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Grow in Grace at the Table · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome back to Reform Thinking. We're doing another deep dive
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today, and we've got our sources lined up to focus on something
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central to Christian worship, the Lord's Supper.
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Right, something many Christians practice regularly.
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Exactly. And our mission for the session
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is pretty specific. We want to analyze its
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theological meaning, its function, really, we're trying
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to extract the key insights into how it actually works as a well,
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a channel for spiritual blessing and growth for you, the
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believer. Yeah, and that's a necessary
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thing to do because, you know, what can seem like a simple
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ritual is actually presented in our sources as an event with
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immense spiritual significance. It's called an extraordinary
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meal, yet it's also described as an ordinary means of God's
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grace. That term?
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Extraordinary ordinary, that's where some of the the richness
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lies, isn't it? It's one of the two ordinances
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Jesus gave us, right alongside baptism.
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That's right, and its purpose consistently through church
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history has been about signifying, sealing, and,
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importantly, strengthening Christ's New Covenant people.
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We're not just looking at a symbol, we're looking at what
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the sources describe as a core mechanism for spiritual life.
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OK, so let's set the stage a bit more, thinking about the
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mechanics, the actual elements. Bread, wine.
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They're deliberately simple, everyday things.
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Very ordinary. But the spiritual realities they
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connect us to are, well, huge. So if it's ordinary physically,
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how can we really say it's extraordinary spiritually?
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Is that the tension we're exploring?
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That's precisely the point, the sources emphasize.
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The simplicity makes it accessible, right?
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Anyone can relate to bread and wine, but it's the fact that
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Christ instituted it and the promise of his spiritual
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presence when it's observed worthily, that's what lifts it
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way beyond just any shared meal. The sources are clear.
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The elements don't magically change.
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Bread stays bread. Rind stays wine.
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But the act of participating in faith that changes the believer
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spiritually. Right, which leads us straight
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into this framework needed to understand that spiritual
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effect, the means of grace. Yes, the means of grace, when we
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use that term. What we're talking about are
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those specific channels, the appointed ways God has set up to
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regularly supply his church, his people, with spiritual vitality,
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spiritual strength. OK, these are the practices, the
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spiritual habits through which believers are meant to receive
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blessing and sustenance from the Holy Spirit.
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And the sources we're looking at, they outline a really
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helpful structure here. It seems to boil down to three
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essential parts that need to be there for something to be
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considered a true means of grace.
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This helps us see how God interacts with us in these
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practices. What are those 3 keys?
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OK, so these three principles really define the interaction
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the the spiritual transaction, if you like.
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First, you need Jesus's voice that comes to the word being
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read or preach. It's about hearing Jesus, right.
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Second, there's his ear. This is our response, engaging
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him through prayer. It's about responding to Jesus.
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OK. Word and prayer that makes sense
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for any spiritual discipline. Exactly.
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But the third one is crucial for the ordinances, His body.
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This means doing it within the context of the Church, His
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people. Oh, OK.
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So that corporate aspect is really central, especially for
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the Supper and baptism, the two ordinances Christ actually gave
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the Church. It really is.
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You know a very few practices pull all three word prayer and
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church together quite like the public gathering for worship,
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especially when you have the preaching of the Word and the
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celebration of the ordinances. Right private prayer and Bible
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reading cover the 1st 2 maybe? They do, but the public
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ordinances, they anchor our spiritual lives firmly within
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the community, the body of Christ.
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So, thinking specifically about the Lord's Supper, how does it
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weave these three together? How does that combination
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provide that specific spiritual nourishment?
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Well, you see it right in the way it's typically administered.
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Believers hear Jesus's voice. That's the word component.
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When the words of institution are read, when the gospel
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promises connected to it are proclaimed, then they have their
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Savior's ear. That's the prayer aspect, as
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they respond, maybe silently, maybe corporately, with
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confession, repentance, asking for blessing, and then
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critically, the church element. They commune with Christ and
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with each other as they physically share the elements,
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often together at the same time. It's designed as this unified
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corporate spiritual moment. Taking it as one body.
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Exactly Signifying that deep union that Christ sacrifice
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created. Yeah, it knits the body together
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while conveying grace. OK, that framework is helpful.
