The sermon by Eric Bechler focuses on the concept of 'Communion Among Saints' as outlined in the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, Chapter 27, Paragraph 1. It begins by explaining the union of believers, or saints, with Christ Jesus, their head, through the Holy Spirit and faith. This union allows believers to share in Christ's grace, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory. The sermon emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in convicting and uniting believers with Christ and the church, highlighting that this union is not a loss of personal identity but a spiritual union that strengthens individual identity in relation to God. Furthermore, the sermon discusses the mutual love and responsibilities among believers, stressing that this communion involves sharing spiritual gifts and serving one another. It underscores the importance of maintaining a connection with Christ to bear spiritual fruit and engage in genuine Christian fellowship. The sermon also contrasts Christian communion with non-Christian mysticism, clarifying that Christianity values the redemption and understanding of personal identity rather than its annihilation. Believers are encouraged to remain connected with Christ through prayer, study, and community involvement.
Our reading from the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 today comes from chapter 27 of the Communion of the Saints, paragraph 1. All saints that are united to Christ Jesus, Jesus Christ, their head by His Spirit and faith, although they are not made there by one person with Him, have fellowship in His grace, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory, and being united to one another in love. They have communion in each other's gifts and graces and are obliged to the performance of such duties public and private in an orderly way as do conduce to their mutual good both in the inward and the outward man. We begin a new chapter today in our confession one on the communion of the Saints. This phrase should sound familiar to you if you are acquainted with the Apostles' Creed.
We find it in the third section it reads, I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Within the expression the communion of saints we find an element of both our relationship with Christ and our relationship with others. This is how we will approach our paragraph today. We'll start with our union with Christ and then how that affects our relationship with Him and others. Next week we'll look at the Holy Fellowship and Communion that is to be extended to all the household of faith.
The confession starts with all saints. This is the subject of our discussion. The saints are believers, true believers, or what we would call the elect. The elect are united to Jesus Christ. The elect are those chosen by the Father before the foundation of the world, Ephesians 1-4.
We find more evidences of the Father choosing those who believe in Jesus in John 17 in one of Jesus's prayers. In verse 2 we read, as you the Father have given Christ authority over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him. And in verse 6 Jesus continues, I revealed your name to the men whom you have given me out of the world that they were yours You gave them to me and they have kept your word. Those the Father has chosen and given to the Son will have eternal life. If you remember back in our discussions of the covenant of redemption, It is the Father choosing the elect, choosing those who will be redeemed.
It is the Son accomplishing the work of redemption, and it is the Holy Spirit applying that redemption, applying that saving work of Christ to us. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts and unites us to Christ. John 16 8 reads, and when he the Holy Spirit has come, he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. It is the Spirit who unites believers to Christ in the church. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greek, whether slaves or free, and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
1st Corinthians 12-13. And Christ is the head of that body the church Colossians 1 18 to truly belong to Christ to be united to Christ one must be indwelt by the Holy Spirit Paul tells us this in Romans 8 9 but you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. It is the Spirit who unites believers to Christ by working faith in them. Paul writes that he would grant you to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that you might be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3 16 through 19.
This faith comes not from yourself or any action on your part, it is a free gift from God through the working of the Holy Spirit. Paul reminds us, For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God Ephesians 2 8 Robert Shaw comments on believers being united to Christ This is not an essential union such as subsists between the sacred persons of the Godhead, nor a personal union such as exists between the divine and human natures of the person of Christ, nor merely a political union like that between a king and his subjects, nor a mere moral union like that between two friends. Between Christ and believers, there is a legal union like that between a surety and the person for whom he is engaging. This union was formed from all eternity when Christ was appointed their federal head.
But besides this, there is a spiritual union formed between them in time, of which our confession here treats. It is a profound mystery, and for this reason, is usually described as a mystical union. Sometimes it is expressed in Scripture by believers being in Christ like in Romans 8 1 there is now therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. At other times Christ is said to be in believers. In 2 Corinthians 8-5, Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates.
