Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in 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.”  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.”  1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

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When we do the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner, we do more than only properly eat the bread and drink the cup, so that we avoid the Corinthians’ behavior (“for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk.”  1 Corinthians 11:21).

When we do the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner, we do more than examine ourselves.  (“Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.  But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”  1 Corinthians 11:27-28).

When we do the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner. we “proclaim the Lord’s death”, that is, we proclaim what was accomplished by the Lord’s death.  We fully honor the Lord’s sacrifice.

Other doctrine preaches that God loves everybody and that Christ died for everybody.  But, they maintain that Lord’s death itself did not save anyone, because they admit that most people are not saved.  They claim that it is up to man to generate his own faith through his own alleged free will in order to make Christ’s blood effective to save him.

They teach that Christ’s blood is only an offer to save.  They claim that the only difference between the saved and the unsaved is not Christ’s blood, because everyone gets the blood (everyone gets the offer), but rather the only difference is whether or not a certain individual will accept the offer and generate his own faith through his own free will to make the blood effective to save himself.  According to their logic and teaching, man’s acceptance and man’s faith, not Christ’s blood, is the determining factor as to whether or not one will be saved.  Thereby, man gets most of the glory or at least some of the glory.

But, Reformed Doctrine preaches that God loves only His elect, and that Christ died only for God’s elect.  The Lord’s death procured all the saving benefits that God’s elect need for salvation, including the gift of faith.  Christ’s blood is the determining factor as to whether or not one will be saved.  Thereby, God gets all the glory.

Reformed Doctrine proclaims what was accomplished by the Lord’s death.

Consider what the Canons of Dordt states was accomplished by the Lord’s death:  “the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation”.  This is “the Lord’s death” a/k/a “the word of the cross” a/k/a “Christ crucified”.

Article 8.  For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation:  that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father;  that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death;  should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing;  and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.  SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby.  

Consider these words highlighted above of “redeem” and “purchased”.  When a man redeems or purchases something, he gets only what he  redeemed or purchased.  He does not get everything in the store.  If Christ shed his blood for everyone, then everyone would be redeemed or purchased for salvation.  But, Scripture teaches us that not everyone is saved.  Not everyone is redeemed.  Not everyone is purchased.  Only God’s elect are redeemed and purchased for salvation.  Christ shed his blood only for God’s elect.  But, for all of God’s elect and only for God’s elect, the Lord’s death accomplished all that they need for salvation.

Reformed Doctrine rejoices and proclaims all that the Lord’s death accomplished for God’s elect.  

“For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”  1 Corinthians 1:18.

“but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”  1 Corinthians 1:23-24.

“And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.  For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.  I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”  1 Corinthians 2:1-5.