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Now, to really get the full picture of the blessing
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involved, the sources suggest looking at the supper across
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time, past, present and future. It's not just about that one
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moment of eating and drinking. That's a great way to structure
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it. It operates in these different
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temporal dimensions, all wrapped in a context of real
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seriousness. Yeah.
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So where should we start looking back?
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Yeah, let's start with the past aspect, rehearsing the gospel.
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OK, well the main backward looking function is right there
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in Jesus's command. Do this in remembrance of me.
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Paul repeats that, doesn't he? Twice in his instructions in
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First Corinthians. So fundamentally, it's a
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memorial meal. A memorial meal.
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But we're not just like remembering facts about a
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historical figure. It seems designed to draw us
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back, almost physically, sensorially, to the cutting of
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the covenant of Calvary to Christ's sacrifice for us.
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How does doing that regularly actually work on us?
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That's the key. It creates this formal rhythm,
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you know, a structured way of remembering and rehearsing the
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gospel message. Think about it.
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Our daily lives are full of distractions, worries.
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Sims Supper forces us together as a church to stop and recenter
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everything on the finished work of Christ.
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It helps embed that gospel centrality deep into the life of
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the church community. It ensures the cross isn't just
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something we assume in the background, but something we
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actively confess and rely on again and again.
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I really like how some sources describe it as a divinely
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authorized dramatization of the gospel that feels right.
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It takes the memory out of just the head and puts it into our
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hands, our mouths, our community.
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Exactly. It uses the physical sense as
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taste, sight, touch, even smell to communicate spiritual truth.
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When the bread is broken, that's a visible sign of his body.
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When the wine is poured, his blood, and we receive those
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elements in faith, the sources say you are spiritually
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receiving the benefits of that sacrifice.
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That sensory part really reinforces the intellectual
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understanding. It makes it more concrete.
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And it's not just about looking back passively.
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It's described as an act of new covenant renewal.
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How does remembering lead to renewal and help us, you know,
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keep going in the faith? That phrase, New Covenant
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renewal, points to how the Supper helps us persevere.
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When you take part in faith, you're essentially reaffirming
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your place in the covenant. You're being reminded of and
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spiritually nourished by the promises sealed by Christ's
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blood. This strengthens you, too.
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As the Bible says, hold fast to the Word to continue in the
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faith, stable and steadfast. The idea is that we need this
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regular spiritual boost because we're always tempted to drift,
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to put our hope elsewhere. So the meal acts like a periodic
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spiritual fortification. It shores up our faith against
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doubt, against spiritual lethargy.
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It makes a promise visible again to sustain us.
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That's the crucial backward look.
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But if it were only a memorial, it might not qualify as a means
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of grace in the way we've defined it.
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It would just be a history lesson.
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The sources are really insistent that the table is more than just
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remembering. In that present moment, when we
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recall the sacrifice and take the elements, something else
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happens, a proclamation of his death and its meaning.
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Yes, this is central to its present day function.
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It's often called a visible sermon, and that's not just a
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metaphor. It acts like the audible
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preaching of the word. Well, just like the preached
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word, when received by faith, is described as being able to
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strengthen you according to the gospel, so to the visible action
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of the supper acts as a means of grace.
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It strengthens those who watch and especially those who partake
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in faith. So God uses both the ears and
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the eyes, the audible word and the visible sign to deliver that
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strengthening grace that seems, well, potent.
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It is. But let's get specific about
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this spiritual nourishment. What does that actually mean,
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according to the sources, and how is it different from, say,
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the physical nourishment we get from food?
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This seems to be a point where there's been a lot of historical
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debate. Oh, absolutely.
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And getting this distinction clear is probably the single
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most critical point for understanding the Reformed view.
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The Westminster Confession, chapter 29, paragraph one.
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It states very plainly that the Supper is for our spiritual
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nourishment and growth. And that language is chosen very
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deliberately. It's there specifically to
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counter views that suggest the bread and wine physically change
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into Christ's body and blood, or that his physical body is
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somehow locally present in, with, or under the elements.
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That's not the view. Right.
