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QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, AND MORE QUESTIONS

SECTION 3 - The Holy Sacraments

      NOW Gregg, if it is by faith alone that we share in Christ and all of his blessings, from where then does that faith come?
      The answer is, it is God’s Holy Spirit that produces this faith in our hearts. It comes by the preaching of the holy gospel: While this same Holy Spirit also confirms our faith within each of us through our use of the holy sacraments.

      So just what are these sacraments?
      The Holy Sacraments are visible signs for us to see and use. They were instituted by God so that, by our use of them, He might make us understand more clearly the promise of the gospel, and might put his seal on that promise. And I know that you remember God's gospel promise: To forgive our sins and give us eternal life by grace alone. And recalling that this is only because of Christ's one eternal sacrifice that He Himself finished on the cross. You can see that this simple statement contains both the beginning and the end of God's promise. It is founded entirely on Christ's eternal sacrifice on the cross, and its finish can be seen in our promised eternal presence with our heavenly Father. When we fully trust in Christ's one sacrifice; that is, Christ’s death and resurrection, our sins are completely forgiven and we are put on a path that has only one destination. Gregg, it leads us on to our promised eternal home--to the City of God.

      Then are both the Word and the sacraments in-tended to focus our faith on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and on the cross as the only ground for our salvation?
      This is exactly right! Gregg, in the gospel the Holy Spirit teaches us, and through the holy sacraments he assures us: That our entire salvation rests on Christ's one sacrifice on the cross at Calvary.
****Q.67

      We ask, how many sacraments did Christ institute in the New Testament?
      Our answer to that question is two: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. But some in the Church would say that foot-washing was also instituted by our Lord through His act of humility that He Himself performed when He washed the disciples feet at their last Passover (Easter) Supper. Jn.13:14 and 15 The significance that continues for us, the number matters not at this time, is one of an individual's strict obedience to the commands of God.

      Then how does baptism remind us and assure us that Christ's one sacrifice on the cross is for us person-ally?
      In this way: When Christ instituted this outward washing, He gave the promise that as surely as water washes away the dirt from the body so certainly His blood and His Spirit wash away our soul's impurity. In other words, His blood washes away all of our sins. It is exactly as this song tells us--"What can wash away our sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!"

      What does it mean to be washed with Christ's blood and Spirit?
      First, to be washed with Christ's blood means that God, by His grace alone, has forgiven us our sins because of Christ's blood that was poured out for us in His sacrifice on the cross. God’s grace now freely flows out to all His peoples through the propitiatory work of Christ.
      Second, to be washed with Christ's Spirit commonly means that the Holy Spirit has regenerated /renewed us and set us apart to be a member of Christ’s body and His holy priesthood. So that more and more we become dead to sin as we increasingly strive to live a holy and blameless life.

      Where does Christ promise that we are washed with His blood and Spirit as surely as we are washed with the water of baptism?
It is contained in the institution of baptism. Where He says--"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." and "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." This promise is repeated when Scripture calls baptism the washing of rebirth and the washing away of sins.
      BUT DOES THIS OUTWARD WASHING WITH WATER BAPTISM ITSELF WASH AWAY SINS? NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT! ONLY JESUS CHRIST'S BLOOD AND THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN CLEANSE US FROM ALL SIN. Jn.3:16 But the institutional promise that is contained within the sacrament of baptism, just like it was for circumcision in the Old Testament, is God’s forgiveness for our sins, past, present, and future, because of Christ’s complete atonement.
****Q.71

      Why then does the Holy Spirit call baptism the washing of rebirth and the washing away of sins?
      You see Gregg, God has good reason for using these words. He wants to teach us that the blood and Spirit of Christ wash away our sins just as water washes away dirt from our bodies. But even more importantly, He wants to fully assure us through this divine pledge and sign: The assurance that the spiritual washing away of our sins by His forgiveness, even though you cannot see it, is as real as our physical washing is with water.

