You can turn in your confessions to Chapter 28. Does anyone need a confession of faith? Chapter 28. This is the chapter of Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
So we've worked through the confession before. Of course, there are dedicated chapters for those two topics. Chapter 29 is of baptism, and chapter 30 is of the Lord's Supper. This chapter of baptism and the Lord's Supper is sort of an introductory chapter, a very small chapter that introduces the topic and captures with a lot of brevity here, that's kind of weird, a lot of brevity, but it captures in two simple sentences what the Baptists held with regards to the doctrine of the ordinances or the sacraments largely, and then of course they treat those two things individually following this.
So I'm gonna read paragraphs one and two, We could say sentences one and two, and then we'll have a look at some of the things related to this chapter.
Confession Study
Baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances of positive and sovereign institution appointed by the Lord Jesus, the only lawgiver, to be continued in his church to the end of the world. These holy appointments are to be administered by those only who are qualified and thereunto called according to the commission of Christ.
Introduction
So very simple, two sentences, but packed with doctrine, packed with implications, packed with meaning. Just to frame our minds to this topic, a couple quotes here, one from Calvin. speaking about the use of proper images in the church in the context Calvin is dealing with the rejection of images, statues, bejeweled crosses, and all of those things within the context of the church. And he writes this, when I consider the proper end for which churches are erected, it appears to me more unbecoming their sacredness than I well can tell. To admit any other images than those living symbols which the Lord has consecrated by his own word, I mean baptism in the Lord's Supper.
We asked the question in Protestant churches, why are there no ornate stained glass windows with the stations of the cross? Why are there no amethyst bedecked crosses and statues and all these sorts of things? Well, I think Calvin captures it well. We have those two living symbols which the Lord has consecrated by his own word. baptism in the Lord's Supper.
And so the topic of baptism in the Lord's Supper is very significant, and as we'll see, for a number of reasons. A particular Baptist in the 17th century connected to our confession of faith, Hansard Knowles, wrote this, Christ and his saints do enjoy mutual communion and spiritual fellowship one with another at the Lord's Supper and in all other of his holy ordinances. Those believers who slight or neglect any of the holy administrations and ordinances of God do want that fellowship with the Father. That would mean do stand in lack of. do stand in lack of that fellowship with the Father and that communion with Jesus Christ in the spirit which other believers do enjoy.
Oh dear friends, be not wanting to your precious souls, either in slighting or neglecting the ordinances of God. Why should you cry, oh my leanness, my barrenness, when you refuse his gracious invitations to heavenly banquets at his table? Lord God Almighty, the triune God of heaven and earth, has given us these two things to be enjoyed by His people, but also as, as we'll see, signs that communicate His glory, His saving purposes, His amazing grace in the salvation of sinners. And so it is a good question.
Why should you cry, oh my leanness, my barrenness? That is, why would you somehow bemoan your spiritual languishing when you refuse his gracious invitations to heavenly banquets at his table, or to put a more positive spin on it, we have wonderful things in the ordinances of God, specifically baptism in the Lord's Supper, and the Christian ought to avail of those things regularly, and when I say that, I don't mean baptism again and again, but baptism, and then of course, the Lord's Supper as it's repeated until Christ comes again. the doctrine of the ordinances, or as we'll see, sacraments. Those two words aren't perfectly identical or synonymous. They can be used of the same thing, but as we'll see, the Baptists choose ordinances in the confession of faith for a particular reason, but we'll use them somewhat synonymously.
Sacraments, or ordinances, are positive commands for New Testament believers signifying their union with Christ and through which the ascended Christ by his spirit and grace, the faith of believers is increased and strengthened. And we'll see that in the language of the confession as we move along. This is what ordinance are, positive commands for New Testament believers whereby the ascended Christ increases us and strengthens us in our faith by his spirit and grace.
