Lord's Supper

Our practice of protecting the Lord’s Table

Thank you for worshipping with us.

We, the consistory of RCSS, hope to welcome you to the Lord’s Table as soon as possible. But first we would like to get to know you better. We believe and confess that the Lord’s Supper is a weighty personal and communal participation in the body and blood of the risen Lord Jesus. Therefore, we have a responsibility to administer it carefully. 

The Lord’s Table is for believing members in good standing of confessional Presbyterian and Reformed congregations that possess the three marks of a true church: the pure preaching of the gospel, the due administration of the sacraments, and the use of church discipline (Belgic Confession Article 29). If you are a member of such a church, and you have received permission from us to partake of the Supper, we welcome you to this holy feast. 

If you have not received permission, we respectfully ask that you refrain from the Table. Please allow us to explain why.

Our practice of protecting or “fencing” the Lord’s Table is not ultimately to judge your or anyone else’s confession. We also don’t presume to be the only true church. Instead, we desire as Pastor and elders to shepherd the sheep entrusted to our care, for whom we will have to give an account to the Lord (Hebrews 13:7). To be faithful in our ministry, we need to know who our sheep are. If we are not satisfied with an attestation from a sister Reformed church, it is our responsibility to examine your doctrine and life before admitting you to the Table.

This short document is not an exhaustive treatment of protecting the Table. Suffice to say, we highlight some central biblical and confessional claims regarding the Supper and its recipients.   

For one, the Lord Jesus instituted the Supper and entrusted it to his Apostles (cf. Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 10-11; Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Day 25). This apostolic pattern has shaped the official ministry of the church ever since (cf. Titus; 1 & 2 Timothy; Belgic 33 & 35; Westminster Larger Catechism Question 173).

Second, the Lord’s Table is for Christ’s redeemed people who have been baptised into his visible covenant community and who have publicly professed his name (cf. Matthew 28; Romans 10; HC 26 & 27).

Third, we believe that every person who confesses the name of Christ is commanded to join themselves to a true church and to submit to its official doctrine and discipline (cf. Matthew 16 & 18; HC 31; Belgic 28 & 29).

Fourth, partakers of this sacrament must believe it is ordained by God and must discern Christ’s real presence in it (cf. 1 Corinthians 11; Belgic 35).

Fifth, the Lord’s Supper is much more than a memorial or remembrance of Christ’s death, or merely a time to reflect on our spiritual state. Furthermore, this Holy Meal is certainly not an opportunity to impress God (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:1-22, 11:17-34).

When we partake in Holy Communion, we feed on the body and blood of Christ. In other words, we believe that Christ is truly present in the bread and wine, not physically but spiritually. The Holy Spirit mysteriously enables our participation in the Lord’s crucified body and shed blood. By Word and Spirit, God uses this sacrament to strengthen our union with Christ, who remains physically in heaven (John 6:53-56; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; cf. HC 28 to 30). Thereby, God condescends – meaning he acts and performs with saving grace to the weak and needy sinner. 

Sixth, Christ does not take the misuse of His Supper lightly. Those who do not partake in faith and repentance, while discerning the Lord’s body, do so at their spiritual peril (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:14-22; HC 29). We take seriously what Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write about Holy Communion in 1 Corinthians 11:23-32, particularly in verses 27 to 30:

“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.”

In light of the above, we hope you can better appreciate that the RCSS Pastor and elders must have insight into the faith and practice of those seeking to join us at the Table. This is not possible for those visiting from congregations with which RCSS has no fraternal or confessional ties – particularly in a less-than-healthy South African religious context. 

We appreciate that some of the points in this document may seem novel, strange, or even offensive. Yet, our Lord’s Supper teaching was once standard confessional Protestant piety and practice. More importantly, we believe it reflects God’s Word.

Please feel free to speak to the RCSS consistory should you have questions in this regard. We would consider it a privilege to walk the road of membership with you: towards full access to all the benefits of Christ’s church, including participation at the Lord’s Table.

If you would like to do further reading on this important matter, please see here and here.

Grace and peace

Consistory of RCSS