Dear Pastor: My son has been asking lots of questions about the Lord’s Supper and particularly why he doesn’t partake yet. I have been doing some research online and found there are Presbyterians in favor of child communion, or paedocommunion. I have to admit that some of their arguments sound pretty convincing. Could you explain why our church doesn’t admit all covenant children to the Lord’s Table by virtue of their baptism but only those who have made a profession of faith?
Let me start by saying—Praise God! I love hearing that your son is taking an interest in the Lord’s Supper. Clearly he’s paying attention, and that in itself should be a tremendous encouragement to you as a parent. The simple means of grace are doing their good work even now.
There are a lot of ways to approach your question, but here are (in my opinion) the two strongest arguments you’ll find in support of paedocommunion and my answer to each from a confessional and Reformed perspective. (1) Fair warning, my answers will be on the longer side, but given the importance of your question I feel that it merits a thorough response:
Argument 1: In the same way that baptism is equivalent to and replaces circumcision, so too is the Lord’s Supper equivalent to and the replacement of the Passover. Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper on the night of the Passover and explained the significance of His sacrifice in distinctly paschal terms, thereby indicating His intention to eclipse the Passover with the Lord’s Supper. And if, as is the case with baptism and circumcision, the parties who participated in the Old Testament sacrament is determinative of the parties that ought to partake in the New Testament (i.e. baby boys were circumcised at eight days old, long before they could profess faith, therefore we can and should baptize covenant children before they are able to profess faith), then we should also allow all covenant children to partake of the Lord’s Supper since all within the household ate the Passover lamb (Ex. 12:1-4, 26-27).
Answer: This argument seems pretty airtight on the surface, but there are several noteworthy difficulties:
- The Lord’s Supper is the culmination of the Passover, but not just the Passover—it is the culmination of every Old Testament festival and sacramental meal. It’s true that Christ is “our Passover lamb” (1 Cor. 5:7), but He is also our burnt offering (Lev. 1), grain and drink offering (Lev. 2), peace offering (Lev. 3), sin offering (Lev. 4), and the scapegoat upon whom all our sins were laid (Lev. 16). Instead of seeing Jesus replacing the Passover to the exclusion of all other Old Testament sacraments (which prompts the question “Where is their New Testament equivalent?”), we would do better to see Jesus fulfilling and replacing all of these ceremonial rites in the institution of the Lord’s Supper. And because the scope of participation in these rites was not uniform but varied (e.g. see Lev. 6:16, 24-26 where the priests eat a portion of the grain and sin offerings), we cannot look to any one Old Testament sacrament as normative for who should and should not be admitted to the Lord’s Table. We need more than just Exodus 12 to determine who can rightly partake, hence the importance of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 11.
- If we grant that the Lord’s Supper replaces the Passover in the same way that baptism replaces circumcision, then we have to acknowledge that there is not an exact correlation of participation in the transition from the Old Covenant to the New. Case in point: under the Old Covenant, circumcision was limited only to males (whether converted in adulthood or born within the covenant). Does that mean then that we should limit baptism only to males under the New Covenant? Of course not. (2) Paul baptized Lydia and her household in Acts 16:15 and this was perfectly consistent with what he would later write to the Galatians, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). So, while there are obvious parallels between the Passover and the Lord’s Supper, not every detail of the Passover is meant to be reflected in the Lord’s Supper.
- Not every circumcised individual ate of the Passover lamb. Even diehard paedocommunion advocates have to acknowledge that an 8-day-old circumcised baby boy was not eating the Passover lamb. And nor was his abstaining from the Passover meal seen as tantamount to a denial of his covenantal membership. It was physically impossible for him to do so. And, as the question posed by the child in Exodus 12:26 demonstrates, it wasn’t just the ability to chew and swallow that enabled a child to participate in the Passover meal. At the very least, the child’s comprehension was of such a quality that he could inquire of his parents, “What do you mean by this service?”
This sounds like where your son is right now! Affirm him as he asks these questions. Invite further conversation. (3) Offer to spend one-on-one time with him to talk about your experience of first coming to the Table. Loop in one of your elders to discuss any questions he may have and to demonstrate that his elders really do have an interest in his soul. Such curiosity is the first step toward admittance to the Table. But, beyond curiosity, there needs to be a level of commitment on his part before he can rightly partake. This is where 1 Corinthians 11 offers us helpful clarity on the nature of this commitment.
