Grace OPC Sewickley PA

Sermon Series: Christians & Their Vows

  • Vows for Church Office

    Vows for Church Office

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Christians & Their Vows” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, April 8, 1990.

    About this sermon

    Psalms 24 and 68 celebrate the kingship of Christ, which stands behind the gifts Christ gives his church in Ephesians 4. Calvin’s view of how the church chooses its officers ties back to the vows those officers take.

    More sermons from Ephesians · Browse all sermons

    Sermon transcript

    I will be reading the first sixteen verses. Hear the word of God. I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the calling with which you are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But unto each one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

    Wherefore, he says, when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. Now, when he ascended, what does it mean that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same also who ascended far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, and some teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people and cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive.

    But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body is joined together and held together by every joint that supplies the needs of each part, according to the proper working of each individual part, making the body grow so as to build itself up in love.

    Pray with me now. How powerful your word is, O God! By it you have brought us to life. Where there had been death, now there is no more death. For we, by your word, have been told that life has come. In Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection and the life. And we who believe in him know that death has been vanquished and life is victorious.

    O God, may your word today be life indeed. May we thrill when we hear it, and may we thrill at receiving it, for our benefit in your glory. So, O Lord, may we be known as the people of your word, for we wait upon you and rest in what you have said. Hear us, our God, as we pray to you through Christ, the one who is called the Word of God incarnate. Amen.

    Jesus does approach the city and enter it as a king. His approach and entrance is unique, to be sure. He comes riding upon an ass. He comes in humility. He comes in lowliness and in meekness. Yet, those who attend him as he comes and as he enters do so recognizing him to be a Lord, a Sovereign, a King.

    They look at him as the one expected, the one long-anticipated, the messianic Lord who has come into the city of the great king for the purpose of establishing finally, fully, that kingdom peculiar to him. But as the week progresses, this one who is acknowledged king demonstrates himself to be anything but a king in the eyes of the people. He starts out well; he enters the temple and cleanses it. He manifests his power, his zeal, and purges the house of God, so that the righteous rule of the Lord might emanate gloriously from that center point, the temple itself. But having done that, he then makes daily visits to the temple and to the city. There he teaches and instructs, and as he does, the confrontation between him and the leaders of the city builds.

    It builds to a crisis point. There seems to be no turning back. The confrontation is extreme. There is confusion among his disciples. He must wrestle with that as well. And at the end of the week, he is proclaiming to them, in no uncertain terms, his imminent demise. He is speaking of his death, of all things. Some king. Some king. So it is, then, that this one who entered the city in a kingly way, at least in the estimation of the crowds, departs this world in a manner hardly fitting for a sovereign. But what a king. What a king he is.

    For it will be no temporal authority. It will be no time-bound throne that is His. Rather, it will be an eternal throne, a kingdom incapable of suffering loss, or diminishment, or any other such thing. To remain that king in the world would mean being subject to all the changes of this world. But this king is now the king of glory, and he exercises a heavenly and eternal rule from his throne above. Glory, matchless, unprecedented, unparalleled glory. Such that will not fade. And that for all of his dear and dearly loved subjects.

    Well, Ephesians speaks to us about this throne, about this dominion and heavenly rule. It tells us how God has brought it about in and for his Christ when he raised him from the dead, chapter 1, verse 20. And seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. Verse 21, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And he put all things in subjection under his feet and gave him as head over all things, to the church which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all and all. So we are confronted, are we not, by this one who is a sovereign, a lord, a king, indeed.

    Never a king like this. The one who truly has ascended the hill of the Lord and demanded entrance through the gates, so that they be lifted up at his entrance. And though there may be those within those city walls who would keep him at bay, refusing to acknowledge him, who is this King of Glory? Yet the proclamation comes: The Lord, strong in battle, the Lord, mighty to save. He is the King of Glory. Truly, this King has ascended on high, as stated in the language of Psalm 68, and has led captivity captive.

    A heavenly rule without any earthly manifestation or impact? Not at all. For we are told that this one has been given as head and king over the church, his body, which is still present in the world. There exists then a relationship between the heavenly Lord and the earthly assembly. His church is dominion in the world, where he asserts and exercises his rule. His dominion is evident in and through his church. Indeed, he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and he gave gifts to people, so that those gifts might be exercised and used in the world by those who are his subjects, his servants.

    This places us directly in the middle of Ephesians 4. The passage discusses spiritual gifts and draws our attention to the matter of responsibility, response, duty, obligation, oath, vow, and promise, as we begin again to consider this subject and bring our messages on Christians and their vows to a conclusion. We have been reviewing the whole matter of our vows and oaths, and we are bringing our series to a conclusion by taking up the subject of office and the specific responsibilities that pertain to office, those who bear office, and we who are served by officers in the Church of Christ. Our text, then, is Ephesians 4. And this wonderful exposition by the Apostle Paul of Psalm 68, well in tune with the heavenly rule of Christ, nowhere else expressing himself so wonderfully on this theme as here in the letter to the Ephesians.

    The exalted Lord, whose rule indeed impacts the world and life in the world through the church—Jesus Christ’s church, His body—has, by His exaltation, led captivity captive. We are no longer enslaved. We are set at liberty. What a warrior, what a deliverer, what a redeemer this is. We are set at liberty from our sins, from death itself, and this one, as a conquering hero, gives gifts to His servants.

    There are foundational gifts given by Him from heaven to His church in the world. These are the gifts peculiar to the foundation of the church. As that foundation is laid and established, it will not be laid again. There is a time appropriate for the laying of the foundation, and then that time passes. Afterward, one must attend to other concerns and considerations. These foundational gifts are spoken of in verse 11, and here they are called apostles and prophets. Some would also include evangelists.

    We are not accustomed to including them as foundational gifts. What do we mean by these foundational gifts? These are gifts unique to the apostolic age—gifts that were accompanied by revelation directly from Christ to His Church for the Church’s benefit. These are revelatory gifts through which God communicates in Christ His will for His people in a time when the Word of God, the Scriptures, had not yet been completed. We hear about these foundational gifts earlier in the epistle to the Ephesians.

    Chapter 2, verse 20. The church is called God’s household, verse 19, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone. The apostles and prophets are specifically described as foundational to the structure of the Church. They are foundational because they communicate God’s will for his people at a foundational level during a time when the Scriptures were not yet completed. There are other foundational gifts.

    We hear of them in 1 Corinthians 12, verse 28. We also hear of them in the Corinthian epistle, chapter 14, verse 1 and following. Gifts of prophecy, gifts of healing, gifts of tongues. These are all revelatory gifts. In these passages, we also hear of gifts of prayer, gifts of song, all of them supernaturally endowed, not part of the ordinary course of life in the Church, but foundational to the Church, given by Christ as a demonstration of his power for the purpose of revealing his purpose and intention to his people during that time, in that particular period. We therefore have these foundational gifts given to men by Christ, the ascended and reigning Lord. But we also learn about permanent gifts that are given, gifts that continue from age to age.

    Once more, in Ephesians 4, verse 11, we move from the temporary, extraordinary gifts—apostles and prophets—to the ordinary and perpetual gifts. Some would include evangelists here, but most specifically what is in view are pastors and teachers. We read of other permanent gifts given to the Church in Romans, chapter 12, verse 8. Again, in 1 Corinthians 12, verse 28, we read of other permanent gifts given to the Church: gifts for teaching, gifts for instruction, gifts for leadership, gifts for service within the Church.

    And as we take stock of these permanent gifts, we, in collecting them and distilling them, recognize that there are actually three orders of gifts given permanently for the Church. These gifts are the means by which Christ is exercising his heavenly rule among his people. There are gifts of teaching, which belong to the ministerial office. There are gifts of rule, which belong to the office of the elder. There are gifts of service, which belong specifically to the office of the deacon. There are three, then, permanent offices operative in the Church by which Christ is exercising his heavenly rule among his people. But there is something more here in this passage from Ephesians 4. It is true that Christ, our heavenly King, has given gifts to men. And we have spoken about those gifts—gifts conferred upon individuals, specific individuals within the Church, for the benefit of the Church, for the glory of Christ, the Church’s Lord.

    But while that is true, it is also true that, according to the language of Ephesians 4:11, Christ has given the gifted as gifts to the Church. It is not simply that he gives gifts to men, and these men then express those gifts within the Church. Rather, the language of Ephesians 4:11 suggests to us that Jesus Christ has actually given those who are endowed, those who are gifted, as gifts of his heavenly rule, of his heavenly victory and triumph, to the Church. This means that an officer exercising his responsibility in the Church is Christ’s gift to you. It is not merely that the man has the gift; he is the gift. Do you see this in the language of that eleventh verse?

    And he gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, and some teachers. The Church, therefore, recognizes the gifts given. There are appropriate ways of doing that. Observing the way in which an individual behaves and how that individual conducts his life. The church in Jerusalem was called upon to do nothing less than that. Choose men from among you who have wisdom. Choose men from among you who are capable and who are filled with the Holy Spirit.

    The church was then called upon to recognize the gifts given by Christ’s heavenly rule for her good. And the church, you see, expresses itself in recognizing those gifts. It is not a matter of a hierarchy pushing the gifted upon the church. It is a matter of the church recognizing the gifts, acknowledging those gifts, and receiving those gifts through some sort of public act.

    In Acts chapter 6, there was an election. The people voted. We are often confused about Paul’s language, or rather Luke’s language, in speaking about Paul’s missionary journeys. When Paul is going through the church’s appointment of elders, Calvin makes clear to us that the language there indicates an election taking place within the congregations for establishing those officers. The list of qualifications given to us in the pastoral epistles, in 1 Timothy chapter three, shows that the people ought to recognize within those who present themselves for office these qualities and these qualifications.

    And how can they express themselves unless it is in some form of election or confirmation? But as the church recognizes the gifts, the church also submits to them. Once a person with a gift has been placed in an office, you should not continue to remind them, “It is only because of me that you are in this position.” Instead, you acknowledge that it is Christ who is at work in all of this, and He is the one who places His offices or His officers in their positions. Therefore, you are obligated to submit to these gifts once they have been confirmed within the congregation. I believe there is probably nothing that a congregation resists more than submitting to the gifts given within the church.

    It might be helpful for you, in this matter, to recall the vows you made when you acknowledged the officers of this congregation as having authority over you. For example, the vow used in the ordination of a ruling elder or a deacon: “Do you, the members of this church, acknowledge and receive this brother as a ruling elder or deacon, and do you promise to yield him all that honor, encouragement, and obedience in the Lord, to which his office, according to the word of God and the constitution of this church, entitles him?” If you have not thought about this for some time, it may cause you to reflect seriously. You have actually made a vow regarding those who hold office in the church, and you have promised to submit to them. Of course, it is not only the congregation that makes a vow; the individual who assumes the office also makes a vow.

    Whether he is a minister, an elder, or a deacon, he is obliged to declare before the congregation his intention with respect to the Scriptures, acknowledging them to be the word of God, the infallible rule of faith and practice. Before the Church, he is obliged to acknowledge his reception of the confession of faith and catechisms of the Church as containing that system of doctrine taught in the Scriptures. He is obliged to declare his approval of the government, discipline, and worship of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

    There is a promise with respect to subjection to your brethren in the Lord, specifically directed to pastors. There are questions appropriate to the pastoral office. He must acknowledge that he has sought the ministry from his love of God and his sincere desire to promote His glory in the gospel of His Son. That minister is obliged to promise before the congregation to be zealous and faithful in maintaining the truths of the gospel, the purity and peace of the Church, whatever persecution and opposition may arise on that account. He is obliged to engage, to be faithful and diligent in the exercises of all private and personal duties which become him as a Christian and a minister of the gospel, as well as in all relative duties and the public duties of his office, endeavoring to adorn the profession of the gospel by his conversation and walking with exemplary piety before the flock over which Christ has made him an overseer.

    And he is obliged to declare before the congregation that he is willing to take the charge of this congregation in accordance with his declaration that he accepted when he was called, in terms of the call. And he promises to discharge the duties of a pastor to the people as God gives him strength to do so.

    And the vows are very comprehensive. As I said, they are very sobering. They are sobering with respect to those who assume office. They are sobering with regard to the congregation that receives the officer. It is important for us who are in positions of leadership to assess ourselves, recognizing that we are, in fact, servants of Christ. His heavenly rule is presently at work in the world. We are called to minister in His name and to serve Him with diligence. It is imperative that we be found faithful. Nothing more pleases the Lord of those called than faithfulness. Faithfulness to the office to which they have been called.

    Therefore, it is imperative that deacons not be concerned first with feeding themselves. Rather, they must first be concerned with feeding others, so that the needs of others may be met. It is imperative that elders have themselves under control, that they are able to manage their own households well, so that they may then function well in ruling the house of God. And it is imperative that ministers, in all humility, present the pure and unadulterated word to people, not for their own glory, not so that they might be thought well of, but so that the Lord whom they serve may be thought well of.

    This is the matter of vows. I began this series by speaking generally about the vows, and I have spoken at length about your responsibilities to your vows, both within the Church and outside it. But I have ended with myself, so that I might not judge you in circumstances or situations where I am unwilling to be judged myself.

    We know, our God, that Jesus Christ, our Savior, is the one who has spoken perfectly and has reflected perfectly the obligation and duty that is laid upon those who would be servants of God. And we know, our Father, that he has fulfilled every vow and oath that he has taken, and all your promises are yes and amen in him. We take comfort in this and find shelter in it, for we know that if there is to be the perfecting of our vows and promises within us, it can only be through him. So, Lord, we ask, we who are in various relationships and face various responsibilities, that the faithfulness of Jesus Christ would be expressed in us. And Lord, we ask that those who bear office in the Church would remember, in truth, that they are servants of the heavenly King. We pray that they may take their vows with utter seriousness and remain faithful, for the benefit of the people they serve and for the glory of the Christ who reigns over them. We pray this in Jesus’ name.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • Order, Office, and Heavenly Realities

    Order, Office, and Heavenly Realities

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Christians & Their Vows” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, April 1, 1990.

    About this sermon

    The church’s order and offices reflect heavenly realities themselves. Several New Testament passages call members to respect church officers and call officers to humility.

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    Sermon transcript

    This morning our scripture reading is from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. We begin our reading in chapter 2, verse 11. Hear the word of God. Say the word of God. Therefore remember that you, who were once Gentiles in the flesh, were called uncircumcision by those who are called the circumcision in the flesh, made by hands. At that time, you were without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the promises, having no hope and without God in the world.

    But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who has made both groups one and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility. He abolished in his flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity, making peace. He did this so that he might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thereby ending the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near. For through him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household. You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ himself as the cornerstone. In him, the whole building, joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him, you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

    Then turning to chapter four, beginning with verse eleven: And he gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.

    Can we all come into unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ? That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, but speaking the truth in love may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head—even Christ—from whom the whole body, fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

    We are wrapping up a series that has dealt with Christians and their vows. And this last installment in this series has to do with the matter of office.

    This topic may not be of immediate interest to you. You may not think of yourself as someone called to office, and there are only certain individuals within the Church who are called to office. Therefore, discussing this issue might bring before us a subject that does not involve everyone, and you might think so immediately. But is this true? Are we not all interested in the church and her order? Do we not have a vested interest in our church’s order? Are not the church’s officers important to us, since they are set in the church for our good?

    I wish this morning merely to place before you a proposition and develop it, in order to lay the foundation for consideration of the matter of those vows particular to the officers of this church. That proposition is this: When we deal with the church’s order and her offices, we must remember—we must remember—we are dealing with heavenly things. That is the proposition. When we deal with the Church’s order and her officers, we must remember that we are dealing with heavenly things.

