A Letter on Paedocommunion

by Grover Gunn
http://grovergunn.net/andrew/andrew.htm

Dear blank,
Thanks for the card, which I received in today's mail. You've asked a very good and thoughtful question, one that I've also wrestled with a good bit over the years:
"As a church based on Covenant Theology, we offer the sacrament of baptism to our covenant children. Why not the sacrament of the Lord's Supper?"
The reason for the difference in the way we administer baptism and the Lord's Supper is that we regard one as a passive sacrament and the other as an active sacrament. An active sacrament requires some degree of active participation; a passive sacrament does not.
The NT calls the church God's holy nation (1 Peter 2). To the Baptist, the children of the church are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise. To us, our children are citizens of God's holy nation, and the outward mark of their citizenship is their baptism. Yet we do not regard our younger children as yet ready for all the privileges of this citizenship: partaking of the Lord's Supper, voting in congregational meetings and holding office in the church. These are analogous to the civic privileges of getting a driver's license and being allowed to vote in civil elections.
This issue is addressed in the Larger Catechism:
Q.177. Wherein do the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper differ?
A. The sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper differ, in that Baptism is to be administered but once, with water, to be a sign and seal of our regeneration and ingrafting into Christ, and that even to infants; whereas the Lord's Supper is to be administered often, in the elements of bread and wine, to represent and exhibit Christ as spiritual nourishment to the soul, and to confirm our continuance and growth in him, and that only to such as are of years and ability to examine themselves.

OT circumcision and NT baptism are both symbols of regeneration, a work of God alone; we are passive recipients. The language of these sacraments is always passive when the recipient is the subject:

"Every male child among you shall be circumcised."

"Let all his males be circumcised."

"The flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised."

"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized."

"What hinders me from being baptized?"

"Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized?"

"And immediately he and all his family were baptized."

"And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized."

"Arise and be baptized."

Both sacraments are done to a person, are passively received by a person. Both sacraments are suitable for an infant and identify the infant as a member of God's covenant people.
The OT communion offerings (including the passover) and the NT Lord's Supper are acts of active fellowship or communion and symbols of spiritual nourishment and growth, all of which involve the active exercise of faith. The language of the Lord's Super is active, not passive:

"Take, eat."

"Drink from it."

"Do this in remembrance."

"You proclaim the Lord's death till He comes."

"The cup of blessing which we bless."

"The bread which we break."

"You partake of the Lord's table."

These active sacraments are not suited for the infant. They are not suited physically because they involve the ingestion of meat, wine and bread. They are not suited spiritually because they require some degree of preparation and self-examination:
1 Corinthians 11:27-32
Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and 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 in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

2 Chronicles 30:18-20
For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the good LORD provide atonement for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary." And the LORD listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

Numbers 9:6
Now there were certain men who were defiled by a human corpse, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day; and they came before Moses and Aaron that day.

Psalm 51:16-19
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; you do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart -- these, O God, You will not despise. Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

Isaiah 1:14-17
Your New Moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow."
Some do argue that we should admit our covenant children to the Lord's table from infancy. Here are some answers to some of their arguments:

Exodus 12:4¹ does not prove that children below the age of discretion partook of the Passover. "According to the number of souls" could refer to the absolute number in each household or to the computed number of those qualified to partake in each household. The word translated number is a rare noun derived from a verb meaning count or compute, which verb is used near the end of this verse. Perhaps computation, counting or numbering would be better translations here than the word number, which can be misleading. The phrase "according to the mouth of his eating" means to compute the number of lambs needed for each household in accordance with the quantity each one in that household will be eating. It does not mean that every mouth in every household necessarily ate the Passover.
The word number in Exodus 12:4¹ cannot refer to the absolute number in each household because not everyone in every household could partake. Most acknowledge that nursing infants could not eat roasted lamb. No one who was uncircumcised, including the sojourner and the hired servant, could partake (12:43-49). Those who were ceremonially unclean could not partake (Numbers 9:6; 2 Chronicles 30:18; John 11:55). These factors indicate that the word number in Exodus 12:4 should not be interpreted absolutely.
Since the ceremonially unclean were prohibited from partaking of the Passover under the Mosaic covenant, there was a degree of active self-examination involved in preparing to partake the Passover. The prophets condemned a hypocritical keeping of ceremonies that was outward only and which neglected the spiritual implications of the ceremonial law. This means that the self-examination needed to prepare for partaking of the Passover had a spiritual element.
Exodus 12:26 says, "And it shall be, when your children say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?' ..." The children did not say, "What do we mean by this service?". All this verse indicates is that young children were present at the Passover as learning observers. This verse also implies that covenant children received some degree of catechetical instruction in preparation for meaningful participation in the Passover.
In 1 Corinthians 10, the water from the rock and the manna from heaven are analogous to the new covenant sacraments in that they contained a spiritual message and were tokens of God's saving grace. They were not old covenant sacraments (WCF, 27:5) in which infants participated. If they had been old covenant sacraments, the ceremonially unclean could have died of thirst in the wilderness (cf. Numbers 19:11). Animals drank water from the Rock (Numbers 20:11), which is unthinkable if that water had been sacramental.
The young covenant child is baptized based on the promises of the covenant, but he is not subject to the obligations of the covenant (faith, repentance and obedience) until he reaches the age of discretion. This is the general age when the child understands the gospel and meets the qualifications for partaking of the Lord's Supper. His faith needs to have matured to the point where he can meaningfully participate in the Lord's Supper. He should understand its basic symbolism, and be able to participate with the reverence and discernment needed to avoid divine displeasure and even judgment. He should be able to examine himself to know that he is prepared to participate.
Here is how our Book of Church Order expresses this:
6-4. Those only who have made a profession of faith in Christ, have been baptized, and admitted by the Session to the Lord's Table, are entitled to all the rights and privileges of the church. ...
56-4.j. By virtue of being children of believing parents they are, because of God's covenant ordinance, made members of the church, but this is not sufficient to make them continue members of the Church. When they have reached the age of discretion, they become subject to obligations of the covenant: faith, repentance and obedience. They then make public confession of their faith in Christ, or become covenant breakers, and subject to the discipline of the Church.
57-1. Believers' children within the visible Church, and especially those dedicated to God in baptism, are non-communing members under the care of the Church. They are taught to love God, and to obey and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. When they are able to understand the Gospel, they should be earnestly reminded that they are members of the Church by birthright, and that it is their duty and privilege personally to accept Christ, to confess Him before men, and to seek admission to the Lord's Supper.
57-2. The time when young persons come to understand the Gospel cannot be precisely fixed. This must be left to the prudence of the Session, whose office it is to judge, after careful examination, the qualifications of those who apply for admission to sealing ordinances.
As to their being regenerate, only God knows that for sure. We are instructed to administer the covenant based on the outward evidences of the secret inner work of grace. "By their fruit you will know them." Only God can see the heart.
The issue is whether the child's faith has developed to the point where he can participate meaningfully. Different Sessions have different opinions about what degree of spiritual maturity is best. That is their prerogative.
Below is a letter I have written to covenant children who are considering asking to be admitted to the Lord's Table. I hope this helps.
May God bless!
Your servant in Christ,
Grover
Some of you are seeking admission to the Lord's Table as children of the covenant. As children of the covenant, you have at least one parent who already believes in Jesus. God has promised believing parents that He will be not only their God but also the God of their children. Your believing parent or parents claimed this promise first by bringing you for baptism when you were too young to come yourself. Then they sought to raise you in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
Because you have this wonderful heritage, which many children do not have, it is both your privilege and your duty to nurture your faith in Jesus Christ. You can do this by doing those things which God says He uses in giving people the gift of faith. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." You can regularly come to church, Sunday school and Cadets/GEMS. You can read your Bible and Bible stories. You can work on memorizing Bible verses and the Children's Catechism or the Shorter Catechism. You can spend some time each day in prayer. Ask God to bless these efforts by using them to give you a growing faith in Jesus, and He will answer your prayer.
You are already a member of the Church because of your baptism as an infant or young child. You have been waiting and working for the day when you would be mature enough spiritually to participate fully in the life of the church. You have been like a lamb who is a member of the flock but not yet a mature sheep. You have been like a child who is a real citizen of a country but has not yet been allowed to vote or get a driver's license.
Now some of you are ready to confess your faith in Jesus before the Church and to seek admission to the Lord's Table. The elders of the church will admit you to the Lord's Table

if you are mature enough to know what you are doing,

if the life you are living agrees with the faith you are ready to profess,

if you understand the Gospel message as represented in the Lord's Supper well enough to participate meaningfully, and

if you are mature enough to partake of the Lord's Supper seriously and responsibly.