Sometimes both modes of expression are joined together, abide in me and I in you from John 15 for this union is exhibited and illustrated in scripture by various similitudes. It's compared to the union between a tree and its branches in John 15, five, to the union between the building and the foundation by which it is supported in 1 Peter two, four and six, to the union between husband and wife Ephesians 5 31 and 32 and to the union between the head and the members of the body Ephesians 4 15 and 16 as the union between Christ and his people is spiritual in its nature so are its bonds and these are the Holy Spirit on Christ part and faith on their part Christ apprehends them by his Spirit and they receive Him by that with which His Spirit produces in them. Hence He is said to dwell in their hearts by faith. So close and intimate is this union that Christ and believers are said to be one spirit. He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him, 1st Corinthians 6-17, but it is the crowning excellence of this union that it can never be dissolved.
The Holy Spirit will never depart from any in whom he has taken up his residence. John 14, 16, and 17. Satan and all his agents with all their combined strength and subtlety cannot separate one soul from Christ. Romans 8, 38, and 39. Death will break all other ties and separate even the soul from the body, but it cannot dissolve the union between Christ and believers.
Which takes us to the next phrase in our paragraph, and these saints united to Jesus Christ have fellowship in his grace, sufferings, death, and resurrection, and glory. Because we're united with Christ, we receive all the benefits of His saving work. Because of Christ's active and passive obedience, we have the forgiveness of our sins. We have eternal life. Paul writes, I am crucified with Christ.
Nevertheless, I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me, Galatians 2.20. For he hath made him to be sinned for us who knew not who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him 2nd Corinthians 521 our sins have been imputed to Christ and have been paid for on the cross Christ's righteousness has been imputed to us so that we are justified in God's sight and receive that blessed reward of eternal life. This is the positive side of being united with Christ. There is also though a negative side to this union.
Dr. Sproul warns, one of the deeply concerning things about modern forms of evangelism is that we are so zealous to win people for Christ and to communicate the benefits of the gospel that we will say, if you come to Jesus, you can have fellowship with him in his grace, in his resurrection, and in his glory, omitting the fellowship of his sufferings. So important is that concept in terms of our own union with Christ, the Apostle Paul says that unless we are willing to participate in his suffering and death, we will not enter into his exaltation. 2nd Timothy 2, 11 and 12 Jesus himself said to his disciples, if the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. John 15 18.
Jesus tells us directly that in the world you will have tribulation. John 16 33. We will enter into his sorrows, his pain, his afflictions, and if indeed we suffer with him we may also be glorified together. Romans 8 17. So we see that there is an upside and there is a downside to being united with Christ But remember what is your life?
It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away James 4 14 When we consider the eternity with Christ that awaits us, any trials we face or tribulations we endure are nothing. Paul emphasizes this in Romans 8, 18, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Well praise God and praise God when we do go through hard times you can be sure He is always with you with us. There's another point in our paragraph giving emphasis that believers who are united with Christ are not made thereby one person with him. So let's try to understand what that means and why this would be included in the confession.
Dr. Sproul has some insights into this that I'd like to share. From the Latin communio, we see clearly the entomology of the word communion. The prefix com means with. The root of the word is unio, so communion means union with.
Well, why add the prefix com to unio when unio expresses union by itself? Historically, there's an important distinction between union and communion. In classic forms of non-Christian mysticism such as Gnosticism and Neoplatonism, there was the belief that one has to bypass the mind to appreciate the divine. One could lose consciousness of oneself and become one with God. That is also a concept in Eastern religions.
In these religions the ultimate goal of religious experience is the loss of personal identity and the experience of losing one's individuality and being swallowed up in the All or the One. In contrast, Christianity never sees the goal of religious faith as the annihilation of personal identity or the loss of the self. Rather the goal is a heightened understanding of the self as it relates to God. It is the redemption of the personal identity, not the destruction of it that we see as our goal. In summary, we are not made one person with Jesus Christ.
