| Lately, the world of reformed Christian churches | | | | all), for children.But Proverbs 20:10 clearly weighs |
| (often called "Calvinists" and "Presbyterians") has | | | | in against just such ethical bifurcations required by |
| displayed a fervent preoccupation with a doctrine | | | | anti-theonomic positions: "Differing weights and |
| gaining currency, which bears the name | | | | differing measures, the Lord detests them both." I |
| "paedocommunion." This heterodox notion aspires | | | | hasten to add here the very next verse, which in |
| to usurp the unanimous testimony of the Holy | | | | context deliberately expands on it -- reads, "Even |
| Scripture and the solitary testimony of the | | | | a child is known by his doings, whether his work |
| confessional reformation, usually identified as | | | | be pure, and whether it be right." And since to do |
| "credo-communion."What is paedocommunion | | | | what is right means to do what God has |
| [hereafter "PC"]? It is the practice of giving the | | | | commanded, the Bible clearly teaches that children |
| Lord's Supper to baptized children, even apart | | | | and adults NEVER properly have two different |
| from a rite of passage or criterion such as | | | | ethical standards applied to them -- as the PC |
| confirmation or the making of a credible | | | | position requires in its conflicting interpretations of |
| profession of faith. Herein, unless specified more | | | | "one standard for all," and yet different standards |
| particularly, however, PC refers to the doctrine | | | | used in 1 Cor. 10 as set over against 1 Cor. |
| which advocates the practice of giving the Lord's | | | | 11.Thus, we find the PC advocate cannot maintain |
| supper apart from a prior examination, rather | | | | his pet exegtical strategy in 1st Corinthians 11, on |
| than to the practice itself.Contrariwise, I will use | | | | the one hand, and the integtrity of a single ethical |
| "credocommunion" [hereafter "CC"] to refer to | | | | standard required by his Theonomy, on the other. |
| the doctrine which advocates the practice of | | | | How did Dr. Bahnsen say it so often ... oh yes, |
| requiring a test (criterion) for cognitive and moral | | | | now I remember, "You cannot have it BOTH |
| maturity (as judged by the elders of a particular | | | | ways."C. Paedocommunion vs. the Biblical Doctrine |
| church) as a prerequisite for participating in the | | | | of The Nature of Oaths and CovenantsNext we |
| sacrament of the Lord's supper. The following | | | | come to examine whether or not the PC position |
| provides an excellent and brief overview of the | | | | meshes with the biblical teaching on the |
| confessional perspective on the Lord's supper. It is | | | | requirements for confirming covenants. These, we |
| this position I purport to defend at present, | | | | will see, are different than those required for |
| though the whole confessional position is much | | | | initiating oaths and covenants in the Bible. First, we |
| longer, consisting as it does of the Westminster | | | | note that God has given historically two |
| Confession of Faith (1646), chapter 29 and the | | | | sacraments as signs and seals of the various |
| Larger Catechism, questions #168 - #177. Here is | | | | administrations of the covenant of grace: the first |
| the abbreviated form from WCF chapter 29:I. Our | | | | initiatory and probationary, and the second |
| Lord Jesus, in the night wherein he was betrayed, | | | | continuous and confirmatory; in the first, the |
| instituted the sacrament of his body and blood, | | | | recipient of grace remains passive and receptive; |
| called the Lord's Supper, to be observed in his | | | | in the second, the receiver of grace actively |
| Church unto the end of the world; for the | | | | participates in the oath-based ritual in question.The |
| perpetual remembrance of the sacrifice of himself | | | | two trees in the garden of Eden provide |
| in his death, the sealing all benefits thereof unto | | | | examples: the trees of life, and of the knowledge |
| true believers, their spiritual nourishment and | | | | of good and evil. The first showed a kind of |
| growth in him, their further engagement in and to | | | | probation and the other signified and sealed one in |
| all duties which they owe unto him; and to be a | | | | righteousness. The Old Covenant likewise displays |
| bond and pledge of their communion with him, and | | | | two sacraments, (initiatory and probationary). |
| with each other, as members of his mystical | | | | Those circumcised into the Mosaic covenant took |
| body.III. The Lord Jesus hath, in this ordinance, | | | | on this initiatory rite to enter the OT Church, the |
| appointed his ministers to declare his word of | | | | people of Israel.Israel's sacrificial system, summed |
| institution to the people, to pray, and bless the | | | | up in the Passover, continued throughout the life |
| elements of bread and wine, and thereby to set | | | | of Israel, confirming the life promised by the |
