a fever pitch at every moment of the day, but there is this general orientation in the heart of God's people to love the brethren, to love those whom Christ has died for and has risen again for. Love is a basic reflex.

John 13, 35, Jesus says, by this all men will know that you are my disciples if you subscribe to the second London Confession. I may have said it that way. Honestly, by this all men will know that you are my disciples if you only go to this particular church. Again, I may have said that.

By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. This is a defining attribute or characteristic of the people of God. They love each other. They want to be around each other.

They enjoy one another's company. Again, not always the fever pitch that we would like, but this is something that we grow in and something that hopefully becomes more obvious as the days march on. Turn to 1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5, specifically at verse 1. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves Him who has begotten of Him.

By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. Excuse me, for this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.

Who is he who overcomes the world? But he who believes that Jesus is the son of God. This is very important. How do we know that we love one another?

Well, we obey God's commandments relative to one another. You can turn back to Romans chapter 13. Romans chapter 13, love isn't just a feeling, it's not just mysticism, it's not just some ethereal thing, but it's concrete obedience to God's law. Notice in Romans 13 verse 8, For the commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment are all summed up in this saying.

Namely, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Again, how would we explain what love to the brothers look like? We'd probably say nice luncheons, coffee time, but the apostle describes, defines, and explains love concretely in terms of obedience to God's holy law.

We love one another because we don't steal from one another. We love one another because we don't commit adultery with one another's wives or husbands. We love one another when we objectively obey God's commandments with reference to our treatment of others.

Communion in Gifts and Graces

And then it goes on in the confession to speak of the communion in gifts and graces. The communion in gifts and graces, Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, the apostle talks about the various ways the people of God have been furnished by God with specific gifts and helps for the good of the church. We know as well with reference to church pastors or prophets or apostles in Ephesians 4, Christ ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and he gave gifts to men. Why did he give those gifts to men?

So they could be, you know, proud and arrogant and have, you know, I'm a gifted brother dot com. and sell merch and shirts and hats and all those sorts. No, it's to edify the church. It's to build up the people of God. And so the confession picks that up when it says they have communion in each other's gifts and graces.

We serve for the benefit of others. We're not equipped in order to just take those things and profit from them other ways. And then notice the obligation as it continues. and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, in an orderly way, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man. If you turn to 1 Thessalonians 5. 1 Thessalonians 5.

Verse 11, therefore comfort each other and edify one another just as you also are doing. Comfort each other and edify one another just as you also are doing. So the nature of Christian communion or fellowship, it certainly involves friendship, it certainly involves uh... common interests it certainly involves shared activities but it's directed ultimately to spiritual lands it's directed ultimately to comforting each other and edifying one another in the things of the lord god now notice in verse fourteen now we exhort you brethren warn those who are unruly comfort the faint-hearted uphold the weak be patient with all see that no one renders evil for evil to anyone but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the spirit, do not despise prophecies, test all things, hold fast what is good, abstain from every form of evil.

So again, what the apostle seems to envisage is that there's these private communications on the part of the brothers in the church, brothers and sisters, in verse 11, comforting each other and edifying one another, and then this public recognition, a recognition of public activity in terms of overarching concerns in verse 14. We exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the faint-hearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. In other words, read the room. In other words, understand that sometimes we rejoice with those who rejoice, we weep with those who weep.

It's criminal to rejoice with those who are weeping. It's criminal to weep with those who are rejoicing. We need to be able to understand who might be the unruly, who might be the faint-hearted, who might be the weak, and be patient with all of them in the way that we minister, in the way that we commune with our gifts and graces. And then this idea of orderly, in an orderly way, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.

Again, picking up on what the Apostle says in 1 Corinthians 14, all things are to be done decently and in order, in an orderly way. The churches of Jesus Christ aren't Woodstock. It's not a hippie fest. Communion and fellowship are defined by God and regulated by God, and we're supposed to obey in terms of God's law revealed to us with reference to His particular commands.

