Ecclessiology, Pt. 4 - The Lord's Supper
/The confusion of the visible and invisible church and baptismal efficacy lead to a misunderstanding and wrong administration of the Lord’s Supper.
The confusion of the visible and invisible church and baptismal efficacy lead to a misunderstanding and wrong administration of the Lord’s Supper.
The failure of the Federal Vision to rightly understand the visible/invisible church distinction, leads to a failure in understanding the true nature of the sacraments.
The Federal Vision further confuses the visible-invisible church distinction by confusing language of covenant and election.
The Church is rightly understood under two categories – the visible and the invisible, and that while there is a connection between the two, they are not to be confused.
The Federal Vision sees the Mosaic Covenant (or the Law) as an expression of the Gospel and a standard of righteousness that we are able to keep and be saved through.
The Mosaic Covenant serves the Covenant of Grace by operating on a works principle and, thereby, teaching us of our need for Christ.
Our goal today is to simply identify the context and tensions that exist in discussing the nature of the Mosaic Covenant. Next week we hope to more positively address, just exactly what the Mosaic Covenant is.
The Covenant of Grace is ultimately made with the elect in Jesus Christ and offers them the rewards of Jesus obedience as the second Adam.
The covenant made with Adam is a Covenant of Works in which eternal-heavenly life is promised to Adam for perfect and personal obedience and eternal death is threatened for disobedience.
The original order of creation was established as a Covenant of Works.
What are the terms of the Covenant of Redemption and what is the position of the Federal Vision concerning this historic articulation?
Understanding what is meant by the pactum salutis or the Covenant of Redemption between the members of the Trinity as the first and archetypal covenant.
Looking at the historic context of covenant theology and the Federal Vision’s definition(s) of covenant and how it leads to the denial of the historic understanding of multiple covenants.
Assessing the claims of the Federal Vision.
Introducing the Federal Vision and why it is of concern to us.
Discussing a commonly misunderstood passage—Hebrews 11:1—which gives us a characterization of what faith does, rather than a definition of what faith is.
God shows us what kind of God he is – a gracious God, merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and relenting from disaster.
This is one example in the Bible where a sovereign God relates to man in terms that man understands, but that do not negate his perfect knowledge or sovereignty.
Nineveh is actually a better example of authentic repentance than Jonah (and Israel) and this brings abut the gracious deliverance from God’s wrath.
The water episode in Jonah 2 is a picture of redemption/salvation that comes only through judgment.
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