B e it circumcision and the Passover meal in the Old Testament, or baptism and the Lord’s Supper in the New Testament, both are outwards signs of an inward grace. Without the grace of God working faith in us, we are but miserable and perishing sinners deceiving ourselves and others. Beneath the religious façade is an unregenerated soul seeking comfort in rituals that serve only to appease his conscience. Yet one may ask; if the heart is the only thing that matters when we observe the sacraments, why is there a need for us to go through these “religious rituals”? He may ask, “As long as I know I have truly believed, why is there a need for me to profess my faith publicly? As long as I remember the Lord Jesus Christ every day, why is there a need for me to partake of the Lord’s Supper?” The answer is that the sacraments are commanded by God, and they are also means of grace provided by God for our benefit. When we make a decision to be baptized, we take an important step in our lives, telling others, and more importantly ourselves, to live a life worthy of God’s calling. We are also baptized into a local church, and thus the church formally welcomes us into its community. In witnessing our baptism, the church members are also reminded of their faith and first love for the Lord Jesus Christ and His people. The same goes for the Lord’s Supper. When we partake it together as a church, God uses the assembling of the saints to cause one to examine oneself, to remind us of our identity and unity with the body of believers, to build one another up in the most holy faith, in proclaiming the Lord’s death until He returns.
LESSON
Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. – John 1:16
THOUGHT
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