And then at the very end, and it's going to be amplified in paragraph two a bit, both in the inward and outward man. You know, if somebody's starving and somebody's freezing, sure, it's good to pray that their grace would abound and their hearts would grow and that they would be warmed in terms of the inner man, but you could give them a coat And you could give them a chicken too. You can alleviate the outward man in terms of the temporal sufferings and the hardships and the difficulties that they are facing. If you say, be warm and be filled as you're shutting the door, you're not tending to the outward man.

Of course, within your ability and your capacity, and as I said, paragraph two is going to amplify on that a bit, but you notice that the emphasis in the particular paragraph, union with Christ, union with one another, and what that union and communion looks like in terms of our relationships with each other. Public and private duties, orderliness, mutual benefit, and benefit for both soul and body. In fact, 1 John 3, 16 to 18 speaks to this as well. 1 John 3, verses 16 to 18, By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

Now brethren, there's other biblical sorts of things that need to be taken into consideration here. Just because a brother is having some temporal problems, the answer isn't necessarily always throw more money at him. The Bible emphasizes the necessity to work. The Bible emphasizes the necessity for self-government.

The Bible emphasizes the necessity that we are not to be indolent, we're not to be lazy, we're not to be apathetic, but rather we are to give ourselves wholly to our vocation or whatever it is. So it's not just a blanket statement, there's a poor Christian, let's write him a check. Now it may be that he needs a check and it may be that you should give him a check, Not checks anymore, we all e-transfer, don't we? But the days of check writing.

Unless I'm in the States and I'm in Linden and I happen to go to the grocery store, I always get behind the one old lady that still writes checks. And I wonder, do they still do these things? Yeah, they do still do these things. But the idea being is that there are other biblical qualifications, and we're not to be guilted into emptying our bank accounts because every possible or every particular Christian that might have need.

So there's other things, but as a general overarching concern, it's both the internal and the external man that we are to commune with. It's both the outward and the inward life of man with reference to the communion of the saints.

Duties of Communion

Now let's move on then to the duties involved in the communion of the saints in paragraph two. Saints by profession are bound to maintain and holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God and in performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification. G.I. Williamson makes the observation, the confession maintains that the duty of fellowship and communion in the worship of God is at least in part an outcome of this union.

But some have argued that they can worship God by themselves or at least without any commitment to membership in the visible church. Others seem to feel no obligation to loyal and faithful attendance at the services of worship in a particular congregation at its stated times of worship on the Lord's Day. He who is united to Christ is united to other believers, and being united to Christ necessarily entails solemn obligations to them. In other words, we're not islands unto ourselves.

And what's the first sort of way that we express this is in the worship of God. that holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God and in performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification.

Corporate Worship and Assembly

Turn to Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10. At 1019, the apostle then begins to apply all that has preceded in chapters one to nine, verse 18. And basically, he has expounded and celebrated and shined the light upon the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ as the high priest of the new covenant.

And so in verse 19, he comes, as I said, with a therefore, therefore, brethren, based on what I've said based on what you have communion and union with Christ and communion and union with one another he says therefore brethren having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh and having a high priest over the house of God. Now three imperatives or three exhortations follow. Verse 22, let us draw near. Verse 23, let us hold fast.

And verse 24, let us consider one another. Based on what he has said doctrinally in terms of our salvation by grace through faith in Jesus, based on the fact that we have a surety of a better covenant, a covenant built on better promises that affords a better hope, that brings us into saving union with the high priest, this is how we are to conduct ourselves with one another. Verse 22, "...let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." Incidentally, one of the arguments for Pauline authorship of the book of Hebrews is the triad indicated here. Notice in verse 22, faith.

Verse 23, hope. Verse 24, love. Paul traffics often in those particular concepts. But in verse 22, based on what we have in the mediator, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

The Old Covenant brought temporal cleansing. You got here. Amen. All right.

The Old Covenant brought an outward ceremonial cleanliness such that you could enter into the tabernacle or temple. But what we have in the blood of Jesus Christ as we enter into the very presence of God Most High, we go behind the veil, as it were. And that's verse 19, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus. That was confined to the high priest in the Old Covenant one day out of the year.

And even then, he didn't hang out in there, he didn't relax in there, he didn't sit down in there, he didn't have coffee in there. He went in, he offered blood, he got out. He went in, he offered blood, he got out. He went in, he offered blood, he got out.

