Theology / Sacraments

  • Real Body and Blood?

    Mark 14:22–25

    One of the fundamental principles of biblical interpretation is that Scripture is its own interpreter. In other words, we must be careful not to impose alien systems of thoughts upon the text but rather strive to interpret each passage of ...Read More

  • Signs and Seals

    Romans 4:9–12

    We are creatures with both physical and spiritual components. We understand what happens to us physically when we are washed with water and when we eat, and the sacraments portray spiritual realities to us by way of analogies with our ...Read More

  • Snapshot of the Early Church

    Acts 2:42–3:26

    Here are four dimensions of the church. The early believers were excited about and practiced all four, and the leaders responded to their excitement. How does your church measure up in these four dimensions? What can you do, without being ...Read More

  • Speaking Sacramentally

    1 Corinthians 10:1–4

    Speaking sacramentally, we refer to the bread as the body of Christ and the wine as His blood in order to proclaim that He is truly present when we sit at His table. Ours is a supernatural faith, and we ...Read More

  • The Baptism of John

    Luke 3:1–22

    Jesus was baptized by John, not because He needed to repent, but in order to obey the new command God laid upon His people through the Baptist (Matt. 3:13–17). Unlike Jesus, we are not without sin, and so ...Read More

  • The Blood and the Spirit

    1 John 1:7

    “Just as the Word of God does not return to him void, neither does the exercise and administration of his sacrament return to him void” (R.C. Sproul, Truths We Confess, vol. 3, p. 89). The preaching of God’s ...Read More

  • The Bread and the Cup

    Luke 22:14–20

    When we participate in the sacraments, it can be easy to forget why we have them and what we are supposed to learn from them. Lest they become merely rote observances, let us pay close attention when the sacraments are ...Read More

  • The Bread of Life

    John 6:35–40

    At our conversion, we make a decisive break with sin and come into the safety of Christ’s fold. Still, there is a sense in which we must continue to come to Him every moment of our lives. As we ...Read More

  • The Focus of the Sacraments

    Galatians 3:27

    We must know the gospel to have faith in the gospel, and we must have faith in the gospel to enjoy the sanctifying benefits of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Thus, the preaching of the Word always has a ...Read More

  • The Future Consummation

    Luke 22:24–30

    The responsibilities laid upon us can distract us, preventing us from contemplating the future consummation of God’s kingdom. In celebrating the Lord’s Supper we are given a special opportunity to reflect on the new creation that is coming ...Read More

  • The Importance of Communion

    1 Corinthians 11:27–34

    Few churches enjoy Holy Communion on a weekly basis. Some claim that to do so would demean its meaning by becoming common. Yet we gather every week to worship God. Others say it would be impractical. Discuss with your pastor ...Read More

  • The Importance of Sacraments

    Galatians 3:15-29

    Perhaps one of the reasons why we have not paid sufficient attention to the sacraments is that we associate them with the Roman church and arid ritualism. As we continue our study, keep always in mind that these sacraments were ...Read More

  • The Lord’s Supper Instituted

    Luke 22:14–23

    Dr. R.C. Sproul says that the Lord’s Supper helps us realize just how important Jesus understands His death to be in the grand narrative of God’s redemption. He paraphrases Jesus’ words to His disciples: “My disciples, I ...Read More

  • The Marks of the Church

    1 Corinthians 11:17–34

    First Corinthians 11:17–34 gives us the marks of the church specifically and through good and necessary deduction. The whole passage concerns the Lord’s Supper, a reference to the sacraments. Paul also gives the words of institution, a ...Read More

  • The Marks of the Church

    Acts 2:42

    True churches are identified by their faithfulness to the Word of God, not by their size or influence in the community. A church that hears and obeys Scripture cannot help but reach out to the society around it, but the ...Read More