Lately I attended the communion service in Magdalene College chapel. The support was rich in Trinitarian worship, in exceptional hymns and a fine, if too short, sermon -centred prayers, in God that is raised. As I shared and sat in the worship, this idea came to me,' How diverse Jesus Christ's church is.' Here I was in a fairly large Anglican college chapel, a a certain Presbyterian as well as head to toe Westminster Calvinist. The seeming incongruity set me thinking and what follows is the material of my thinking.
The Westminster Confession of Faith1 includes a brilliant chapter 'of the communion of the saints':
Which communion, as God offers opportunity, is to be extended unto all those who, in every place, call upon the name of God Jesus. (WCF 26)
It's only too easy for Christians to exclude practically, and also mainly, from the communion of the saints, folks and denominations who don't believe their idea. There are, of course, foundational and non- gospel doctrines. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:1-3 of things' of significance'. A core is of truths that belong to the nature of the Christian religion. If people deny these heart truths they exclude themselves. But should they believe these truths and trust the Saviour they are 'household' and has to be acknowledged and embraced as family. They may have faulty views of divine sovereignty, perhaps not understand the precedence of grace over faith, have dubious perspectives of Genesis 1, have fantastical views of the end-times and encourage the continuance of charismatic gifts; but whenever they maintain to Christ the Head, they're fam. If they have been elected by the dad, the Son has shed his blood for them plus the Holy Spirit indwells them, they're fam.
Family life could be debatable and, regrettably, might be dysfunctional. But family is family regardless of how dysfunctional and problematic.
It searching test of our gospel devotion that individuals comprehend that the Lord has his people everywhere, frequently in what may appear to us the strangest of places and is an enormous. Recognising, accepting and adopting brothers and sisters in Christ, nevertheless different they're from us, was some thing Jesus strongly impressed on his adherents. Mark 9:38-41 is among the most challenging episodes. The disciples saw a man casting out demons in Jesus' title, but they told him to stop, 'because we were not being followed by him'. Jesus promptly rebuked his slim- hearted disciples, 'don't prevent him'. The disciples could not see beyond themselves. This man could hardly be one if he was not one of them! How depressed.
The moment we identify the Christian faith with our specific church or denomination or confession of faith, that moment we become a sect rather than an actual church of Jesus. Not one of this means that we're never to correct sisters and our brothers and lead them into a richer, more biblical grasp of the faith. No. It will mean that our default option isn't, 'They desire putting right', but, 'These are my household, we're fighting under the exact same banner, we're heading for the same celestial nation, we're washed in precisely the same blood.'
The saints' communion is a valuable and profoundly biblical and God-honouring truth. In a justly famed letter to Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, John Calvin wrote:
Therefore it's that the members of the Church being severed, the physique lies haemorrhage. So much does this concern me, that, can i I be of any support, I would not grudge to cross even seas that are ten, if need were, on account of it. (John Calvin, Tracts and Letters, ed. Jules Bonnet [Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2009],2 5.347-348.)
Occasionally family disagreements become public and there could be a good reason why. Most of the time family disagreements stay inside the fam; not simply because it is bad to to clean your dirty linen in public. Moreover, God's blood-bought children should always desire to please the Saviour to whom Father are combined by the Holy Spirit and their heavenly them. Like all fathers, our heavenly Father wants to see his children live in harmony. 'By this', mentioned our Lord Jesus, 'will all guys know that you are my disciples, which you love one another.'
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The Westminster Confession of Faith1 includes a brilliant chapter 'of the communion of the saints':
Which communion, as God offers opportunity, is to be extended unto all those who, in every place, call upon the name of God Jesus. (WCF 26)
It's only too easy for Christians to exclude practically, and also mainly, from the communion of the saints, folks and denominations who don't believe their idea. There are, of course, foundational and non- gospel doctrines. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:1-3 of things' of significance'. A core is of truths that belong to the nature of the Christian religion. If people deny these heart truths they exclude themselves. But should they believe these truths and trust the Saviour they are 'household' and has to be acknowledged and embraced as family. They may have faulty views of divine sovereignty, perhaps not understand the precedence of grace over faith, have dubious perspectives of Genesis 1, have fantastical views of the end-times and encourage the continuance of charismatic gifts; but whenever they maintain to Christ the Head, they're fam. If they have been elected by the dad, the Son has shed his blood for them plus the Holy Spirit indwells them, they're fam.
Family life could be debatable and, regrettably, might be dysfunctional. But family is family regardless of how dysfunctional and problematic.
It searching test of our gospel devotion that individuals comprehend that the Lord has his people everywhere, frequently in what may appear to us the strangest of places and is an enormous. Recognising, accepting and adopting brothers and sisters in Christ, nevertheless different they're from us, was some thing Jesus strongly impressed on his adherents. Mark 9:38-41 is among the most challenging episodes. The disciples saw a man casting out demons in Jesus' title, but they told him to stop, 'because we were not being followed by him'. Jesus promptly rebuked his slim- hearted disciples, 'don't prevent him'. The disciples could not see beyond themselves. This man could hardly be one if he was not one of them! How depressed.
The moment we identify the Christian faith with our specific church or denomination or confession of faith, that moment we become a sect rather than an actual church of Jesus. Not one of this means that we're never to correct sisters and our brothers and lead them into a richer, more biblical grasp of the faith. No. It will mean that our default option isn't, 'They desire putting right', but, 'These are my household, we're fighting under the exact same banner, we're heading for the same celestial nation, we're washed in precisely the same blood.'
The saints' communion is a valuable and profoundly biblical and God-honouring truth. In a justly famed letter to Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, John Calvin wrote:
Therefore it's that the members of the Church being severed, the physique lies haemorrhage. So much does this concern me, that, can i I be of any support, I would not grudge to cross even seas that are ten, if need were, on account of it. (John Calvin, Tracts and Letters, ed. Jules Bonnet [Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2009],2 5.347-348.)
Occasionally family disagreements become public and there could be a good reason why. Most of the time family disagreements stay inside the fam; not simply because it is bad to to clean your dirty linen in public. Moreover, God's blood-bought children should always desire to please the Saviour to whom Father are combined by the Holy Spirit and their heavenly them. Like all fathers, our heavenly Father wants to see his children live in harmony. 'By this', mentioned our Lord Jesus, 'will all guys know that you are my disciples, which you love one another.'
If you adored this short article and you would certainly like to obtain more info relating to Church Banner Stands (bit.ly) kindly visit our web page.