And that was it. But in Jesus Christ, the mediator of a better covenant or the new covenant, we have access into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. So it necessarily follows in verse 22, let us draw near. Verse 23, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

In other words, hold fast to the truth as it is in Jesus. And then verse 24, and let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. This whole idea of fellowship, this whole idea of communion, sharing or holding in common, or participation. This is an exhortation based on the priestly office of our Lord Jesus, and then he gives a practical illustration of that in verse 25.

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as you see the day approaching. Now that's intriguing, right? One of the primary emphases with reference to this set of admonitions is not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. Yeah, we can and should have coffee together on Tuesday, but we mustn't miss church on Sunday.

It's mutual edification. It's participation in a common bond. It's our celebration together of our union with our Lord Jesus Christ. So he says, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.

Someone has well said, Christianity is more than church attendance, but it's not less than church attendance. I mean, if at that basic fundamental level we drop the ball, we do discourage the people of God. There's been times I've gotten, you know, reference forms for families who want to send their child to a Christian school and, you know, I'm supposed to, you know, give a few thoughts or whatever and, you know, the family is very encouraging or, you know, what gifts do they have? What gifts do they contribute to the life of the church?

I sometimes say they show up. You see, that's not acceptable today. You've got to be plugged in. You've got to be doing.

You gotta show up in order to be plugged in and doing. You can be plugged in and doing, but if you're not showing up, that's not Christian communion at the most foundational level. And this passage has always intrigued me in this sense. Notice as he continues, as is the manner of Psalm.

In other words, I notice that not everybody is maintaining fidelity and regularity at the public worship services of God. And then he says, and so much more, the more as you see the day approaching. Now there's questions as to which day that means. Some suggest it's the day of judgment.

It's the final judgment of our Lord Jesus Christ. I'm not going to say you're going to hell if you take that particular position. I think it's the day of judgment in AD 70. You know, they're getting closer.

I think Hebrews was written prior to AD 70. The temple was still there. The priesthood was still operative. Sacrifices were still being offered.

This was the temptation or the tendency on the part of those Jews that had confessed faith in Jesus Christ. They were being pressured to come back to Moses, come back to the Old Covenant, come back to the sacrificial system. And so the day that's approaching is the absolute destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. And I would suggest that at times, brethren, if we knew there was some calamitous event that was coming close to us, as they would have, because Jesus prophesied of this in Matthew 24, and he punctuated its application by saying, this generation.

Well, as you're getting later in the 60s, you don't know specifically it's going to be 70, but it could be at any time. What's the tendency? Well, we've got other things to do. We've got to inventory our canned goods.

We've got to make sure we've got chickens and we've got hogs and we've got all that stuff. Hogs, not if they were Jewish believers, but you would be tempted to not go to church. You would be tempted to say, well, everything's going to be destroyed in the city. We got to leave anyway.

So we'll just start our preparations. No, no, no. The day of judgment upon Jerusalem is coming. Don't use that as an excuse to miss church.

Now, brethren, if you think about that, I'd probably be a little bit more generous and liberal if somebody said, yeah, I didn't come to church because I thought on Thursday, you know, the Russians were going to show up in Canada and destroy us, versus, you know, I had a hangnail that was troubling me, you know, very much so, and I just couldn't see my way to make it to church. Or, you know, my kid had soccer that day, or my kid had baseball that day. You see, the apostle drawing implications or exhortations from the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ doesn't leave it undefinable. He doesn't say, you know, just figure it out.

No, he's very concrete. Draw near, hold fast, consider one another. If you're absent, you're not considering one another. If you're absent, you're not stirring one another up to love and good works.

If you're not there with the people, which again, basic foundational requirement in order to comply with what the apostle is driving home in this particular place.

Spiritual Services and Mutual Edification

Going on, the confession says, and in performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification. Turn to the book of Ephesians, in Ephesians chapter five. Ephesians chapter 5, our singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs is for the glory of God, the worship and the praise of God, but there's also a horizontal element as well. Notice in Ephesians 5, 19, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.