Differences from Westminster and Savoy
Just some differences by way of introduction before we treat the actual language of the two paragraphs. The difference between this chapter and the Westminster Confession and the Savoy Declaration, we often do this just to do So an exercise in comparison, and talk about the reasons why the Baptists word things in particular ways when they are articulating doctrines that they hold in particular over and against what others hold. For example, the doctrine of baptism or believers baptism against credo baptism. Just to remind ourselves of the minds of the Baptists behind the confession of faith with regards to doctrine as it relates to their Presbyterian and congregational brothers in the context of the 17th century.
This is something that should obtain today with us. So speaking about the Baptists writing their confession of faith and articulating the things that they articulated, they say, this we did, the more abundantly, they're talking about writing, basically retaining the language of the Westminster and the Savoy declarations. This we did, the more abundantly to manifest our consent with both, that is, the Presbyterians and the Independents, or Congregationalists, both in all the fundamental articles of the Christian religion, as also with many others whose orthodox confessions have been published to the world on the behalf of the Protestants in diverse nations and cities. So not only the Reformed believers on the island, that is England, you know, England, Wales, Scotland, etc., but also on the continent.
So the Dutch believers, German, Protestants, those sorts of things. And also to convince all that we have no itch to clog religion with new words, but do readily acquiesce in that form of sound words which has been in consent with the Holy Scriptures used by others before us. So all of that to say they are declaring their harmony in the first place, largely with their fellow Protestant believers, Protestant Christians, not only on the island but also on the continent. But then they say this with regards to chapters like chapter 28, where they differ a little bit.
They write this, in those things wherein we differ from others, we have expressed ourselves with all candor and plainness that none might entertain jealousy of ought secretly lodged in our breasts that we would not the world should be acquainted with. Yet we hope we have also observed those rules of modesty and humility as will render our freedom in this respect inoffensive even to those whose sentiments are different from ours. So they're very careful to say that they will affirm what ought to be affirmed by their fellows, their fellow Protestant Christians, but they will express themselves modestly with humility in those things that they differ in order that they might adequately explain those differences to the hopefully non-offense of those who differ from them. So chapter 28 is a little bit different in our confession of faith than it is in the Westminster and Savoy, and one of those differences is the absence of the word sacrament.
It's not because the Baptists didn't like the word that they somehow had a distaste for the word sacrament. They use it favorably in their writings. The deliberate use of ordinance instead reflects the Baptists' emphasis upon baptism in the Lord's Supper as ordinances or commands by God that must be obeyed. In other words, in their confession of faith, they remove sacrament and replace it with ordinance, which others used as well, to emphasize that believers only can obey the baptism, the doctrine of baptism, because only one who can obey a command is one who can follow through with the exercise of that particular ordinance.
So, against infant baptism, the Baptists articulate here that it's an ordinance because it's a, as we read in the Confession, a sovereign positive command given by God to be obeyed by the one who is receiving the ordinance, whether baptism or the Lord's Supper. We also see the absence of the word seal. where the paedo-baptists will use the language of baptism as a sign and a seal of the covenant of grace. The appendix concerning baptism that was included in the Confession of Faith, it's not included in our copies here. The epistle at the beginning nor the appendix are included, but they were included originally, of course.
And in that appendix, the Baptists write, we conceive the seal of that covenant is the indwelling of the spirit of Christ in the particular and individual persons in whom he resides. That's one of the reasons why they remove baptism, the language of it being a seal of the covenant of grace, because the seal, properly speaking, is the spirit who resides in those persons who are baptized. We see in ours, as a difference compared to the other confessions, the inclusion of the word positive. In paragraph one, going back to the confession of faith, we read that baptism in the Lord's Supper are ordinances of positive and sovereign institution.
The Baptists include that because positive laws are, as Renahan writes, added commandments given by revelation differing from moral or natural law in that knowledge of it will only come externally by means of divine disclosure. Now, That means the same, it means that the Baptists include positive here for the same reason they exclude sacrament. A positive law is something given by divine disclosure to be obeyed. And they use it here, the Paedo-Baptists don't.
