Worship

What About the Lord’s Supper During COVID-19?

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by Pastor Scotty Anderson

Given the approach of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, many people have asked the pastors and elders if there is any thought of practicing some kind of virtual communion. We want to answer that here. This is taken from a response to one thoughtful member of our church.

Wanting to receive the sacramental is a godly desire in which we all share. At the same time we have very good reasons for not trying to administer it outside of regular congregational worship and I’ll try to explain below:

First, the Lord’s Supper was initiated as communal (in community). All the Gospels (Mt 26:20, Mk 14:17, Jn 13) note that Jesus instituted it with the disciples corporately. It even says specifically in Lk 22:14–17 14 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you (plural) before I suffer; …17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves…” 

Second, it’s still expected to be communal: Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:16–17 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. Verse 16 focuses on our communion with Christ. V. 17 on our communion with one another.

Third, we have no record of a private communion happening anywhere in Scripture and nor would we expect there to be because of the communal aspect of the Supper. It’s nature is to be a shared meal, and not a private meal.

Lastly, I think this is kind of an important and often missed aspect of who we are as Presbyterians. Unlike many of the European reformed churches and Anglicans who practiced weekly communion, Scottish Presbyterians had a higher view of the sacrament, which required a heavier emphasis on spiritual preparation in accordance with 1 Cor 11:24, 25, 27-32. Historically that has meant less frequent celebrations of it. We are actually intentional in not having communion weekly because we believe it requires extra self-examination about our faith and our submission and obedience, and our love for the brethren. Less frequent communion of course doesn’t guarantee that anybody does this well, but it does at least foster a more circumspect approach. Private communion does much the opposite. It fosters the idea of private religion which is also completely outside biblical thinking. On the rare occasions that we administer communion to someone shut in their home for health reasons, it’s always in the company of a pastor, other elders and with a brief preaching of the word and regular administration of the sacrament…in short, a typical corporate worship service on a smaller scale.

The Book of Church Order requires an announcement to the congregation ahead of time: PCA BCO 58-3. “It is proper that public notice should be given to the congregation, at least the Sabbath before the administration of this ordinance, and that, either then, or on some day of the week, the people be instructed in its nature, and a due preparation for it, that all may come in a suitable manner to this holy feast.” See also, 58-8.

So all that said, I can’t speak for the Session as a whole, but to do a virtual communion or something similar would seem to run counter to Scripture, the confession, and our standards. Added to that, a few years ago a group was censored by the PCA General Assembly for having done that very thing. So I’m not saying we would never do it, only that it would be a huge stretch for us and require some serious reconsideration to so radically modify what we believe and practice.

Again, I want to put all that into context. We believe the present crisis is a temporary situation for our church and nation. We believe that in the not too distant future we will return to what the church has practiced for almost 2,000 years. When we do, we will be very hungry for the Lord’s Supper along with the full communion of the saints when at last the situation allows for us to enjoy being physically together. So in the mean time, be patient, and look for Christ in His word which we are so blessed to possess.

Pastor Anderson

Christian Living

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by Pastor Carl Robbins

One of the Great Bequests of the Reformers was the establishment and promotion of a Protestant Work Ethic. Up until the Reformation, the Roman Catholic church had taught that only “sacred work” (i.e. the priesthood) was meaningful.  So called “secular callings” had limited value and worth. But the Reformers shattered the dichotomy and claimed all of life for Christ and declared that the laborer digging a ditch could glorify God just as much as the minister preaching a sermon.

Let me remind you of the basic planks in the Protestant Work Ethic:

  • Work is a creation ordinance (per Genesis 2:15), like Marriage and the Sabbath. Work is NOT a product of the Fall, but was instituted before the Fall.
  • Work has dignity, because God is a worker (per Genesis 1:31, 2:3), and therefore we mirror His image when we labor.
  • EVERYONE should work- since everyone is made in God’s image
  • Work is a discloser of character. What God made reveals His nature. What YOU do reveals YOUR character. When God works, it is orderly, beautiful, well planned and timely
  • Working HARD is good & noble (Prov. 18:9, 19:15). Don’t be moderate about your work.
  • Work is satisfying , man was not made to dread labor, but to be fulfilled by it (Prov. 14:23). Our work is to be permeated with purpose.
  • God promises blessings to the hard worker; included in them are restfulness (per Ecclesiastes 5:12, The sleep of a laboring man is sweet).
  • All legal professions (yes, there are professions and jobs that are not lawful for the Christian to do) are honorable. The fact that the Eternal Son of God worked as a manual laborer is a testimony to the sanctity of work !
  • Work is a necessity to provide for your household (1 Timothy 5:8). Begging  (though viewed as holy by Rome) was seen to be a nuisances and unlawful.