    You might recall some of the material from that letter to the Hebrews. In that letter, at several points, the writer tells us that the old order, even the old order, was a copy and shadow of heavenly realities. It was as if there was a reflection from above into the earth of the form and outline of those heavenly truths. You have then in the heavens the truth, the realities, the substance, if you will. And in the old order, with the tabernacle and the temple, its sacrifices and services, even its offices, there is a reflection from heaven to earth.

    But then the writer goes on. If he makes this point clear in chapter 8 and chapter 9, by the time we reach chapter 12 he is pressing us further. In that chapter he goes on to say that we now no longer come to that which was a copy and shadow, but to the very reality itself. He tells us that we have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, so that there is now a sense in which the people of God are in direct contact with that heavenly substance in a way that those under the older administration were not. But he is not done. He presses us further, moving on from chapter 12 to chapter 13.

    Specifically, in the seventeenth verse, he tells us: “Obey your leaders. Obey those officers who have been established within the assembly.” And specifically with respect to these leaders, there is an authority that does not come from a shadow or a copy. It does not come from an earthly administration, even if that administration is as glorious as the one revealed at Sinai. Rather, there is an authority that is unique to this leadership, possessing heavenly weight, significance, and reality. These leaders are in direct contact with heaven itself, which explains the seriousness with which the writer to the Hebrews speaks. Indeed, these leaders may come and go, they may rise, flourish for a time, grow old, and die. But even though they come and go, they serve in the name of and in the power of Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

    Hebrews 13:8. There is then this truth: the heavenly priest, the heavenly officer, glorified as he is, is now asserting his rule through these leaders who have taken their place in the church. This affirms a vital and substantive connection between what is true in heaven and what is happening in the world. The proposition is this: when we deal with the church and her order, when we deal with the church and her offices, we must remember that we are dealing with heavenly things. What we have said, using Hebrews as our background, is confirmed by many considerations in the New Testament.

    Do you remember Jesus at Caesarea Philippi? Do you remember Matthew 16? That is a contested passage, the passage in which Jesus speaks specifically to Peter. He tells Peter, “I am giving you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” You must not overlook the relationship between those keys and heaven itself. And Jesus goes on to explain, “Whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

    You see, there is something heavenly taking place here. Regardless of our disagreements with the Roman Catholic Church regarding the role of Peter, we can set those aside for a moment. It is clear, is it not, that there is something heavenly taking place here. As Protestants, we often emphasize chapter 18, where that specific blessing—or responsibility—given to Peter is now extended, it seems, to all the disciples.

    For in verse 18 of that chapter, Jesus says to the disciples as a group what he had said formally to Peter. The same language is used: “Whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

    But the words here are very interesting, because Jesus is not specifically dealing with the disciples per se. This passage deals broadly with the matter of the church itself. The church, in her exercise of authority, as that authority will in fact be exercised throughout the church’s history, from Christ’s resurrection to our own time. So it is, once more, made plain to us from Jesus himself, that there is a relationship that exists between things in heaven and things on earth, a relationship that has never before been so clearly established. The focal point of this relationship is the church, and specifically the church’s offices. Jesus appears after his resurrection in the upper room, as recorded in John 20, where he makes a similar statement to his disciples, in verse 23. He tells them that the sins they forgive will be forgiven, and the sins they bind will remain bound. This authority from Christ resides with the church in its authoritative offices. That is what we find generally in the Gospels.

    What about the Apostle Paul? There are two images that Paul uses with respect to the church. These two images appear repeatedly. He speaks of the church as the body of Christ. He also speaks of the church as a new, final, or heavenly temple of God. Both images are used, and both of these images have been used in the passages from Ephesians that we read this morning. With respect to the first, we are told that the church is the body of Christ. Now that is interesting language, is it not? Because we know that the body of Christ is at the right hand of the Father. And yet Paul speaks of the church as the body of Christ. To what end? That things in heaven may be connected to things on earth. Yet there is this relationship, now established as never before, between things above and things here.

    The body of Christ is a body. Yet the church can also be called the body of Christ. The church is also called the temple of God. She is the final dwelling place of God in the Spirit. The end of Ephesians 2 makes this clear. And this temple, this final abode for God and His people, actually binds things eternal and heavenly to those things that are here in our present existence, in our present order of things. How pervasive this matter of the church as the temple of God is throughout the epistles of Paul. It is clearly asserted, especially in the pastorals. For example, in Ephesians 2, Paul speaks of the church as the household of God.

    This language is used again by Paul when he writes to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:15. He has written these things to Timothy so that he might know how to behave himself in the house of God. The term used by Paul here is not to be understood in a domestic sense, as if it refers to a private home or villa. It refers to the temple. So that you might know how to behave yourself in the temple of God—the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth, the new and final temple of God. In this temple, as it is spelled out in the pastoral epistles—1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus—there is presented to you the ordering of the new and final temple of God and the offices that are established within it. How close was Luke to Paul? Things in heaven and things on earth. The body of Christ, the temple of God. How close was Luke to Paul? Would we be surprised to find Paul’s attitudes reflected in Luke’s writings?

    Not at all. Survey the book of Acts. What is the intention there? Is it not to show that we have moved from the old order and its temple to the new order and its temple, which is centered in the church of Jesus Christ, the work of the Spirit, bringing order out of chaos, and establishing for the church her offices? This is not a moving beyond Paul and Luke. What about John in the book of Revelation? The language there about temple and order. How heaven opens and John sees into heaven itself. And what does he find there in the fourth chapter?

    He finds twenty-four elders surrounding the throne, even in the eternal order. The office persists, and not only are the twenty-four elders mentioned, but also four living creatures. Was it any accident that in the ancient church each of those creatures, the four living creatures, was associated with one of the gospel writers? The proclamation of the Word is related to those creatures, as there are four corners of the earth, so there are four creatures, and the Word of God goes out to the ends of the earth. The four creatures thus indicate the preaching office, and the twenty-four elders indicate the ruling office, even in eternity. The heavenly truth asserting itself in earthly circumstances is the good of heaven.

    Now does that not sober you? If indeed what is happening here, and that through the work of Jesus Christ, is a glimpse of heaven, and if you are now in touch with heaven in a way that was never before possible, how seriously ought you to take the matters that pertain to the church, her orders, and her offices? How ought you to treat your officers? How ought you to respect them? How should you reverence them for the sake of the office, not because they cannot fall or stumble, not because they cannot destroy your confidence or do things that ruin their effectiveness within the office, or even discredit themselves to the point of being removed? But be that as it may. The office itself demands your respect, because these are heavenly matters. Indeed, in the assembly you are exalted, yet simultaneously sobered. And what of you who hold office? Or what of us who have office? Yes, there is a glory.

    For there are functions of office that place us on the side of God, as God would speak to you through us for your good and benefit. But what humility is necessary! For the one we serve is the Lord Jesus Christ, the greatest officer, who is known specifically for his humility and who gave himself for his sheep. Here is the background: we are touching heavenly things, as the church generally, and also specifically as we consider the church’s order and her offices. Let us keep that in mind as we move on next week to think about the vows, the oaths that are peculiar to office, and the obligations and duties that come with it. Let us pray.

    Now, our Lord, may we, though unworthy, again think deeply and earnestly about the eternal realm of heaven, about the kingdom above. What the ministry of your Son has meant, through which we have now been brought into such vital connection, into such wonderful and amazing contact with those heavenly truths. Indeed, we have come to the heavenly Jerusalem, and as the body of Christ and the temple of God, we are bound to things above. And, oh Lord, may we understand that this order exists because we are in contact with it, as our Christ, the head and king of the church, exerts his rule and reign in ways that please him among his people in the world. Prepare us now, Lord, as we approach the cross of our Savior, that we may be mindful of what he has done for us. We rejoice in our God.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • Our Vows and the Lord’s Day

    Our Vows and the Lord’s Day

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Christians & Their Vows” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, March 18, 1990.

    About this sermon

    The modern church has largely abandoned Sabbath worship and rest, and Scripture shows what it means to keep ‘the Day of the Lord.’ As a ‘royal priesthood,’ believers carry real vows about how they keep that day.

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    Sermon transcript

    Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but think soberly, according as God has given to each one the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

    Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them accordingly. If prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith. If ministry, let us serve in our ministry. If teaching, let us teach. If exhortation, let us exhort.

    Let the one who gives do so with simplicity. Let the one who rules do so with diligence. Let the one who shows mercy do so with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Do not be lazy in work. Be fervent in spirit. Serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope. Be patient in affliction. Be constant in prayer. Share with the needs of the saints. Practice hospitality.

    Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.

    Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your minds on lofty things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Repay no one evil for evil. Provide for honest things in the sight of all people. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people.

    Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him drink. For in doing so, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

    And then, Psalm 15: “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honoreth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.”

    Pray with me now. Our God, we have given ourselves, we have given all that we have. We have come today and presented not only our offerings, but we have come today presenting ourselves. And Lord, we have come that we might receive of your word, that we might be filled, and we pray, our Father, that we might be filled and satisfied. May it be, Lord, that your word is proclaimed today from your pulpits throughout the world, for the glory of your name and the well-being of your church, that your saints everywhere may rejoice in you and delight in those good things which you have given to them. O Lord, help us, help us as we offer ourselves, but help us also in our hearing, that we may hear aright and then live in keeping with what we have heard. May we not merely be hearers of the word, but doers as well. For Christ’s sake, amen. Is your worship for only one day in the week? Is your worship only for one day in the week? Perhaps only for a few hours in that one day in the week.

    Now, to be sure, we hold that our worship is specially focused, it is specially concentrated, and it is specially expressed on that given day, the Lord’s day, which is set apart from all other days. And truly, in this regard, we are part of a noble tradition for which we need not apologize, about which we need not be embarrassed. Our tradition is that of the Reformed Church and the Reformed faith. And by and large, within that tradition, the principle has been constant and uniform. The Lord’s day is in fact set apart, not just a portion of it, but the whole of it, for the worship of God and for the rest of those who belong to him.

    As I say, it is a distinguishing trait of this heritage of which you are a part. Your heritage in the Reformed Church and in the Reformed faith is the entirety of the day devoted to the public and private exercises of worship, and a day given to God so that you may rest in him, following his example. All you need do is consult the Westminster Confession of Faith on this subject. Consult the Larger Catechism and the Shorter Catechism on this subject.

    What about our practice? I suppose that, to varying degrees, it is the same for all of us. As we read through the confession and rehearse the catechism, we know that we do not fully live up to what we read there. The principles are clearly set before us, but our practice does not match the principle. If we are humble before the Lord, if we are contrite regarding our practice, and if we are striving and making effort in accordance with what we know to be right and true, then well and good. How gracious and how merciful God is toward us when we approach him with humility and contrition. But what a clear tragedy of our day: that the day set apart by God for the special activities of worship and rest is now desecrated by those who belong to the tradition that has long affirmed this day as one of the hallmarks of their commitment.

    It is one thing to recognize a principle and then have your practice fall short of that principle. It is another thing to allow your practice to determine, if not destroy, your attitude toward the principle, and even to destroy the principle itself. Do you see the difference? When your practice becomes the determining factor, and you make allowances for yourself, you then make allowances in all circumstances and for all people. I am off the hook, and so is everyone else.

    But the tragedy of our time is not only about practice. It is also about the practice of those who know better, who have abandoned the principles in order to preserve their own customs. The tragedy is profound. For the understanding that once guided our forefathers in regard to this special day of worship and rest has now been lost from our collective memory.

    We do not understand. Our children do not understand. “Dad, why can’t I? Why can’t I do this or that on the Sabbath? Dad, why do I have to be different? Why is it only our family in the neighborhood that’s so different?” I do not know how far you have progressed. I understand that it is a source of frustration for my sons that I do not let them watch the NFL on the Sabbath. Although I think they are grateful for radios, I do not truly know what they do with them. That is a man’s day.

    What, in fact, informs our devotion to this day and establishes the principles regarding it? We call it the Lord’s Day because we believe that this day is especially marked by what happened to Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion—that on that day Jesus Christ entered into his rest and into his glory.

    We believe that all that the Old Testament Sabbath pointed to now finds its fulfillment and culmination in Him and in what occurred with respect to Him on that day. The hope of the Old Testament Sabbath was realized in Him. Yet this does not minimize our obligation; rather, it accentuates it. We are bound by this obligation more fully now, in light of what has happened to Christ. If we love Him, we are constrained by Him, and if He has set His seal upon this day, we are bound to it in a special way.

    Could you say that your attitude toward the risen Christ is connected to your attitude toward the Lord’s Day, the day that commemorates His resurrection? Could you say that if you do not clearly understand the significance of this day, you do not clearly understand the significance of His resurrection? Therefore, our principles regarding this day are informed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ and by what took place with respect to Him on that day.

    But we are Presbyterians and Reformed in our outlook, and therefore we are not merely New Testament in our orientation; we are Bible in our orientation. This means that we do not look at the New Testament without also considering the Old. We see the threads woven throughout the entire fabric of God’s revelation as we move from the Old to the New, and we apply in the new context what has been given to us in the old. We do not believe that the church began on the day of Pentecost. We believe there was a church in the wilderness under the leadership of Moses. Thus, we affirm the unity of the Testaments and the unity of the Church.

    We believe in a continuity of obligation as you move from the Old Testament to the New Testament, so that as we appreciate the significance of Christ’s resurrection in light of the change of the day, we also appreciate the original intention with regard to the day itself, as that has been revealed to us in the Old Testament. Our appreciation for the day is therefore based on Christ’s resurrection, but also on God’s own work of creation. God worked for six days and rested on the seventh. God gave the commandment at Sinai with respect to His people. This commandment set His people apart. How are you set apart? Let me ask you that. How are you different? If you are not different in your observance of the day, then tell me, how are you different? How is there any distinguishing mark for you in the world?

    In part, what informs us with respect to the day is Christ’s resurrection, God’s work of creation, and the revelation He gave to His people at Sinai. But there is something else as well, and this is often overlooked. Consider the phrase “the Lord’s day.” Let us say it differently. Let us rephrase it. If we reconstruct the phrase and supply the preposition, what do we have? Not the Lord’s day, but the day of the Lord. Do you see what is informing our principles with respect to this day? Yes, Christ’s resurrection. Yes, the first creation Sabbath. Yes, God’s revelation at Sinai. But even more than all of these, the day of the Lord. Why? Why?

    Because on the day of the Lord, you will enter into the presence of God. You will appear before Him. Your praise and your worship of Him will be perfected. And already in this world, you are practicing for that event. The Lord’s Day is practice for the day of the Lord. Therefore, the Lord’s Day, being the day of the Lord, brings into view the final fulfillment.

    That is the end. But that consummation, which is the end, is also commencement and beginning. The Sabbath in the Old Testament ends the week. The Sabbath in the New Testament begins the week. It speaks of both consummation and commencement, of both end and beginning. The significance of this is that the Lord’s Day is practice for the day of the Lord.

    You should gather in this way. You should assemble in this way—as if it were the day of the Lord, and you were being brought directly into His presence and were living before His face at this very moment. What kind of behavior is appropriate? What kind of activities are appropriate?

    What should you be doing in light of this consideration? I can say this much: One question that should not be occurring to you is, “Do I have to go to church?” Another question that should not be occurring to you is, “How often do I have to go?” You mean I have to go tonight too? Look, you are preparing yourself for eternity. Is this not registering? You are preparing yourself for eternity.

