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Catechetical sermons preached in PCC Evening Worship Services, Feb 2013 to Dec 2017

WSC 91-93 of 107

¹¹And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: ¹² And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised

Romans 4:11-12

WSC 91. How do the sacraments become effectual means of salvation?

A. The sacraments become effectual means of salvation,—not from any virtue in them, or in him that doth administer them;—but only by the blessing of Christ,¹ and the working of his Spirit in them that by faith receive them.²

¹1 Pet 3:21; Mt 3:11; 1 Cor 3:6–7; ²1 Cor 12:13.

WSC 92. What is a sacrament?

A. A sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and the benefits of the New Covenant, are represented, sealed, and applied to believers.¹

¹Gen 17:7, 10; Ex 12; 1 Cor 11:23, 26.

WSC 93. Which are the sacraments of the New Testament?

A. The sacraments of the New Testament are, baptism,¹ and the Lord’s Supper.²

¹Mt 28:19; ²Mt 26:26–28.

The book of Romans is centred on the theme: “Justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.” This doctrine answers the most pressing question that man can ever ask, namely: How can I enjoy a right relationship with God?

Paul’s answer is very clear: Since God is holy, sinful man can enjoy a right relationship with Him only if he has the righteousness of God. And he can only have God’s righteousness if God gives it to him. And he must receive it by faith in Christ alone. The good works of man cannot buy God’s favour because there is none that does good. Unless God first declares a man righteous in Christ, nothing he does can be acceptable to God.

Paul makes that doctrine very clear in Romans 3. In chapter 4, he proves that David and Abraham were justified by faith, too. But with that comes an important question: What is the role of circumcision?

Both Abraham and David were Jews. They were both of the circumcision. If that is so, then could it be that only those who are circumcised can receive God’s blessing? Paul anticipates this question in verse 9, “Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also?”

This is an important question that has numerous theological implications. So Paul spends the next eight verses, from verses 9-17, answering it. His answer in a word is no; circumcision is not a prerequisite for justification. His arguments can be summarised into three points:

1. Abraham was justified before he was circumcised.
2. Circumcision is of the law. If it is a prerequisite, then neither Abraham nor his seed could have received the promise attached to it, for fallen man cannot keep the law perfectly.
3. God’s promise (sealed by circumcision) is not made to Abraham’s physical seed (who were circumcised), but to His spiritual seed.

These are powerful supporting arguments for the doctrine of justification by faith alone. However, we have already studied the doctrine when we looked at WSC 33. S, so we will not repeat it. Instead, we want to focus on something the apostle Paul says, almost by the way. This, as it were, incidental word has illumined the Church of Christ regarding the special and mysterious ordinances of God known as sacraments.

What does our text have to do with sacraments?

From our Shorter Catechism, Q. 93, we learn that “The Sacraments of the New Testament are, baptism and the Lord’s Supper.”

What about the Old Testament? It may surprise some of us, but our confessional standards do not explicitly identify the sacraments in the Old Testament. But when we consider the prooftexts supplied with our Confession and Larger Catechism, we can see that the Assembly understood that the Old Testament equivalent of baptism is circumcision, and that of the Lord’s Supper is the Passover.

In any case, when we have collected together all the biblical teachings about circumcision, baptism, Passover, and the Lord’s Supper, we will find that they share several characteristics that are not shared with other ordinances. For example, there is a unique sacramental language associated with these four ordinances. We think of how circumcision is identified with the covenant in Genesis 17:10. Baptism is likewise identified with the covenant in Acts 2:39. Then Christ is called the Passover in 1 Corinthians 5:7, and in the Lord’s Supper, the Lord Jesus speaks of the bread and wine as His body and blood.

This leads us to understand that what we may learn about one of the ordinances may often be applied to the others. Thus, our Shorter Catechism describes a sacrament with the language that Paul uses to describe circumcision in verse 11 of our text:

WSC 92. What is a sacrament?