The Baptists use it to enforce again the fact that only one who can obey in the waters of baptism is to actually receive that ordinance. Moving on a little bit here, again, just by way of introduction, the historical context.
Historical Context
In the 17th century, debates over the sacraments were central to the divide between Paedo-Baptists and Credo-Baptists, not at the point of the Lord's Supper. The point of the Lord's Supper, that was more a 16th century debate. Not that it wasn't important in the 17th century, but the Baptists, the Paedo-Baptists, The Presbyterians, the Congregationalists, all held to the same doctrine of the Lord's Supper. It was at the point of baptism, of course.
Particular Baptists rejected infant baptism, arguing from covenant theology that the New Covenant, which is the covenant of grace ratified, consists solely of regenerate believers. Just one more time, the Baptists rejected infant baptism, arguing from covenant theology that the New Covenant consists solely of regenerate believers, and so, regenerate believers are those who are to be baptized, and they only. Text, of course, always in the background, amongst others, Jeremiah 31, 31 to 34, and Paul's interpretation of that and application of it in Hebrews 8 through 10. Um, The confession was drafted during a time when clarity on the nature, recipients, and purpose of the ordinances was necessary for distinguishing Baptist identity.
So while it's two short sentences, it carries a lot of freight, it carries a lot of weight within the context of how Baptists identified themselves and articulated their similarities but also their differences from their other Reformed fellows. The biblical relevance of these doctrines hopefully are clear.
Biblical Relevance of the Ordinances
Both ordinances are directly instituted by Christ. In fact, that is the language of paragraph one. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances of positive and sovereign institution appointed by the Lord Jesus, the only lawgiver. And so both ordinances are directly instituted by Christ. 28, 18 to 20, we see there in the giving of the Great Commission, baptism is front and center in the Great Commission.
All authority in heaven and on earth had been given to the Lord Jesus Christ by virtue of the perfection of his mediatorial work, and so he gives that command. Go, therefore, disciple the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And so, both ordinances directly instituted by Christ. Matthew 28, we see baptism.
We go to other verses in the gospel accounts that speak to Christ and baptism and the nature of it, but as far as the Lord's Supper is concerned, we have passages such as Matthew 26, Luke 22, etc. Those occasions where the narrative accounts in the Gospels capture the institution of the Lord's Supper on the night in which Jesus Christ was betrayed. So both ordinances directly instituted by Christ inform an essential part of the life of the church. Hopefully we all know that, that baptism in the Lord's Supper are essential parts of the life of the church.
We're gonna see that in a moment here when we see something connected to the nature of faith and how it is increased. Baptism in the Lord's Supper are front and center there as well. The ordinances serve as visible signs of union with Christ and participation in the benefits of His mediation. Romans 6, 3-5 and 1 Corinthians 11-26.
I want us to do a little exercise here in going through some of the language of the confession that precedes chapter 28 because these things will sort of set the stage or serve as informing doctrines and blessed informing truths that undergird the doctrine of the ordinances, baptism in the Lord's Supper.
Redemptive Foundation in 2LCF Chapter 8
First you can turn with me to chapter eight of Christ the Mediator. Chapter eight and paragraph five. Notice in paragraph five of chapter eight, the Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself, which he through the eternal spirit once offered up to God, has fully satisfied the justice of God, procured reconciliation, and purchased an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven for all those whom the Father has given unto him. This, we could say, is the redemptive foundation, the Christo-redemptive foundation for the ordinances, Christ's redemptive work as foundational for baptism and the Lord's Supper.
The salvific, mediatorial foundation, Christ has fully satisfied the justice of God, procured reconciliation, purchased an everlasting inheritance for all those whom the Father had given unto Him, the ordinances signify union with this Ascended Mediator, the Ascended Mediator of paragraph 5. That's why the ordinances are so important. Baptism is that sign of our union with Christ, that we have life in Him, life in the one who by His perfect obedience and sacrifice has procured reconciliation and purchased that everlasting inheritance. And so, in the Lord's Supper, we're observing that sacrament that points to the perfection of His finished work.