Somebody asked me recently, are you imposing your preferences for no musical instruments and psalms only in our worship services because we're singing a cappella? I said, no, I have that as a personal preference, but I would not impose my personal preference. The reason we're doing a cappella is because we sing really good. We did it at the conference, one stanza of 148B, I'm pretty sure, and it was great.

And subsequent to that, people said, we should do a bit more a cappella. That's edifying. It's encouraging. It's a blessing.

Yes? The main feature to the big bands, when they do a cappella, they're once in a while But we don't. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, for sure.

So there's an edification in the public worship of God, not just associated with the reading of the word and the preaching of the word, though those things are hopefully edifying. But it's the one to another. It's the participation together. It's the union and communion of God's people.

One focus, one purpose. glory of God through the mediation of the Son and the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. This is exemplified in the public worship and performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification. And then notice it goes on then to highlight the various places where this ought to be operative. Which communion, according to the rule of the gospel, though especially to be exercised by them in the relations wherein they stand, whether in families or churches, right?

We have a primary responsibility to our families, we have a secondary responsibility to our churches, but brothers and sisters elsewhere in the rest of the world. That's why we pray for missionaries. That's why we pray for the persecuted church. Yet as God offereth opportunity, it is to be extended to all the household of faith, even all those who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

So with reference to this connection that we maintain with one another, we can extend that beyond our own walls to the connection that we sustain with other churches. Associationalism conduces to this. It's good to be holding communion together as churches with the Second London Confession of Faith. It transcends even Western Canada.

It goes to Eastern Canada. It goes to Eldoret, Kenya. It goes to Honduras. It goes to Cuba.

It goes to Myanmar. So the confession recognizes, yeah, there's a particular gradation. You need to make sure your wife is eating. You need to make sure your brethren are eating, and then you need to make sure other brethren are eating as well.

Let us do good to all, especially those of the household of faith. So there ought to be that heartbeat in the people of God in terms of both inward and outward sort of mutual gifts and graces being exercised one to another.

Private Property Affirmed

And then notice the last part of paragraph two is a qualification. It's a limiting statement. It says, lest anybody should conclude that there is no private property in the Christian church, lest anybody should conclude that the confession Summarizing the Bible as teaching communism, it tells us, nevertheless, their communion one with another as saints doth not take away or infringe the title or propriety which each man hath in his goods and possessions. In other words, there's private property.

In other words, there isn't a common fridge. In other words, there isn't a common closet. There is, by God's good design, that private property. And with reference to this, Dixon says, do not the Anabaptists' error who affirmed the goods and possessions of the saints ought to be common?

Yes, they error. The biblical defense of private property is simply the 8th commandment. The 8th commandment says, you shall not steal. People wonder, does the Bible speak to civil politics?

Well, it does in the 8th commandment, you shall not steal. If you built a government on stealing from others, that is prohibited. And essentially, that's socialism, and then communism is socialism, you know, forced with a gun. That's not righteous behavior.

That is illegitimate behavior. The case laws in the Book of Exodus, specifically in chapters 21 to 23, indicate the ownership of private property, the recognition of the poor by our Lord. He says, the poor you will always have. He doesn't say the poor, you must leave all of them all the time right now at once.

As I said, there's other things. A man might be poor because he's lazy. A man might be poor because he won't work. A man might be poor as a consequence of his sinful lifestyle.

So if we hand him checks, we're just furthering him in those exploits. We are furthering him in his indolence. It's not always the best idea to give, you know, somebody out there with the fent bent a handful of dollars. You can give him a burger, give him a potato, that's fine, alleviate the specific needs.

But if you hand him 10 or 20 dollars, he's probably not going to go buy a potato. I'm going to tell you right now, he's going to go probably buy more fentanyl. And then the command to practice acts of charity. Look at 1 Timothy 6, which assumes wealthy people in the context of the church, which also assumes that you don't strip the wealthy because they couldn't engage in charity.