The Proverbs are chock full of warnings against laziness. They identify the lazy man, calling him/her “the sluggard”. A quick survey of Proverbs 6:6-11, 12:24-27, 18:9 and 24:30-34 will give you some brilliant insights into the destiny of the lazy man. But all the Biblical writers line up to agree with this premise: Laziness is wickedness.

Laziness is wicked because God made you to work and when you don’t, you are not living for the purposes for which you were created!

Laziness is wicked because it robs God. When you are not laboring you rob Him of the honor and service you might have done Him by your diligence.

Laziness is wicked because it robs others. Instead of doing good TO them, you are forced to take from them.

These are some of the reasons that Paul forbade the Thessalonians to even share a meal with lazy professing Christians (per 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 10-12) and gave the inspired maxim: If anyone will not work, neither let him eat! 

Martin Luther, in his commentary on Ecclesiates 9:10 ( Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might) says in his direct manner: “God doesn’t want you to succeed without work. He doesn’t want you to sit home and pray for a fried chicken to fly into your mouth….that is tempting God!”

The famous Methodist evangelist Sam Jones (who died in 1906) used to have what he called “quitting meetings” for his new converts. People would come and publicly confess their sins and repent of them. He encouraged people to swear off everything from drunkenness and profanity  to immorality and gossiping. Jones asked one woman what it was she planned to quit.

She replied “ I ain’t been doin’ nuthin and I am going to quit that”!

-Happily Working for God’s glory,

Pastor Carl

Theology

Sticky: The Sufficiency of Scripture

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by Pastoral Intern Miguel D’Azevedo

The sufficiency of Scripture is one of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. It is not subjective as some may claim it to be, but it is objective and practical to our everyday lives. The doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture is revealed in the Bible (2 Tim 3:16-17) and acknowledged throughout history by many notable reformed theologians as a foundational doctrine.

The Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter I, defines this doctrine well: “The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.”

It is important to first realize what this doctrine does not claim: that Scripture is sufficient for all human knowledge. For example, the Bible is not sufficient to give one knowledge about mathematics, English grammar, or how to build an airplane.

What this doctrine does teach us is that every single thing that we need to know for salvation, faith and practice is found in Scripture. Everything we need to know to be saved in Jesus Christ is in Scripture. Everything that we need to know about how to glorify God in our lives is in Scripture. Everything that we need to know related to the worship of God and the life of His church is in Scripture.

How do we apply this doctrine practically in our lives? We can begin by conscientiously looking to Scripture as a source of assurance of salvation. Scripture not only gives the necessary knowledge for salvation, but it also gives the promises related to this salvation (Phil 1:6, Col. 1:13, Rev 14:12). Second, in the setting of our priorities, in seeking guidance, and in our meditations, we can come to Scriptures and find answers that are according to God’s will. The truth is that we should not do anything in our lives apart from God’s will! For example, one may be struggling to decide where he or she should go to college. Does the Bible have the name of the college that you should attend? Obviously not, but it gives you principles to help you to choose one. For example, one which is not hostile to the Gospel, or that has a good, solid church close by.

Finally, we should make use of the Bible in our prayers and learn how to pray according to the Bible. If we look to our prayers compared to the ones found in the Bible, we see how immature we are at times in our prayer life. There is no better way to learn how to communicate with our God than by using his own words. As the psalmist expresses “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7).

Would you like a recommendation for further study? The recently released Reformed Systematic Theology by Beeke & Smalley would be a great place to start!

Christian Living/Theology

Thoughts on Apostasy by Pastoral Intern Mark Kuo

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Recently a renowned Christian pastor and author announced his departure from the faith and divorced his wife. Apostasy is indeed sad.  Yet what is worse is that some Christians tend to rationalize apostasy. They think apostasy provides a good opportunity for the apostates to reflect on what they believe and thus help them find truth. Some Christians, on the other hand, because of obvious examples of apostasy, tend to think Christians may lose their salvation by apostasy. What then should Christians think about apostasy, and how should they guard themselves from apostasy according to the Scriptures?

First, apostasy DOES NOT mean that a person once has salvation but later loses it. The Bible warns professing believers against apostasy (Heb. 4:4-6, 10:26-29). Professing believers include both true and false believers. True believers, though they may fall into grievous sins, will never lose their salvation and will certainly persevere in faith by God’s persevering grace (Jn. 10:28-29; WCF 17-1). False believers, however, if they never come to saving faith, will eventually deny faith when persecution or tribulation comes. Notice that when they apostatize, in fact they have NOT lost their salvation, because they have NEVER had salvation. Apostasy implies the absence, rather than the loss, of salvation.

Second, God uses warnings against apostasy as one of the means to preserve His elect so that they will persevere. Knowing our spiritual sluggishness and feebleness, God sovereignly uses severe warnings to keep us humble about our weakness and sinfulness, watchful to surrounding temptations, dependent upon God’s grace, and diligent to use all the means of grace, which, by the Spirit’s power, help produce our perseverance. That is why, after the warnings in Hebrews 6:4-6 and 10:26-29, the author shows confidence that those who heeded the warnings would persevere: “But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. ” (Heb. 6:9); “But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.” (Heb. 10:39)

Sometimes God may even use such warnings to awaken false believers to examine their hearts which leads to their conversion.

