By Simon Jooste Space does not permit an elaborate historical treatment of the question of Christ’s presence in the Lord’s Supper. Suffice to say, the ancient church exhibited a variety of views on the relationship between the signs of bread and wine and the thing they signified (Christ crucified andContinue Reading
By Simon Jooste The Three Forms of Unity – the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of the Synod of Dort – represent a summary of what the Word of God teaches. They dedicate a significant amount of space to the official ministry of the Word in theContinue Reading
By Simon Jooste The original sixteenth- and seventeenth-century horizon of the Three Forms of Unity and the 1619 Church Order of the Synod of Dort was thick with about five hundred years of theological innovation in the medieval Roman Catholic church, which included the Lord’s Supper. In keeping with aContinue Reading
Simon Jooste The Bible sets forth two sacraments that were instituted by God and qualify as means of grace. In the Old Testament, they were circumcision and the Passover meal. In the New Testament, these rites have been replaced with baptism and the Lord’s Supper respectively. Those that claim additionalContinue Reading
R. Scott Clark writes: Because we do not think of the two sacraments as having the same function, the Reformed churches have not practised paedocommunion. We do not admit infants to communion because communion is the sign of covenant renewal, not initiation into the visible church. Whereas baptism is forContinue Reading
Dear Beloved in the Lord Jesus, The elders and I would like to take this opportunity to explain why we will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper in public worship at the 2nd Rondebosch Scout Hall this coming Sunday. And, also, why we will not be allowing for participation inContinue Reading
In the sermon on Matthew 4:4, we saw that when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, after being without food for 40 days and 40 nights, he responded with a direct quotation from Deut 8:3: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comesContinue Reading
It is commonly accepted that if we claim something to be true about someone or something, we must be able to prove it. The bigger the claim, the more evidence required and the stricter the process of verification. For instance, an immigrations officer is not just going to just acceptContinue Reading