    It is a fact, is it not, that we of the Reformed faith, of the Reformed Church, have held that our worship is specially focused, specially concentrated, and specially expressed on that day which God has assigned, designated, and set aside. But the question with which I began this message was this: Is your worship for but one day only in the week? We have established that it is for one day, but is it for that one day alone? This, then, brings before us one of the great hallmarks of the tradition of which you are a part—what that tradition has maintained and proclaimed.

    For you see, it is the Reformed faith, among other expressions of Christianity, that has held that we are obliged to the general form and structure of life to the full-orbed expression of worship and service in our daily existence. The Reformed view has been a comprehensive worldview. Not one day, but all the days. Not just a portion of life, but the whole of life. So that the worship experience among the people of God becomes a crowning event and experience for them, consistent with the fabric of their life throughout.

    And it is truly this that the New Testament emphasizes wonderfully and helpfully. That is why I read for you this morning Romans chapter 12. Some people have thought, as they have moved through that chapter, that the Apostle Paul has specifically in mind the activities taking place within the confines of the institutional church, within the walls of the church, as it is assembled. Not so. That is a misreading.

    For it is a whole-life vision that the Apostle Paul presents to the people to whom he writes. He approaches them with the same attitude that we have already identified with respect to the Lord’s Day. That is, the Apostle Paul approaches life in general with a day of the Lord attitude, just as we are to approach the Lord’s Day with a day of the Lord attitude. This is what he means when he tells us that we are to offer our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is our spiritual service of worship. This worship is not confined to the activities of a special day set apart in the week, but is the very fabric of our entire existence. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in keeping with the attitude that has in you the day of the Lord, the world to come. Then you may prove what the will of God is—what is good, acceptable, and perfect in His sight. Therefore, read the concluding chapters of Romans with an attitude appropriate to the day of the Lord, and see that the entirety of your life is lived before the Lord who is coming.

    In another part of this epistle, the Apostle Paul tells his readers that they are to present themselves as alive from the dead, as stated in Romans 6:13. They are to render their members as instruments of righteousness—not specifically confined to the worship services of the Church week by week, but applicable to the entirety of their existence. And thus it is throughout the entire range of Paul’s epistles that he has this vantage point in mind. I know how Ephesians 5 is often read. I know how Colossians 2 is often read. You may wish to look at those passages for a moment. Consider verses 15 and following in Ephesians chapter 5.

    A passage that speaks about speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks for all things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father. Some have claimed that specifically in view here is the worship service of the Church. Not so! This is to be the continual attitude of those who believe, trust, and live for God. It is a whole life vision that is laid out before you here. It is even more clearly stated in Colossians chapter 3, verses 12 and following. The same kind of language is used there. Look, for instance, at verse 16.

    Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you with all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. I know how this passage has been interpreted. It has been interpreted to mean that it applies specifically to the worship services of God, so that everyone in the congregation is welcome to teach and admonish, just as they are called upon to sing hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs.

    That is not what Paul is saying at all. The passage applies to the totality of life, to the character of the people of God as they live day by day. This is confirmed by verse 17. Read on to see what he says. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. It is a whole life vision and prescription.

    The same sentiment is expressed in Hebrews 13. There, in verse 15, the writer says, “Through Him then let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” He goes on to say, “And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

    And I might add, despite the misinterpretations that are often given, this is precisely what the Apostle Peter has in mind in the second chapter of his first epistle, when he says, “you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” This is chapter 2, verse 5. Do not let the temple imagery confuse you. You, in all of your life, are the temple of God, not only on the Lord’s day but on every day, as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. And this is specifically what Peter has in mind when he says that the people of God are a priesthood, a royal priesthood, in verse 9.

    It is not to limit these things to the day of worship or to the services of worship conducted by the church. Not at all. As if the laity were welcomed to all the responsibilities and duties of the clergy, as if that were what the priesthood of all believers means. No, not at all.

    It is a call for a life consistent with the coming of God, a life lived in light of God’s appearance, the coming of God on the day of the Lord. Full Lord, complete, full. Yes, one day, but every day. Especially on that one day, according to the ordinances which God has established for us in His Word. But then every day, in keeping with that attitude, it keeps before us the day of the Lord, and also the fact that we are to be living sacrifices to God. Now you may be wondering by this time, what in the world does this have to do with vows? And I will speak of that matter briefly here. In conclusion, I will do so by asking you a question that parallels the question I asked at the beginning of the message.

    Are your vows for the church alone? Are your vows for the church alone—those vows which you have made in worship services? The Reformed view does not allow you to limit either your understanding or your practice of worship to a single day. Neither does the Reformed view allow you to limit your vows and the seriousness of those vows to the confines of the institutional church. As if, when you leave this building, what you promised no longer matters, and you are no longer bound by your commitments. As if you could make vows here with a sense of seriousness, yet once you go outside these doors, you no longer take them seriously. Thus the importance of Psalm 15.

    The man who swears even to his own hurt and does not change. This should be an attitude of life, the entirety of his life. So I sit in the company of men on Tuesday night discussing the state of the church. And here is an elder telling me about the stress he experiences at work. It is time for the annual review. There is a man in his group who is not performing. Yet this man is a Christian. It is not that he lacks ability, but that he does not consider the work important. After all, Christ covers all things. It does not matter how I perform on the job. It does not matter whether I have given my word.

    There is a church in Dayton, Ohio involved in a building project. Where are they now? They are out $17,000. Why? Because a Christian contractor broke his contract. And still, to honor his vow. You owe bills. You keep one step ahead of the creditors. You throw yourself into a way of life that continually accumulates debt without real responsibility or accountability?

    Does your word mean anything? You give your word to your spouse and then lie. You lie. You promise something to your children and do not follow through. This happens not only in the church but also in the world. And this is of great importance: if you give your word, keep it. If you promise something, follow through.

    Even if it is to your own disadvantage. God is well pleased with this. But I know that your conscience may have been pricked by what I have said. And that is intentional. Yet I also want you to be comforted. Not so that you can make excuses for yourself, but in all humility, to recognize your failures. To see how far you have fallen short. And today you are not offering excuses. You are saying, yes, I have not been what I ought to be before the world. I have not kept my word.

    But you also realize that the God you serve has kept His word perfectly, and all the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ. The one you serve is the one who invites you into Himself, so that His righteousness is credited to you, and all His faithfulness and promise-keeping are accounted to you.

    Now that is not to make you lazy, nor to make you presumptuous, but to make you glad, to make you rejoice. It is to make you praise Him for His great grace and love toward you. For you see, rightly, God can send you straight to hell for the breach of one little promise. With humility and contrition, we look to this glorious Savior who is fully adequate and wonderfully sufficient for us. Let us pray: Hear us, God. We have faltered and failed in our promises, oaths, and vows—to the world, to our duties, and to our God. And we pray, our God, for Your forgiveness and grace, that we, with all humility, may appeal to You and live before You. But we also plead with You, Father, that we may be appreciative of the depths of mercy and love exhibited in Christ, the one who is indeed Your banner. This testifies to the fact that all the promises of our God are yes and amen in Him. May we glory in Him. And, Lord, by Your Spirit, may we do better. And may we strive, Lord, to keep our word, to speak truthfully, so that no idle word may come from our lips.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • The Marriage Vow

    The Marriage Vow

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Christians & Their Vows” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, March 11, 1990.

    About this sermon

    The Puritans took oaths seriously, and the OPC’s marriage ceremony carries real doctrinal weight. Marriage today is unhealthy, and only Christ makes marriages strong.

    More sermons from Ephesians · Browse all sermons

    Sermon transcript

    This morning we are reading from Ephesians chapter 5, and we will begin with verse 15 and read to the end of that chapter. Hear the word of God. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as those who are wise. Since the days are evil, therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which there is excess, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Give thanks always for all things to God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for God. Why? Submit to one another, even as the wives submit to their own husbands, as to the Lord.

    For the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the Church. He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, as the Church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of water with the Word, so that He might present the Church to Himself in glory, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the Church.

    For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church. Therefore, each one of you in particular should love his wife as himself, and the wife should reverence her husband.

    We ask of you, our God, that we might be fed with your word. Teach us obedience in our daily tasks. May we honor you, Lord, with our offerings and with our lives. Encourage us in our jobs. Bless us, Lord, if we struggle in them. Encourage us, Lord, where we are in great need, in our homes. In the distress that may well be a part of our hearts, these burdens dwell within the fabric of our lives at this time. Through your word, Lord, send help and healing. We beseech you through Christ, in the power of the Spirit. Amen.

    There are advantages to being a Puritan. There are great advantages to being a self-conscious, even a determined Puritan. There are advantages in the austerity of our heritage in Puritanism. There are advantages in its sober simplicity and in its steadfast piety.

    The reason I say this is because the Puritan, unlike us, would not let a vow pass without reviewing that vow and that oath with full seriousness. The habit of the Puritan was not merely to meditate upon the Word day and night, but also to take with utmost seriousness vows and oaths spoken, so that before they were uttered publicly, they were carefully considered and deeply reflected upon.

    Now I know how it is in our time. The occasion often overshadows the oath. Not because the oath is given little thought, but because the event is so important, so monumental, so utterly significant. We find ourselves overtaken by excitement. We find ourselves unreflective. We find ourselves in a non-meditative state. We do not take time to think about what we are saying because of the excitement of the moment. The particularities of the occasion eclipse the significance of the event itself, especially the vows.

    So, do you remember your vows in baptism? Do you remember your vows in membership? If you are an officer, do you remember your vows when assuming office? Can you recite for me this morning, from memory, your marriage vows? I guarantee that only pure and worthless salt could. Call them to mind instantly. This morning we want to review both the event and its vow. Because, unfortunately, we are much too unlike our European forefathers.

    I will be using the service that appears in the standards of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and I dare say that though there may be some differences, there are also striking and marked similarities between this service and other services, even the service that may have been yours, particularly.

    Believe it or not, the wedding ceremony is highly doctrinal. It is filled with doctrinal content. The wedding ceremony is built upon a doctrinal foundation and expresses itself in doctrinal ways as it progresses. Let us then consider the parts of the service, the ceremony, and think about their doctrinal significance.

    To begin with, there is the institution, or the words of institution. In these words, what is happening is that, in Christian marriage, God establishes His heredity. The institution of marriage, the words of institution in this section that now begins the wedding ceremony, are God establishing His prerogatives. First of all, with respect to this whole matter of institution, there is the recognition of witnesses. This casts the whole matter in a legal frame. We cannot avoid it. That is what I plead with you: continually, we cannot avoid the legal frame of the various activities, institutions, events, and character of our lives. Built within the framework of nature itself is this legal structure. So at the very outset of marriage, at the ceremony, the words of institution bring before us this establishment of God’s prerogatives in the recognition of witnesses. How does it go?

    I think some of you can provide this part of the ceremony. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the presence of God to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. The witnesses are twofold. There is, of course, the congregation assembled. They are witnesses to the event. Strictly speaking, they are qualified to give testimony in a court of law regarding what has taken place in the ceremony. See, the legal nature of the ceremony continues.

    But not only is the assembly a witness, God Himself is also a witness. The couple has come before God, and the congregation has assembled in His presence. He is the primary witness. While you may not hear the testimony of human beings, you must hear the testimony of God. The unseen witness is the most important witness.

    And life lived afterward, in the knowledge of that one who is unseen. How glorious a life that promises to be. Thus, the first part of the institution—the words of institution and the gathering of the witnesses. Then comes God’s ordination, another part of this section. Marriage is by God’s ordination. Here we are presented with the clear teaching of God’s revelation. His word.

    We are told that in the time of man’s innocence, God gave to man a wife, preparing for man a woman who would be a suitable helper. God Himself sanctioned marriage in creation, giving us revelation about what occurred in the state of man’s innocence. But after the fall of man, marriage continues, and it continues to have God’s blessing. This is confirmed to us by Christ Himself.

    We are told that in the wedding service, Christ was present at the wedding at Cana, as recorded in John chapter 2. We also have Christ’s words in Matthew 19, verse 6, where He says, “What God has joined together, let no man separate.” God is present in the garden, in the ministry of Christ, and also in the authority of the apostles. This is what we find in Ephesians 5 and elsewhere.

    The apostles speak well of the institution of marriage and confirm God’s ordination of it. It may be judged. Paul could choose to remain unmarried or to marry. We know this from 1 Corinthians 7, for example. At the same time, the Apostle Paul speaks glowingly and powerfully about marriage in Ephesians chapter 5 and elsewhere.

    God’s ordination is rooted in revelation, and this is confirmed by the testimony of the church. As the church reflects upon that revelation, it concludes that God has given marriage to humanity for the enrichment of those who enter into this estate.

    Marriage is meant to be an enrichment. It is the addition of another person to a single soul. The coming together of two persons means an expansion, not a subtraction—an expansion of one’s own consciousness, sensitivity, and vision of life. This is what makes selfishness and a solitary life within marriage so terrible, so destructive, and so damaging. Marriage is meant to be an enrichment, a deepening.

    We also say in the ceremony that, having reflected upon the revelation of God, marriage is for the propagation of the human race.

    We are not selfish in the sense that we stand solitarily before one another in the marriage relationship, but we are not selfish either as a couple standing solitarily before the world. It is very difficult to defend the justifications and rationalizations that we hear today, which many couples use to justify having no children. We are taught in Scripture that marriage is in fact for the propagation of the race. The natural result is children.

    And also for the extension of Christ’s church to the glory of the covenant of God. It is not merely so that we might have children, but that other households may be established. You see, it is through the establishment of households that we see the extension of Christ’s Church. There is a natural means by which this is accomplished.

    It is not only through conversions, people coming in from unbelief. It is through the seed of the Church. Households being established, then multiplying. And that is how the church grows. Here is church growth in a way that some have forgotten in our time. So we have it.

    The words of institution. We also have God’s ordination. But now we come to the charge. The charge can be very sensitive, but I want you to understand the charge in this context. It is for the maintaining of the integrity of the community. You know how this session stands.

    These two persons have come to be joined in this holiest state of marriage. If any man can show just cause why they may not lawfully be wedded, let him now declare it, or else hereafter forever hold his peace. The charge given to those assembled is for the maintaining of the integrity of the community. There may well be reasons why this couple should not be joined together. There have been matters raised in times past. There are matters raised in Scripture itself. Proximity due to blood. Facts coming to light from the communities at that time that speak to this case.

    There may be issues regarding indecency and morality that rightly should prevent these people from coming together. There are also matters of faith within the community to consider. Do these people profess a common faith? Do they believe in the same God? Do they serve and worship the same Savior? After posing these questions to the community, the same questions are then placed before the couple.

    I require and charge you both that if either of you knows any just cause why you may not be lawfully joined together in matrimony, you do now confess it. This is for the integrity of the community. This is no formality. These matters, having been considered seriously, are then set aside, assuming that both the community and the couple maintain their integrity. Neither the assembly nor the couple is lying. Thus, all suspicions, all questions, and all implied doubts are set aside and dismissed. If you are sitting in the congregation, you have had your opportunity.

    This is the charge, and it was judged to be very serious by those who originally included it in the sermons. But we now move from the charge to the change. From the charge to the change. In this, we see the maintenance of the integrity of the households involved.

    Have you considered the giving of the bride? Have you thought about the act involved in this tradition? And why, in the traditional wedding service, this is an essential part? There is a great deal of doctrine behind this simple action, this simple practice. The giving of the bride. The bride is moving from one household to another. She is moving from under the authority of one head to a position under the authority of another.

    Therefore, the head of the previous household gives his consent and gives her over to the one who will now establish a household for her. Thus, the head of the household, or someone standing in his place, gives this woman to them at this point in the ceremony.