Argument 2: 1 Corinthians 11:29 does not preclude covenant children who have yet to profess faith from partaking of the Lord’s Supper. It only excludes those who are positively disruptive to the life of the body (that is, the body of believers [cf. 1 Cor. 10:17]). In the same way that the command “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ…” (Acts 2:38) does not preclude those who cannot visibly repent of sin (i.e. infant children) from being baptized, nor does the exhortation “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself” (1 Cor. 11:28-29) preclude children who have yet to understand the meaning and significance of the Lord’s Supper from partaking of it.
Answer: First, I want to commend those who maintain this position for their desire to uphold the 3 C’s of biblical interpretation—context, context, context. It’s true, the church as a whole is referred to as “bread” in chapter 10:17. Paul is no doubt concerned with the conduct of those whose drunken, disorderly conduct has driven a wedge between the people of God when they come together to observe the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:17-20. Nevertheless, Paul’s warning casts a wider net than just this troublesome group but includes all those who have not fully appreciated the meaning and weightiness of the Lord’s Supper.
The first thing we need to do in order to understand the warning in 1 Corinthians 11:29 is to determine what the “bread” refers to. Does it refer to the church as a whole, per the earlier reference to the church as bread in 1 Corinthians 10:17, or does it refer to the physical body of Christ and His death upon the cross? Again, the paedocommunionist’s desire to interpret Scripture with Scripture is commendable. Paul’s words do indeed have immediate application to the divisions present in Corinth as seen in the concluding verses of 1 Corinthians 11, “So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another—if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come” (vv.33-34).
Nevertheless, beginning in verse 23, the identity of the “body” in question has clearly changed from the church to Christ’s physical body which He represented to His disciples with bread “on the night when He was betrayed.” Paul moves from speaking on the immediate problem afoot in Corinth (“when you come together” v.17) to speaking on what the Lord’s Supper should be, namely, that which Jesus instituted in the Upper Room.
When attempting to determine the meaning of a particular word–unless the context demands otherwise–the most natural thing to do is to associate it with the referent that comes immediately before. Keep in mind the context. There have been two lengthy excursuses about eating food sacrificed to idols and head coverings in worship spanning from 1 Corinthians 10:23 to 11:16. In light of this, it is far more natural to assume that when Paul speaks of “discerning the body” in 11:29 he is referring to the same “body” mentioned in verses 27 and 28 (which are clearly symbols of “the body and blood of the Lord”) and not to the body mentioned a chapter ago in 1 Cor. 10:17. Notice this too—every time the body is mentioned in verses 27-29, it is mentioned in tandem with the cup which is clearly a reference to Jesus’ blood. (4) The bread we are to discern in verse 29 is not the church corporately, but Christ’s person particularly. Instead of approaching the Table in a selfish manner as they had been, Paul tells them to discern its true and original meaning. They are to die to self and serve one another just as Christ served them and gave Himself up for them as pictured in the Supper.
Now What?
Once we’ve settled in our mind that the bread in 1 Cor. 11:29 is referring to Christ Himself and to His sacrificial work on our behalf, there opens up a whole new set of practical questions. What do we need to discern about Him? How much must a person know about Jesus to be a worthy partaker? Will my child eat and drink judgement on himself if he doesn’t understand the ins and the outs of the hypostatic union and the doctrine of the Trinity?
Let me say here: don’t panic. Remember, we’re talking about how to steward a blessing from God to His people. Yes, it’s a weighty and solemn matter, but we don’t want to make self-examination akin to navigating an obstacle course. We want your child to come to the Table.
So, what then does he need to “discern” about Jesus? Here are the types of questions that I would expect a covenant child to have resolved in his or her mind when coming to interview with the session:
- Can you tell me what the bread represents? What does the wine represent?
- Why did Jesus have to die? At this point I would make use of the first two vows of the five PCA membership vows and ask (albeit, modified according to age and maturity):
- Do you acknowledge yourself to be a sinner in the sight of God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope save [except] in His sovereign mercy?
- 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?
- Is Jesus God? Is Jesus man? How do you know He was God? How do you know He was man?
- Did Jesus stay dead? Where is Jesus now? What will happen when He comes back one day?
- What must you do to be saved? Can you earn God’s love by your good works? When Jesus saves you, what should your manner of life be thereafter?
None of these questions require a seminary education. They do, however, require that ample time be spent meditating upon God’s Word, praying for wisdom, and determining, “Do I, not my parents, but do I believe these things to be true? Is Christ my shepherd?”
But, how do you know when the time is right? How do you know when your son has moved beyond mere curiosity about the Lord’s Supper (or wanting to partake simply because his peers are) and is ready to come and answer these questions? Here are a few things to look out for:
- Is he able to articulate the gospel without much external reinforcement or input from you? It’s one thing to agree with or to regurgitate what you’ve said about the gospel, but it is another thing to claim the gospel for himself. Could he answer the basic Evangelism Explosion question, “If you stood before God today and He asked why He should let you into Heaven, what would you say?”