      We must also answer this question, should infants, too, be baptized?   And our answer here is yes; infants definitely should be baptized.
      Gregg, infants as well as adults are to be included in God's covenant family and are counted as His people. This inclusive pledge for children, which was an earlier command from God, has its origin in the visible sign of circumcision in the Old Testament times. Then to correctly understand God’s universal reconciliation, the Old Testament initiatory rite of circumcision must also be seen now as a clear covenant example for us to continue to follow in the ordinance of the baptism of our children in these New Testament times. They, no less than adults, in receiving this commanded initiatory rite, are promised the forgiveness of sin through Christ's blood and the Holy Spirit who produces our faith. Therefore, by baptism, the New Testament mark of the covenant, infants should be received into the visible Christian Church and should be distinguished from the children of unbelievers.
      “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.” Ref. 1Cor.7:14
      We do see a definite distinction being made here between the children of the world and the children of the faithful. Now if our children, according to 1Cor.7:14, are determined to be holy, why would we ever want to withhold them from partaking in this inclusive ordinance of baptism? An ordinance that does most surely allow each individual some insight into under-standing the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ that was made for us on the cross.

      But if we are still unable to see this sharp distinction between God’s visible called peoples /or His corporate peoples and God’s invisible chosen peoples /or His invisible elect priesthood, and the processes involved, then we can never hope to understand the efficacy of this particular principle. This would mean that we could never completely understand God’s elective sovereignty, until we are able to attain a clear understanding of the exact identification of God’s invisible priestly line; His invisible children of promise.
      1. God’s invisible peoples are only those peoples that God has personally chosen to Himself and has specifically called them by His determinate name.
      “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart.” Rom.2:28 and 29
      a. God’s elect peoples are individually identified as a Jew-a Jew inwardly.
      b. God’s elect peoples are collectively identified as the Circumcision-the circumcision done inwardly-the circumcision of the heart.
      c. God’s elect peoples are corporately identified as Israel-the Israel that is hidden in God-the Israel of God.
      “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be upon them, and mercy, (even) upon the Israel of God.” Gal.6:15 and 16

      I think that we should spend just a little more time here, to consider more fully the details of what is really being said. As we previously stated, this subject of sacraments is very complicated. That is, within to-day’s Church, the understandings that are often given are not always clear nor are they always consistent. It is this lack of a clear understanding of the sacraments that has resulted in this present state of confusion within the overall Church. We must come to understand that the sacraments that we can see, the visible sacraments or emblems, were intended to be understood primarily in the symbolic sense. Sacraments and emblems, or symbols, are only visible representations of God's invisible dispositions.     Now listen to me carefully. Whether we are talking about the symbols that we have been looking at here--visible baptism, or the symbol of visible circumcision, or even the visible Lord’s Supper, or a visible Jew, or the visible Church, or the visible people of Israel, we are always talking about the visible representations of God's invisible dispositions. What that means Gregg, is simply that God has given us all of these visible symbols in order to assist us in our quest to know Him. Since God Himself is invisible, these symbols should ultimately enable us to better understand Him and His in-visible characteristics. I know that this teaching is really difficult, but it is also very important that we fully grasp this understanding. I will guarantee you this one thing--that you will not get a full understanding of these things on the first reading: And Gregg, you still may not get its full meaning even on the second or third go-around. You must not stop trying!
Now to summarize this portion: Even though I know that these specific truths are so very difficult to sort through, I think that you may pick-up on these things--as simply the visible symbols that God has given to us, which visually define the invisible things that are hidden in God.

      First, define SYMBOL: 1. Something that stands for or represents another thing; especially, an object used to represent something abstract--an emblem: Webster's Dictionary. As we must see in the EXTERNAL or VISIBLE EXAMPLES that God established to show HIS INTERNAL or INVISIBLE DISPOSITIONS.