    And that is why we find next the question, posed directly to the man. The question put to him is, will you have this woman to be your wedded wife, to live with her according to God’s commandments and in the holy estate of marriage? And will you love her, honor her, and cherish her as long as she shall live? In this, the man to whom she is to be bound declares to all his intention to provide for her a home, a household. And in that household, he declares that he is prepared to provide for her in love, in honor, and in cherishing her as long as they both shall live. A permanent arrangement.

    It is only at this point that the woman declares her willingness. Only after she has heard the man does she herself express her willingness with respect to him. Will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to live with him according to God’s commandments in the holiest state of marriage, and will you love him, cherish him, and obey him as long as you both shall live? Again, the theology becomes clear, does it not?

    I know that this is a source of frustration for many in this day and age, because they have gone so far as to change that portion of the wedding ceremony to remove all reference to obedience and submission. But you see, what was at work in this part of the ceremony in times past was this: the woman passes from one household to another, with the guarantee and promise coming from this man that he will provide for her and take care of her.

    What a tragedy it is when a woman discovers that her husband is unworthy. And he did not need to say a word. She is vulnerable. She is vulnerable. And what a tragedy for a man to assert his freedom and his power in such a way as to utterly destroy the integrity of that vow by failing to provide for this woman.

    And that brings us to the vow itself. This vow exists for the maintenance of the integrity of the couple. The man speaks first. The exchange is now in view. The woman has passed from her father’s household or from her former home to this man’s household. Now the man declares: “I take thee to be my wedded wife, and I do promise and covenant before God and these witnesses to be thy loving and faithful husband, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, as long as we both shall live.”

    First, there is a declaration of reception. He has received her. “I take thee.” This is permanent. Then follows a promise and covenant that covers all aspects of life, leaving nothing untouched by its scope. In sickness and in health, relating to physical well-being and the body; in plenty and in want, relating to economic circumstances; in joy and in sorrow, encompassing all emotional and psychological experiences of life. You pledge yourself. You take her into your home to provide for her and care for her.

    Only after hearing this declaration from the man does the woman then declare her own commitment in the same manner. The vow is sealed with a ring. This is a tradition. There is nothing biblical about this practice. It is a tradition that originated in the Roman Catholic Church. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Amen. That is the truth. That is the truth. The ring is placed on the fourth finger, often called the “Amen finger,” because it is the left hand, which is used less frequently than the right hand.

    At the conclusion, there is a declaration and blessing for the maintenance of the integrity of the Church. The minister declares: “By virtue of the authority committed to me by the Church of Christ and by the law of the state, I now pronounce you husband and wife in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” There is a final reminder: “God hath joined together, and no man shall put asunder,” and the blessing is given freely.

    So there you have it. The event, with its vows, is once more before your consideration. I realize that these are not easy times. It is not a good time for marriage. And if that is true outside the church, it is also true inside the church. Because the number of broken marriages is increasing. It used to be that the woman was especially vulnerable. I have already mentioned that. Now, increasingly, the man is also becoming vulnerable. And the wreckage lies along the path that once was covered with rose petals.

    A scandal in the Church of Jesus Christ. A great deal of pain. Tragic circumstances as marriages are torn apart. People are wounded. The suffering is intense. It is as though one is undergoing crucifixion. In such circumstances, those who are caught in this situation should look to God and flee to Christ.

    Many come with true humility, not claiming their own perfection in any way, but casting themselves upon the mercy of God and upon Jesus Christ for His grace. They realize that vows were made, and perhaps they did not do all that they could have. Perhaps the fault lies with them. Perhaps they are the ones responsible. They are willing to admit this. But in coming to Jesus Christ, they realize that there is one here in their Savior who keeps vows perfectly, where they have failed miserably. And their hope is in Him. It may well be that they must bear the consequences of a broken home and a broken marriage. But there is grace to be found in Jesus Christ. And they cast themselves upon Him. He is the perfect Bridegroom. And He is the one who provides perfect sanctification for the bride.

    And if I have stumbled and fallen, then, by His mercy, I can get up again and walk forward, doing better in His power, what I should have done all along. I will not excuse myself. I will not make charges against my spouse or my former spouse, Alberto. But above all else, I will find strength, power, comfort, and consolation in my God, who, by His grace, has provided me with a perfect, full, and complete Savior—one who makes promises and keeps them. And that is for me. Marriage and the vows pertaining to it are important. I trust that this message has brought me help.

    Let us pray. O Lord, what a great and glorious God You are. Help us in our vows, in our promises, with the very power that You have demonstrated in Jesus, Your Son. And with His Spirit, may we continue to live as we are, to do the things that we should. And where we have stumbled, may we receive forgiveness. Where we need help, Lord, may we receive from You Your encouragement.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • What Marriage Is and Is Not

    What Marriage Is and Is Not

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Christians & Their Vows” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, March 4, 1990.

    About this sermon

    Christ’s risen body grounds the value of the human body, and Scripture speaks plainly about sexuality and marriage. It shows what marriage is, and just as clearly what it is not.

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    Sermon transcript

    This morning our scripture is taken from Genesis chapter 2. We begin reading at verse 4 and will read to the end of the chapter. Hear the word of God. These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, and every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew.

    For the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. And there went up a mist from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden in the east. There He put the man whom He had formed. And the Lord God made to grow from the ground every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, including the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden.

    From there it was parted and became four streams. The name of the first is Pishon. This is the one that surrounds the whole land of Havilah, where there is good gold. And the gold of that land is good. There is bdellium and onyx stone. The name of the second river is Gihon. This is the one that surrounds the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel. This is the one that goes toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

    And the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to work it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. And the Lord God said, It is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helper suitable for him.

    And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every fowl of the air, and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them. And whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle and to the fowl of the air and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept.

    And He took one of his ribs and clothed up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

    Recently, I was having a discussion with a friend of mine, and we were talking about possible sermon topics. And he suggested to me that I start a series on the Song of Solomon. And of course, we both laughed and realized, of course, that ordinarily sermons are not preached on the Song of Solomon. The Song of Solomon has been judged as private reading from the Bible, but not public. I realized our sensitivities and my intention this morning, you may be relieved to know, is not to preach from the Song of Solomon. But this word to you, and I trust a helpful word, we can in fact be overly sensitive about the physical. We can be overly sensitive and even prudish about sex. But the Bible is for the body.

    I do not know how many people I have spoken with during the membership instruction process at this church who have expressed uncertainty about what happened to the body of Jesus in the resurrection. So I asked them, “Where is the body of Jesus?” And they became confused and uncertain. They are confident that something happened. They even say, “Yes, the soul or the spirit went to heaven,” but they cannot give a clear answer about the body. So I asked again, “Where is the body of Jesus?” Through the struggle and the difficulties of their own reasoning, they are finally able to affirm that the body of Jesus is in glory.

    The body came out of the tomb and was resurrected, and the body is at the right hand of the Father. The body, yes—a transformed body, a resurrected body, but the body nonetheless. The body that went into the tomb came out of the tomb. And this doctrine of the bodily resurrection permanently confirms Scripture and Christian faith regarding the value of the body. Biblical faith, therefore, affirms the value of the body.

    Scripture does not condemn sex; it condemns sin. Scripture honors sex within the context of marriage, and the Bible is marriage-affirming. Therefore, blessing is attached to marriage in the word, while fornication and adultery are condemned.

    So, by way of introduction this morning, and possibly for the benefit of the young, understand the wholesomeness of those things pertaining to the body and to sexuality. Understand God’s intention that sexuality be directed toward marriage and the sanctity of that institution. We have been discussing the vows that we take in life and as part of the people of God. We have now come to the subject of marriage. But before we discuss the vows themselves, it is important for us to clarify our understanding of marriage. Marriage is honorable and truly exalted in the Word. God blesses it. Yet there is great confusion about it.

    What is marriage? What is marriage? First, let us consider what marriage is not. Marriage is not a sacrament. Some claim that it is. For example, the Roman Catholic Church holds that marriage is a sacrament. But we maintain that marriage is not a sacrament. This means that marriage is not an ordinance established by Christ’s special institution. It does not receive a specific command from Him in the Gospels, as do baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

    We regard the sacraments as ordinances that apply universally to the people of God. They are not left to personal choice. If one claims to be part of the people of God, one must be baptized. If one claims to be part of the people of God, one must obey the Lord’s command and celebrate the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Him. These are obligations that bind all believers. But is marriage a universal obligation for the people of God? No. It is not. In this way, marriage lacks one of the distinctive characteristics of the sacraments. The sacraments are those obligations that bind all believers, to which all are obliged. But marriage is not an obligation that binds all, for some will not marry, and some do not marry.

    Furthermore, marriage is not a means of grace. It is not a way through which God communicates his continual and special grace to us by his Holy Spirit. Therefore, if we are not married, we are not missing out on any of God’s grace. Once more, he says, marriage is not a sacrament. It is a good thing, a blessing, but it is not a sacrament.

    Nor is marriage a sign and seal of the covenant of grace by which the work of Jesus Christ—his death and resurrection—is confirmed and validated for us. In all these respects, you see, marriage does not meet the criteria for a sacrament. Therefore, we take exception to the Roman Catholic doctrine that marriage is a sacrament. We do not believe this. But further, I know I am going to surprise some of you, and no, I am not returning to the Song of Solomon. Since marriage is not a sacrament, neither is it by its nature a church ceremony. What? Marriage is not by its nature a church ceremony. No one is more married because they were married by a clergyman in a church. And you are no less married because you have not been married in a church.

    Because we take a position that is quite different from what many people hold. They understand marriage to be a sacrament, and as a sacrament, it must be performed by a clergyman and in a church. But we say, no, our understanding is different. Marriage is not a sacrament, and it is not something that by its nature must be performed by a clergyman or in a church ceremony.

    Now, here is the revelation for you. You want to read all 66 books of the Bible? Consider them in relation to the matter of marriage. Can you find one passage in those 66 books in which a clergyman performs a marriage ceremony? You cannot. Can you find one church service that includes a marriage ceremony? You cannot. This is a startling realization for many people when they understand this fact.

    Reading through the Bible, there is no clergyman officiating at a wedding, and there are no weddings found within the context of a church service. The Bible, therefore, does not place the Church as a necessary part of marriage. The Bible nowhere places the Church under obligation to perform marriages or to offer its services for the sake of marriage to anyone.

    My first church was in South Jersey. It was a small country village where this church was located, and in many respects, the church that I served was the community church. I had people coming to my door regularly, from the community, not specifically connected to Jesus Christ in any way, not claiming him in any manner, and often assuming that I was obligated to marry them. They believed it was my duty to perform a ceremony for them, and that the church building was available for their use. And how dare I say, “No, I will not marry you,” or “No, you cannot have your wedding in my church.” Yes, it is true.

    Marriage is not by its nature a church ceremony. No one is more married because they have been married by a clergyman or in a church. But at the same time, the Bible nowhere places the Church under obligation to marry anyone. Since marriage is not a sacrament and is not a church ceremony, it is neither obligatory nor eternal. There are churches, both Catholic and Protestant, where failure to marry is considered a sin, and people are judged guilty if they do not choose to marry.

    I am now told within my own denomination that if a man, a single man, wishes to go to the mission field for missionary service, he will be rejected. Why? Because he is single. The Apostle Paul could not be a missionary in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. You just cannot trust the flesh out there on the foreign field. You do not know what kind of trouble they might get into. But Paul was a man, too. There are some churches in which family is treated as an idol.

    You must marry in order to have children, and truly, children—this is the goal, is it not? Is this not the highest religious calling? Marriage is not obligatory, especially in this day. Read 1 Corinthians 7 if you do not believe me. Paul makes his case there for us. Marriage is not obligatory.

    Even more striking, marriage is not eternal. This truth helps us put everything into proper perspective. Although marriage is wonderful, useful, and helpful here on earth, it does not last into eternity. Jesus said as much to the Sadducees in Matthew 22. He says, “In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven.”

    I believe it would help many people in our society to understand that not only is marriage not eternal, but sex is not eternal either. This certainly puts things in proper perspective. It means, of course, that there are some things of greater importance—much greater importance. People often say that good marriages are made in heaven.

    But even the best marriages do not last in heaven. Because marriage is a temporal institution. What we have said so far concerns what marriage is not. What is marriage then? First of all, marriage is a creation ordinance. Marriage is something we read of in Genesis 1 and in Genesis 2. It is something that stands at the foundation of creation, society, and the human race. Therefore, marriage is not something reserved for a special few, nor is it something reserved only for those who have a right relationship with God.

    It is something binding upon all, in the sense that the sexual relationship is to be found within the bounds of marriage from the beginning of the world. It is something that belongs to the common lot of humanity. It is not something that belongs specifically to the province of the church. This is well.

    Not only is marriage a creation ordinance, it is, by nature, a civil ceremony. When I perform a wedding, I must say, by the power invested in me by the law of the state and by the church, I must mention the state in performing the ceremony. Marriage is, by its nature, a ceremony common to all humanity. It is a civil ceremony, first of all. It is right and honored whether blessed by the church or not. Some have been told that if they fail to marry in the church, they are committing adultery or that their marriage is invalid. This is not true.

    Marriage is a community matter, common to the lot of humanity. The law of the state and the authority of the state, as well as the authority of the community at large, are recognized by the church in the performance of marriage. So what of the church when it comes to performing marriages?

    We do so, we perform these ceremonies, as permitted by the state and by the community at large. We ourselves are a narrower community within the broader civil community. And we extend the privilege of Christ’s blessing and an environment in which that blessing is reinforced to those who wish and are entitled to Christ’s blessing upon their lives. While it is proper for the community at large to marry and to give in marriage, there are specific guidelines that pertain to the church as it considers marriage as an institution. For we are not the community at large; we are a community within the community.

    We are a community of the Lord Jesus Christ. And there are specific demands placed upon us in this regard. So we are told in the Word: “Marry only in the Lord.” “Marry only in the Lord.” This instruction is consistently taught from the Old Testament to the New. Where this instruction is not honored, it is judged. The Israelite was not to marry outside the tribes. He was not to marry outside the faith. In the New Testament, it is the same. You are not to marry outside the faith. Marry in the Lord.

    And so the Church, as an institution, as it enters into relationship with the community at large, in the matter of marriage, extends the privilege of marriage in the Church through a clergyman to those who wish and are entitled to the blessing of Christ upon their union, and to them only.

    I do not know where you stand. You may hear of a special case that arises even within this congregation, and you may have questions, and you may wonder, who do they think they are? I ask you to reconsider your position in light of the Word of God. The Church is not obliged to marry anyone, and those whom it chooses to marry are those who desire the blessing of Christ upon their union.

    Marriage, as it has been understood by the Church, truly according to the Word, has special significance for those who are part of the community of faith, for those who believe the gospel, who have embraced its Savior, and who know the Lord Jesus Christ. Because these people, and these only, see in the marriage relationship a reflection of the relationship that exists between God and His people, between Christ and His Church. And this becomes determinative. Marriage is derived from that greater relationship that exists between God and His own. The marriage relationship then reflects that bond that exists between the great Creator and Redeemer and His people.

    In this relationship, it is not surprising to hear the language of Paul as it is written in your bulletin this morning. The language from Ephesians, chapter 5, speaks about the wife in the role of the church, the husband in the role of the Lord Himself, the wife submitting to her husband as the church submits to Christ, and the husband loving the wife as Christ Himself loves the church. Consider also further aspects of this bond, which is exclusive.

    That is what makes adultery so terrible. So terrible. God does not break his bond with his people. He does not commit adultery. If that is your standard, then you, bound to him, cannot do that either. You cannot do it. It is an exclusive bond—the one God with his one people, the one man with his one wife. This bond is not meant to be simply severed. Just as terrible as adultery is divorce—the severing of that bond.