If all the wealthy had to turn over all their money and all their goods to the common pool, there wouldn't be this subset that Timothy is supposed to charge and to exhort them to be charitable. 1 Timothy 6, 17, command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. The bottom line is that if everything belonged to everyone, no one could bless others with charity. If everything belonged to everyone, there would be no need for a 1 Timothy 6, verses 17 to 19.

There would be no emphasis in terms of the rich being benevolent to the poor. If everything was turned over to the common good, well then, everybody would be equally miserable, and that's ultimately the end of communism. And then, of course, the command of labor. Look at Ephesians 4.

Ephesians 4. How does a new man or a new woman in Christ Jesus live? Again, this is the practical application of all that precedes in Ephesians chapters 1 to 2, or 1 to 3. Notice in verse 25, therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

Your new man in Christ Jesus, put away lying, speak the truth. Verse 26, be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath. Verse 27, nor give place to the, I'm sorry, nor give place to the devil.

And then verse 28, let him who stole, steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. These would be meaningless statements if everybody got their paycheck, went and bought their products and put them all in a closet at the church building for everybody's availability. This wouldn't make any sense whatsoever. So when we see an emphasis in the alleviation of the outward sufferings of our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, the exhortation is not get rid of everything and just be hippies.

Acts 2 and 4 Considered

And then the objection concerning Acts 2.44 and 4.32. You can turn to Acts 2. Acts chapter 2. Some suggest we see here a form of Christian communism at worst or Christian socialism at almost as worst.

Acts 2.44, now all who believed were together and had all things in common and sold their possessions and goods and provided them with all as anyone had need. And then notice in 4.32, now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul. Neither did anyone say that any of the things he asked were his own, but they had all things in common. I think expresses that spirit of charity, concrete obedience to the law, alleviating the suffering of our brothers who have external needs.

But with reference to the private property element, drop down to chapter 5. Acts 5 verse 1, a certain man named Ananias was the buyer of his wife's sword of deception, and he kept that part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostle's feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why is it safe and filled with your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep that part of the price of the land for yourself? That's got to be a bummer for old Ananias.

I mean, imagine getting hit with that by the apostle Peter. Oh, OK. Verse 4. While it remained, was it not your own?

And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God. There is here a supposition or an assumption that private property continues in Acts 5, notwithstanding Acts 2.44 and Acts 4.32.

What you have in Acts 2-44 and Acts 4-32 is, again, the spirit operative in the hearts of God's people, where they saw the suffering of their brothers and sisters, and they gave to them as they had need. This was not coerced by the civil state. This was not a state-imposed communism. Okay, all you Christians, you need to be communists, and so you've got to make sure you empty all your pockets and have a common good.

That's absent completely. As well, it's not imposed by any enthusiastical reform. The church never said all of you all have to sell everything you have and give it to everybody else who has need. Peter recognizes the principle of private ownership.

You have the right to do with it as you would. You have the right, even after you sold it, to take the proceeds and do with it as you would. Your problem is that you lied. The problem is that you brought us a bit of it and claimed that it was all of it.

You've lied to the Holy Spirit. You've lied to God Most High. So this whole idea that communism is somehow envisaged by the New Testament is certainly not present. As Van Dixhorn said, beyond doubt, this does not mean that communion requires communism.

Generosity is not the same as collectivism. In fact, collectivism kills generosity. I'd like for them to figure that out eventually, but until such time, we need to make sure that we think clearly that private property is not revoked because of our union with Christ and our union and communion and fellowship with one another. Now, that said, listen to the imperatives, listen to the exhortations, listen to the emphases on generosity, and a large-heartedness will reference charity in the context of the people of God.

Blessed privilege God gives us, and we are then in turn able to give to others and be a blessing and a help to them.

Conclusion

So in conclusion, the believer's union with Christ is foundational. The believer's union in Christ is paradigmatic for everything that we have one with another. And when it comes to our union with one another, it ought to be love, love with reference to obedience to God's command in terms of our conduct toward one another, There ought to be love for one another. There ought to be love for the church.

There ought to be manifestation of that love in our conduct, in our words, in our thoughts, in our prayer life. We can express love for brethren on a Thursday morning when they don't even know it. Bring them to the throne of grace. Take their particular need to Christ and say, please, bless this brother today.