      SYMBOLS = THE EXTERNAL or VISIBLE EXAMPLES:
(1) VISIBLE OR PHYSICAL ISRAEL.
(2) VISIBLE OR PHYSICAL JEW.
(3) VISIBLE OR PHYSICAL CIRCUMCISION.
(4) VISIBLE OR PHYSICAL BAPTISM.
(5) VISIBLE OR PHYSICAL LORD'S SUPPER. AND
(6) VISIBLE OR PHYSICAL ELECT.
OF GOD'S INTERNAL INVISIBLE DISPOSITIONS OR CHARACTERISTICS; IT IS THOSE SUPERNATURAL POSSESSIONS THAT GOD ACTUALLY PLACES INSIDE EACH OF US THAT MAKES US MEMBERS OF HIS INVISIBLE ELECT PRIESTHOOD:
      (1a) ISRAEL continues, to this day, to be the name designated for the visible corporate peoples of God; as well as pointing to the invisible Israel; the Israel of God. Gal.6:16 To be part of God's invisible priesthood--to be a part of the invisible congregation--to be a part of what we might call the invisible Church, you must become an absolute part of the Israel of God and you must be known by that royal name--ISRAEL.
      (2a) JEW continues, to this day, to be the deter-mining designation for the individual visible people of God; but then it is also pointing to the Invisible Jew. Rom.2:28, 29 To be part of God's invisible priesthood, you must be individually identified as a JEW-a Jew inwardly.
      (3a) CIRCUMCISION continues to this day, to be the determining designation for the individual and collective visible and invisible peoples of God. It is exactly the same now as it has been through all generations since their origin: It is the visible circumcision of the flash and the Invisible Circumcision /the Circumcision of the heart Jer.4:4; Rom.2:28,29; Phil.3:3 To be part of God's invisible priestly line, you must be absolutely identified as the CIRCUMCISION-inwardly only.
      (4) Though physical baptism was never intended to be a symbol of identification, we must recognize the fact that visible baptism differs not at all from visible circumcision with respect to God's dispositions: Both visible initiatory rites are external examples of internal conditions.
      (4a) The Holy Spirit, from time and eternity, has always been the intrinsic part of God's designed dealings with the human specie: It has been God's Holy Spirit that has enabled the two (God and man) to come together in this blessed relationship. So finally, water baptism must also be seen as only the symbolic representation of the internal baptism--the BAPTISM of the Holy Spirit. Even John the Baptist made this point very clear in Lu.3:16 "John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; But there comes he that is mightier than I, the latches of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you (with) the Holy Spirit and fire."

      I feel a need here to add this little disclaimer. Since I am only a human, with a very limited capacity to judge the mind of God, I would not say that the visible symbols have no value at all beyond their intended use in demonstrating the hidden things of God. But the added value that I personally find in them for myself, is in our OBEDIENCE to the Word of God--that is, their efficacy freely comes to us in our being obedient to the commands of God.

      (5a) Though the Lord's Supper is not exactly the same as these other symbols that we are dealing with here, having more of a singular meaning. We must see that God has also placed a higher Spiritual or invisible meaning to the bread and the wine that we visibly ob-serve at the Lord's table.
      (6) Now to complete our list of symbols, we have included even the visible elect. We must understand that the visible corporate elect (visible Israel and the visible Christian Church) is also the symbolic representation of the true Congregation--THE INVISIBLE CONGREGATION.
      (6a) The INVISIBLE CONGREGATION is absolutely synonymous with INVISIBLE ISRAEL; THE HISTORICAL ISRAEL; THE ISRAEL OF GOD. So some elect members from visible corporate Israel and the visible corporate Church--past, present, and future--makeup this invisible Israel: and they are the sure continuation and consummation of that continuous hereditary thread that runs throughout God’s reconciliation—the invisible Israel of God.

      So if we look at these earlier comments again, we will surely see this exact need for clarification.

****Q.74
      Therefore, by baptism, a further sign of the covenant, infants should be received into the visible Christian Church and should be distinguished from the children of unbelievers. Again, this was done in the Old Testament by the visible sign of circumcision, which was replaced in the New Testament by the visible sign of baptism. Gregg, it is from this idea that baptism has replaced circumcision that some confusion has arisen within the Christian Church. The idea that baptism has become the mark of the covenant is not completely accurate! As I said before, baptism is only the visible sign of the invisible baptism--the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But the in-visible Circumcision always has been, and will always be, the universal seal of God's invisible Covenant of Promise--with His invisible priesthood that is comprised of elect Jews and elect Gentiles alike. Then we find that it is only the JEWS, the CIRCUMCISION, and those of ISRAEL who ultimately make-up God’s invisible priesthood and His Kingdom.