The Session must take care that those they admit to the Lord's Table are ready for the responsibility because God judges those who partake unworthily. See the following guidance found in our Shorter Catechism:
Q.97. What is required to the worthy receiving of the Lord's supper?
A. It is required of them that would worthily partake of the Lord's supper, that they examine themselves, of their knowledge to discern the Lord's body, of their faith to feed upon Him, of their repentance, love, and new obedience; lest coming unworthily, they eat and drink judgment to themselves.

Others of you may be coming as those outside the covenant who have never been baptized. You too can become fully participating members of God's church. You are like an immigrant seeking citizenship in a nation by pledging allegiance to that nation. You are like an older child seeking membership in a family through adoption. In the Church, your citizenship and adoption papers will be your baptism.
Once you are admitted to the Lord's Table, God can use your eating at His Son's Table as another way to increase your faith in Jesus. The Lord uses His Supper to speak to us and to remind us of the Gospel.
When you are ready to meet with the church's elders, they will ask you the following questions:

1. Do you acknowledge yourself to be a sinner in the sight of God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope except in His sovereign mercy?

2. Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and Savior of sinners, and do you receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered in the Gospel?

3. Do you now resolve and promise, in humble reliance upon the grace of the Holy Spirit, that you will endeavor to live as becomes a follower of Christ?

4. Do you promise to support the Church in its worship and work to the best of your ability?

5. Do you submit yourself to the government and discipline of the Church, and promise to work for its purity and peace?

To help you prepare for professing your faith before the church's elders, the Pastor will hold a class called the Communicant's Class. This class is for those who want the Session to admit them to the Lord's Table as Communicant Members of the church.

FOOTNOTES

¹ I received insights on the Exodus Passover from listening to a tape series by Dr. Ken Gentry.

6-4.	Those only who have made a profession of faith in Christ, have been baptized, and admitted by the Session to the Lord's Table, are entitled to all the rights and privileges of the church. ...
56-4.j.	By virtue of being children of believing parents they are, because of God's covenant ordinance, made members of the church, but this is not sufficient to make them continue members of the Church. When they have reached the age of discretion, they become subject to obligations of the covenant: faith, repentance and obedience. They then make public confession of their faith in Christ, or become covenant breakers, and subject to the discipline of the Church.
57-1.	Believers' children within the visible Church, and especially those dedicated to God in baptism, are non-communing members under the care of the Church. They are taught to love God, and to obey and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. When they are able to understand the Gospel, they should be earnestly reminded that they are members of the Church by birthright, and that it is their duty and privilege personally to accept Christ, to confess Him before men, and to seek admission to the Lord's Supper.
57-2.	The time when young persons come to understand the Gospel cannot be precisely fixed. This must be left to the prudence of the Session, whose office it is to judge, after careful examination, the qualifications of those who apply for admission to sealing ordinances.

Q.97.	What is required to the worthy receiving of the Lord's supper?
A.	It is required of them that would worthily partake of the Lord's supper, that they examine themselves, of their knowledge to discern the Lord's body, of their faith to feed upon Him, of their repentance, love, and new obedience; lest coming unworthily, they eat and drink judgment to themselves.

1.	Do you acknowledge yourself to be a sinner in the sight of God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope except in His sovereign mercy?
2.	Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and Savior of sinners, and do you receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered in the Gospel?
3.	Do you now resolve and promise, in humble reliance upon the grace of the Holy Spirit, that you will endeavor to live as becomes a follower of Christ?
4.	Do you promise to support the Church in its worship and work to the best of your ability?
5.	Do you submit yourself to the government and discipline of the Church, and promise to work for its purity and peace?