Reformed Catholicity: Membership & the Lord’s Supper

Introduction

Within Christendom, there are a wide variety of beliefs on almost every subject of doctrine. However, one guiding principle we ought to have as a church is to “[be] diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” and in order to do that, it is crucial that “above all [we] put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity” (Ephesians 4:3; Colossians 4:13). This is not liberalism or leftism, this is Christianity and living Christianly. However, when the rubber meets the road, are we willing to see people the way the Lord does, despite their potential disagreement with our theological distinctives? Here, I discuss just one instance: membership and the Lord’s supper in a cross-denominational example.

Westminster Confession of Faith

When we look at the confession, we observe that it intentionally has a “big tent” outlook on the church. It does this so as to not unnecessarily exclude any true believer from fellowship within the visible church, and the sacraments of the Lord. This is established within the confession by its discussion regarding the visible church. The confession explains that the sacraments of the Lord have been given to the visible church only, and therefore all who are members of it can and ought to commune with each other.

Unto this catholic visible Church Christ hath given the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God, for the gathering and perfecting of the saints, in this life, to the end of the world: and doth by his own presence and Spirit, according to his promise, make them effectual thereunto.

-WCF 25.3 

It is important to mention that the invisible church cannot administer the sacraments for obvious reasons, namely, because of its spiritual nature which allows it no form or government, and it is only known to God in its entirety. The invisible church is universal and consists of all the elect (WCF 25.1).

The visible church, however, is also universal, and “consists of all those, throughout the world, that profess the true religion, and of their children; and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God.” To these people, the sacraments of Christ are administered, namely the Lord’s Supper and Baptism. This is because these people are the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:23) and he is their head regardless of their denominational affiliation, official membership status, or lack thereof.  

The visible church, which is formed by way of the individual’s profession of the true religion, is always the church catholic. This profession of believers is made by their baptism which “is a sacrament of the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible Church” (WCF 28.1). What the confession of faith (or the Bible) does not do is make additional requirements for believers to be in the visible church beyond baptism and profession. If someone professes faith and is baptized they are in the visible church. The confession does not mention the necessity for someone to make additional vows to be a member of a particular body or require adherence to various distinctives of a particular theological persuasion for admittance. Their profession through baptism is enough. For example, to be a member of the church, neither the scripture nor the confession require someone to be a credobaptist or paedobaptist or believe in exclusive psalmody or baptism by full immersion. These simply are not the tests of true orthodoxy, and this is recognized by the confession.

Additionally, the Lord has given his supper to the visible church and “in this ordinance, appointed his ministers...to take and break the bread, to take the cup, and…to give both to the communicants; but to none who are not then present in the congregation” (WCF 29.3). By “communicant” the divines did not mean a signed and sealed member of the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield, for instance. They mean someone who is in fellowship, in mutual participation, or shares in something, which of course all communicants do because they are all the body of Christ, and they all partake of the body and blood of Christ because they have all professed faith through their baptism in Christ. By “present in the congregation” the divines do not mean formal membership, but rather they mean the actual physical presence which is made evident by the next paragraph in the confession regarding private masses. 

Distinctives In The Church 

There are three major categories with which the church is mainly concerned, and these can be thought of as three tiers or three concentric circles. The first tier would be matters of orthodoxy such as the virgin birth of Christ, the divinity of Christ, and the Trinity. They would be those things outlined in the Apostles Creed for instance. If these things are denied then the denier is not a Christian. They are of supreme importance, upon which the Gospel stands or falls. It may be said that church history shows that churches divide mostly based upon the “second tier” or “second concentric circle” of distinctives such as sacramental beliefs, forms of governance, styles of worship, etc. The third tier would be things like ones particular view on eschatological matters or head coverings. It is my contention, that membership should depend upon tier-one matters, and not tier-two or three matters. Unfortunately, what tends to happen is an elevation of tier two to the tier one position, and subsequently, the test of orthodoxy and membership in Christ’s body is no longer baptism and profession of faith and an affirmation of things like the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but it becomes things such as the agreement with full immersion baptism, the use of the KJV only, or paedobaptism.

In regards to membership in the church, I believe we tend to operate on a basis far too strict than is biblically appropriate. As mentioned above, baptized professors are part of the visible catholic church, and it is for that catholic church that the Lord has given the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and it is for that catholic church that Christ died. The Lord’s body was broken and his blood was shed for that individual baptized professor who makes up the visible church (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). His body and blood are theirs by right. Jesus belongs to them, just as they belong to Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:21; Ephesians 2:13-15).

In this, I believe much of the church has substituted biblical requirements for membership and admittance to the table, for a particular distinctive and traditional morays. In other words, our distinctive of paedobaptism and all that entails has been elevated to the level of orthodoxy. So in essence, this is ultimately like saying: “we’re not going to say you're an unbeliever because you have been baptized and your profession of faith is credible, but unless you agree with us on (enter distinctive here) you can’t be a member at our church, and if not a member then you may not partake of the Lord’s Supper.” However, in the bible the only reason people can be denied the Supper is due to sin - a lack of self-examination making them akin to the Israelites who put Christ to the test in the desert (1 Corinthians 10:1-22) and/or their inability to discern the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:29) which is the church. I am not aware that being a faithful, God-fearing Christian who lacks the conviction of paedobaptism or dispensationalism makes one guilty in either case. 

The Problems

In ministry (or life in general) it seems that problems pop up at many turns. Often, when decisions need to be made, it seems just as legitimate to ask what problems we’d like to deal with instead of what direction we’d like to go. When it comes to membership within the church I believe we have the option to choose which problems we want to deal with. We can become painstakingly detailed and deny entry to those the Lord has graciously allowed entry into his kingdom, which causes the problem of denying the table to those for whom it was made, or on other hand, they can be admitted, and then we run into the (potential) problem of having Baptists (or those of any stripe) in a Presbyterian church, or vice-versa.

When Christians possess true faith, are professors, and have been baptized, they are in God’s kingdom, are part of his body, and are in the visible church. Their lack of membership in a local manifestation does not hamper that because the visible church is catholic. And although Christians ought to covenant themselves with a local body, and it is a great detriment and sin for them not to, we need to be very careful that we do not put any stumbling blocks in their way for membership other than baptism and profession. In other words, some Christians aren’t members of churches because they are prevented, not because they are derelict.

We choose the problems we feel most comfortable with.

Conclusion

We must be eager to allow all those in Christ to worship and fellowship with us without any hindrance or block. We simply do not have the liberty any longer to be so trivial in our adherence to traditional preferences so as to cause division among those who would love nothing more than to be part of our churches. The world and the Devil are doing yeoman’s work to divide and conquer the church all over America, and we ought to be appalled when we see ourselves doing the very same thing, because as Jesus said, “the glory which [the Father has] given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me” (John 17:22-23). Again, this is not liberal nonsense, these are the words of the Savior of the world.

We can’t abandon the fundamental tenants of the Gospel, but likewise, we cannot invalidate the word of God for the sake of our traditions (Matthew 15:6). Should genuine, faithful, God-fearing believers be turned away because of differing scruples? The Lord of all Heaven and Earth says that it is in our unity we are perfected, and our unity shows the glory of both the Father and the Son who are glorified in their unity.

As one OPC minister put it,[1]

“Membership in the visible church must be open as wide as the gates of heaven. The membership questions [for OPC membership] mirror that understanding, and that means that those who profess the Lord Jesus Christ and submit to His Word should be welcomed.”

[1] OPC Website