Third, apostasy dishonors Christ. For those who once profess faith in Christ and yet later deny Him, their sin is in a sense more grievous than those who never profess, because they “crucify again for themselves the Son of God and put Him to an open shame” (Heb. 10:6). Thus, whenever anyone goes on in apostasy, we ought to feel holy grief and wrath for the sake of Christ’s glory. Apostasy does nothing but trample Christ again after all that He has done for sinners.

Fourth, apostasy damages the soul. Hebrews 6:4-6 cannot be clearer: “For it is impossible… if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance”. There is never anything positive about apostasy, period! Jesus says, “whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him” (Matthew 13:12). Those who hardened their hearts after hearing and seeing so much of Jesus’ words and works, even what they had already heard would be taken away as a divine judgment. Thus, apostasy by its own nature would most likely lead to God’s judgment and more stubbornness, instead of the discovery and embrace of truth.

Fifth, there is no excuse for apostasy, because it denies the undeniable truth which has been clearly taught to them and understood by them. 

“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.” (Hebrews 10:26-27)

Here are some commonly alleged reasons for apostasy: God cannot be loving if He sends people to hell; God cannot be good if He allows this or that to happen in my life. Some Christians have hurt me so badly that that I cannot believe in God anymore. The Bible is full of contradictions, and/or is not in harmony with modern scientific researches so it is not trustworthy. All these statements share a thesis in common: “My ultimate authority of faith and practice will be anything but God and His Word. As long as God’s Word and works do not fit my chosen authority, I’ll leave God anyway”. The ultimate reason for apostasy is not a lack of knowledge, but the absence of faith in God’s Word, and the problem lies not in the Bible but in the unregenerate heart. Thus, no apostate can ever have any excuse.

Sixth, bulletproofing against apostasy is to make diligent use of all the ordinary means of grace. God is sovereign in saving and preserving His elect. Yet God does so through the divinely ordained means of grace (i.e. word, prayer, and sacraments). Thus, we are responsible to use such means in order to persevere in faith, especially when our faith seems weak and shaky.

In Hebrews chapter 6, preceding the warnings, we are taught to keep growing in grace unceasingly “to perfection”, and not stop in the very “foundation”(6:1). Following the warning, we are taught to show “diligence” in order to obtain “assurance of hope until the end” (6:11), and not “become sluggish”, but imitate the example of “those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (6:12). Likewise, in Hebrews chapter 10, preceding the warning, we are taught not to forsake “the assembling of ourselves together” but to “stir up love and good works…exhorting one another” (10:25).

The Bible not only NEVER rationalizes or excuses apostasy, but also unequivocally and seriously admonishes believers to fight against apostasy by using all the means of grace. Jesus says: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (Jn. 10:27). So a true believer with a new heart, however weak he or she may be, will have a desire for God’s word and consequently a desire for the word-based means of grace: hearing the word being read, taught, and preached, praying according to the word, and partaking the sacraments as visible pictures of the word. And we rely not upon the means themselves, but upon the Spirit who powerfully effectuates those means unto our salvation which includes our perseverance.

May we walk with the Lord by faith and not by sight, working out our “own salvation with fear and trembling”, relying not on ourselves but on the grace of God, who first “works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12a-13).  Amen.

History

The Divine Hammer of the Reformation

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by Zack Groff

Martin Luther (1483-1546) gets a lot of press this time of year, and for good cause. We recognize him as the human instrument God was pleased to use to launch the Protestant Reformation. Something about him – his blunt and forceful personality, perhaps – evokes images of a hammer. In fact, the most celebrated moment in Luther’s biography is the (likely apocryphal) account of his swinging a hammer to nail his famous 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517.

Whether Luther possessed a hammer-like personality or he used a literal hammer to reform the church is irrelevant. There is a better reason to associate Luther and his reform-minded proteges with a hammer motif, and it has to do with the divine hammer of God’s Word.

In Jeremiah 23:28-29, God declares, “The prophet who has a dream let him tell a dream; and he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?” says the LORD. “Is not My word like a fire?” says the LORD, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” The power of God’s Word – poignantly illustrated in these verses – has shaped every genuinely Christian treatise, publication, creed, and sermon ever published, proclaimed, recited, or confessed. It is on the sufficiency of God’s Word that Christianity stands or falls. The Protestant Reformers were first and foremost men of God’s Word.

Commenting on his role in instigating the Protestant Reformation, Luther confessed, “I simply taught, preached, wrote God’s Word: otherwise I did nothing…. I did nothing: the Word did it all…. I did nothing: I left it to the Word.” Luther did not so much downplay his part in the Reformation as he did magnify and exalt the might of God’s Word.

