All saints, that are united to Jesus Christ their Head, by His Spirit, and by faith, have fellowship with Him in His grace, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory: and, being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other's gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.
Union with Christ entails union with other believers. Love is the bond (1 John 4:15-5:2). Believers share in each other's gifts and graces; gifts are for the benefit of the body as a whole (e.g., 1 Corinthians 14:31). Believers have an obligation to do good to one another, in public and in private, to the outward and the inward man (1 Thessalonians 5:11, 14; 1 John 3:16-18).
The contemporary evangelical Protestant church in America, that has inhaled deeply of the spirit of individualism, desperately needs to recapture a sense of the interconnectedness of Christians and the essential nature of community. The "lone ranger Christian" idea needs to die.
Tomorrow: The outworking of Christian communion.
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4 comments:
Just wondering...why are you doing a chapter by chapter examination of the Westminster Confession?
Hello, Jake. Welcome aboard.
I set out my reason for this blog in my very first post last August. The pertinent portion read as follows:
The purpose of this blog is to examine the Confession chapter by chapter to see what we can learn from it. Why? Simply put, the Westminster Confession of Faith is one of the best doctrinal statements of Christianity written in English; in the succeeding 350 years since its composition few have found any lack or need of improvement, although we will look at some of the changes that were made in later years. It was the product of a body of men who possessed great learning, sagacity, and personal holiness and who should command a respectful hearing. By standing on the shoulders of such giants, as Isaac Newton remarked in another context, we may see farther. As such, it is a valuable part of our Christian heritage, particularly for Christians who belong to the Presbyterian tradition. Furthermore, because the Confession has had great historical influence in American history, citizens of that land can gain insight into their nation's past through an understanding of the principles taught in this document.
The most important point to stress about the Confession is that no matter how useful or valuable it may be it does not have authority on a par with that of Scripture and must always be compared to that standard to which it submits.
I hope that sheds some light on my motives.
Yeah that helps. Thanks man. I like the last sentence disclaimer, saved the blog for me. Good luck with the exposition, I hope doing so brings you closer to Truth.
You're welcome. One thing confessional Protestants must constantly keep in mind is that Scripture remains the norm of norms that is itself without norm--in other words, it is the highest authority. All secondary authorities, such as the Westminster Confession of Faith, must submit to Scripture. The Westminster divines recognized this.
Stick around and comment further, if you like.
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