| them apart from a common to an holy use; and | | | | covenant Lord. Here, the sacrificer waxed |
| to take and break the bread, to take the cup, | | | | reckless only at his own injury (2 Samuel 6:5-15 |
| and (they communicating also themselves) to give | | | | and Lev 10:1-3).The New Covenant also displays |
| both to the communicants; but to none who are | | | | two sacraments where Baptism corresponds to |
| not then present in the congregation.The title | | | | circumcision (See Colossians 2:12-13), both of |
| above indicates that the doctrine of PC incurs a | | | | which function as a sign and seal of the covenant |
| "transcendental failure." What I mean by this | | | | of grace. Neither confers grace merely by the |
| maybe better understood with a brief history of | | | | elements themselves.After -- and only after (note |
| the idea of a "transcendental." This referred with | | | | the biconditional) -- one's probation is fulfilled, he |
| German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, to the most | | | | may be confirmed in his rights and priviledges of |
| basic categories (i.e. modes, etc) of human | | | | the second sacrament, which, in the case of the |
| perception, or (in more modern terms) ways in | | | | NT is the Lord's Supper.These examples, both |
| which people are "hardwired" to view and interact | | | | from the Older and Newer covenants provide |
| with the world. A more obscure Dutch theologian, | | | | instances of a more general point about making |
| one Cornelius Van Til, used the idea in a novel | | | | and taking oaths (of which covenants are a |
| way by applying these not to people, but to the | | | | subset). The making of any oath by one |
| worldviews -- basic units of thought which form | | | | recognized as a domestic inferior in the Bible (i.e. a |
| an interpretive matrix for understanding what kind | | | | wife, son or daughter) is subject to judicial review |
| of world this is (metaphysics), how we know | | | | and nullification by the federal head of the |
| what we know (epistemology), and how we | | | | house.Numbers 30:3-5 reads:If a woman also vow |
| ought to live our lives (ethics). For Dr. Van Til, | | | | a vow unto the LORD, and bind herself by a |
| transcendentals comprise the most basic parts of | | | | bond, being in her father's house in her youth; And |
| a worldview, which woven together properly | | | | her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith |
| provide the foundational picture of the world that | | | | she hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold |
| enables us to make sense out of life's | | | | his peace at her; then all her vows shall stand, and |
| experiences."Transcendentals" thus render human | | | | every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul |
| experience intelligible to us. Without them, one's | | | | shall stand. But if her father disallow her in the day |
| attempts to account for the different features of | | | | that he heareth; not any of her vows, or of her |
| what we wake up to in the morning (the unity of | | | | bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall |
| our experience and yet the many different kinds | | | | stand: and the LORD shall forgive her, because |
| of particular things making up that experience, | | | | her father disallowed her.D. Common Objections |
| called the "problem of the one and the many" by | | | | to Credocommunion Overcome.Some have |
| some) would leave some or all such features of | | | | alleged that this position requires an arbitrariness |
| reality unexplained. Thus, transcendentals skillfully | | | | on the part of the elders since the Bible provides |
| interlaced into a cognitive framework -- as with | | | | no objective way to decide when a child may |
| the Christian worldview -- provide the elemental | | | | begin taking the Lord's Supper. I answer that a |
| interpretive components sufficient to "make | | | | non-arbitrary marker of delineating readiness for |
| sense of it all."But for the transcendentals to | | | | the Lord's supper does in fact exist in the Bible: |
| render an account coherent, they must be related | | | | nature itself. With puberty comes physical |
| to each other in a consistent fashion. For a | | | | development, including the ability to think in terms |
| worldview to accomplish its "interpretive function," | | | | of abstract and moral reasoning. This then |
| it cannot permit internal dissonance among its | | | | provides the obvious point at which elders ought |
| many parts, for this would ruin its claim to | | | | to begin an inquiry for readiness on the part of |
| coherence. Each part of the worldview in question | | | | the child in concert with the assessment of the |
| must sweetly comport with the others -- both | | | | head of the house.Moreover, Paul regularly appeals |
| the transcendental, or more basic parts, as well | | | | in the Scripture to such markers offered from |