Such was the confidence of Luther’s contemporaries and pupils as well. To take one example, consider the following words from English Reformer William Tyndale (1490/4-1536), quoted by Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Professor Dr. James McGoldrick in Luther’s English Connection.* In his Parable of the Wicked Mammon (1528), Tyndale exhorted his readers, “Seek the word of God in all things; and without the word of God do nothing, though it appear ever so glorious. Whatsoever is done without the word of God, that count idolatry.”

Tyndale’s words are but an echo of God’s Word in places such as Isaiah 8:20, “To the law and to the testimony! If they (those who are mediums and wizards, in verse 19) do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Our own Westminster Confession of Faith reflects the primacy of God’s Word for our faith and practice by opening with a chapter entitled, Of the Holy Scripture.

As you reflect on the anniversary of the first hammerfall of the Reformation, consider your allegiance. Do you turn to the Word of God with a posture of humble submission to Christ and reliance on His Spirit, regarding His Word as sufficient, authoritative, and powerful?  Do you find relief and satisfaction in God’s Word for your every spiritual need? Do you trust God’s Word to shatter the rocks of remaining sin, temptation, and irrational terror in your life?

Tolle Lege! Take up and read the Word of God. In so doing, you will find life as God the Holy Spirit wields the Word as a sculptor’s hammer and chisel to shape your heart after the pattern of Christ.

* To read more about Martin Luther’s influence on the English Reformation (to which we Presbyterians are deeply indebted for our own Westminsterian theological heritage), visit gpts.edu/luthers-english-connection-mcgoldrick and get Dr. McGoldrick’s book from GPTS.

Book Review

Thoughts On the Incarnation

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by Justin Salinas

I was greatly edified recently by reading through a small book called On the Incarnation by Saint Athanasius. St. Athanasius was an early church father in the fourth century. This little excerpt from some of his larger works reflects on the sinful condition of man and how the Lord, descending from heaven, took on flesh and worked to save his people from their transgressions and iniquity.

To give you a little recap, Athanasius thinks about the choices our Creator could have made toward the regeneration or judgment of the human race. He asks questions like, why, when man fell, did God not just waive his judgment and let corruption slide? Ultimately, this would make God a liar because he promised judgment to Adam and Eve if they were to eat the forbidden fruit. He also asks why, when man fell and became more and more wicked did God not just destroy his creation and start over?  Ultimately, Athanasius comes to the conclusion that this would go against God’s nature, which contains his perfect truthfulness, goodness, and justice, and so there remains only one reasonable path. His belief is that God, being the “God Word,” glorifies himself in overcoming the corruption of the fall by offering redemption in order to bring the corrupted man to cleanliness.

In order to offer this gracious redemption and satisfy perfect justice, a perfect sacrifice must be made. Athanasius says it like this:

“For the Word, realizing that in no other way would the corruption of human beings be undone except, simply, by dying, yet being immortal and the Son of the Father the Word was not able to die, for this reason he takes to himself a body capable of death, in order that it, participating in the Word who is above all, might be sufficient for death on behalf of all, and through the indwelling Word would remain incorruptible, and so henceforth cease from all by grace of the resurrection.”[1]

Athanasius continues:

“Whence, by offering to death the body he had taken to himself, as an offering holy and free of all spot, he immediately abolished death from all like him, by the offering of a like. For being above all, the Word of God consequently, by offering his own temple and his bodily instrument as a substitute for all, fulfilled in death that which was required; and, being with all through the like [body], the incorruptible Son of God consequently clothed all with incorruptibility in the promise concerning the resurrection.”[2]

We can see in Scripture that the author of Hebrews makes the same point. Hebrews 2:9-10 says, “9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

What a glorious message of mercy offered by God to his creation! We must always remember that the hope of redemption comes only through Christ Jesus, the Son of God. He alone was a fitting sacrifice to satisfy the divine justice of the Father and pay the great debt of our sin so that we might have eternal life. I highly recommend this book to you, Christian. It will do your heart good.

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[1] St. Athanasius the Great of Alexandria, On the Incarnation, Popular Patristics Series 44b (Yonkers, New York: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2011), 58.

[2] 58.

History

Early Reformation in Brazil: The Guanabara Confession

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by Miguel D’Azevedo

As a seminarian and candidate for the Gospel ministry, I am thankful to be able to study at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and to be an intern at Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church. There is nothing more beneficial than integrating classroom learning and ministry experience under faithful ministers of the Gospel. As I plan to go back to Brazil to plant a reformed church, this integration of knowledge and practice is fundamental, especially in the context of the church in Brazil. The church in Brazil struggles in many ways, and a reformed and confessional pastor is still not always welcome. Reformed pastors are still persecuted for standing for sound doctrine and holding to their vows regarding the Westminster Confession of Faith and its Catechism. Early Christians from all times, along with those who brought reformation to Brazil, have not compromised their faith to avoid persecution and even death. They instead preferred to suffer and be persecuted for the cause of the Gospel.