Do this in remembrance of me, the words of the Lord Jesus Christ rehearsed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11. In taking the Lord's Supper, in participating in the Lord's Supper, we are remembering the Lord Jesus who by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself through the eternal spirit secured everlasting salvation for his people. So there is an obvious Christ redemption foundation behind baptism in the Lord's Supper.
Ordinances as Means of Grace in 2LCF Chapter 14
You can turn with me to paragraph one of chapter 14. Chapter 14, paragraph one. Here we see the ordinances as what have been called means of grace, manners by which or ways by which God strengthens Christians in their faith. Notice the language of chapter 14, paragraph 1, the grace of faith whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts, and is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word, by which also, and by the administration of baptism and the Lord's Supper, prayer, and other means appointed of God, it is increased and strengthened." If we ask the question, how do I grow in the Christian faith?
How can I increase as a believer? Going back to that Hansard-Knowles quote, if I'm feeling spiritually languished, and there's a coldness and a languor to my present atmosphere as a Christian, what's the answer to that? Well, this gives us the answer. It might not be the easiest things because of the complexities of remaining corruption and all that sort of thing, but there is a blessed simplicity to the answer. to how the Christian is increased and strengthened in their faith.
It is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the word, by which also and by the administration of baptism in the Lord's Supper, prayer, and other means appointed of God, that probably points to the various times of thanksgivings and fastings that we see in paragraph 22, excuse me, chapter 22, it is increased and strengthened. So we have a wonderful answer given to us by our God, that when we are spiritually languishing, the answer is in the ministry of the word, the application or administration of the sacraments, prayer, and other means appointed by God. So the ordinances are a means of grace whereby our faith is increased and strengthened. There's no power inherent in the elements themselves or in the work themselves.
The power is from the Father, through Christ, by the Spirit, working on the soul through those means.
Ordinances and Perseverance in 2LCF Chapter 17
You can turn with me to chapter 17. Chapter 17, in paragraph two, we have a wonderful capturing of what our perseverance and ultimately our assurance as believers depends upon, the work of the triune God, the reality of His eternal decree, the mediation of Christ, the abiding nature of the Spirit. And notice in paragraph three of chapter 17, and though they may, Believers, who are persevering, through the temptation of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins, and for a time continue therein, whereby they incur God's displeasure and grieve His Holy Spirit, come to have their graces and comforts impaired, have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded, hurt and scandalize others and bring temporal judgments upon themselves, yet they shall renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end. Now there's a hidden nugget there that is not lost in all of it, but we might just sort of read past it.
Notice, and though they may through the temptation of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation. What are the means of our preservation? The ministry of the word, baptism in the Lord's Supper, prayer, and other means appointed by God. So on our topic this morning, baptism in the Lord's Supper, the neglect of those means is a way by which we can fall into these things, grievous sins for a time therein, incur God's displeasure, grieve his Holy Spirit, et cetera.
So I think the importance of baptism in the Lord's Supper is clearly being captured here throughout the confession of faith. The importance is seen in the doctrine of God, the doctrine of Christ, the doctrine of salvation, the doctrine of perseverance. How do we persevere? What are the means by which we persevere?
The means that God employs for our perseverance? It is the ordinances of God.
Ordinances as Elements of Worship in 2LCF Chapter 22
You can turn with me to chapter 22. Chapter 22, we noted when we were looking there briefly at Chapter 14 and Paragraph 1, that we have in Chapter 22 the reality of the means of grace laid out as well, the elements of worship, those means that God has employed for our good as Christians in this lower world. In 22.1, we see the nature of proper worship, the reality and the nature of proper worship, and we see that that worship is to be given to the triune God according to the word of God as we continue through paragraphs one and two. But notice in paragraph five, so we see here the elements of worship.