Help him to navigate the various circumstances that he's in. Now, you don't have to go brag about that. I prayed for you this morning saying, give your prayer. You can just do that.

You can do that as an expression of love, intercession, or to pray for one another. We saw that in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verses 1 and 2, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks be made for all men. And there ought to be manifestation of our communion in our common objectives. God said, as they have a common head and common duty with respect to him, a common profession, a common system of faith to maintain, a common gospel preach, a common worship and service to maintain.

I think that's a great summary statement that gets at the emphasis here in chapter 27 in our Confession of Faith. So I'll pray and then present the question in a few moments.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank you for your Word. We thank you for what we find here summarized from your Word. We pray that you would help us to take these things to heart. Pray with him to be faithful with reference to our communion and our fellowship with one another.

We pray again for churches today here in our community. We pray for the churches in our association and to the uttermost parts of the earth that they would know the presence of the Holy Spirit and worship and the power of the Holy Spirit and the preaching of the word for the salvation of sinners and for the strengthening and edification of the people of God. And we pray this in Jesus' name, amen.

Questions and Answers

Any questions or comments? So did you fix the tire? Good. All right.

That's awesome. Oh, I thought there was a hand up over there. Yes. I've been pretty convenient of saints in a context where not everyone's a member.

And then also children, things like that. How do you understand a saint? Well, it's a saint by profession. I think the judgment of charity helps us.

Somebody may be a pretender. They're not a member. They make a profession of faith. It's a credible profession.

They're certainly, I would suggest, are under the auspices of that. And then with reference to children, I mean, I think that would be a natural law thing. I think as parents to our own children, of course, but then as parents or older people in the context of the life of the church, Yeah, I mean, if we know that a kid is having trouble or whatever, whether or not he's a saint by profession, just a general benevolent love and concern for their spiritual well-being, for their external well-being, I think would be important. But there's this sort of idea that gets debated every few months on social media that we're to equally love everybody the same.

We're to love everybody, but the way that I love my wife is not the way that I love your wife. The way that I love my kids is not the way I love your kids. I love your wife, but not in the same way. So, you know, there's this, well, we got to love these illegals just like we love everybody else.

We gotta love them and that we don't kill them and that we don't steal from them. But there is a priority structure or a precedent structure that we find in the scripture. Let me find it here. Where are we at?

No. I thought it was 13. Let us do good to all men, especially to those who are of the household of faith. I thought that was Galatians 6.

No. You've all heard that text, right? Let us do good to all, especially those in the household of faith. I could swear it was in Galatians 6.

I guess we could spend the last few minutes here as I read through the chapter. Yeah, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. So there is a hierarchical Not that I, you know, this guy doesn't, he's not a member, he's only an attender, so I don't have to love him like a, but there is a principle in terms of I need to look after my wife, my kids, and then my brethren. You know, persons, we're not God, we're not omnipotent, we're not, you know, multifaceted, talented beings that have the ability to pour all of our energy into everybody at the same level and degree.

You know, most of the people that were in the room there, come regularly. An indication of our manifestation of love, as you said, was being willing to show up, to be present, etc. So it would be an exhortation for us, for the Church, growing up, And of course, there's the sense of showing up to the Lord's Supper, to the status meetings of the church, but also just being present after the service or before the service. Because there can be a tendency to, hey, I showed up, I dropped in at 11 o'clock, and I'm out the door, a few minutes, let's see if I can get to my thing.

I'm not going to the grocery shop, but I'm going home to do my thing, which just shows a lack of desire to be present with others. Yeah, again, I would, I would suggest the judgment of charity. If somebody does come to worship, there's no requirement that I know of that said, you got to stay an extra 5 minutes. And and and some people find her. are not people people.

You know what I mean? And if you want to gently encourage, hey, it'd be good to have you stick around for a few extra minutes. Just beware of the pharisaic tendency to measure a person's profession based on how long or how long they don't stay after a service. Do you know what I mean?

I would imagine that all of us could beef it up. All of us could get better at certain things. Sanctification is a process. It's in varying degrees with various people.