The period of the Reformation has become officially known as a schism in early 16th century Western Christianity, initiated by a German priest named Martin Luther. It was a movement that brought the practices and beliefs of the Christian faith back into line with the Word of God. Through defamation, persecution, torture, and war, the Roman Catholic church attempted to silence and stop the Reformation movement. However, the Reformation spread rapidly to other European countries over the 16th century. In an effort to resolve the conflict between Catholics and Protestants, two meetings were held in the city of Speyer in 1526 and 1529.  These meetings became known as the 1st and 2nd Diets of Speyer. At the Diets, Lutheran members protested against the measures of the Diet which they understood to be contrary to the Word of God; their action prompted the term “Protestants”, which is still used today.

The Protestants produced summaries and defenses of their theological agreements and disagreements in relation to Rome, many of which are still in use. Conservative Lutherans still hold to the articles of the Augsburg Confession produced in 1530. Dutch Reformed churches and subgroups hold to the “Three Forms of Unity,” as contained in the Belgic Confession of 1561, Canons of Dort of 1619, and the Heidelberg Catechism of 1563. Orthodox Presbyterians hold to the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1647.

During the time of the creation of these documents and expansion of the Reformation in Europe, political conquests were also being made. One such conquest was of a faraway land later to be called Brazil, discovered by the military captain, navigator, and explorer Pedro A. Cabral on behalf of the Portuguese crown in the year 1500.

In the year 1555, the French vice-admiral Nicolas Durand de Villegagnon arrived with 600 soldiers and colonists to a small island called Serigipe in the Guanabara Bay located in the Brazilian colonial city of Rio de Janeiro. At that time, Rio de Janeiro had not yet received significant Portuguese settlements, so it was an easy target for the French invasion of Portuguese territory and marked their first attempt to establish a French colony on the American continent. The invasion lead by Villegagnon was successful and resulted in a French settlement named France Antarctique. To gain support for his enterprise in Brazil, Nicolas Durand de Villegagnon sought the favor of French nobleman De Coligny and convinced him to help, on condition that France Antarctique would be a refuge for the Huguenot Protestants of France who were fleeing the persecution of the Roman Catholic church.

Villegagnon sent a letter to the city of Geneva in order to gain further support for his new settlement. In his letter, he requested that John Calvin send one or two preachers to “establish a Reformed Church according to the word of God”, as well as more people to colonize the land.

In 1557, fourteen Huguenots of France led and guided by Philippe de Corguilleray (or Lord du Pont), arrived in France Antarctique. Among them were the pastors of the church of Geneva Pierre Richier and Guillaume Chartier, and the student of theology Jean de Lery, who would later publish his testimony in the book History of a Voyage to the Land of Brazil.

A week after the Huguenots’ arrival, Villegagnon made an attempt to show his good intentions towards the Reformed faith by prescribing that aside from the public prayers, which were held every evening after day’s work, the ministers would preach for an hour on all working days and twice on Sundays. Furthermore, he “declared that he intended the Sacraments to be administered according to the pure Word of God, without any human addition.” Following this ecclesiastical policy, the Lord’s Supper was celebrated for the first time on Sunday in the Fort of Coligny in France Antarctique.

Everything appeared to be going according to the plan of establishing a refuge city in Brazil for the persecuted Christians of France. However, soon after the Huguenot’s settlement in France Antarctique, Villegagnon received a letter from Cardinal de Lorriane, the “Grand Inquisitor of France,” “reproving him very harshly for leaving the Roman Catholic religion, so that Villegagnon suddenly changed his plan out of fear.” Villegagnon then declared that he changed his mind about John Calvin, and called Calvin’s doctrine of the Lord’s Supper heretical, and started persecuting the people sent by Calvin to minister and to help in the construction of the Fort of Coligny.

Eventually, Pierre Bourdon, Jean du Bordel, Matthieu Verneuil, Andre La Fon, and Jacques Le Balleur, were imprisoned by Villegagnon because of the Gospel.  Villegagnon then “formulated a list of question about the faith, and sent it to the five Calvinists, giving them twelve hours to write their answer.” After praying and asking the help of the Holy Spirit, the four man, who were no theologians, and had only a copy of the Bible in their hands, started to write their answers. Their answers became known as the Guanabara Confession of Faith. Jean Bourdel was elected to write the document since he was the most educated among them and was fluent in the Latin language.