      So to clarify this matter, we must look at these elements within their own specific characteristics:
      First, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is in fact REGENERATION itself. It is that which happens within us when we are born again--born of the Spirit--born form above.
      Second, the Circumcision of the heart and the renewed mind are two primary consequences of this same REGENERATION. It may seem as if we are splitting hairs here, but we are not. If baptism actually did replace circumcision, then Phil.3:3 would not be correct. Now for the statement that baptism replaced circumcision to be correct, we must specify that we are referring strictly to the visible characteristics of these two initiation elements within the dispensation of New Testament Church. So within the New Testament Christian Church, the commanded initiatory rite of water baptism has re-placed the Old Testament commanded initiatory rite of circumcision. Then understanding that this applies only to the New Testament Christian Church.

      But as far as the New Testament dispensation is concerned, in addition to the Circumcision of the heart, the covenant was also sealed for the Christian Church in the sacraments of that last Passover feast of our Lord and His disciples. It was sealed when our Lord took the cup, and after He had blessed the wine He gave it to the disciples, saying, "This cup is the New Covenant in My blood".

      It is more than a little sad that the Church has basically failed to discern these very important truths. Now for our complete understanding, we should once again review these principles of God's invisible dispositions:
      (1a) ISRAEL continues, to this day, to be the name designated for the visible corporate peoples of God--as well as the Invisible congregation--Invisible Israel--THE ISRAEL OF GOD.
      (2a) JEW continues, to this day, to be the deter-mining designation for the individual visible and invisible people of God. But then it is only the Invisible Jew that God can recognize as one of His own individual invisible priests.
      (3a) CIRCUMCISION continues, to this day, to be the determining designation for the individuals who make up the first covenant peoples of God as well as the invisible priests of God. It is only the invisible Circumcision--the Circumcision of the heart that leads to our be-longing to the inner circle of God’s peoples.

      (4a) The Holy Spirit, from time and eternity, has always been the inborn part of God's dealings with the human specie: It has been God's Holy Spirit that has enabled the two (God and man) to come together in this blessed relationship. So finally, water baptism must also be seen as the symbolic representation of the internal baptism. It is the process that occurs whenever one is born again. It is the baptism of regeneration--the invisible baptism--the BAPTISM of the Holy Spirit.

      (5a) Though the Lord's Supper is not exactly the same as these other symbols that we are considering here, having more of a singular meaning. We must see that God has also placed a higher Spiritual or invisible meaning to the bread and the wine that we visibly ob-serve at the Lord's table: All of which is yet to be fully ascertained with any real certainty.

      (6a) Finally, the INVISIBLE CONGREGATION that consists of Jews and Gentiles together, is absolutely synonymous with INVISIBLE ISRAEL--THE HISTORICAL ISRAEL--THE ISRAEL OF GOD.