    Because behind the relationship between a man and a wife is the relationship between God and his people. Therefore, we who are part of the community of faith, within the broader community of humanity, view matters quite differently than the world does. In light of these truths—what marriage is not—and in light of what He would then prepare to examine more deeply the vows and oaths that belong to the ceremony and the institution of marriage itself.

    Help us, Lord, in our thinking and in our living. And as we know the truth and affirm the truth in our thoughts, may we also live the truth. May we realize that behind our actions stands the living God and the risen Christ. May we, for love of our God and in devotion to our Savior, conduct ourselves in a way that shows the glories of the gospel and the glories of our faith to all who are around us. O Lord, may we honor marriage as it ought to be honored, and may we bless your name for this great gift to us. And may, Lord, there be joy in our marriages as we understand the nature of the bond that exists in marriage. Cause us, Father, to be a faithful people, as you are a faithful God.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • The Vows of Church Membership

    The Vows of Church Membership

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Christians & Their Vows” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, February 25, 1990.

    About this sermon

    Christian piety has declined and evangelical ecumenism has grown loose, and the vows of church membership speak to both from a Reformed, Presbyterian perspective. Christ himself keeps these vows on our behalf.

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    Sermon transcript

    We will be looking at a number of passages in the New Testament, and our first is found in Matthew chapter 10, verses 32 and 33. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Turning over to Matthew 18, beginning with verse 15.

    Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not listen to you, take one or two others with you, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses to listen to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Verily I say unto you, whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

    Turning over to Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 10, beginning with verse four. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses describes the righteousness that is of the law, that the man who does those things shall live by them. But the righteousness that is of faith speaks on this matter. Say not in your heart, who shall ascend into heaven, that is, to bring Christ down from above, or who shall descend into the deep, that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does it say? The word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith which we preach. That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

    For the scriptures say, “Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” Finally, from Hebrews chapter 13, verse 17: “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves. For they watch for your souls as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with greed, for that is unprofitable for you.”

    I returned to western Pennsylvania nearly 14 years ago after a nine-year absence. Coming back into the area in which I was raised, I must say that my return left me somewhat disillusioned. This disillusionment was due to a number of reasons. I had heard for some time prior to my return about the great activity among Christians, especially Reformed Christians, in this area. I had also heard of a renewal of intellectual interest, or if you will, doctrinal interest, among the people here with regard to Reformed matters, Calvinistic teachings, and Presbyterian beliefs. So I must admit to you that when I came back into the area, my hopes were very high 14 years ago. But it was not long after I arrived that I began to form a more accurate and sober assessment of the situation.

    For all the activity, for all the renewed interest in doctrine, there did not seem to be, alongside that, a resurgence of Reformed or Calvinist piety, or godliness. Most specifically, there did not seem to be a resurgence of a Reformed view of the church, a Reformed ecclesiology.

    In fact, it seemed that people were quite naive and in many ways unreformed, both in their personal lives and in their theology and doctrine generally. There were two practical matters that struck me. Reformed piety has always been connected with a particular view of the Sabbath. There was a time when western Pennsylvania was especially known for its observance of the Sabbath, due to the direct influence of the Reformed and Calvinist people in this area.

    But with the resurgence and the flurry of activities, Reformed or so-called Reformed, there was not a resurgence of godliness, and there was not a resurgence of Reformed or Calvinist piety. There did not even seem to be a renewed interest in holiness of life. With respect to the matter of Reformed ecclesiology and the doctrine of the Church, it seemed to me that what was taking place was an attempt by many to shore up their securities with respect to family and individual life before God and His Church, so that individual needs, life, and family orientation took preeminence and the church was by and large displaced. Now in previous days, within Reformed circles, that would not have been tolerated at all. Because the people who had embraced the Reformed gospel had come to believe that it was the glory of God above all else and the well-being of the body of Christ above all else, because Christ himself is bound to his people corporately before he is bound to any individual or even any individual family unit.

    My conclusion, as I surveyed these matters, was that the flurry of activity and the doctrinal and intellectual resurgence were superficial. They were not substantial. That was the first of my rude awakenings. The second was this: even among the Reformed leaders—those who were speaking for the Calvinist Church and the Reformed gospel—I found, by and large, no real zeal that their institutions, in which they held leadership positions, would become citadels and articulate proponents of Reformed orthodoxy. Instead, what I found was a wide-ranging, broadly evangelical conviction that minimized Reformed distinctives and a Calvinist orientation in the interest of making a greater impact on more and more people. I remember a meeting I had with two readers of a Reformed institution in this area. I asked them about the situation in that institution and whether it was not time for them, as leaders, to begin to press Reformed orthodoxy within it.

    Their response to me was this: There is no money in it. It will not work. You cannot be articulately and militantly Reformed and survive. Therefore, the only hope is to become broadly evangelical and minimize Reformed distinctives and Calvinist distinctives in the interest of your own self-survival.

    So we move from the superficial to the pragmatic. We are not doing well, are we? But that brings me to my third observation, and this was the most devastating, because it struck closest to home. As I said, I noticed the flurry of activity, the superficial doctrinal interest, and the pragmatic concerns and directions of the leaders of Reformed institutions in this area. But there was also a devastating realization with respect to the lay of the situation.

    This area has been traditionally conservative. I was raised conservative. I was raised to support the Republican Party. That was how conservative I was. That was the belief that shaped my life. You all know my aunt. She carries small religious symbols with her. I was raised conservative and lived in a conservative heartland. In fact, I lived in a conservative community. Swiftly still votes Republican, and so does Oswald. But what struck me as I came face to face with certain realities in this region was that the conservatism I found among the lay people could not be equated with Reformed commitment and devotion.

    Let me give you an example. Do you remember the 1970s? If you go back to the time that I first became pastor of this congregation in 1876, we were in the middle of the 1970s. Some of you recall the turmoil of that decade. One of the defining characteristics of the conservative movement at that time was opposition to people breaking oaths they had taken to their country, to their nation, and to the institutions of society. How could they trample upon those oaths?

    A person’s word is his promise. If he takes an oath, he is bound by it, is he not? But I heard time and time again, in written materials and in conversations, people condemning individuals who crossed the Canadian border and engaged in other actions. So I am not speaking to condone what certain individuals did in those circumstances, such as crossing the Canadian border or committing other unlawful acts. But I want you to consider what was truly shaping the hearts and minds of many of these conservative individuals, some of whom were in churches, some of whom were in Reformed churches.

    Yes, indeed, an oath is a sacred bond. A vow is a sacred obligation, except when I wish to leave the Church. Then I walk out, despite my conservative attitude, and I do not look back. Now I may become a little emotional. I may become a little stirred up about this. Which is more sacred? Your vow to God in Christ before the people of God, or your vow to the government? Let me ask you, which is more serious? Your vow to God in Christ before the people of God, or your vow to your spouse? Now let me ask you, is there any reason why there is not respect for oaths at other levels of life in society, when in fact the heart of those who claim to revere the house does not revere the grace?

    The problem in our society today is not divorce. Among non-Christians, it is divorce among Christians who have already rejected the most serious commitment. I do not like it, so I leave. I do not like you, so I leave. You say something that offends me, and my response is to leave. I do not like the way a man dresses, or the way a man speaks, or the particular decor of that congregation. There are more exciting things happening down the street at another church, so I leave. Thus we have moved from superficiality to pragmatism to hypocrisy. The word, the vow, the oath, the promise of Christians means nothing. A little difficulty, and you are gone.

    We have been considering the membership vows that we took when we became communicant members of this church. This vow, like other vows, is a solemn commitment of our life to our word. Our word becomes our bond. We virtually place our life on the line. Our pattern in this is God Himself, who in keeping His oaths and vows, puts His life on the line. Indeed, He goes to the limit in doing so by offering His Son, so that His oath might be fulfilled toward us.

    You know, the vows we heard this morning were very meaningful. Ramsey is joining the church this morning, which gave us an opportunity to listen to the vows again and to reflect on them once more in our minds. The structure is the same as the baptism vows. There is confession and there is promise.

    There is an articulation of our faith and there is an expression of our commitment. Consider these questions. The first one concerns our allegiance to the Bible. Do you believe the Bible? Here our confession is being stated. We are declaring what we are bound to. We are bound to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. They are the Word of God. The doctrine of Scripture found there is a doctrine of salvation that is perfect and the only true doctrine of salvation. This is what we have bound ourselves to in our confession.

    The second question continues along the same line of articulating our confession of faith. Do you confess that because of your sinfulness you abhor and humble yourself before God, and that you trust for salvation not in yourself but in Jesus Christ alone? The third question begins by expressing further our commitment with regard to confession. Do you acknowledge Jesus Christ as your sovereign Lord? These are the articles of faith to which you are bound by virtue of this confession you are making. You are laying your life on the line with respect to these doctrines. Your confession has content. You cannot treat it lightly. Is the Bible the Word of God, or is it not? Is Christ the only Savior, or is He not? Is He your Lord, or is He not?

    The tone changes halfway through the third question. You move from confession to promise. Do you promise, in reliance on the grace of God, to serve Christ with all that is in you, to forsake the world, to put to death your old nature, and to lead a godly life? You are committing yourself by promise to a life described in this way. Then you come to the clincher—the question that your session always asks, directly and clearly. Why? Because this is where the church is experiencing so much difficulty today. Not among liberal churches, which do not care, but among conservative and reformed churches. The fourth question is, do you agree to submit, in the Lord, to the government of this church? Will you submit yourself? And in the case that you are found to be deficient in doctrinal life, will you heed its discipline?

    This submission, which you have promised, is a submission to Christ Himself and His Lordship, which you have already confessed in the third question. This is the practical outworking of the Lordship of Christ. Throughout our time, as we seek the will of the Lord, every other suggestion has been offered to the Christian community about what we ought to submit ourselves to. But the truth is clear and obvious: you submit yourself to Christ and His rule in the church. This is the concept of our vows as members of the Church of Jesus Christ. We, in effect, lay our lives on the line with respect to the things we have vowed and articulated in our confession and promises.

    It is important for us not to give mindless assent. The Reformation stands for this: the people of God are to be alert as they speak their vows. They are to know what they are doing and what they are confessing. Therefore, Luther and Calvin fought with all their strength against mindless assent and in favor of informed consent.

    So what then lies at the root of the Reformed and Presbyterian view of membership? I have only two points here under which I wish to organize for you the passages that we read this morning. As they, in composite, present to you a view which Presbyterian and Reformed churches have held with respect to the vows that people take when they become members of the body of Christ.

    The first has to do with the nature of biblical confession. Now, here I am not speaking specifically about confession of sin; I am talking about confession of faith. The nature of biblical confession, and our text here is principally Romans 10, verses 9 and 10, that classic text. The nature of biblical confession: if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. Here are the features of biblical confession arising out of this passage. First of all, biblical confession is open, public acknowledgment. That is the meaning of the term. That is why Paul uses the words “with your mouth.” It is audible, it can be heard, and someone is there to hear you. Now, the word “confession” itself means to say the same thing as. That is the meaning of the word. The content of this confession is simple.

    Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord. This is the substance of the confession. By saying this and confessing it, you are affirming the same truth that God has declared about Christ. Not only that, you are affirming the same truth that God’s people have always declared about Him. You are sealing this confession in a public act. You may not be held accountable before the courts of this world for this confession, but let me tell you, you will be held accountable before the courts of heaven for it. The nature of a biblical confession is an open, public acknowledgment of Christ’s Lordship, in which you affirm the same truth that God has declared about Christ and the same truth that His people have always declared about Him. Christ is Lord. This is not merely an open, public acknowledgment; it is a heartfelt demonstration of devotion. You do not only confess with your mouth; you believe with your heart, and you believe in your heart. What is the object of this belief?

    That Christ has been raised from the dead. How do you know that He has been raised from the dead? Because the word of God has come to you. God reveals Himself through His messengers and through His Word concerning the resurrection of His Son. In view is that revelation, that divine revelation, which in fact establishes Christ’s Lordship, for Christ is Lord by reason of the resurrection from death.

    This is not a detached matter. You are bound in heart. Your emotions and affections are attached to this revelation and to this One who has indeed been raised from the dead. An open, public acknowledgment, a heartfelt demonstration of devotion, and finally, an expressed certainty that this act—this public act—is inseparably linked to your salvation.

    Closet Christians? Anonymous Christians? Christians incognito? No such thing. No such thing in the Bible. You may think I am being hard. You may think I am going too far. I am saying that without public confession of Christ, there is no salvation. And ordinarily, that public confession is related to the Church of Jesus Christ. And what I am saying is, outside of the Church, there is ordinarily no possibility of salvation. I claim as my authority not only John Calvin, but the Westminster Confession of Faith.

    And thou shalt be saved. And thou shalt be saved. The Reformed and Presbyterian view of membership vows, then, the nature of the biblical confession, the attachment of our certainty to that public declaration, unto the end that we may be saved. But finally, filling out this view, not only the nature of biblical confession, but the nature of church or Christian authority. Who makes the determination? Who scrutinizes and evaluates that confession? Whose responsibility is that? The people? Bishops? Maybe the congregations? You alone, by yourself? You know, no one else might, but you do.

    That is why we read from Matthew 18. In that passage, Jesus is speaking about the authority that is conferred upon his disciples. And that authority is given to all of them, not just Peter. And that authority is worked out in the development of the church as you find it in Acts, where it is not only apostles who have that authority, but also elders. They are mentioned in Acts 15, again in Acts 20. And their responsibilities and authorities are articulated in the pastoral epistles and uniformly throughout all of the epistles that Paul writes. That power is vested in elders and in your church leaders. Therefore, our confession is scrutinized and evaluated by those whom God has placed in authority within his church.

    You cannot have a church without order. What order will it be? The order established in Scripture is clearly that of elders and their responsibility over the household of God and the flock of Jesus Christ. This is specifically emphasized in Hebrews 13:7: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” There it is.

    The content of our vows—those we have taken in terms of confession and promise—along with the foundations from Scripture upon which our understanding of these vows has been built, including our specific view of biblical confession and the nature of church authority.

    How do we conclude? He took a vow. Will you keep it? This is the most important vow. Will it not affect all other vows you make? If you treat this vow lightly, will you not treat all vows lightly? You may feel uncertain, or find yourself especially weak. You may think you have taken on more than you can handle, but you are bound to Christ.

    In your vow and oath taking, you are bound to the one who keeps His oaths and promises perfectly. His perfect fulfillment of all His vows and oaths has secured salvation for you, so that in His power you may do the same. In His power, in His strength, you may succeed in keeping your promises and oaths. Your word, which you have given—He did not break His. And you must not break yours.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • Passive in Baptism, Active at the Table

    Passive in Baptism, Active at the Table

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Christians & Their Vows” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, February 18, 1990.

    About this sermon

    In baptism we receive passively, and that stresses God’s grace toward us, while the Lord’s Table calls for active self-examination. The various views of the Supper, and the striking imagery of Psalm 74:12-14, fill out the contrast.

    More sermons from 1 Corinthians · Browse all sermons

    Sermon transcript

    Our scripture reading this morning is from 1 Corinthians, chapter 11, beginning at verse 17. I will be reading from the New American Standard Bible this morning. Hear the word of God. But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better, but for the worse. For in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, in order that those who are approved may become evident among you. Therefore, when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s supper. For when you are eating, each one takes his own supper first, and one is hungry while another is drunk. What? Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I will not praise you.

    For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night in which He was betrayed, took bread. And when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” And in the same way, He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason, many among you are weak and sick, and a number have fallen asleep.