A. A sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and the benefits of the New Covenant, are represented, sealed, and applied to believers.

It is evident that the reference to sign and seal comes from Romans 4:11:

And he [Abraham] received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also.

Let’s consider from this verse and other related passages how sacraments are ordinances that (1) Signify, (2) Seal, and (3) Apply Christ and the benefits of His redemption, or the benefits of the New Covenant.

1. It Signifies

Circumcision signifies. Paul calls it “the sign of circumcision.” What is a sign? A sign is a symbol that represents or points to a reality that is greater than it. The exit sign indicates that there is a door nearby by which we can exit the building. The flag of Singapore represents the nation of Singapore.

A sign can take many forms. It can take the form of a picture and text. It can also take the form of gestures, as in the case of sign language. And it can also take the form of rituals. Circumcision is a ritual sign. So is baptism, the Passover and the Lord’s Supper.

These are ritual signs with spiritual significance. They point to spiritual realities. In the case of the sign of circumcision, God Himself says in Genesis 17:10:

This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

mply put, the Lord is saying that circumcision signifies His covenant, and points to all the benefits of the covenant reserved for His covenant people.

The same is true with baptism. When the apostle Peter instructs the crowd at Pentecost to repent and be baptised and reminds them that the promise is unto them and their children, he is essentially telling them that the sign of circumcision is now replaced by baptism. Baptism is the new sign of the covenant. Baptism of water signifies baptism of the Holy Spirit, and baptism of the Holy Spirit may be said to be the heart of the blessings of the covenant.

Thus, Paul says in Galatians 3:13:

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law…That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

We may say the same about the Passover. The sacrament of the Passover pointed to Christ, whose blood would be shed to turn the wrath of God from those covered by it. Likewise, the Lord’s Supper signifies Christ’s death for us to pay for our sin.

This, then, is the first characteristic of a sacrament: it signifies. Or using the words of our catechism, it is a sensible sign through which Christ, and the benefits of the New Covenant, are represented. They are sensible signs because they involve our senses of touch, smell, sight, hearing or taste. They are said to signify the benefits of the New Covenant even for Old Covenant sacraments because it is under the New Covenant that the benefits of the Covenant of Grace, such as forgiveness, regeneration, and justification, are explicitly enjoyed.  After all, the New Covenant is inaugurated by the incarnation, death and resurrection of Christ.

2. It Seals

Circumcision seals, for Paul calls it “a seal of the righteousness of the faith” in our text. What is a seal? A seal authenticates and ratifies. A seal on a certificate indicates that it is authentic. A seal on a letter certifies that it has not been opened and its contents remain uncompromised.

What is the seal of the righteousness of faith? The righteousness of faith is the righteousness that is received by faith. This is the righteousness of Christ, which is procured by His living and dying for His people. Now, as soon as they exercise the faith given to them and believe in Christ, they are imputed or credited with this righteousness. But this righteousness is invisible. How can you tell if a person has it or not? This was one of the reasons for circumcision.

Circumcision of the flesh pointed to circumcision of the heart or regeneration. Thus, circumcision, when received with faith, authenticates the work of God’s grace in the heart, or in other words, regeneration. And regeneration is the work of God that sows and waters the seed of faith. And this faith is the lush green leaves that receive the sunshine of the righteousness of Christ. This light of the righteousness of Christ is beautiful in the sight of God, but is invisible to us. This is why we need a sensible sign to represent it. This is why we need the same sign to seal it unto our hearts and to seal it for the Church.

Many will indeed misuse the sign, for:

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God

Rom 2:29

But this seal is appointed by God, and therefore, it behoves us to respect it. Thus, in Old Testament times, those who were circumcised, whether Jews or proselytes, were admitted to the Passover. Men who were not circumcised did not have the seal of righteousness and, therefore, were not permitted to partake of the Passover.