The confession was written in the form of a credo starting with “we believe.” However, its style, extension, and variety of subjects categorized it as a confession of faith from the time of the Reformation. The seventeen articles can be divided into six parts: 1-4 deal with the being of God; 5-9 deal with the sacraments. The authors of the confession were aware that the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was a great point of controversy between them and Villegagnon; therefore, they spent four articles about the sacraments in order to explain the real meaning of the Lord’s Supper according to Reformed faith that emerged from Geneva.  Article 10 deals with free will and 11-12 deal with the power of the ministers to forgive sins. The authors of the confession quoted Augustine, saying, “pardon of sins belongs only to the word of God.” Articles 13-15 handle the matter of divorce, religious marriage, and celibacy vows. Their explanation about divorce asserted the Bible as the rule of life and broke with the Catholic teaching about marriage. The last part, 16-17 of the Guanabara Confession deal with intercession to the saints and prayers to dead.  The authors stressed that Jesus is the only intermediary between men and God. And that the Bible prohibits to prayer in favor of the dead.

In summary, The Guanabara Confession of Faith is a reflection of the controversies and teachings of the time of the Reformation. Its content is not vague, as would be expected from a confession formulated in 12 hours with only one Bible at hand. It is a clear and assertive confession written by lay men, yet it expresses a solid doctrinal foundation. The confession reveals a cohesive structure even though the authors wrote it in direct response to the questions made by Villegagnon. The text of the confession reveals a great knowledge of the Bible, theology and the history of the church by the authors. References are made to the Council of Nicaea and its creed, as well as to various Fathers of the Church: Augustine, Tertullian, Ambrose, and Cyprian. The document has a strong biblical and reformed content, highlighting points such as the centrality of Scripture, the symbolic nature of the sacraments, the supremacy of Christ, the importance of faith and election, among others. This confession is more than a set of doctrines written in the mid-sixteenth century. It is a monument erected by the mysterious and wise hand of Providence, urging future generations of Brazilian Christians to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”  (Jude 3).

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Bibliography

Crespin, Jean. A tragédia da Guanabara: a história dos primeiros mártires do Cristianismo no Brasil. Translated by Domingos Ribeiro. Rio de Janeiro: Typo-Lith Pimenta de Mello, 1917. [Tragedy of Guanabara: The History of the Firsts Christian Martyrs in Brazil] (Translated by my-self)

Léry, Jean de, and Janet Whatley. History of a Voyage to the Land of Brazil, Otherwise Called America. 1. paperback print., [Nachdr.]. Latin American literature and culture 6. Berkeley, Calif.: Univ. of California Press, 2006.

Pierre Bourdon, Jean du Bordel, Matthieu Verneuil, and Andre La Fon. “The Guanabara Confession.” Translated by (Translated by my-self, 1558.

Theology

The Christian’s Diligent Use of the Outward and Ordinary Means of Grace

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by Mark Kuo, WRPC Pastoral Intern

Serious Christians care about how we may continue to grow in our faith, and how we may evangelize non-Christians effectively. The Bible clearly teaches that God has ordained certain ways which He ordinarily uses to save and mature His people. Reformed theologians call these ways “The Ordinary Means of Grace.”

The Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 88 explains the means of grace as:

“The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption are, his ordinances, especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.”

Christ purchased redemption for His people by His life, death and resurrection. Christ then communicates the benefits of redemption to the believer by His Spirit under the Old and New Covenants. The benefits of redemption include justification, adoption, sanctification, and other benefits accompanying or flowing from them.

The key question is: “How does the Spirit apply, or how does Christ communicate such benefits to the elect?”

As the third person of the Godhead, the Spirit is able to apply them without using any means, but out of God’s divine wisdom, the Spirit ordinarily uses means to apply such benefits. The means are not something devised by men but ordained by God alone, especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer.

Through baptism and teaching the Word, by the work of the Holy Spirit, the New Testament Church was built up. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He commissioned His disciples to bring the gospel to all nations and build churches therein. Jesus promised to empower them by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1) and entrusted them with the means of grace. In Matthew 28:19-20:

”Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

In Acts 2:41-42, we see the consistent pattern of using the means of grace in the life of the early church:

“Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

Believers of the early church were not only baptized, but they also continued learning God’s Word set forth in the apostles’ teaching, took communion (the breaking of bread), and prayed corporately. God uses the preaching of His Word to regenerate, to give saving faith unto, and to sanctify and preserve His people. God uses the sacraments as a sensible and vivid picture to illustrate and ensure the covenant of grace and all its benefits to His people. God uses prayer for His people to commune with Him in fellowship and worship, and to receive daily the spiritual and physical blessings they need.