    But if we judge ourselves rightly, we shall not be judged. When we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we may not be condemned along with the world. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you may not come together for judgment. I will arrange the remaining matters when I come.

    Henry Tavares, former pastor at the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Grove City, used to say, “Baptism is a passive sacrament, the Lord’s Supper is an active sacrament.”

    You may not fully understand all that he means by this, and your mind may be considering the matters related to each sacrament. But hear it again: baptism is a passive sacrament. The Lord’s Supper is an active sacrament. Considering the differences between the two, baptism is the passive sacrament.

    This is the prevailing mood. It is the prevailing mood of passivity that we find in the sacrament of baptism. Whether we are adults or children, we are in fact presented, in the passive voice, to receive baptism. The passive is emphasized. The sacrament itself is applied to us. It is administered to us, clearly and decisively. The water is placed upon us.

    We are passive. We are receptive. We are not active in the sacrament. All of this together emphasizes grace—grace at the beginning of the Christian experience, grace multiplied, grace magnified. We being presented, the sacrament applied to us, we being receptive—this all emphasizes what is done to us and for us, not what we do.

    I might also add that Henry Tavares, at this point, would argue for immediate baptism. Is it not then clear, in infant baptism, how passive and receptive the recipient is? The child does not come on his own, but is presented. The child is held, weak and vulnerable, incapable.

    What a picture! What a picture! It is God’s activity, you see, and that underscores the beginning of Christian experience. But the lesson you see is not lost, even if it is an adult who is baptized. For you see, as passivity is emphasized, all come as the child. All come as the child. In baptism, we are all children. Helpfully presented. With the help of a good old thing. And the bar. What about the Lord’s Supper? And we call this the active part. The prevailing move now is not passivity, but activity. We are engaged.

    There is the active engagement of our faith, for instance. A concentration with respect to it, something that is absolutely indispensable for a right reception of this sacrament. Think of it: how well that supper activates your faith, how much you are constrained in it to be active. Do not our standards teach us? Does not the reform they teach us that when we come to the supper of the Lord, our faith is so active that we are to see by faith Christ as literally present?

    As those elements are themselves, as really present. As those elements are themselves. We are told that Christ is as really present to our faith as those elements are to our senses. So our faith is activated, energized in a unique and wonderful way with respect to the Lord. But think also about the language that is used by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11. For not only is our faith activated and engaged, but our consciences as well. We are compelled in this sacrament to be active with regard to our conscience and to scrutinize ourselves. We are to make discernments, judgments with regard to ourselves, lest we be judged. But not.

    The activity involved in regard to the elements that contrast them. Directly. Obviously. The fact that. You see, in order. Now to be a celebrant, a participant, you must reach out and take these elements, and you must place them in your mouth. There is the extension of the hand, the taking, the receiving, and the eating. The Lord’s Supper is the active sacrament. Now, we have been talking about vows and oaths that we take, and we have dealt with the whole matter of the relationship of our vows to the sacrament of baptism, but now we move on to consider our vows and our oaths with respect to the second sacrament, communion. Communion is specifically related to certain vows that we take. It may not be immediately obvious to you, for when we are taking the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, we are not again speaking out or taking over, but you see, the Lord becomes the extension of the compassion that we have received when we became a member.

    So if you are wondering what you should be thinking about when you are taking the Lord’s Supper, I understand that this is a difficulty. Some of you have spoken to me about this challenge. What am I supposed to be thinking about? One thing that you most certainly can be thinking about is the vows that you took when you became a communicant member.

    Baptism itself is not an end in itself. Baptism is unto the profession of faith and full participation in the fellowship of Christ’s Church. It is unto the second sacrament of communion. Your confession of faith is not an end in and of itself. It is unto full participation with the body of Christ. That is why Calvin was able to say, unless you persevere in the Church, you do not persevere at all, friend. You deceive yourself. That is the hallmark. Unless you persevere with the body of Christ, you do not persevere with Christ.

    So our intent here is to eventually take up the whole matter of our membership vows, by which we became committed members of the Church of Christ. But that is next week. This week is to set the stage a little better as we think more concretely about the meaning of the Lord’s Supper.

    What do you think about this? There have definitely been varied opinions on this subject. In fact, entire churches and entire denominations are built around the doctrine they embrace with respect to the Lord. Let us think about this a little this morning as we move in the direction of considering our community membership vows next week. Let us consider various perspectives on the Lord’s Supper. Is the Lord’s Supper a memorial? Is it a remembrance?

    Well, absolutely, we have Christ’s word on it. Do this in remembrance of me. It is a memorial, it is a remembrance. We are told that, as Christ speaks to his disciples, as it is recounted by Paul in First Corinthians, chapter eleven, verses twenty-four and twenty-five. It is also remembrance in the sense that it is something we call to mind now and proclaim. We proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes, as stated in verse twenty-six. But is it only a memorial and a remembrance? Here is where we part company.

    But we say no, it is not merely a recollecting of a past event. It is a meal in the present tense, a supper in the present tense. And as a meal and a supper, it is a fellowship. People sitting down at a table, as it were, for the sake of fellowshipping, yes, with one another, as they are the body of Christ, demonstrating the fact that they are part of the community of Christ, but also having fellowship with Christ himself. We, following Calvin, then move on from here in memorial to affirm that the Lord’s Supper is a meal, a meal proper, in which there is fellowship, contemporary fellowship, for the saints and with Christ.

    There is something taking place here. We might paraphrase Calvin’s saying: there is something definitely taking place here. Yes, by us, but also by God. A grace conferred, a grace bestowed, comparable to that grace that is bestowed when the word is preached, when the means of grace are entered into generally. So then, the Lord’s Supper is a memorial, yes, but more, a meal. But is it more than a memorial and a meal? Calvin goes further and deeper. It is not merely a memorial, not merely a meal, it is communion. More than fellowship, it is communion.

    It is a common union, yes, as we are members of one body, but also as we have been united to Christ, and that union with Christ standing out in His sacrament, wonderfully, gloriously. So when we come to this point, what Calvin wants us to see as he reflects upon the Lord’s Supper is this vital union that exists between the people and Christ.

    So real and so true. This fact and reality in Calvin’s mind is such that nothing will suffice but a tightening of the language as respects the meal, so that that language now begins to sound like the very language that Christ uses with respect to his body and his blood. You must eat his flesh and drink his blood. Now Calvin is not a Roman Catholic. He does not believe that there is a real sacrifice taking place, as the Catholics have contended with respect to the mass.

    But he sees in the Spirit a vital connection between those elements that are present and the presence of Christ. There is a communion effective now through the sacrament with Christ himself, so that there is a partaking of him in a very real sense. Indeed, as food and drink are indispensable for life and nourishment, so Christ’s body and blood as food and drink are indispensable for our life and nourishment.

    I do not know whether you noticed it as you were reading or singing through Psalm 74 this morning, but you may want to note that this psalm is a glorious psalm. The middle verses are especially magnificent, verses 12 through 17. Those of you who are poets and who love poetry could examine those lines and have a great time analyzing them and understanding all that is expressed and implied. But there is one verse I want you to consider carefully, and that is verse 14. After the psalmist has told us that God is my King from of old, verse 12, who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth:

    Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength. This brings to mind various images, does it not? The division of the waters of creation and also the dividing of the waters at the Red Sea when God delivered his people. Thou didst drape the head of the sea monsters in the water. He goes on to say, as if there were enemies, forces that opposed God, that God had to subdue, that he had to overcome, that he had to triumph over in order to accomplish his purpose.

    And He does that in creation and in redemption. Then He goes on to say, “Thou didst crush the head of Leviathan.” Why, Leviathan, that serpent of old, that multi-headed serpent. It is mentioned again in the book of Revelation, and in the apocalyptic literature of the Old Testament—Daniel, Ezekiel, Leviathan—the force that opposes God. You crushed his head. Have you heard about the crushing of the head of the serpent? It is written that You have given him as food for the people in the wilderness.

    That is the King James translation. The metrical version we sang this morning spoke of beasts in the wilderness. It can be translated either way, but the idea is nearly the same. Those who are in the wastelands are fed by the spoils of God’s victory.

    They are nourished by the supply that comes from His great, powerful, redemptive act. Now, how do we understand this in New Testament terms? It is not only Satan who has been crushed, but Christ who has been crushed for us. Now His body is given to His people who are in the wilderness, for their life and their nourishment. This is what takes place in the Lord’s Supper. You are being given life and nourishment from the body of Christ, who has undergone judgment, so that you may be sustained and saved.

    Glory. Glory. This is why the Lord’s Supper is a communion in which Christ is present, extending to us life and nourishment, and we are being nourished and satisfied by Him. There is real grace. So when you come to the table, you must come with gratitude, with thanksgiving, with praise.

    You are about to be fed by Christ. These are signs and seals of the union that exists between you and Him. He is communicating to you His very life and sustenance, so that you may endure while living in this world. But equally, the sacrament is a celebration of gratitude, and it is also a new call requiring an indispensable supply. You see why the apostle is so outraged by the behavior of those who partake. They are anything but sober. In fact, some of them are literally drunk, out of control when they partake.

    But if it is Christ that you are partaking of in the sacrament, how can you then partake in an undisciplined manner, out of control, and not realize that it is the body of Christ that you are? Do you know that this blood that you are drinking? If you see it, it will sober you, just as that person was shocked into sobriety. Just like that. If you see it, we are shocked. Perhaps it is in the supply.

    And with what attitude, then, must you come? All of this, then, strengthens, secures, and underscores for you not only the seriousness of the sacrament, not only the call made to you through it for gratitude, but also the opportunity to renew yourself, re-consecrate yourself, and re-dedicate yourself to this One who has given Himself for you. Have we not been told? The evangelical wind has swept through the entirety of Western Christianity. They have said to us that the act of rededication is raising your hand at a meeting, going forward, or lighting a candle. This is nonsense. Nonsense.

    God’s appointed means of rededication is the Lord’s Supper, the sacrament which He has established. This prepares us to consider, now and in the coming week, the vows we have made in order to participate in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Help us, Lord, as we reflect on the nature of the sacraments You have given. Surely in each of them, in ways unique to each, You have magnified Your grace, deepened our devotion, and built in us, Lord, a growing gratitude. May we be a thankful people, truly, and a people who are sober in our appreciation of Your great gift to us. Bless this church, Lord.

    Bless us, Lord, with respect to our vows and promises. Bless us, Lord, to the full measure of our awareness and understanding as we participate in the life of the congregation, and encourage us, Lord, with ready devotion. And Father, if we lack faith, we pray that faith may be given to us. If our faith is weak, may it be strengthened. And if we do have, by Your grace, strong faith, may we be kind to all who are around us, that they may be strengthened, and even surpass us in the quality of their faith.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • Baptism and the Father

    Baptism and the Father

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Christians & Their Vows” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, February 11, 1990.

    About this sermon

    The world’s view of baptism differs from the Bible’s, which finds cleansing in the baptismal water and meaning in the questions asked at the font. Earthly fathers point to God the Father himself.

    More sermons from Deuteronomy · Browse all sermons

    Sermon transcript

    So we are reading, first of all, from Deuteronomy, chapter 6, and then we will be turning to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Deuteronomy, chapter 6, verses 1 through 15. Hear the word of God. These are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, so that you may do them in the land to which you are going to possess it.

    That you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments, which I command you, you and your son, and your son’s son, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it, that it may be well with you, and that you may increase greatly, as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you, in the land that flows with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.

    These words which I command you this day shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. It shall be when the Lord your God has brought you into the land which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you, great and goodly cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and wells dug which you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, when you have eaten and are full.

    Then beware: thus thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you. For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you, lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

    Then, turning to Ephesians, chapter six, verses one through four: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise: it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

    The contemporary practice of infant baptism can hardly be regarded as anything short of scandalous. Now, the person who made this remark spoke against the background of European neopaganism, citing the fact that most of the neo-pagans in Europe had been baptized when children, when infants, but had been baptized in the name of what he called cultural custom, in the name of social amenities.

    In America, we are not strangers to the force, the power of cultural customs. There are people here, as there are in Europe, who present their children for baptism because it is the expected practice. Because that is the way things have been done in their family, with their ancestors from generation to generation. Social amenity, cultural custom in the old world, Europe, and also in the new America. In America we also have added challenges, not that these are completely absent in Europe, but they seem to be in full force here in our land.

    The enemies of baptism’s significance are ignorance and superstition. People submit to the rite, offering their children, hardly having any understanding of what is involved or what they are doing. They have little grasp of the significance of the sacraments. Others offer their children, infants in their arms, out of superstitious fear.

    We must have Nelly Dunn, unless something unfortunate happens to her. As if the sprinkling of water were going to ensure the child’s health and well-being. And it is particularly now, in such a setting as faces us—where the force of social custom is increasing, religious ignorance is reaching epidemic proportions, and foolish superstition is growing in influence and strength, especially with regard to conscience and its impact on our actions.

    In such a setting as this, is it any wonder that there is often confusion about vows and oaths, about promises made? In the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition, as far back as I have been able to discover, there has always been the practice of making and taking vows in connection with the sacrament of baptism, whether for adults or infants. Carlos’ name. The question that is asked now, of course, and I believe you are aware of the direction I have been taking in my messages on this subject, is whether there is not also a great deal of perjury?

    Not many parents perjure themselves when a child is offered and submitted to the sacrament of baptism. Just a few words this morning about baptism itself that may be helpful. A few words to address the matter of our ignorance, if it still persists, or to confront the matter of superstition, if indeed we are its victims.

    First of all, baptism is not magic. It is not a magical rite. Christians do not believe in magic, despite C.S. Lewis. We believe in sacraments. We believe in a God who is active in the life of His people. We are not those who claim that God has maintained a witness for Himself among those who believe in magical rites. Belief in magic, and submission to it, is the hallmark of paganism, pure and simple.

    You must not mix magic with the mysteries of the sacraments. Of course, there are those who do. Baptism itself does not save anyone. Baptism itself does not save anyone. This sacrament does not confer salvation on any individual, whether adult or infant. The sacrament conferred upon an individual does not save.

    This means, of course, that one can be saved without it. As important as we believe it to be, one can be saved, redeemed by God, and rescued by Him. This is true apart from the sacrament. In fact, we believe that the sacrament itself represents and seals the saving work of Christ to the community of faith. This is how it functions.

    The element used, water, speaks to us of cleansing. We hear about water in relation to cleansing through John the Baptist, when he says, “I baptize you with water. There comes one after me who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire,” intensifying the cleansing work within you, as it moves from one form of cleansing to another. The water itself is indicative of cleansing. It is a cleansing rite, signifying cleansing with respect to the people of God as they are sealed under the saving work of Jesus Christ in the community of faith. Now, we also recognize that baptism is brought into relationship with the death and resurrection of Christ, and appropriately so, because that is the ultimate cleansing. Death to the old, life to the new. Cleansed from the old, cleansed for the new.

    Those who are in the community of faith, whether by profession of faith or by birth, are welcome to the sign and seal. They are part of the community of faith. Therefore, the sacrament of baptism is not magic, nor is it a magical right in itself; it does not save anyone by its own power. Rather, it is the sign and seal of the saving work of Christ, applied to the community of faith. Those who belong to the community of faith by profession or by birth are welcome to this sign, since they are already part of that community. And finally, the sacrament is joined to them without my involvement.

    God himself makes a promise to the community of faith for Christ’s sake, signifying and sealing this promise in the act and in the community itself, which pledges to live a life consistent with the sign, the meaning, the cleansing, and the reality of what is indicated. As the community is included in Christ and is in union with Him, these are the various elements and aspects of baptism. In considering the vow and oath, there is an oath that God takes toward His people and a vow that the people take toward God.