We read this in Exodus 12:48:

And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

Circumcision, therefore, was a seal.  And so is baptism. Paul says, Galatians 3:27, “For as many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ.”

Baptism is a seal to authenticate our union with Christ. It is the warrant for the Church to regard someone as Christian. Covenant children should be treated as Christians and trained up as Christians because they bear the covenant seal.

We may say the same thing about the Passover. Those who partook of the Passover by faith received, in their hearts, God’s assurance of His love and care in His Lamb. Those who partook not by faith received nothing but judgment.

Likewise, for the Lord’s Supper. Paul says, 1 Corinthians 10:16:

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

Apart from all the other spiritual benefits of the Supper, those who partake of the Supper by faith are assured that they belong to Christ, are one body with Him and are in communion with Him and one another. This unity and communion is are invisible to the eyes. It is not found in their being in the same hall together. It is not found in their worshipping together. Many who are in the hall together may not be true believers.

So, union with Christ is more profound than merely being together, for it is a spiritual unity that is only visible to God’s eyes and available to us by faith. The Lord’s Supper provides us with the assurance that we are truly united. It is a seal of Christ and the benefits He has purchased for us.

Thus, we see that the sacraments of circumcision, Passover, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper are all seals of the righteousness of the faith. They are holy ordinances instituted by Christ, wherein, by sensible signs, Christ and the benefits of the New Covenant are represented and sealed.

But that is not all. A sacrament also applies.

3. It Applies

If you want to paint a wall, you will use a brush. You will apply the paint on the wall with the brush. The brush is the instrument. Likewise, when we speak of applying a spiritual benefit with an ordinance, we are saying that the ordinance is the instrument through which the benefit is conveyed.

So when we say that the sacrament, when used with faith, applies Christ and His benefits, we are saying that the sacrament is—in a sense—an instrument for conveying the benefit.

However, it is not so straightforward. Consider the case of circumcision from our text.

First of all, not everyone who was circumcised received the benefits of the covenant, for many who were circumcised perished in sin. We think of Ishmael and Esau and the multitude that remained in unbelief at the exodus.

Secondly, the benefits pointed to by circumcision are sometimes, at least, applied even before circumcision takes place. This is the crucial argument of Paul: “And he [Abraham] received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised,” he says (v. 11). That is, he had the benefit before the sign.

Thirdly, it is clear that the efficacy of circumcision did not depend on who performed it. We are not told who circumcised Abraham. Certainly not Melchizedek. He might even have done it himself! Abraham circumcised Ishmael, yet he remained in sin, whereas Isaac was converted. We may say the same with baptism. Philip baptised Simon Magus, yet he apostatised. What about Judas? He could have been baptised by Christ himself or by John the Baptist.

Fourthly, it is clear that circumcision was only effectual for those who eventually exercised faith, who could at that time acknowledge and receive by faith his circumcision. This is why it is called “the seal of the righteousness of faith.”

Those who were circumcised but had no faith perished. Who were those who perished in the wilderness during the forty years? They were those who were twenty years and above when they left Egypt (Num 14:29). Were they circumcised? Yes, for we are told in Joshua 5:5 that “all the people that came out were circumcised.” Why, then, did they perish? Because they had no faith (Heb 4:2)! It is clear then that circumcision is only effectual for those who would exercise faith at some time.

But fifthly, comparing Scripture with Scripture, we can see that the Holy Spirit plays a vital role in the efficacy of circumcision.

How so? Well, in the first place, faith is a gift of God through the work of regeneration, and regeneration is a work of the Holy Spirit. Without faith, circumcision is ineffectual, so we know that the Holy Spirit plays a vital role in the efficacy of circumcision.

In the second place, regeneration in the Old Covenant was known as circumcision of the heart, whereas under the New Covenant, it is known as baptism of the Holy Spirit (Dt 10:16; 30:6; Tit 3:5). And there was hardly any man under the Old Covenant who was known to be a believer who was not circumcised; and there was hardly anyone under the New Covenant who was known to be a believer, who was not baptised. Surely, it can’t be a coincidence. Instead, it shows a vital connection between circumcision of the flesh and circumcision of the heart, and there is a vital connection between baptism of water and baptism of the Holy Spirit.