Prayer has already been dealt with in the previous two paragraphs, paragraphs three and four, and now adding to prayer, we see the elements of worship being the reading of the scriptures, preaching and hearing the word of God, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord as also the administration of baptism and the Lord's Supper are all parts of religious worship of God to be performed in obedience to him with understanding, faith, reverence, and godly fear. God has appointed elements of worship that Christians are to observe in the course of their worshiping of the triune God. And so, those elements of worship ought to be seen as vitally important for us to express, to obey, to carry out in obedience, joyful obedience to our God. And two of those things are what we're studying this morning and what we'll look at over the course of the next couple of studies in chapters 29 and 30, baptism in the Lord's Supper.
What are parts of the religious worship of God that are to be performed in obedience to him? And note the, note the, the presence of soul, or the way in which Christians are to worship God. Yes, in obedience to him, but notice the condition of the soul with understanding, faith, reverence, and godly fear. As we, right now, talk about these things, we should prepare our hearts, prepare our souls to approach God and to worship Him in this manner.
We're not just doing it rotely. We're not just doing it lightly or casually. We are to be doing it with understanding, faith, reverence, and godly fear. That's to be our disposition before God in worship, and so should be our approach when we consider those two important elements of worship, which are baptism and the Lord's Supper.
Ordinances and the Church in 2LCF Chapter 26
Lastly, you can turn to chapter 26, which we looked at a number of weeks back, not too long ago. The doctrine of the church. In that chapter 26, we see something that touches upon the church's obligation to her Lord. We have this, notice in paragraph five first, we have this Trinitarian calling.
In the execution of this power wherewith he is so entrusted, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus, calls out of the world unto himself through the ministry of his word, by his spirit, those that are given unto him by his father. It's, It's the simple Trinitarian nature of the church, of salvation and of the church. The Lord Jesus, by the ministry of his word, by his spirit, all that are given to him by his father, that they, note, may walk before him in all the ways of obedience which he prescribes to them in his word. Baptism in the Lord's Supper, of course, fall into that sentence. that we are to walk before this triune God, before Christ our Savior, in all the ways of obedience which he prescribes to them in his word.
So that obligation, that joyful Christian obligation, is such that then we are to hold in high regard baptism and the Lord's Supper, those ordinances given by God for our spiritual good. Those thus called he commands to walk together in particular societies or churches for their mutual edification and the due performance of that public worship which he requires of them in the world. And then notice as well paragraph six, It captures the language of ordinances. It doesn't specifically say baptism and the Lord's Supper, but they are no doubt contained within the wording.
The members of these churches are saints by calling, visibly manifesting and evidencing in and by their profession and walking, their obedience unto that call of Christ and do willingly consent to walk together according to the appointment of Christ, giving up themselves to the Lord and one to another, by the will of God in professed subjection to the ordinances of the gospel. Not only do we have this obvious vertical obligation, Christians to our God, to obey God in the ordinances, to walk before him in all the ways of obedience, but we also have this horizontal obligation, one to another, the confession says, by the will of God in professed subjection to the ordinances of the gospel. We are engaging in spiritual theft, if we aren't coming to church, and if we aren't within the context of church, with that godly fear, understanding, and reverence engaged in the elements of worship, which include baptism and the Lord's Supper. Not only are we disobeying God who calls us to walk before him in all the ways of obedience, but we are we are doing a disservice to our fellows, our brothers and our sisters, when we do not, by the will of God, engage in that professed subjection to the ordinances of the gospel.
Two Ordinances in the New Testament Church
So let's move now to the language of chapter 28. and we see first that there are two ordinances in the New Testament Church. Very simply, baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances of positive and sovereign institutions. So there are two ordinances or sacraments in the Christian Church, not seven as in the Roman Catholic Church, not any number other than baptism in the Lord's Supper, the number two. These are the only two ordinances given by Christ for the church under the new covenant.
Baptism signifies union with Christ and entrance into the visible church. The Lord's Supper commemorates Christ's atoning sacrifice and proclaims his death until he returns. Those simple definitions of baptism in the Lord's Supper we see in the Holy Scriptures. You can turn with me in your Bibles to Romans 6.