But judgment of charity when it comes to the extracurriculars with reference to church, I think is a good posture to assume. If you know that somebody is just indolent and lazy, there's nothing wrong with saying, hey, you know, I encourage you to stick around, hang out, talk to the brethren or whatever. But if somebody, you know, has worshipped God, they're not going to go to Tim Hortons, I'm not prepared to say, you know, shame on you. You should be here for 13 minutes.

And I'm not suggesting that's what you're saying. And I get the heartbeat of your question. But I've also seen tendencies on the opposite end to, you know, there's this kind of secret judgment that we bear toward persons that perhaps don't measure up to something we think. And justification is by faith alone.

It's not by faith alone. Plus, I stayed 13 minutes. And again, I'm not suggesting that's what you're saying. And familiarity with a brother or a sister, if you know that at one time they were doing this and now that's fallen off, hey, I haven't seen you lately yet.

It's more difficult to discuss the 13 minutes, I think, than I notice you've not been at church. Right? Oh, come on. We all do.

We all do. Yeah, we all do. But also the ability to fill the one and others. You can't fill the one with one another.

If you are just here for worship. They might be fulfilling one another's in other ways. You don't know what's going on in the rest of the week, and I have found that as well. Sometimes pastors will lambast people, and the lambast assumes a degree of omniscience on the part of the pastor.

I've seen it from other pastors about churches in general or about Christians in general. How do you know that? How could you possibly know that throughout the week this guy never shows love for another person? That assumes a mindset that belongs only to God Almighty.

So yeah, I agree, the one and others are done in context, the one and others are done in intimate fellowship, the one and others are executed and carried out together, but judgment of charity. The tendency that I think we can sometimes have is to impose upon a person things that we'd like it, I'd like it if everybody did this. I'd like it if everybody came on Wednesday night. I'd like it if everybody came to the confession.

I'd like it if everybody always participated in everything. But I would not like to be the Pharisee that says, you know, unless you're attending Wednesday or unless you're at the confession study, it's going to be pretty suspect as to whether or not you enter into the kingdom of heaven. Sometimes those preferences and legitimate preferences can get elevated almost to the point of an addition. And I think that, you know, there's always a tightrope.

Antinomianism on the one hand, legalism on the other hand. I bet if you surveyed a bunch of pastors, they'd say that antinomianism is the prevailing problem today. I'm one of the few that would suggest, I think it's Phariseeism. I think it's neonomianism.

Not that antinomianism isn't a problem, but I think there's a neonomian spirit that resides in the hearts of God's people. and unfortunately gets into God's pulpits, and the people of God are burdened and saddled with things that they have no...it's not their right. We're going to hear about the glorious liberty that the gospel brings to us tonight in Luke chapter 5, and anything that would blur that, or anything that would mar that, or anything that would detract from that, I'm willing, and I'm not suggesting you all have to adopt my practice, but I'm willing to live with the tension. But I love everybody to be here all the time. Charlotte, but you know what?

I love everybody to be here at the church workday. You didn't even come to church work. I mean, like we like we we can't. Maybe it's not everybody else.

I know my heart and I know that there can be that that tendency to. I had a I was in the middle many, many years ago, not the current iteration men, but in that hysteria with several of the reform pastors and then Mark Jones. And Christmas celebration came up. You know, like if Christmas is on a Thursday, do we have a service?

And of course, Mark and I were the only ones that said no. And these guys all said, yeah, it's not mandatory though. So then I asked the question, but do you judge the people in your heart that don't come? And they all said, yeah, of course.

So bless God for their honesty, right? I think there is that tendency. So I don't know if that helps, but it's kind of the way I think through things.

Scripture References

• Exodus 21-23
• Matthew 24
• Luke 5
• John 1:16; 3; 13:35
• Acts 2:44; 4:32; 5:1; 5:4
• Romans 12; 13:8
• 1 Corinthians 2:1-2; 12; 14
• Galatians 6
• Ephesians 4:25-28; 5:19
• Philippians 3
• 1 Thessalonians 5:11; 5:14
• 1 Timothy 6:17-19
• Hebrews 10:18-25
• 1 John 3:13; 3:16-18; 5:1-3