We are united to Him. And although some describe this as a mysterious union, in no way does it cause confusion between Christ's personality and ours, nor does it make us a part of the Trinity or equal to God in any way. A. A. Hodges describes it as a union between persons in which each retains his separate identity and in which the believer, although immeasurably exalted and blessed, nevertheless is entirely subordinated to and continues dependent upon his Lord.
Now up until now we focused on a relationship with Christ, but this was to be only part of our discussion. We also have a relationship with others, with other believers. When we are united to Christ, we are at the same time united with all other believers who are united to Christ. We're all part of the body of Christ, his church, with Christ as the head. We are united to one another in love.
John tells us, beloved, let us love one another for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 1st John 4, 7. In fact, Jesus gives us a new commandment that you love one another. By this all men shall know that you are my disciples. John 13, 34.
Do you understand what this looks like? Have you ever traveled, business, vacation, or whatever, and visited a church? I hope that when you travel or go on vacation that you would not take a vacation from going to church on Sunday, but that you would seek out and worship in a nearby church where you're visiting. The command we can't forget to not forsake assembling of ourselves in Hebrews 10-25 applies all the time, both when you're at home and when you're away. In fact, you'd find that it's an excellent opportunity for you to experience the communion of the Saints.
I used to travel a great deal across the United States to Germany, even to Israel, and I would find as best I could a local church to attend and I would say sometimes it's a challenge but I was always treated like family, like a long lost friend. It was wonderful and although it seemed remarkable to me at the time, it shouldn't have. It should have been expected. Despite all kinds of differences, denominations, worship style, minor doctrines, those united to Christ are united to each other. This is all saints not just Reformed.
We are all one body. We are all to love one another just as Christ has loved us. Well what about us here at Burnet Bible Church? How are our relationships between each other? Is there interest, care, and love between ourselves?
Is there someone here who somehow feels left out? I hope not. How also do you think we're doing when a visitor walks through the door to worship with us? Do they feel welcomed? Do they feel loved?
Do they feel part of the family, God's family? I hope so. In our next part of the paragraph, in being united to one another in love, the saints have communion in each other's gifts and graces and are obligated to carry out these duties both public and private in an orderly way to promote their mutual good both in the inner and outer aspects of their lives. I'll read an excerpt from a 2020 table talk that touches on this. This communion calls for every brother and sister in Christ to serve one another through spiritual gifts so that the church might build itself up in love as each does his or her part Ephesians 416 and 1 Peter 2 6.
The Holy Spirit gives gifts to every believer that they are to use for the good of others in the church family. All of us are called to use our gifts as good stewards and with the faith God gives us. Such gifts can be practical as we see how the early church expressed her communion in tangible ways by sharing food, by contributing to the needs of other churches, and by financially partnering in the gospel ministry. Every Christian is called to exercise mutual love and service in what are often called the one another commands. Every member of the church is called to serve, forbear, forgive, accept, comfort, greet, welcome, encourage, exhort, admonish, teach, instruct, build up, confess sin to, speak the truth to, live in peace with, to be kind to, to do good to, pray for, show hospitality to, and love one another.
When we obey these commands it shows the world that we are what we claim. This is a community unlike any other and here is a people who genuinely love. But we must remember the words of Christ. Apart from me, you can do nothing. John 15, 5.
We love because Christ first loved us. We forgive because Christ first forgave us. We show mercy because Christ first showed us mercy. Without union with Christ, you cannot have a spiritual life. You cannot be part of the communion of saints.
You cannot have a genuine Christian fellowship. If we are to bear fruit, we must be connected to Christ. How are you doing? Are you staying connected? Are you connecting with Christ each day in prayer, in private time with your Bible, in study, in reading, in listening?
Are you ministering to others? Are you helping one another? Are you using the gifts and graces God has given to you for the benefit of others and your local church? Amen.