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So if Christ's physical body isn't there on the table, how
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does eating physical bread and drinking physical wine result in
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spiritual nourishment? That's the connection that needs
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explaining. The nourishment comes through
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faith, enabled by the Holy Spirit working through the
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ordinance, through the signs. The confession says that those
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who partake in a worthy manner receive and feed upon Christ's
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body and blood, but not physically, carnally or
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corporally, but spiritually. His body and blood are received
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by faith. So the elements are the signs,
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the seals, the pointers, but the actual spiritual transaction,
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the feeding, happens directly between the believer's soul in
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Christ through faith prompted by the signs.
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Precisely by faith, believers are nourished not by the
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physical substance itself, but by the benefits Christ secured
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through his death, forgiveness, righteousness, life, union with
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Him. This is how believers grow in
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grace. The Holy Spirit uses the
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physical act, the signs as the occasion, the instrument to
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convey the spiritual blessing promised in the covenant.
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It's a pathway designed for deepening our Christian life,
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for ongoing sanctification, not just getting saved initially.
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And the spiritual feeding this growth, it doesn't happen in a
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vacuum, right? It's called Communion.
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Yes, absolutely. The spiritual union aspect is
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vital. It's strengthened in two
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directions at once. First, our union with the Lord
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Jesus Himself. But second, our union with other
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believers. As we spiritually feed on Christ
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together, He draws us closer not only to Himself, but also closer
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to each other in His body. The Church, the shared bread,
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the shared cup. These physically represent and
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spiritually confirm that we are one body in Christ.
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It's inherently A communal growth moment.
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It strengthens fellowship. It even demands things like
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mutual love and reconciliation beforehand.
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OK, so we've looked back at the sacrifice.
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We've looked at the present nourishment and proclamation.
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Now the supper also points us forward, doesn't it?
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Relentlessly forward? Yes.
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The time frame for the ordinance is explicitly stated.
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Participants proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
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Until he comes. That puts a boundary on it.
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It's for this age between his ascension and his return.
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Exactly. It immediately makes us look
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forward, doesn't it? Right.
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It causes us to anticipate the full feast that's waiting for
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us, the great wedding supper of the Lamb that Revelation talks
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about. So every time we celebrate the
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supper now, it's like like an act of hope, a reminder that
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we're still waiting, still pilgrims heading towards the
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final consummation. Precisely.
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It's an eschatological act every single time, and I find the
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contrast built into it fascinating.
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We only eat little bits of bread, drink little cups of
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wine. Why so small if the spiritual
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reality is so big? Yeah, that is interesting.
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What do the sources suggest about that?
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The suggestion is that the small portions are intentional.
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They serve as a constant physical reminder that our
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fellowship with Christ now in this life, as real and vital as
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it is, is just a foretaste. It cannot begin to compare with
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the fullness, the glory that awaits us when we see him face
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to face. So we get a taste now, not the
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whole banquet. Right.
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It keeps our ultimate hope fixed on the future reality, not on
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present experience alone. It's almost like a built in
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spiritual discipline. The small portion keeps us from
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getting too comfortable, too satisfied with the now, and
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makes us long even more for the then.
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You could definitely see it that way.
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It grounds our present life in the hope of future glory.
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And that anticipation, knowing the full inheritance is secure
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and coming, gives us strength to persevere, to live faithfully.
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Now we leave the table sustained but also looking forward.
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OK, we've covered the past, present and future dimensions,
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but surrounding this whole practice is an atmosphere of,
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well, seriousness. Gravity.
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The sources are clear. This is not something to be
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approached casually. Absolutely not.
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The stakes are incredibly high. The sources warn that great
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things are at stake. Spiritual blessing on the one
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hand, but also potential judgement on the other.
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This brings us to that idea of no neutrality.
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Right. Explain that.
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What is no neutrality mean when the church gathers for the
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supper? If someone just goes through the
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motions, are they really unaffected?
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According to the sources, know they're not unaffected because
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the Supper is that visible sermon proclaiming the ultimate
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truth of Christ's death and resurrection.
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It forces a response. It acts like a spiritual
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catalyst. It won't leave you neutral.
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Paul uses that powerful language about the gospel itself being an
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aroma from life to life or death to death.