The New Testament is a continuation of this same pattern of the means of grace from the Old Testament. God commanded His people to teach His Word to their children on a regular basis (Deu. 6:6-9) which was the primary way for the covenant children to know the Lord. Levitical priests were responsible for teaching the law to God’s people for their sanctification (Lev. 10:11, Deu. 24:8). God also commanded His people to circumcise their male children as a sign of the covenant of grace (Gen. 17:10-11), and to celebrate the Passover feast to remember God’s redeeming them from the Egyptian slavery and God’s wrath (12:24-27); both ceremonies were sacraments in the Old Testament. The book of Psalms includes numerous prayers to instruct God’s people to pray not only privately but also corporately.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism Q. 88 describes the means of grace as “outward and ordinary.” They are outward because they involve human participation. The Word needs to be preached by preachers and received, the sacraments need to be administered and received, prayer assumes the act of praying, not only privately, but also corporately for and with one another. While we believe in God’s absolute sovereignty, we should also use the means of grace diligently for our sanctification and for the salvation of others.

The means of grace are outward, because they are distinguished from the inward blessing and power of the Holy Spirit to effectuate our salvation. That is why Jesus promised His disciples His presence and the outpouring of the Spirit. The outward means of grace can be effectual to our salvation only when the inward blessing of Christ by the Spirit accompanies it. Thus, we should not rely on the means, but on the Spirit with a prayerful heart that He would use the preaching and sacraments to save and edify God’s people.

The means of grace are ordinary, because they need to be practiced regularly. We tend to expect dramatic things, and dislike long-term and painstaking labor. We may want to see a big crowd of new converts after one sermon; we may want to see a major transformation in our lives within short periods of time. But the ordinary pattern for the conversion of sinners and for the growth of believers is our diligent, patient, and consistent use of all the means of grace. We must pray for the unbeliever patiently, inviting them to church actively, sharing the gospel with them faithfully, and living a gospel-reflecting life humbly before them. The believer also grows in grace by listening to the preached Word week after week, reading the Bible day by day, taking the Lord’s supper regularly, watching baptisms when administered, and praying with and for other believers constantly. The Lord uses all the means to sustain, feed, strengthen, and mature our spiritual life, so that we can persevere.

The means of grace are ordinary according to worldly wisdom: simple and humble. The purpose of preaching the Word is not to explore profound knowledge, but simply to expound and apply God’s Word faithfully, clearly, and passionately. Baptism is nothing extraordinary, but simply water sprinkled on the head. The Lord’s Supper is not a gourmet meal, but simply bread and wine. Prayer is simply pouring our hearts out to God with praises, confessions, thanksgivings, and supplications uttered according to God’s Word. With the Spirit’s blessing, the means of grace are simple but powerful, ordinary in form but extraordinary in power.

When the church makes faithful and diligent use of the ordinary means of grace, we can and should expect the Lord to bless the church by saving unbelievers as well as sanctifying believers. Much like starving our bodies from proper nourishment, it is a pity for the believer to neglect the means of grace. What a joyful privilege that we have all the necessary means of grace sufficient for our daily growth in grace and our witness to the world. May we make diligent us of the outward and ordinary means of grace!

Theology

Jesus Christ as Pastor

Posted on by WRPC Admin

By Zack Groff, WRPC Pastoral Intern

We often refer to Christ as our Prophet, Priest, King, Redeemer, Savior, Lord, and God. Have you ever thought about Jesus Christ as pastor? Indeed, it is Christ Himself Who sets the standard as the ultimate pastor. What does this standard look like? In other words, what do we know about Pastor Jesus from His earthly ministry? John 4 and John 8 show us the major features of Christ’s pastoral ministry: His compassion, authority, and aim. These two chapters show us how Jesus Christ is the Servant of the Lord described in Isaiah 42. They also illustrate how Jesus Christ is the church’s paradigmatic pastor.

First, Christ demonstrates compassion in addressing spiritual needs through addressing felt needs. In John 4, Christ addressed the felt needs of the Samaritan woman because “He needed to” do so (John 4:4). This principal aspect of His ministry determined even His travel itineraries. The reality of need (for water, for marriage, for worship) was central to Christ’s ministry to the woman at the well. All along, He knew that sin lurked underneath the felt needs of water and relationship. John 8 amplifies the need to address adultery, for there a woman’s life is on the line. Christ rendered judgment to save the woman from her accusers (John 8:7). In both accounts, Christ as pastor related to human beings with human problems. By His Word and Spirit, Jesus continues to minister to our felt needs. He ministers to us as whole people in need of pastoral care in every area of our lives.

Second, Christ exercises authority in his pastoral ministry. His authority drives the narratives at their respective turning points of John 4 and John 8. In John 4, Christ drove the dialogue away from felt needs and to spiritual needs in the second half of verse 17.  Some commentators think that the Samaritan woman threw up a diversion in verse 20. Yet this is the point at which Christ’s authority most comes into play. It is Christ alone Who can direct those who would presume to worship God. Consider the result.  The Samaritans of Sychar confess His authority as “the Christ, the Savior of the world” (John 4:42). In John 8, Christ caused the Pharisees to abandon their case against the woman caught in adultery (John 8:9). Christ’s words defeated the Pharisees’ case against the woman. His words also convicted the Pharisees in their consciences. His authority most shines forth in His words to the adulteress, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:11). He pardons her for the past, and He commands her for the future. As suggested in the following verse, it is the Light of the world that banishes the darkness. In so doing, He provides sight to a people burdened by the blindness of sin.