| as those more peripheral, in order to manage the | | | | nature, saying things like "does not even nature |
| "consent of all the parts." Thus any worldview | | | | teach us..." . In the case of maturity as readiness |
| whose basic elements relate to each other like | | | | for communion, the Scripture (Luke 2:41) agrees |
| Larry, Moe and Curly (dissonantly) necessarily | | | | with this."And when he was 12 years old, they |
| cannot provide the transcendentals -- for some of | | | | went up [to the passover] according to the |
| its parts would logically exclude some | | | | custom." That this was Jesus first trip to |
| transcendental elements, thus promoting | | | | Passover is manifest from the context, and in this |
| "epistemological chaos."Now how is any of this | | | | most commentators agree. J. Jeremias, in his |
| profitable to this discussion? It implies that one | | | | landmark Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus, throws |
| may test the veridicality (truthfulness) of any | | | | some valuable light on this custom. He says, "...we |
| doctrine by superimposing it, as it were, upon the | | | | may conclude (from Luke 2:41) that it was |
| Christian worldview to see if it implies the other | | | | custom among people from a distance to bring |
| parts of that worldview, so that one may see | | | | their children when they reached twelve years of |
| clearly whether it relates to the biblical outlook | | | | age." (p. 76) Before twelve years of age, they |
| either by the consent of all the parts (logical | | | | remained at home.Some have challenged that all |
| coherence) or else by the dissent of many of the | | | | the privileges of membership in the covenant |
| parts (logical dissonance). When we attempt this -- | | | | community belong to all the saints, and that |
| and we will do so shortly -- our exercise clearly | | | | covenant children (being saints) should be admitted |
| falsifies the counterfeit doctrine of | | | | to the Lord's Table.I answer that this overlooks |
| paedocommunion, identifying it as an element | | | | the obvious point that one may not necessarily |
| foreign to the biblical perspective -- as we shall | | | | undertake every covenant privileges from the |
| see.Our first test for the PC doctrine finds it | | | | moment of his entry into the covenant |
| wholly incompatible with a biblical doctrine | | | | community (i.e. Church). Although each person |
| accepted by most advocates of PC, one typically | | | | (saint) in principle has every spiritual blessing in |
| dubbed "postmillenial eschatology."A. | | | | Christ from the moment of his or her baptism, |
| Paedocommunion v. Postmillenial EschatologyPC | | | | yet he does not inherit them all at once in |
| advocates promote as a reason for yielding to | | | | practice -- but only in principle. Likewise, he obtains |
| their view the idea that the early Christian Church | | | | all his spiritual gifts from the moment he is born |
| unanimously or generally promoted PC for the | | | | again, but this does not entitle him to begin |
| first nine centuries of its history. Moreover, they | | | | preaching the gospel -- even if he is so called -- |
| often give various reasons for why the | | | | without first undertaking intellectual preparation |
| Reformed confessions at present unanimously | | | | and certification by elders of the church.Examples |
| reject PC in favor of CC. This means that both | | | | of "delayed privileges" in the Bible include the facts |
| sides are agreed, at least, that the Christian | | | | that:* No male can go to war to fight for his |
| church's confessional position presently is CC, not | | | | country until he reaches the age of 20.* No |
| PC.This places an interesting question before us | | | | minister may begin ministering in an official |
| then. Given postmillenial eschatology's demand that | | | | ecclesiastical post until he reaches the age of |
| the Church must grow in the grace and | | | | thirty, (see the Levitical age requirement and the |
| knowledge of our Lord Jesus progressively over | | | | Lukan account of the age at which Jesus began |
| time (corporate sanctification), which should we | | | | ministering) even though he receives the gifts for |
| tend to favor, that of the early (far less | | | | ministry at the moment he is born of the Spirit.* |
| doctrinally mature) or the much later and much | | | | No one may "practice the theology" (Ahem) of |
| more learned church? Or, put differently, which | | | | the Song of Solomon until he or she is first |
| view identifies the era of greater grace and | | | | married.E. Paedo-communion vs. Salvation by |
| sanctification in the Church, the second or the | | | | Grace alone through FAITH alone.The classical |
| seventeenth century? By answering the question | | | | reformed (and biblical) formulation of the grace |
| consistently with the postmillenial outlook, the | | | | communicated by the sacraments comes to the |