    Covenant, bond. Now, it has been the aspect of the sacrament related to the vow or pledge that we have been focusing on, in order to remind ourselves of our own pledge. The pledge that was pronounced over us is a pledge that we ourselves have taken. Our focus thus far has been on the promises made in infant baptism.

    This is what we have found. We have found that in the Orthodox Presbyterian sacrament, two questions are asked. The first one is: Do you acknowledge that although our children are conceived and born in sin and therefore are subject to condemnation, they are holy in Christ and members of His church? This is magnificent. It is nothing short of sublime. It is compact, and it holds together so well, and it addresses so many important aspects that are essential for our consideration as we bring our children for baptism.

    This is the first question, an oath of acknowledgement, or, if you will, an oath that functions as a subordinate public confession. It is a confession of our faith. It is not a full-blown confession of faith, such as the Westminster Confession of Faith. It is not even a full-blown confession in the sense of the Creed, the Apostles’ Creed, or the Nicene Creed. It is a confession of faith that is narrowly focused with respect to the sacrament in view, the sacrament of baptism, specifically the baptism of children. It is focused upon the relationship of our children to Christ and to the Church.

    Therefore, as you examine it, you can make a list of the doctrines that are present. Let me make this as clear as possible: confession, insofar as it is a public declaration, a public acknowledgement, an oath in its own right, is a declaration of party agreement. In such a confession, not only the mind is active and engaged, but the heart as well. You are emotionally attached to the truths that you are confessing. Is this not plain from Deuteronomy 6, where the Israelites are called upon to confess the oneness of God, that they are to love Him with heart and soul and mind? This is the kind of confession, this open acknowledgment, that is in view.

    How is it possible for us to sleep through our vows? To go through them as if we were sleepwalking, as if they meant nothing, as if they made no impact upon us at all? It is not a matter of God doing it all. It is not His fault if He does not stir my spirit while I am making these vows. He is not to blame. As you go through this list, you are compelled to give hearty assent to the doctrine of original sin. You agree with it. It is correct. Original sin is a true doctrine of Scripture, and I confess it openly as I present this child. This means the whole matter of infant innocence is wiped out. It is erased from the board. It is no longer a viable option. It certainly receives no support from Scripture.

    You know what David confessed in the fifty-first psalm: “In sin my mother conceived me. In iniquity I was brought forth.” So you give a part of yourself to these doctrines. You recognize that God and His justice can condemn even this infant. They are subject to condemnation. That is how the vow reads. Then the question goes on to express hope and confidence that these children are children of the covenant, and as such, holy. That means separated, not perfect, not sinless, holy in Christ. That means separated unto Him. And that they are members of His church, of His household. And as such, being members of this community of faith, they are to receive the sign and seal of life. Amen. Amen.

    So things start out bleakly, it seems, at the beginning of the question, but they end gloriously. And as you move from one part of that question to the other, it is as if you have moved from condemnation to justification, from condemnation to glory, from condemnation to the gospel. Why is the block? My reading of all the questions I surveyed—quite a few from churches in India to the church in Scotland to the churches of this country—leads me to believe that the Orthodox Presbyterian Church has the best formulation in this respect. It is a question that does not sit well with many in our time, I understand that. The question to which many cannot give their assent, in part.

    But that does not diminish its significance. That is the first part. Now, what about the second question? Do you remember it? Remember the second question? Do you promise to instruct your child in the principles of our holy religion as revealed in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments and as summarized in the confession of faith and catechisms of this Church? And do you promise to pray with and for your child, to set an example of piety and godliness before him, and to endeavor by all the means of God’s appointment to bring him up in the virtue and the admonition of the Lord? Oh, truly, the ear that listens to this hears sweet music. Sweet.

    The question has two parts, and you surely noticed what those parts were. First, there is the promise to instruct. Second, there is the promise to live. There is the promise to teach, and there is the promise to live. These two parts of the question can be considered under three headings. We have finally reached the third point. I intended to preach to you today. The first point of reference regarding the various parts of the second question, the first factor in writing, is this:

    Who shall teach? But we all know who shall teach. The Sunday school, right? The Christian school. Let us hand them over to the state and let the state educate them. Each of these institutions has its place. The unbelieving world has the right to educate their children in whatever way they choose. That is the principle that governs the public educational system. They have chosen humanism, they have chosen secularism. That is their choice.

    And the objective in view is honorable: that the young people committed to that system might be functional in the society in which they are a part, and functional in the community in which they are a part. The Christian school, I believe, has the same prerogative in an environment that demands education for our children, demands mandatory education. We are obliged, then, it seems to me, to look toward education that is honoring to our God and that holds to the principles of the community of faith of which we are a part. Again, that our children might be educated so that they might play a role of service unto God and devotion to Christ in the world in which they live.

    The Sunday school. We will delay that for a moment. What I want you to see, however, is this: if you read through Deuteronomy 6, do you see it as you read through Deuteronomy 6? Do you see it as you read through Ephesians 6, 4? The kind of education, the kind of instruction that is in view in this matter, in the baptism ceremony, is an instruction, a teaching that parents cannot delegate.

    You cannot give it away. You cannot hand it over to someone else and tell them to do it. In this sense, you see, the Sunday school has become a burden if it does not recognize its role as enforcing and reinforcing what parents are already obligated to do under the covenant. If the Sunday school displaces the parents, you cannot surrender this obligation that is laid upon you. No one else can fulfill it. You cannot even say it is the minister’s job to do this, for I have been commanded to do it in Deuteronomy 6 and in Ephesians 6.

    I remember candidating in a congregation in New England. It was one of those circumstances in which they had open season on the candidates. So the entire congregation gathered on a Sunday afternoon, and I was seated in front of the church, and anyone could ask me questions.

    The first question and the dominant question that was asked was, “What will you do for our youth?” I had a consistent answer: “What are you going to do for your youth? You are a parent. They did not like it, and they did not call me. America is finished with youth.” As an aside, something I found last week, one of Oscar Wilde’s epigrams: “The youth of America is their oldest tradition.” It has been going on now for over 300 years.

    Deuteronomy 6 and Ephesians 6 place the obligation upon the parents, an obligation they cannot transfer and cannot abdicate. It is your responsibility to train your children with respect to the matters of the covenant and the issues of their faith. There is something remarkable, I think, that emerges here as an aside when you consider the construction of this question. If that is correct, it testifies to the fact that there is a harmony underlying the Old and New Testaments. They have a parallel structure and a symmetrical unity. Whether you are in an Old Testament environment or a New Testament environment, the responsibility to instruct children in matters of faith is firmly placed upon the shoulders of the parents.

    It may be that you cannot instruct your child regarding their future livelihood or future employment, and thus the necessity of schools as we have them today. But in no sense can you transfer that responsibility—the moral and religious responsibility that is yours—to instruct your children. The first question is, “Who shall teach?” The second question is, “What shall be taught?”

    Taking this oath, you have committed yourself to the word of God. We are going to instruct them in the scriptures. Do you know the scriptures? Do you hear them? Are you growing in your knowledge and understanding of what the Bible says? Do you take advantage of the many opportunities given to you from birth to hear the word of God? Do you read the word? Now that Gutenberg has given us the printing press and we all have our own copies, do you read the word?

    You have also promised to instruct them in accordance with the summary of faith that you find in the confession of faith in the catechisms of this church. Do you know the confession? Do you know the catechisms? Do you truly believe that they are a faithful summary of what is found in Scripture? Are you committing yourself to this? This is your obligation.

    Who shall teach? What shall be taught? Teaching our children the Reformed faith is not an option. And finally, how are we to teach? Are we to teach only with words? Only with doctrines? Only with theories? Only with abstract ideas? Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead on the third day—this is enough. Should we simply feed them the right information? Is instruction merely an information-dominated concept? Not on your life. Not on your life. The question here wonderfully blends doctrine and life together. You have promised to instruct, but you have also promised to live in such a way that reinforces and exhibits that teaching.

    And that is always the case in Scripture. Those who truly hear are those who obey, those who are striving after what the Lord requires. The Apostle Paul, in his understanding of doctrine, does not leave out godliness, because proper doctrine conforms to godliness. Truth is always unto purity, order, and life. When Paul expresses the doctrine concerning Jesus Christ, he incorporates himself in the process.

    For me to live is Christ. What does this mean? It means to give oneself over in an act of conformity to the doctrine that is proclaimed. As Christ gave Himself, I give myself. As Christ died, I die. As Christ was raised to life, so I become an instrument of life for the sake of others.

    Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, and so on. Doctrine is thus blended with life, so that life confirms what we say. Jesus does nothing less. His words perfectly conform to His life, and His life perfectly conforms to His words. Is this not what is intended in Deuteronomy 6 and Ephesians? When you sit down, when you rise up, when you are going out the door, when you are coming in, live with a whole-life vision.

    It is not only what you tell your children, but how you act in front of them, what you do. What about our children when our homes are torn apart by discord, hatred, and bitterness? When there is more viciousness than love, more argumentation than prayer, when a father’s sins are known to his child before the child is four years old, and the mother is utterly compromised? And her daughter knows it.

    How are we to teach, moving from Deuteronomy 6 to Ephesians 4? In conclusion, it is not merely a matter of knowing doctrine, nor even a matter of striving for a good moral life, but a matter of knowing God intimately. What is operative in Ephesians 6, verse 4, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger”? Is it not the example of God the Father Himself, who does not provoke His own children to wrath? It is the very presence of God Himself mediating through the parent in the work of instruction, so that the parent acts, lives, behaves, and thinks as God Himself.

    And in that operation, it is as if you have been translated. I mean this literally. You are no longer understood merely as a creature of this creation, but as one who has been made part of the new creation. You have entered into heavenly realms and into glory, and the very person of God is now molding and shaping you as you live and act in this world.

    How do you know how to behave as a parent? I learned it from Ephesians. I learned it from one verse in Ephesians. God Himself is your standard, and you know Him. The grace of God has now included you in Him, Jesus Christ. Therefore, all the power for a righteous life is available to you.

    I have made much of two questions. You may wish to have your own copy of these questions so that you can review them again and again. Dearest God, may those who have received the right of baptism, the sacrament, live in the covenant as members of the Church, bound to Christ. And also, Lord, may those who have made vows regarding their children honor those vows. May we live in the power of our God through Jesus Christ, so that the power of His righteous life is available to us as we seek to give instruction and live before our children.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • An Oath-Making God

    An Oath-Making God

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Christians & Their Vows” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, February 4, 1990.

    About this sermon

    God himself is an oath-making God, which means our whole reality is oath-bound from the start, a pattern traced back to the striking covenant ritual of Genesis 15. This applies directly to the Presbyterian understanding of baptism and the oaths taken there.

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    Sermon transcript

    Much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ. So then, as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous. And the law came in that the transgression might increase, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. That as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And then turning to Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 1 through 4.

    Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth. And fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. We have been speaking about oaths and vows. And we have been endeavoring to establish the seriousness of the matter. For in this time, oaths and vows are no longer taken seriously at all.

    This is true for the church as it is for the world. This is true for Christians as it is for non-Christians. We have pointed out the oath-bound character of life. Whether you are a believer or an unbeliever, you cannot escape it. Reality, life, and existence are bound by oath from beginning to end, not only personally but also cosmically. The world is sustained by oath. The elements hold together by the vow and promise of God. The world is preserved from dissolution by the vow and oath of God.

    The whole of reality is bound by oath because it owes its existence to the oath-making, vow-taking God, the true God. We will discuss the seriousness of our oaths and vows and how they reflect the character of life itself. We have spoken about the seriousness with which we are to take our vows and to uphold them. We have also seen in Scripture the seriousness with which God Himself upholds His vows.

    God places His life on the line when He makes a vow. To break His word would mean His own existence would cease. In fact, to break His word would subject Him to self-annihilation. When we consider this in light of the oaths and vows God has made throughout the history of redemption, we begin to understand how deeply committed He is to His redemptive purpose. By saving His people through oath, vow, promise, and covenant, God has placed His life on the line. And just as it is impossible for God to cease to exist, so it is impossible for His promises to fail.

    There are ceremonies in the Old Testament when God makes a covenant. We spoke of one from Genesis 15, a passage that is indeed unusual. In that chapter, we are told of a vision. We are told about the vision that Abram had of God, in which God makes a promise to him.

    It is a deep sleep that comes over Abram. In that deep sleep, Abram sees a smoking furnace and a bright torch passing between the parts of the sacrifices that Abram has been commanded to lay out on the ground. The meaning of this is this: the torch represents God Himself, a symbol of God passing through the divided pieces. What is God saying by passing through the separated parts of the animals? He is saying, if I fail to keep my promise to you, may it be done to me as it has been done to these animals. I seal my promise and my oath with my life. This is how God takes it seriously. How do you take it seriously? Do your oaths become careless or thoughtless? Are they things you do without seriousness or commitment?

    In God’s economy, oaths and vows are matters of life and death. Now we have committed ourselves to examine the various oaths and vows that mark our lives from beginning to end. We are considering, first of all, baptism. Thus far, we have spoken of it in general terms, and we have discussed it in light of the experience of the children of Israel as they passed through the Red Sea—a baptism indeed. You hear something of that experience in Psalm 77, which we have read this morning, and I reflected upon that psalm in our morning prayer. So we have spoken of and considered baptism in general terms, but now we become specific. Presbyterians believe in two forms of baptism: believer’s baptism, or adult baptism, and also child baptism, or infant baptism.

    Now the purpose of this message is to consider the vows, not the arguments, regarding the Presbyterian practice of baptizing infants. We set aside that matter to focus on the issue of the vows. These vows must be understood with absolute seriousness, with complete seriousness. As Presbyterians understand it, the baptism of infants or young children is more than a dedication service. It is certainly more than a ceremony. It is more than a pleasant event that we hope will help our children begin their lives in a positive way. It is also more than a blessing that may benefit them later, when they remember the significance of the event that took place, honoring them even before they were aware of it.

    The oaths and vows related to baptism, particularly the baptism of children, are directed specifically to the parents of the child. I personally prefer the form of the oath used by the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in connection with child baptism. It is concise and focused. Only two questions are asked of the parents, but each question carries significant weight.

    The first question functions as a confession of faith—a brief statement of belief. What people are being asked to do in response to this question is to make a public and open acknowledgment of their faith in certain matters. I regret that we do not have the older version of the Trinity in the pews this morning. The reason is that the older versions include, in the back, the forms used in the services and in the sacraments.

    And you could very easily have turned to these questions and read along with me. The first question goes like this, and as I read it, see how many doctrines you can identify in it. Do you acknowledge that although our children are conceived and born in sin and therefore are subject to condemnation, they are holy in Christ and, as members of his church, ought to be baptized? How many did you identify? Well, there are quite a few contained within that question.

    This vow, this response made before God and before his people, also places before the congregation and this couple presenting the child a great number of the doctrines that the Church holds dear. In their assent, these parents are reaffirming their commitment to these doctrines with full seriousness. Yet it is interesting to note that it is specifically these doctrines that the modern Church finds most difficult to accept, even as each generation after generation subscribes to a promise and a vow such as this. These doctrines are increasingly challenging for the church. What are these doctrines?

    First of all, there is the doctrine of original sin. We are acknowledging, we who bring our children, not that our children are innocent, but that our children are subject to sin and thus to condemnation. We are making a public acknowledgment of the reality of original sin. What is original sin?

