Q: In the Westminster Confession of Faith it states that the sacraments are to be administered by ordained ministers. Elders are to shepherd, govern and protect. I’ve been thinking a lot about this in terms of the Lord’s Supper. But what does it mean for the elders to administer the Lord’s Supper? Does this mean simply explaining what we are taking part in from the front of church? Or should elders, as shepherds and with 1 Corinthians 11 in mind, play an active role in deciding who should and shouldn’t partake of the Lord’s Supper or is a warning from the front of church enough and then it’s up to individual conscience? —Sean
A: It’s important to understand that the term “sacrament” as well as the requirement that only ordained ministers administer the sacraments are not found in the Bible. The Westminster Confession is a 17th century Reformed doctrinal statement. The Bible gives no specific instructions regarding who is qualified to serve the Lord’s Supper. If church officers are present, it makes sense for them to lead. If no officers are present to serve, however, any believer can officiate.
The New Testament doesn’t explicitly address the issue of open or closed communion. The sacramental view of the Lord’s Supper taken by the Roman Catholic Church was continued to a great extent by the original Protestant denominations (Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed, Presbyterian). Because of their view of the Lord’s Supper, these churches necessarily practiced closed communion.
The view taken by Baptists and other independent churches that every believer is a “priest,” with no intercessor apart from Christ, led to the practice of open communion in which the responsibility for taking or not taking part in communion was left up to the individual. However, there should always be awareness of the danger of unworthy participation (1 Corinthians 11:27-30). —Dan Vander Lugt
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smt1 on March 4, 2014 at 10:06 am
Thank you Dan for your thoughts. Please find four reasons below (from Kevin DeYoung) for a biblical view of why ordained ministers and/or elders should administer the sacraments.
Here are four reasons why.
1. Biblically, we see that those who perform Christian baptism in the New Testament have been set apart by Christ for an office in the church (e.g., Peter, Paul, Phillip). Strictly speaking, the Great Commission, with its command to baptize, was given to the apostles, not to every believer indiscriminately. There is no evidence to show that private members baptized.
2. Theologically, we must take into account how Christ rules his church. Christ is the only king and head of the church. All authority is his authority. All rule is his rule. All grace is his grace. And yet, “as king of his church Christ has also instituted a specific office, the office of presbyter (elder), by which he governs his church” (Bavinck). As his under-shepherds, our Chief Shepherd rules in the church through the elders of the church (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-4). The sacraments (or ordinances) involve the administration of grace and exercise of church power which belong to the office bearers of the church.
3. Exegetically, an appeal to the priesthood of all believers does not support the administration of baptism by every church member. The reference to the church as “a royal priesthood” affirms the holy nature of God’s people (1 Peter 2:9). It does not suggest that now in the New Testament there are no rites which may be performed only by ordained officers. For God’s people in the Old Testament were also called a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6) and they had a whole tribe of priests set aside for functions that only the priests could perform.
4. Practically, for baptism to be responsible there must be some church oversight. The examples I cited above are not advocating for baptisms willy-nilly whenever you and your buddy feel like getting wet. There must be a process of accountability and evaluation. Invariably, as Grudem points out, the pastor(s) of the church are likely involved in determining who can be baptized and who can baptize. If church officers superintend the process–and surely they must if baptism is to be anything other than a private ceremony of personal dedication–it stands to reason that they exercise their Christ-given authority in performed the baptism itself.
I wouldn’t give each of these four reasons equal weight. For me, point 2 is the most compelling, then 3, then 1, then 4. The net result is that I see very good reason for the traditional practice of restricting the administration of the sacraments to the pastor-elders of the church.
smt1 on March 4, 2014 at 10:24 am
Moreover. Whilst the word ‘sacrament’ is not used in the Bible, just as ‘trinity’ is not, nevertheless the sacraments or ordinances given by God and instituted by Christ, namely baptism and the Lord’s Supper are in the Bible and are visible signs and seals that we are bound together as a community of faith by his death and resurrection. By our use of them the Holy Spirit more fully declares and seals the promises of the gospel to us.
daisymarygoldr on March 13, 2014 at 4:26 pm
The words closed and open communion, are also not found in the Bible. People often talk about “taking communion”. Communion means fellowship. How does one take fellowship? To me, it does not make any sense. The Lord’s Supper is neither a sacrament nor a communion. It is a memorial meal in which the Lord’s death is remembered (1 Corinthians 11:24-25).
The supper is shared among all those who have a relationship with God through the New Covenant that He established through Jesus Christ. The elements are eaten not to satisfy physical hunger and thirst but to proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26).
Before starting a meal, the head of the house gives thanks to God and passes the bread and the cup to others gathered around the table. This is exactly what the Lord did during the Passover meal which He had with His disciples. And before giving Judas the bread, Jesus pointedly revealed his betrayal (Matthew 26:20-25). Also, it was at the table He addressed a dispute among the disciples (Luke 22: 24).
Paul was not present along with the other Apostles at the Last Supper. But he received this teaching directly from the Lord Himself (1 Corinthians 11:23). Paul instructed believers to not participate unworthily and sin against the body and blood of the Lord. He also clearly warned the church of the Lord’s judgment on those who don’t examine themselves before taking part in the table.
This pattern is provided in the scripture for Christians to follow and do the same in the local church. The Elder/Pastor that serves at the Lord’s Table must clearly explain the right conditions for taking part in the bread and the cup every time it is served—just the way Jesus and Paul did. This will foster good spiritual health of the church and will prevent believers from succumbing to spiritual sickness and death.