We just noted only very briefly that baptism signifies union with Christ and entrance into the visible church. The language of the Apostle Paul in Romans 6 is very clear and it is Credo Baptist language. It does not support in any way the doctrine of infant baptism, but in every way supports the doctrine of believer's baptism because it's connecting baptism to one who is in union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. Notice in Romans 6, beginning in verse one.
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. So we see baptism as that signification of the believer's union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. That is the simple definition of the gospel, and it's the simple explanation or expansion upon the wonder of baptism as well.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul defines the gospel as the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for the salvation of sinners. The gospel that I preach to you, which you believed, in which you stand, is that gospel which I preach to you of a matter of first importance, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Well, baptism, that wonderful ordinance, sacrament given to us by God, is for believers only because it symbolizes, it signifies, it's an emblem of the reality that we were buried with Christ, that we, well, first off, were baptized into his death, that we were buried with him through baptism into death, and that we were raised from the dead with him by the glory of the Father, that we might walk in newness of life. And so baptism clearly signifies that union with Christ, and that is why we only apply it to believers, those who have given a credible profession of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord's Supper, of course, as we just noted, commemorates Christ's atoning sacrifice and proclaims his death until he returns. We could note, of course, 1 Corinthians 11, 23 to 26. There, the Apostle Paul rehearses Christ's own institution of the Lord's Supper, capturing his words of institution, that is the Lord Jesus Christ, and reiterating the importance of it for the Corinthian Christians. Christ's atoning sacrifice, his death, his redemptive work, his perfect saving work is the foundation for and of the Lord's Supper.
Particular Baptists affirm the scriptural basis of both baptism and the Lord's Supper, distinguishing them from man-made traditions or additional sacraments.
Nature of the Ordinances
Next, we see the nature of the ordinances. Notice baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances of positive and sovereign institution. And then in paragraph two, it says these holy appointments. And so the nature of the ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper first, is that they are of positive institution.
These ordinances are not natural to creation or moral law. but are specific commands given by Christ for the church. That's what's being captured there in the language of positive. Baptism and the Lord's Supper were not written on the heart of man in the garden. They were not then later expressed or codified upon Mount Sinai.
They bear a different nature. They are positive laws exclusively given by external and supernatural revelation, the revelation of God to be observed by his people to the end of the world. And so there is this positive reality. They are also sovereign acts of Christ's authority and not derived from, of course, human reasoning.
They are of positive and sovereign institution. You've heard before that these ordinances we could call dominical ordinances of or pertaining to the Lord, Jesus Christ, who has as exalted mediator commanded them to be observed in his churches to the end of the world. In fact, even before his ascension, he gave that command, and of course that command continues post-ascension as he works by his spirit through the church. And so they are of positive and sovereign institution, and they are also called holy appointments.
They are sacred in their origin and purpose, symbolizing divine realities of salvation and covenant fellowship. They're holy appointments. When we observe the Lord's Supper, we often say that the elements of the bread and the wine have been taken from their common use and have been consecrated unto a holy use. The Lord's Supper is a holy appointment.
It bears a sacred character and a sacred weight. We're not just strolling into a cafe and enjoying bread and wine. were in the context of divinely ordained worship, wherein with that godly fear, with that humility, with that reverence, we're engaging in something that bears positive and sovereign institution, and so therefore the things that we are doing are holy appointments, sacred in their origin and purpose, symbolizing divine realities of salvation and covenant fellowship. Their sanctity, we could say, lies in their institution by Christ and their administration according to his word. Their divine appointments, their holy appointments, their sacred appointments, not devised by men, but ordained by God for the good of men and women, boys and girls who have been brought forth by the power of amazing grace.
Christ as the Only Lawgiver
Third, we see, Clearly, the giver of the ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances of positive and sovereign institution appointed by the Lord Jesus, the only lawgiver. So the giver of the ordinances is Christ as the head and the lawgiver of his church. In chapter 26 we saw in paragraph 4 that Jesus Christ is the only head of the church. It's not the Pope who will be destroyed by the brightness of the Lord's coming, but rather it is Christ alone.