    It is the sin that comes to us through the lineage of our father Adam. That is why I read to you this morning from Romans 5. It is impossible to miss the point when reading through that passage. We are bound, as part of humanity, to our father Adam, and the sin for which he is guilty is a sin that passes on from generation to generation, leaving us subject to and corrupted by it.

    Does not David, many years, even millennia, after Adam had passed from the scene, confess in the 51st Psalm, “In sin my mother conceived me. I was brought forth in iniquity. I was not brought forth into this world as one who is innocent. But coming forth into this world, even though I was of the tribe of Judah, even though I was of the nation of Israel, I too am corrupt, I too am affected by the sin of Adam”?

    This lays before us the magnitude, the enormity of the problem of sin. How easily we slip into a form of romanticism. Children are by their very nature innocent and pure. The church in its purest form has always uniformly stood against such ideas. Original sin. The enormity of sin and the condemnation of sin, the just punishment that comes because of it.

    Is a child subject to condemnation? Can you bring yourself to say it? That yet family after family, parent after parent, can publicly declare this before a congregation of God’s people, even before the child has been seen? Are they perjuring themselves? Or do they truly believe that children are subject to condemnation? Have we in our time subtly embraced the doctrine of universal infant salvation? Is that what we now believe? By the thought of a child going to hell being completely repugnant to us in our sensitivities, I plead with you, do not be hasty in your judgments. We are only the adults who were destroyed in the days of Noah. Now John Huston is not a prophet. But John Huston is a very perceptive individual, nonetheless. And he made a movie a number of years ago entitled The Bible.

    If you have a chance to see it, do not miss that opportunity. It covers the first 22 chapters of Genesis. You may recall a scene in that movie. Abram is traveling with his son Isaac to a place where he is to sacrifice Isaac. He has been commanded to do this by God. This is entirely fictional, and I recognize that, but it does convey the point clearly. As they travel toward the region of the Raya, they pass through the area where the city of Sodom once stood. There is nothing left there except ashes, and yes, there are a few skeletal remains.

    Isaac asks his father many questions. Did God do this? The God you worship and serve, Father Abraham, did this? Yes. Isaac looks down and sees the skull of a child, and he says, But Father, what about the children who were killed? Then Abraham raises his staff and strikes the skull. From the eye of death, the child is saved.

    John Huston portrays this scene more clearly than many who preach in pulpits today. No, we do not believe in the doctrine of universal infant salvation. That is why the question remains, and it addresses the issue of this particular child in relation to these specific parents as they are presented before the church. This child is considered holy. What does that mean? Does it mean that this child is innocent and without blame? That this child is free from the effects of sin and corruption? Not at all.

    The word “holiness” in this passage means being set apart from 1 Corinthians 7:14—nothing less than separated unto God. The child is separated unto God. And because the child is separated unto God, there is a vital connection between this child and Christ Himself. We therefore acknowledge that, because of this unique relationship between the child and God in Christ, there is also a unique relationship between this child and the Church.

    By and large, the doctrine of church membership has been sacrificed in our time. That doctrine, however, has been a consistent teaching of the church from generation to generation. Church membership does not begin with adolescence. Church membership does not begin when you decide it is a good idea.

    Because you were born within the covenant, you are placed within the church and are subject to its authority. This is why the church’s authority has the right to discipline you, even if you are a child. All of this is clearly set forth in the first question of the vows made in connection with infant baptism. These include original sin, the depravity of humanity, the seriousness of sin, the righteousness of judgment, the holiness and separateness of a child born within the covenant, the relationship of that child to Christ, and because of that, the relationship of that child to the Church. In the Church, that child has the right to the sign and seal of the covenant. We are re-acknowledging these truths.

    There is a second question here, which comes in the form of a promise. The first question was a confession of faith made by the parents on behalf of their child and their intentions. For this morning, it is sufficient to focus on the acknowledgment and the confession of faith.

    I ask you: realizing that an oath or vow, from a biblical perspective, means placing your life on the line in regard to what you say, can you fully affirm the doctrines expressed in this acknowledgment and profession of faith as you present your child for baptism? If you cannot, you have committed perjury. If you are making a public oath or vow and placing your life on the line, your life will be required for breaking that vow. If you do not mean it, do not say it.

    If you do not believe it, do not say it. I trust that you do, and that God blesses you now, as your thoughts and your heart are made even more conformable to the will of our God and Father through Jesus Christ, our Savior, who alone is our hope and our salvation.

    Let us pray. Oh Lord, remind us again of the richness we find in the vows we take, the richness of the doctrine to which we subscribe. How wonderful it is in the end when it is laid out before us. For not only in this rite of baptism are we compelled to acknowledge the sinfulness of humanity and even the depravity of our children, but we are also compelled to acknowledge the supply you have made, the gift you have granted to a depraved humanity in Jesus Christ, your Son.

    So that we may move from condemnation to justification and life. We may move from death to glory. And we return to our Savior. This we hold dear, Lord. By the root of Christ’s death and resurrection, we are in fact moved from death itself to the regions of glory and everlasting light. We pray these things in Christ’s name. Amen.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • The Oath Character of Life

    The Oath Character of Life

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Christians & Their Vows” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, January 28, 1990.

    About this sermon

    Death itself makes plain the oath-bound character of all human life, rooted in the ramifications of God’s covenant with us. Baptism marks our entry into that oath, one which Christ himself ultimately keeps on our behalf.

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    Sermon transcript

    Chapter 10. And we are reading the first 14 verses. Your older brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all did eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.

    But with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day twenty-three thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents. Neither murmured ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

    Now all these things happened unto them for examples, and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Therefore, let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. For God is faithful. He will not suffer you to be tempted above what ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

    Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from the darkness. The Lord, you have prepared our hearts. You have brought us to this time. Your Spirit is at work in us, so that we might receive your word. Lord, we ask with humility and readiness of mind that we might receive it now. Before our Father, we pray that you would save us, save us completely, so that we may be found to be most useful to you, you being the God whom we love, whom we adore. Amen.

    Vows, oaths, promises—these mark life.

    Essentially, Christianity, from beginning to end, is life bound by vows, bound by promises. Birth itself, and what lies behind it, involves vows and oaths made between people. The birth is accompanied by a vow, solemnized in baptism. There are also oaths of maturity. When we are ready to take upon ourselves the responsibilities of adulthood, these are solemnized in the Church, when we confess our faith, profess that faith before the people of God, receive our first communion, and become communicant members of the body of Christ. There are the vows of marriage, the exchange of oaths and promises at that time. Within the Church, there are vows of office, vows corresponding to the calling within the assembly of God’s people.

    And at death itself, we are also confronted with vows, oaths, and promises made. It is in connection with death, oddly enough, ironically enough, that we are faced with one of the dominant features of an oath, a vow, a promise, and the oath-bound character of life, of existence, of reality as a whole. At death, we have oaths and vows, promises made, which are spoken of under the heading of the last will and testament. When we think of the last will and testament, we are reminded specifically of the legal side of the whole matter—the law of the entire arrangement of life. There is that law side, which is unavoidable, that legal side, which is unavoidable.

    For what are vows and oaths and promises, but truly contracts—private and public—that are then enforceable by law and by institutions? You see how the whole matter is moving now? You see with what seriousness we are compelled to take the matter of oath, vow, and promise? It is as if the entire structure of law is attached to the making of a vow, an oath, or a promise. We may, in the course of life, give our promises or make our vows very insincerely, flippantly, as if they mattered little. But you see, in the end, as we face death, there comes to us at that moment the truth concerning the whole character of life and reality as bound by vow, oath, and promise. Life itself is bound by law, just as it is bound by oath. And you cannot avoid the obligation of oath-taking in life any more than you can avoid the legal character of life.

    We flee from the law. The legal side of life does not sit well with us. We judge it to be a restriction on our freedom, an inhibitor. But we cannot avoid it. There is then this reminder of the legal side of vows, oaths, and promises. No longer are they words spoken irresponsibly. But in our private and public vows and oaths, we understand them to be contracts enforceable by law, with the law standing behind them. Then we can review life in its entirety from this vantage point.

    The oath, the vow, the contract—on the legal side—what about an arrangement we enter into with an employer? Is it not an oath, a vow, a promise? Is it not bound by law? Is that not what we strive for when we are endeavoring to negotiate or renegotiate a contract? The legal side. What of a purchase—whether the purchase of life insurance, an automobile, or a home? Perhaps even the renting of a home. Is it not a contract? Is it not an oath or a vow? Enforceable by law. You cannot avoid it. All of life is oath-bound, vow-bound. You cannot escape this any more than you can escape life itself. You would have to stop living to escape the oath character, the vow character of existence.

    So it is then: oaths, vows, promises, contracts enforceable by law—a legal arrangement into which two or more parties enter and agree to uphold. What of the breach of the contract, the breaking of the vow, the violation of the promise? If there is a breach from either side of the arrangement, it leads to serious consequences. We know that. That is the character of life.

    You can look out at the public and secular arena of the world. You can consider the oaths and the vows that are taken there. They are no less covenants made, established, within the world. And they are as they are because Reality is as it is. The oath, vow, promise, and covenant character of public and secular life is as it is, because it testifies to the God who has made all things. That God Himself is an oath-making God, a vow-making God, a promise-making God, a covenant-making God, and a covenant-keeping God. All of reality bears that stamp. You cannot avoid it. Even in the public and secular world, there is this testimony to the fact that all of reality has been made by Him. And as there is this element in all public or secular covenants, so there is this same element in God’s covenant.

    And so it is that we have what may seem to some a great emphasis, even an over-emphasis, on the law in Scripture. God Himself is bound by His covenant, by His oath. He is bound by His promise. He binds Himself by His law, and we are bound in the law by Him. The law’s purpose is to guard that arrangement, those oaths and vows and promises made. Its purpose also is to enforce the stipulations, the various features of the oaths and vows. So close is the bond between covenant and law that it is as if the two were one. As if you cannot have one without the other.

    Therefore, when we enter into God’s covenant, when we are brought into that covenant by His grace, when we respond to His covenantal initiative by accepting the covenant for ourselves, it is not just some sort of light or casual arrangement in which we merely associate with one another. There is an actual binding of ourselves here, willingly, on the basis of oaths taken, promises made. And when we enter into those arrangements, when we accept God’s covenant, when we respond, we are saying that we accept for ourselves the consequences if, in fact, we break that covenant. Now do you want to think carefully before you take another vow?

    It is not just a matter of pleasant words, you see. It is not just a matter of fine sentiment. We are dealing here with matters of life and death. There is a young lady who is involved with love, who is involved with the idea of being married. The vows that she is about to take are not insignificant. They become meaningless. They become empty words. This is life and death we are talking about.

    Are you really, are you really willing to accept the vow, understanding that you are willing to suffer the consequences if you break that vow? You see, the covenant made with God, especially, is of the most serious kind. In the balance of life itself.

    We have the covenant that was made with Adam. The terms are life and death. Obey me, and you shall live; disobey, and you shall die. God makes His covenant with Israel. Again, the utter seriousness of the covenant is evident. The people stand outside and say, “All that the Lord has commanded, we will do.” They accept the terms of the covenant, they make a vow, an oath.

    The covenant is unmistakably, unavoidably a legal arrangement. It brings before our eyes stipulations and benefits, but also a promise of punishment if we do not keep our vow, if we do not obey. Obey, and you shall live, as Scripture says. Disobey, and you will die.

    There are two major Old Testament experiences for the children of Israel that mark the character of the oath-bound relationship between God and His people. These experiences come from the pages of Exodus: the experience of the Passover, and the experience of the crossing of the Red Sea. In the Passover, we witness a covenant rite. In the Passover, we witness an oath rite, a vow rite.

    As the homes of the Israelites are sealed with blood, the command is given to slay the lamb, to take the blood of the lamb, and to smear the blood on the doorposts and on the lintels of the houses. The promise is given that the angel of death will pass over those homes marked by the blood.

    But you see, the people themselves must accept the covenant. They are involved directly in this oath ceremony, in this covenant rite. For they must make the sacrifice, and by making that sacrifice they must indicate their acceptance of the word of God, their acceptance of this oath ceremony that is clear and visible to them. But not only that, they must mark the doors of their houses.

    But in marking the doors of their house, they must also pass through the door in order to enter the house and the sanctuary where they are protected. Does that sound familiar? You remember the service, the sacrifice recorded in Genesis 15, where the animals of sacrifice are cut in two and laid side by side, creating a passageway between them. Now there is a passageway at the door of every Israelite house. He must pass through the signs of the sacrifice in order to enter the house, into the sanctuary, for safety. And in passing through that entranceway, he is invoking the sanctions, the penalties of the covenant, upon himself.

    If I do not keep the covenant, if I leave the house, then I will be slain. I will be slain like that lamb. I will be destroyed as that beast. I invoke the curse of the covenant upon myself if I do not keep the covenant. The sign of the slain lamb is therefore a sign to me of my acceptance of that covenant. I accept the blood of the covenant. And if I treat this word lightly, if I show disrespect to it, if I trample it underfoot, then I am invoking the curse of the covenant upon myself.

    I am handing myself over to death. Do you see why Paul is able to say in the New Testament that some of you who are suffering under the Lord are bringing condemnation upon yourselves? You are invoking the wrath of God, because you do not understand what you are doing.

    What about the crossing of the Red Sea? You all know the story. I do not need to tell it again. The people pass through. The passageway is formed between the divided parts of the animal in Genesis 15. The way of passage is present as one enters the houses of the Israelites during the Passover. Now the water is parted, and they pass through the sea.

    What are you doing when you go through the water? You are saying, by accepting God’s covenant and His redemption, that if I do not keep the covenant, the consequences will come upon me and destroy me, just as they destroyed the Egyptians. Are you baptized? Are you baptized? Did you go through the water? Did you say, in the midst of the water, that if I do not keep the covenant, I will come upon you? My friends, this is life and death.

    But there is another side to this, is there not? It is not only the voice of the law speaking about the legal requirements of the agreement. It is specifically with regard to the biblical covenants that we understand the greater and more profound dimension. So beyond the law there is the bond. Beyond the law there are the ties that bind people to one another, and God to His own. How marvelous is this binding! Will you consider the significance of this binding?

    If you are placed under oath and under vow, and if there is a promise laid upon you that you are obliged to keep, then the One who has been bound to you by His grace has entered into this reciprocal relationship in such a way as to take upon Himself those oaths, vows, and promises.

    In the end, He will be the Lamb that is slain. His blood will be on the door. His flesh will be the one through which you partake. Such is His love, and such is the nature of His binding to you, that you may know that even when you stumble and fall, even when you fail, you have an advocate with the Father. If you are called to be baptized, He will be baptized as well. And with the greater baptism, He will pass through the water for you in order to fulfill all righteousness. And in the greatest baptism of all, the cross.

    He will be submerged beneath the waters for you, so that the punishment you deserve will be placed upon Him. And now, if there is an oath to keep, a vow to keep, a promise to keep, or a covenant to keep, you will be enabled to do so in direct proportion to your love. Do you not love Him? The one who took upon Himself your vow, the one He could not keep. And suffered dismemberment for you, death itself, the terrors of the cross, in order that you might live. Do you not love Him? And will you not serve Him?

    Truly, as He enables you to make a vow and to keep it today and tomorrow and every day by His power, which works within me. But then, Lord, we also hear the voice of Your Son, that marvelous token through which we are bound to You, tied, knit together, our lives wrapped up in each other. Now, by His root, we who are baptized, and we who would come to the Lord’s Supper, and we who would take part in the sacraments and make our vows, oaths, and promises, do so through and in Him, understanding that the judgment is past and that life and glory have come. Lord, in our love for Him, in our faith toward Him, we live and rejoice. Praise be to the Lord God.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.