| progress of the corporate sanctification of the | | | | heart of the believer who participates rightly via |
| Church would require us to favor the CC | | | | the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit who |
| position.B. By What Standard? Paedocommunion | | | | indwells every regenerate saint. But the doctrine |
| vs. Theonomic EthicsMany, if not most, of the | | | | of PC seeks to circumvent this understanding by |
| advocates for the PC position hold to the biblical | | | | making the Lord's supper efficacious in the life of |
| position ordinarly dubbed "Theonomy," the biblical | | | | the UNbelieving saint also -- the saint before he is |
| view which maintains the principle of continuity as | | | | old enough even to understand the gospel, and, |
| a rule for distinguishing which of the laws of the | | | | therefore (ordinarily) to possess saving faith. The |
| Older Testament continue to bind men and | | | | Scripture says plainly enough that faith comes by |
| women to the performance thereof, and which | | | | hearing, and hearing by the word of God |
| laws do not, in the Newer Testament. This | | | | [preached]. By making the sacramental grace |
| principle simply affirms that unless abrogated or | | | | efficacious APART from the faith-imparting work |
| qualified by a New Testament passage, or by the | | | | of the Spirit results in (i.e. implies) affirming the |
| logical force of several such passages combined, | | | | doctrine of "mechanistic grace" common referred |
| Older Testamental laws continue to bind men to | | | | to by people addicted to Latin as "ex opere |
| perform them as orginially given.This implies, and | | | | operato."But this has the easy and swift |
| Theonomists like the late Dr. Greg Bahnsen state | | | | refutation that mechanistic grace is a "yes or no" |
| so explicitly in their works, that God judges all | | | | proposition in which it would not be possible to |
| men by the one and same standard -- the law of | | | | receive baptism in an "unworthy manner" - you |
| God -- which may be known by a proper | | | | either do or do not receive it - and no one would |
| application of the principle of continuity in studying | | | | ever die from participitating in such a version of |
| out the various texts -- together with other | | | | the Lord' s Supper the wrong fashion. This is |
| sound rules for properly interpreting the Word of | | | | because the curse as well as the blessing |
| God. So far, so good. But PC advocates quickly | | | | attending holy communion remain the work of the |
| run up against an enigma created by one of their | | | | Spirit of grace.But since faith is in fact a biblical |
| very own exegetical necessities.Now PC | | | | prerequisite for receiving the blessing of |
| proponents need to circumvent the CC | | | | communion, so also is the proper understanding of |
| requirement for children to show themselves able | | | | the gospel (intellectual maturity), since faith comes |
| to examine and assess the moral quality of their | | | | by hearing and understanding the Word of the |
| lives against the standard of God's Word as a | | | | Lord.CONCLUSION: From this brief introduction |
| way of preparing to partake of the Lord's supper | | | | and internal critique of a counterfeit doctrine and |
| in a worthy manner. The perennially disputed | | | | the positions normally associated with it in a |
| passage in question reads, "But let a man examine | | | | Christian (Theonomic-Postmillenial) worldview, it |
| himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and | | | | should be apparent almost immediately that the |
| drink of that cup . . ." Here, PC adherents quickly | | | | doctrine of paedocommunion contradicts several |
| point out that this must not apply to children (for | | | | major features of biblical teaching, denying in |
| it says "man") and the early typological | | | | principle the consent of all the parts. Therefore, |
| counterpart (see 1 Cor. 10:1 ff) surely included | | | | the Bible necessarily teaches the doctrine of |
| children without requiring such a test.If we grant | | | | credocommunion, and the Westminster divines |
| this position, however (simply for the sake of | | | | once again win the day. These were wise |
| argument), we may quickly note that none of the | | | | men.Carson Day has written some 1.3 gazillion |
| persons -- children OR ADULTS -- in the | | | | articles and essays on all manner of topics. These |
| typological shadow of "spiritual food and drink" in | | | | aim to glorify God and offer people real help to |
| the previous chapter had to meet any such | | | | live wisely and well. You can visit Carson's |
| cognitive criterion; yet in 1 Corinthians 11, PC | | | | websites at (The Omniblog, where Carson blogs |
| advocates expect us to accept the view that | | | | everything) or (Carson's Day Trading Outpost). |
| God has now chosen to require one communion | | | | Thanks for stopping by. |
| standard for adults, and a different one (none at | | | | |