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The idea is similar here. Encountering this sign and seal
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will either draw you closer to the Savior in faith and
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repentance, or if treated lightly, it can actually make
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you more callous towards Him. Wow, so ignoring it or treating
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it lightly actually hardens the heart against the very grace it
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offers. That seems to be the
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implication. You can't be indifferent to such
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a profound sign. And this seriousness directly
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frames Paul's warning in First Corinthians 11, that famous
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passage about participating in an unworthy manner.
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He says doing so makes you guilty concerning the body and
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blood of the Lord. What did unworthy manner mean
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specifically for the Corinthians?
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It sounds like more than just having personal doubts.
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Oh, it was much more concrete than just subjective feelings of
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doubt. In the Corinthian context, the
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unworthy manner was primarily about their actions,
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specifically their failure to discern the body of Christ.
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Discern the body. What does that mean?
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Historically, it seems the Corinthians were taking the
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supper in a way that highlighted and even worsened the social
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divisions in the church. They were splitting into
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factions. The wealthier members apparently
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arrived early, perhaps brought more food and wine, and
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basically had a feast, even getting drunk, while the poorer
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members, maybe slaves or laborers who arrived later, were
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left hungry and shamed. Wow, so the lack of discernment
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wasn't just a theological blind spot, it was a failure to
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recognize the practical unity and holiness of the Church
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itself, Christ's body, even as they were handling the symbols
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of his sacrificed body. Exactly.
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The meal was meant to express and deepen their unity in
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Christ, but they were using it as an occasion to reinforce
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social status and division. By acting like separate, unequal
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groups, they were showing contempt for the very body that
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Christ sacrifice created and was meant to unite.
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That's why Paul says they eat and drink judgement on
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themselves. And Paul ties this judgement to
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actual physical consequences. He explicitly says that because
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of this, some among them were weak and ill, and some have
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died. That really connects the
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spiritual offense to tangible physical results.
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It really does. It shows just how seriously God
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took their desecration of the ordinance.
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Treating the sacred meal like a common party, especially when
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marked by division and disregard for fellow believers, invited
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God's fatherly discipline, which in that specific case included
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physical consequences. It underscores the principle If
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God uses this meal as a special channel for grace, then abusing
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that Channel invites judgement. Not for us.
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OK, given those incredibly high stakes, what does worthy
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participation look like for us today?
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If we need to partake in faith and obedience, how should we
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actually prepare ourselves before coming to the table?
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Well, worthy participation starts with genuine self
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examination, as Paul urges right after the warning.
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It means honestly confessing known sin to God.
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It means actively seeking reconciliation with brothers or
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sisters we might be at odds with, remembering it's a
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communal meal signifying unity. Right, discerning the body
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includes our relationship. And then it means partaking in
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faith, that is, actually believing Christ offers himself
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spiritually to us in the Supper and expecting to receive the
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spiritual blessings he promises through it, and partaking in
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obedience, recognizing this is something Christ commanded us to
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do. The goal isn't achieving sinless
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perfection before you come. None of us could come then.
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But it's about approaching with a repentant heart a desire for
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Christ and a toss in his promises.
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It's about receiving Christ spiritually, being nourished by
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his benefits, not just performing an empty ritual.
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So that heart preparation is just as vital as the physical
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act of eating and drinking. So we try to pull all this
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together. This deep dive into the Lord's
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Supper shows it's truly meant to be central, a powerhouse for the
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believers spiritual life. When the church gathers for this
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meal, they're engaging in this incredibly rich, integrated
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spiritual act. They receive the gospel message
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afresh, seeing it, tasting it. They respond in faith and
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repentance and prayer, and they knit their hearts together,
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recognizing their unity in the one bread and 1 cup they share.
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It really is that vital intersection where Word, prayer
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and the church community meet in a unique and powerful way.
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It sustains the believer on the journey between Calvary and the
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return of Christ. A vital engine for spiritual
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sustenance, keeping the Gospel central, visible, tangible in
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the Church's life, and thinking about that final point, that
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this proclamation, this practice lasts until he comes, and that
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the small elements constantly remind us of the greater feast
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yet to come. Maybe this is a final thought
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for you, the listener. How should that eager
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anticipation of future perfect face to face fellowship with
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Christ actually shape the reverence, the self examination,
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the specific actions you take in preparing your heart and mind
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for the table now? How does Looking Forward change
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how we participate today?