He has exclusive authority to institute these ordinances, and the Confession emphasizes his unique role as the only lawgiver. Not to the exclusion of Father in Spirit. The idea here is Christ uniquely as mediator, very God and very man, yet one Christ who perfected salvation. He's invested with that mediatorial authority and so he is seen here as the only lawgiver who instructs his church as the church's head.
The Confession emphasizes, again, his unique role as only lawgiver, distinguishing particular Baptist theology from traditions that might attribute ecclesiastical authority to humans or to priestly institutions. There's an emphasis here, as Christ being the only lawgiver, it's It's set to rub against any tradition, any pseudo-Christian reality that would say that, for example, the Pope is the head of the church on earth, the vicar of Christ, who has been invested with all ecclesial authority. The Protestants, and of course the particular Baptists, reject that outright and call Christ the only lawgiver. With Christ being the giver of the ordinances, we have an inseparable, inviolable link between Christ's mediation and the ordinances.
The ordinances are instituted by Christ as part of his mediatorial work. They signify the benefits of that mediation, such as forgiveness, justification, adoption, union with Him, new life, all of the blessed complex of salvation, every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places is in Christ, according to the Apostle Paul in Ephesians chapter one. And so the giver of the ordinances is not only the giver of the ordinances, but also the sum and substance of those ordinances. The ordinances are instituted by Christ, again, as part of his mediatorial work, and they signify the benefits of that mediation.
With regards to the recipients of the ordinances, then, the ordinances are reserved for those who have been united to Christ by faith and thereby benefit from his mediation. This is very, very important. Who are the ordinances for? They're for no one other than those who are of the one who gives them, those who are of Christ, in him, having been saved by him, having been the blessed and undeserved recipients of amazing grace given to them by Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The ordinances, again, are reserved for those who have been united to Christ by faith and thereby benefit from his mediation. In other words, believers, Christians. This underscores their role, the role of the ordinances as covenant signs for the regenerate only, not for a mixed community of believers and their offspring. We see as well, as we move towards a close, the perpetuity, the continual nature of the ordinances.
They're to be continued in his church to the end of the world. There is no before the end, of baptism in the Lord's Supper. There are some in the history of Christianity, at least those who would call themselves Christians. I don't want to cast all of them into the lake of fire, but there are some in the history of the church. who had said that baptism and the Lord's Supper were only given for a time, that they ended at the end of the apostolic age or at a particular time in history, that sort of a thing.
The Bible doesn't support that, and the Confession, reflecting what the Bible says, says that these ordinances, baptism in the Lord's Supper, are to be continued in His church to the end of the world. We see that implicitly in Matthew 28, 19 and 20, and we see it explicitly in 1 Corinthians 11, 26. So, baptism in the Lord's Supper, not temporary practices, but meant to endure throughout the church age.
Administration of the Ordinances
We also see the administration then of the ordinances. In paragraph two, these holy appointments are to be administered by those only who are qualified and thereunto called according to the commission of Christ. The administration of the ordinances is not open to any individual, but is reserved for those recognized as qualified and called. We could refer ourselves back to chapter 26 and paragraph eight. where we read with regards to the officers of the church, a particular church gathered and completely organized according to the mind of Christ consists of officers and members, and the officers appointed by Christ to be chosen and set apart by the church, so-called and gathered, for the peculiar administration of ordinances, note that clause, and execution of power or duty, which he entrusts them with or calls them to, to be continued to the end of the world are bishops or elders and deacons.
So with that in the background, And again, for the purposes of our study in chapter 28, for the peculiar administration of ordinances, that's why we see here that these holy appointments are to be administered by those only who are qualified and thereunto called according to the commission of Christ. This, of course, refers to pastors and elders who act in obedience commission of Christ, and it does, of course, say in paragraph 8 as well, deacons. It's not only the elders, but also the deacons who have been invested with a particular blessed responsibility and obligation to rightly administer the sacraments to the gathered congregation. This underscores the, or rather the confession safeguards against sacramental abuses by ensuring the ordinances are performed by those faithful to the word and doctrine of Christ.