What is the connection? No doubt, the Holy Spirit! In a sense, the Holy Spirit’s role in making circumcision and baptism effectual is even more vital than that of faith. Think of how elect infants dying in infancy cannot exercise faith, and yet they are saved—even if they are not circumcised or baptised.

We may say the same about the Lord’s Supper. There is a close connection between partaking in bread and wine at the supper and spiritually eating and drinking the flesh and blood of Christ. What is the link? The Lord himself says: “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing” (Jn 6:63).

Now, we have seen: (1) that circumcision is not efficacious by itself; (2) that its efficacy is not tied to the moment it is administered; (3) that it does not depend on who performs it; (4) that it is generally effectual only to those who would receive it by faith; and (5) that it is effectual by the power of the Holy Spirit. We have also seen that it is more or less possible to demonstrate that the same five propositions are also true of baptism, the Passover, and the Lord’s Supper.

It is on this basis that we are taught in Q. 91 of our Catechism that:

The sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not from any virtue in them, or in him that doth administer them; but only by the blessing of Christ, and the working of his Spirit in them that by faith receive them.

The only aspect we have not demonstrated is that sacraments are efficacious by the blessing of Christ. How do we see that from Scripture? We can see that by noticing that the power and authority of Christ are mentioned in the institution and observance of each of the sacraments in a way that is not done for other ordinances.

For example, on circumcision, Paul writes:

• Romans 15:8—“Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God.”
• Colossians 2:11—“In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.”

On baptism, he affirms:

• Galatians 3:27—“For as many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ.”

On the Passover, he says:

• 1 Corinthians 5:7—“Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.”

On the Lord’s Supper, he insists:

• 1 Corinthians 10:16—“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?”

Notice how each of these verses identifies Christ as the basis and authority of the ordinance mentioned? Though we are unable to delve into specifics, these verses together form the basis of the teaching of WSC 91 that the efficacy of a sacrament arises not from itself or the minister administering it, “but only by the blessing of Christ, and the working of his Spirit in them that by faith receive them.”

Conclusion

This is amazing, isn’t it? The Christian Church has used the sacraments throughout the ages. Today, many Protestant churches would not even call them sacraments because of an overreaction to the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. But the reality is that the Scripture has given a special place to these sacraments, and so we ought to be familiar with them. We ought to appreciate their unique place in the Church of Christ. Consider again, then, the three catechism questions we looked at today:

WSC 92. What is a sacrament?

A. A sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and the benefits of the new covenant, are represented, sealed, and applied to believers.

WSC 93. Which are the sacraments of the New Testament?

A. The sacraments of the New Testament are, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper.

WSC 91. How do the sacraments become effectual means of salvation?

A. The sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not from any virtue in them, or in him that doth administer them; but only by the blessing of Christ, and the working of his Spirit in them that by faith receive them.”

What shall we do with these verities? Let me suggest three things.

a.    Firstly, see to it that you do not miss out on the blessings that come with the use of the sacraments. Children and friends, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper are essential aspects of the Christian life; they are not optional. Seek them; ask for them; avail yourself of them.

b.    Secondly, remember that faith and the Holy Spirit are essential if the sacraments are to be effectual for you. See to it, therefore, that you use baptism and the Lord’s Supper with faith and prayer for the power of the Spirit. If you have been baptised as a child, thank God, with faith, for blessing you.

c.    Thirdly, remember to look beyond the sacraments of Christ to the Christ of the sacraments. You cannot usually enjoy the whole Christ without the sacrament, and you cannot benefit from the sacraments unless your heart and eyes are turned to Him with gratitude each time you consider your baptism or partake of the Lord’s Supper. Amen.

 —JJ Lim