Christ’s authority characterizes His pastoral ministry as the sole Head of the church. This authority works through the ordained officers of the church: elders and deacons. Men who serve as church officers steward an “alien authority” that belongs to Christ. Officers deny Christ’s authority whenever they overstep the biblical limits of their callings. They endanger Christ’s church whenever they operate apart from Christ’s authority. They impede the church’s expansion when they fail to exercise the authority granted to them. They bless the church insofar as they advance Christ’s Kingdom as His stewards. It is the advancement of His Kingdom that was (and is) Christ’s great spiritual aim in His pastoral ministry.

Third, the spiritual aim of Christ’s pastoral ministry is the full harvest of souls. This feature is prominent in Matthew 13, Isaiah 40 and 42, and in John 4 and 8. In John 4, Christ taught His disciples of the great harvest of the Kingdom of God. He exhorted them to “lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest” (John 4:35). He was speaking of spiritual realities, and His aim was spiritual. Jesus was about the business of searching for and saving lost souls (Luke 19:10). In John 8, Christ saved the life of the adulteress. He also revealed Himself as “the light of the world” (John 8:12) that liberates slaves from sin (John 8:32). It was for truth that the Servant of the Lord came to bring forth justice (Isaiah 42:3). Likewise, it was for truth that Jesus Christ saved the adulteress from the Pharisees and her sin. Something fundamental underlies the compassion, authority, and aim of Christ’s pastoral ministry.

Jesus Christ was (and is) the only man ever to have lived in a state of perfect righteousness. In the accounts found in John 4 and 8, Christ proved Himself to be the Servant of the Lord promised in Isaiah 42. He demonstrated His compassion for sinners by addressing felt needs. He functioned with authority, confounding the Pharisees and religious hypocrites around Him. He did this for the sake of the great harvest of souls ordained by the Father, and begun by the Spirit. The fundamental goal of Christ’s pastoral ministry was the glory of God. Christ’s salvation of sinners in John 8 glorifies and praises God, as pictured in John 4:39-42. The triad that shaped Christ’s pastoral ministry rests upon the fundamental note of the glory of God. When we know Christ as pastor, we should burst into praise and worship. When our pastors call us to worship each Lord’s Day, they do so as men under authority. They do so by the example of Christ our ultimate pastor. They follow Christ in ministering to us for the sake of God’s glory, worship, and praise.

Christian Living

Step By Step

Posted on by Dan Dodds

by Pastor Dan Dodds

It was freezing cold. I looked up the mountain and saw that the climb was going to be long and hard. They had named this spot “Kneebuster Pass” and it was easy to see why. I just wanted to get it over with, but I knew if I tried to hurry, I would exhaust myself and become discouraged.

The team leader stopped us and said, “this is how we’re going to get up this mountain. I don’t want you looking at the top, just look at the next step you will take and then take it; one step at a time and you will see that in just a little while you will be at the top.”

I did what he said and before I knew it, I was looking over the Gore Range from the top of this ten-thousand foot ridge. And I learned an important lesson: small steps faithfully taken over time worked better than giant leaps every once in a while.

The same is true for reading your Bible. As Christians, we know it is important to read the Word but we put it off until we feel so guilty that we try to jump in and take on too much, only to get discouraged. 

But the best way to read the Word is to take daily time, to read small amounts – perhaps two or three paragraphs or chapters a day – and just stay at it. You will find that over time you have not just read the Bible through but that you understand it more and more.

And you will find passages that remind you of other passages and themes that show up throughout the Word. Bible characters will become familiar to you and you will be able to converse about various topics. Personal applications will develop, and you will find yourself more and more in love with and in awe of the Author.

The Psalmist understood this. He reminds us in the first chapter of the Psalms that the godly man meditates on the law of the Lord day and night. Not on Sundays only. Not on and off. Not in huge chunks once in a while. But regular, consistent reflection upon and study of the Word.

Joshua was instructed by the Lord to make reading the Scripture a daily practice. Note Joshua 1.8: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Daniel understood this principle in his prayer life. He didn’t wait for the weekly prayer meeting to pray, the Bible tells us that “Daniel… knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.”

The most effective dieters that I have ever witnessed were not those who got on crash diets and lost a ton of weight. The pounds all seem to return after just a short while. But those who decided to everyday forego dessert and sodas seemed to lose weight over time and to keep it off as well.

This is an important practice not just for individuals, but it should be the practice of the heads of households in family worship. It is best not to wait for problems to teach Scripture. And a family cannot live on conferences or Sundays alone.

Every day (every meal?) it is a good idea to read a small portion of Scripture. This ‘diet’ over time will be the healthiest approach for your family and will become a valued part of your Spiritual diet.