So in, yeah, in only 55 minutes, just a brief look at The ordinances, baptism in the Lord's Supper, fuller explorations, of course, will come in subsequent weeks when we look. If you see chapter 29, it is of baptism, and chapter 30 is of the Lord's Supper. So having treated in chapter 28, the ordinances generally and sort of preliminarily, the confession then moves on to fuller treatments of the doctrines of baptism in the Lord's Supper, which we'll look at in coming weeks. Before we, well, I'll close in prayer, and then if there are any questions, we have about five minutes remaining.
Let's pray.
Closing Prayer
God, we thank you for this time in your truth. We thank you that we can study The ordinances that you have ordained that Christ, our mediator, has given to his church to be observed till the end of the world, we do pray that we would hold in high regard these ordinances. We would not call them a light or a low thing, but high and heavy honors to be observed by us, by your Christians in churches throughout the world. Do impress upon us the weight and the glory of our Savior, and the weight and the glory of these ordinances as they are so connected to him.
And we do just pray that you'd go with us into this hour of worship, that we might glory in you, that we might rejoice in you, we might worship you aright in spirit and in truth, and that you would receive all honor and praise. And we pray in Christ's name, amen.
Questions and Answers
Any questions about the ordinances? Yes, Leslie. The administration of them. Yeah, I think one of the texts would be the Great Commission.
Christ is speaking to his disciples as authoritative bodies within the early church who are commissioned to go forth and to be baptized and to teach all that Christ had commanded them. I think in the, I don't know if this version is different from yours as far as the proof texts go, but they use Matthew, yeah, Matthew 28, 19, and then they also refer to 1 Corinthians 4, where we read, Let a man so consider us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. That's often been a sort of an exegetical launching pad for discussions on the proper administration of the ordinances because, peculiarly in this case, the apostles and those who are given apostolic authority are those who are the stewards of the mysteries of God. So the application of divine worship and and particular observances have been peculiarly invested with or in the officers of the church or the stewards of the mysteries of God.
Yeah. And yeah, I know that those are the only two addresses of Holy Scripture that the Confession gives. I think we'll probably see some more as we go, as we dive into Chapter 29 and Chapter 30, or we'll make it a point to touch on more there. Yeah.
Yeah, yes. Is this a common among the wider reformed world that both elders and deacons are qualified to administer the ordinances? Yeah, I think it's relatively common, though there would be distinctions in what particular role the deacons play in the application. It's, for example, the elders are Elders traditionally, and this is across traditions, across expressions of Reformed Christianity, the ones who baptize and the ones ultimately who are in charge of the administration of the Lord's Supper, but confessionally speaking, deacons have that involvement in the ordinances as we see in our expression, and other churches do it as well, in the actual distribution of the elements within the context of worship.
There are differences, there are some differences, though I wouldn't say that every reformed Protestant expression of ecclesiology gives parity to elders and deacons in the administration of the ordinances. There's either A, subtle differences, or in the very least, sort of a practical hierarchy as to what the actual division of labor is in the ordinances. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Practically speaking, if you read, for example, I think Edification and Beauty and some of the historical stuff by Dr. Renahan, the Particular Baptists did have a, I don't want to say looser, looser expression of it, but the language of those, those who are qualified and thereunto called is different from the Presbyterians, I believe, where they specifically refer to ministers of the gospel or something like that. I'd have to check. So the Baptists relax it a little bit.
And I think we see that in chapter 26, 8, and then also 11 with regards to the gifted brother, we've called him, as far as preaching within the context of the church. That's different. in particular Baptist churches than let's say a more, let's say a Dutch reformed church or a strong, strong, like a very traditional Presbyterian church. So yeah, there are some differences, but generally speaking, elders and deacons with distributed labors. Yep.
Anything else? All right, thanks everybody.