      So now, how does the Lord's Supper remind us and assure us that we share in Christ's one sacrifice on the cross and in all his gifts?
In this way: Christ has commanded us, along with all believers, to eat this broken bread and to drink this cup. And with this command he gave this promise:
      First, as surely as we see with our eyes the bread of the Lord broken for us and the cup given to us, so surely his body was offered and broken for us and His blood poured out for us as well on the cross.
      Second, as surely as we receive this sure sign of Christ’s body and blood from the hand of the one who serves, and then as we taste with our mouth the bread and the cup of the Lord, so surely He Himself nourishes and refreshes our souls for eternal life with His crucified body and poured-out blood. This is a great mystery.
      I know that these things may sound very strange, but we must come to understand them. What does it mean to eat the crucified body of Christ and to drink His poured-out blood?
      First, it means that we accept with a believing heart the entire suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ. By believing this with our whole hearts, we do receive the full forgiveness of sins and eternal life. This is the sum of the whole matter of salvation—for it is by God’s grace, grace, wonderful grace.
      Second, it means that through the Holy Spirit, who lives both in Christ and in us, we are united more and more to Christ's blessed body. And so, even though He is in Heaven and we are here on earth, we are surely flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. We do forever live on and are governed by one Spirit: As members of one body we are of one soul. Which simply means, the whole body is now and forever Spiritually connected together. As Jesus claimed complete oneness with the Father in Jn.17, so we have that same oneness together in them.
      Where does Christ promise to nourish and refresh believers with His body and blood as surely as they eat this broken bread and drink this cup?
It is there in the institution of the Lord's Supper. "The Lord Jesus, on the night in which He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, `This is my body, which is for you; this do in remembrance of Me.' And in the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, `This cup is the New Covenant in My blood; this do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." 1Cor.11:23-26
      This same promise is repeated by the apostle Paul in these words. "Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is but one loaf, we, who are many members, are one body: for we all did partake of that one loaf."

      But this difficult question has come up within the Church: Is the bread changed into the real body of Christ, and is the wine changed into the real blood of Christ?
      Our immediate answer to this question is naturally no. We who belong to the Protestant Christian Church do not actually believe that they do change. Thus, just as the water of baptism is not changed into Christ's blood and does not itself wash away sins but is simply God's visible SIGN and assurance. So too the bread of the Lord's Supper is not changed into the actual body of Christ even though it is called the body of Christ in keeping with the nature and language of sacraments.
      Now the Roman Catholic Church does believe that the bread and the wine do change into the real flesh and blood of Jesus, and this transition that they believe in has a very long name--it is called transubstantiation.
The problem that becomes evident here is that I believe that these two Church views must be talking about two distinctly different things.
      First, the Protestant Christian Church is talking about a physical reality.
      Second, the Roman Catholic Church is talking about a Spiritual reality. But unfortunately, the Roman Catholic's approach to these sacraments differs considerably from the Protestant Catholics. They might even approach these sacramental elements in a worshipful way. I do believe that it is highly probable that the Ro-man Catholics only verbalize what we Protestant Catholics think.
      Now continuing, why then does Christ call the bread His body and the cup His blood, or the New Covenant in His blood? (Paul uses the words, a participation in Christ's body and blood.)
      Christ has good reason for these words. Gregg, He wants to teach us that as bread and wine nourish our temporal or physical life, so too does His crucified body and poured-out blood truly nourish our souls or spirits for eternal life. What we are talking about here, is the physical representation of a spiritual reality. It is exactly the same as our earlier discussion that we had about symbols: It is as simple as the visible symbolic representation of the invisible reality.
      But even more important, He wants to assure us by this visible sign and pledge. That we, through the Holy Spirit's work, share in His true body and blood as surely as our mouths receive these holy symbols in His remembrance. And that all of His suffering and obedience are as definitely ours, just as if we personally had suffered and paid the full payment for our own sins. Jesus truly was our propitiation.

      We must also be careful to find out precisely who may come to the Lord's table? It is only those who are displeased with themselves because of their sins. But who nevertheless trust that their sins are pardoned and that their continuing failures are covered by the suffering and death of Christ. Who also desire more and more to strengthen their faith and to lead a better life. Hypocrites and those who are unrepentant that choose to come to His table, however unfortunate, eat and drink judgment upon themselves.
      Well then, are those to be admitted to the Lord's Supper who show by what they say and do that they are unrepentant and living in an ungodly state?
      The answer to this question is absolutely no. That would dishonor God's covenant and could bring down God's anger upon the entire congregation. Nevertheless, the ultimate responsibility rests upon the individual participant.
      Therefore, according to the instruction of Christ and His apostles, the Christian Church is duty-bound to exclude such people for their own well being, by the official use of the keys of the Kingdom. But we must also keep this in mind: They are to be excluded only until they reform their lives through Godly repentance of their rebellious deeds.

