What is the communion of saints?

In the Apostles' creed and the Westminster confession of faith we affirm the our belief in the communion of saints.

Westminster confession of faith, Chapter 26, section 1 & 2:

I. All saints that are united to Jesus Christ their head, by his Spirit and by faith, have fellowship with him in his graces, 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 to conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.

II. Saints by profession, are bound to maintain an holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God, and in performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification; as also in relieving each other in outward things, according to their several abilities and necessities. Which communion, as God offereth opportunity, is to be extended unto all those who, in every place, call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

In his book "the Reformed faith, and exposition of the Westminster confession of faith", Robert Shaw helpfully writes:

"Communion is founded in union. The above sections embrace–First, The union of the saints to Jesus Christ, and their communion with him; Secondly, The union and communion of real saints with one another; Thirdly, The union of saints by profession, and the communion which they are bound to maintain."

Another reminder that we are not lone ranger Christians existing independently of the Church.  Thank God for the communion of the saints! You can read the rest of Shaw's exposition here:

Helpful infant baptism resources

Not growing up in a reformed church that practiced infant baptism, I, like many evangelicals, viewed it as an unbiblical practice.  I know longer think that and as a Presbyterian I fully embrace covenant theology which includes the practice of infant baptism.  This post isn't intended to debate the issue, but to provide a few helpful resources for those wanting to learn more about infant baptism.

Third Millenium ministries has a nice 40 minute video overview that does a great job of laying out the biblical support for infant baptism.  We watched this in sunday school this morning.

R. Scott Clark has a helpul blog post explaining why we baptize infants that is helpful as well.

Be Humble in your theology

From Monergism.com: 

Be Humble in Your Theology by Joe Thorn

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 1 PETER 5:5

Dear Self,

A good theologian is humble. You may be known as a theologian, or at least want to be known as one, but are you also known as being humble?
These two things should be inseparable.
The more robust, the more detailed your theology, the more humble you should become. Why? Because you did not figure God out; he revealed himself to you. Don't you remember the words of Jesus to Peter when the disciple correctly acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah? "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 16:17) The theologian owes his knowledge to God himself, who has not only made himself known in creation and Scripture but has also opened our eyes to understand and embrace the truth.
The proud theologian has somehow convinced himself, or at least acts as if, he discovered God. But you understand that you did not uncover the truth of God like some kind of rock star archeologist. He sought you, caught you, and gave you sight, knowledge, and life. Humility should be borne out of your theology because you are so entirely dependent on God for it.
You must also remember that your theology is not your own. Rather you are following in the steps of generations before you who have worked hard at knowing and making known the one true God. If you are a good theologian, part of that is because good theologians have gone before you and made a path for you to walk.
It's possible to be technically accurate in your theology and yet miss the mark of humility. Be passionate for God, fight for truth, contend for the faith, but be humble. Your knowledge is a cause to be humble, not a reason to boast in your insight or tradition.

Note to Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself Thorn, Joe (Re:Lit) (pp. 54-55). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books.

While we're on the subject of Reformed theology...

While we are clarifying what Reformed theology truly encompasses, let's take a moment and look at the practical implications of Calvinism (Reformed Theology) for the believer. Dr. Albert Martin has outlined this for us here.

He quotes B.B. Warfield:

"It lies then, let me repeat, in a profound apprehension of God in His
majesty, with the poignant realisation which inevitably accompanies
this apprehension, of the relation sustained to God by the creature
as such, and particularly by the sinful creature. The Calvinist is the
man who has seen God, and who, having seen God in His glory, is
filled on the one hand with a sense of his own unworthiness to
stand in God’s sight as a creature, and much more as a sinner, and
on the other hand, with adoring wonder that nevertheless this God
is a God who receives sinners. He who believes in God without
reserve and is determined that God shall be God to him in all his
thinking, feeling and willing — in the entire compass of his life
activities, intellectual, moral and spiritual — throughout all his
individual social and religious relations, is, by force of that strictest
of all logic which presides over the outworking of principles into
thought and life, by the very necessity of the case, a Calvinist."

Praise God today for the knowledge that He receives and saves sinners!

What does it mean to be Reformed?

With the rising popularity of Calvinism, or more accurately, Reformed theology with those of us raised in evangelical churches, there is often confusion over what it really means to be "reformed". Is it a belief in the doctrines of grace (which for many new to Reformed theology is often the case) or is it much more? This is important, because I've seen firsthand how a misunderstanding of true Reformed theology can lead to confusion and error.

On his Riddleblog, Dr. Kim Riddlebarger shares an essay entitled "How many points?" by Dr. Richard A. Muller. An excerpt:

"The emphasis on adult baptism, being "born again," and "accepting Christ" is connected, in American evangelical circles, with language concerning "a personal relationship with Jesus" or knowing Jesus as one's "personal Savior." In protesting against this language, I know that I will be stepping on a few religious toes — although the protest is not at all directed against piety or Christian religious experience as such. The issue is that this language itself is neither Reformed in its content nor suitable for transfer into a Reformed confessional context."

Read the complete essay here.

Who is a theologian?

We are all theologians, and in this article Pastor Todd Wilken explains that for Christians, we must be theologians of the Cross. He states:

"Rather than looking to the circumstances of his life to decipher God’s disposition, the theologian of the Cross looks to the suffering and death of Jesus to know God’s disposition. Rather than speculating that God must be pleased by human effort, the theologian of the Cross sees in Christ crucified the One who has pleased God once and for all. Life’s circumstances, whatever they might be, are now comprehended in the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus."

Read the whole article here.

The theology of the Cross

Carl Trueman explaining Martin Luther's Theology of the Cross:

"The "theologians of glory," therefore, are those who build their theology in the light of what they expect God to be like—and, surprise, surprise, they make God to look something like themselves. The "theologians of the cross," however, are those who build their theology in the light of God's own revelation of himself in Christ hanging on the cross."

Read the rest here.

The theology of glory

Pastor Don Matzat former host of Issues Etc. writes about the theology of glory versus the theology of the Cross. Here is an excerpt:

"Martin Luther accurately defined sin as man turning in on himself. While a theology of glory continues to turn you to yourself as you measure your growth in holiness against a plethora of spiritual experiences, the theology of the Cross turns you away from yourself. As a result of the conviction of the Law, you forsake your own good works and spiritual experiences and cling to the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ."

Read the rest here.