      We are bound to ask then--what are these keys of the Kingdom?
Gregg, the keys of the Kingdom are the preaching of the Holy Gospel and Christian discipline that leads the individual to true repentance.
Both preaching and discipline open the Kingdom of Heaven to obedient believers and close it to those who are disobedient.
And how does preaching the gospel open and close the Kingdom of Heaven? It is according to Christ's own command:
      First, the Kingdom of Heaven is opened by pro-claiming and publicly declaring to all believers; yes, and even to all peoples, each and every one, that, as often as they believe and accept the gospel promise, God, be-cause of what Christ has done, truly forgives all of their sins.
      Second, the Kingdom of Heaven is closed, how-ever, by proclaiming and publicly declaring to unbelievers and hypocrites alike, that, as long as they do not re-pent, the anger of God and the danger of eternal condemnation rests upon them.
      Gregg, we must understand that God's judgment, both in this life and in the life to come, is based on this one true gospel testimony.

      If this is the case, how then is the Kingdom of Heaven closed and opened by Christian discipline?
      Again, it is according to the command of Christ:
      Those who, though they may be called Christians, profess unchristian teachings or live unchristian lives, and after repeated and loving counsel refuse to abandon their errors and wickedness. And even after being re-ported to the Church: that is, to its officers, they fail to respond also to their admonition. Such persons the officers shall exclude from the Christian fellowship by with-holding the sacraments from them; Even Christian fellowship itself.
      But such persons, when promising and demonstrating genuine repentance, are to be received again as members of Christ and as participants of His Church.

      Now since we have been delivered from our misery by God's grace alone through Christ and not because we have earned it ourselves: We ask this question again, why then must we still do good?
      Gregg, to be sure, Christ has redeemed us by His blood. But we try to do good deeds, because Christ, by His Spirit, is also renewing us day by day to become more like Him. That in all our living, we may show that we are thankful to God for all He has done for us. And in all these things that we do, He may even be praised through us.
      But we do good Gregg, so that we may be assured of our faith by our own examination of its visible fruit-fulness. That, by our godly living, even our neighbors may be won over to Christ.

      We need to answer this question as well. Can those be saved who do not turn to God from their unrepentant and rebellious ways?
      The answer here is that there is absolutely no way. Scriptures tell us that no immoral person who has not been forgiven--no idolater, no adulterer, no thief, no covetous person, no drunkard, no slanderer, no robber, no liar, or the like, is going to inherit the Kingdom of God.

      So then, what is involved in genuine repentance or conversion? Gregg, there are these two specific things:
      First, is the dying-away of the old self. Which must be evidenced within each of us by the diminishing activity of the mind of the flesh as it surrenders control to the mind of the spirit.
      Second, the coming-to-life of the new self. Which is also evidenced within each of us by the increasing activity and dominance of the mind of the spirit.
      Now first, what is this dying-away of the old self?
It is to be genuinely sorry for the sins we have be-come aware of, to hate our sin more and more, and when we do become aware of any sin at all that is active in our lives, that we will quickly turn away and run from it.     Gregg, our desire must be that God will continually remind us of any sin in our lives: Until we are, by God's help, able to abandoned that sin and walk in His way.
      Then second, what is this Coming-to-life of the new self?
It is a wholehearted joy in God through Christ Jesus. It is a desire and a delight to do every kind of good, as God wants us to. We become fully aware of the reality of God: That we have, each of us in our own time, individually come into a personal relationship with our heavenly Father.

****Q.90
      Gregg when we are dead in our sins, this sense that I am talking about here is also dead. When we are dead in our sins, we cannot sense the reality of God at all. When we are dead in our sins we cannot sense the love of God at all. When we are dead in our sins we cannot sense that peace of God that does pass all under-standing. When we are dead in our sins we cannot sense the renewed strength that we receive from God through His Holy Spirit. Gregg, when we are dead in our sins we cannot know the wonders and the splendor of God at all.

      So now, with all these things in view, what can we do that is good?
Gregg, the answer here is simply this--only that which arises out of true faith (God’s justifying faith), conforms to God's law, and is done for His glory. We must know for certain, that it is not that which is based on what we think is right or on any established human tradition.

****Q.91