- Does he willingly repent of his sin? If your child refuses to confess sin until he is backed into a corner or only apologizes to those he’s wronged when threatened with consequences, it would be better to wait for greater maturity in this key area before admitting him to the Table. The Table is indeed for sinners, but for sinners who are willing to repent of their sin and come to Christ where forgiveness is found. John’s warning in his first epistle applies nicely to this matter of self-examination, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Until a child gives evidence that the truth is in them by way of uncoerced repentance, it is in the best interest of the child’s spiritual well-being (1 Cor. 11:29) to wait until such a time as they repent on their own volition. To be clear, just because a child is slow or reluctant to repent does not mean that he is necessarily unsaved. We are not denying the possibility that the child can be converted before being admitted to the table. To my mind, it’s not a question of “faith or no faith,” but whether this child’s faith is mature enough to assume the responsibilities incumbent upon all who partake of the sacrament, namely faith in Christ and heartfelt repentance. The Lord’s Supper is for those who readily confess their sin and know their need of a Savior. “The only fitness He requires” as the old hymn says, “is to know your need of Him.” If your child has yet to give consistent evidence that he knows his need of Christ, again, do not lose hope! Keep praying and ask the Holy Spirit to continue working in his heart. Instead of despairing over your child’s salvation, consider him like you would a green banana—it’s a real, genuine fruit, but it’s not yet ripe. Pray that God would ripen his faith and grow him into greater spiritual maturity in time.
- Is he pursuing the things of God for himself? This question, of course, takes into account the age and development of the child. We do not expect a ten-year-old to be able to quote Augustine or Calvin when conversing about the Trinity. And yet, there are some clear indicators that you’d want to see present in your child’s life before approaching the Table. Is he delighting in the means of grace? Is he actively listening to the preached Word and is he able to engage in conversation about what is preached? If he can read, does he read the Bible on his own? If he can’t read, is he engaged during family worship? Does he pray independently? Does he ask you to pray with and for him? Is he showing Christ-like love to those around him (1 John 4:20). Of course, no child will be perfectly consistent in these areas. What adult among us possesses all of these virtues perfectly? Certainly not me. Nevertheless, these are the fruits that one would expect to find in the life of a person who has understood the significance of Christ’s death and resurrection pictured in the Supper.
As I said, this is a long answer and there is much more that can be said. I do hope, however, that all this confirms that we, as church leaders, earnestly desire and long for the day when your son is able to join with us in the Supper. It is our duty and our delight to do what we vowed at your son’s baptism—to assist you in the Christian nurture of this precious child. We will continue in prayer for him and for you as you train him up in the way he should go (Prov. 22:6). We look forward to the day when he is ready, by God’s grace, to make the good confession.
Your Pastor,
Stephen
(1) For the historic Reformed & Presbyterian position on who ought to be admitted to the Table and why, see Westminster Larger Catechism Q.171-175. Though they certainly did not agree on every matter of doctrine (e.g. church government, eschatology, etc.), the Divines agreed enough among themselves on this point to articulate a robust doctrine of the Supper. And this position was not a peculiarity of the Westminster Assembly but maintained by the Continental Reformed as well (see Heidelberg Catechism Q.81-82). Question 174 of the Larger Catechism will prove especially useful in helping you to discern when your child is ready to come to the Table. If he is at the point in his walk with Christ where he can “diligently observe the sacramental elements and actions, heedfully discern the Lord’s body, and affectionately meditate on his death and sufferings, and thereby stir [himself] up to a vigorous exercise of [his] graces” then he can and should come! But, if he hasn’t reached this level of spiritual maturity yet, we will continue with you in prayer and catechesis until the day that he does.
(2) Notice that women in the Old Testament were not understood to be excluded from the covenant community simply because they did not receive the visible sign of covenantal inclusion (viz. circumcision). Was this born out of a biological necessity? Yes. But, if anything, that females didn’t receive this particular covenantal sign and were still seen as members in good standing of the covenant community militates against the idea that we are functionally “excommunicating” our covenant children or denying the presence of genuine faith in them by not allowing them to approach the Table.
(3) Not to be a pedant, but I would always encourage parents to respond to their child’s questions with, “I love that you’re asking these questions, buddy! Let’s talk more about them together.” rather than, “No, sorry son. You’re not ready to take the Supper yet.” This latter response sounds unnecessarily negative and leaves the child wondering, “Why am I not ready? What more do mom and dad need to see from me?” When talking about the Supper, find encouraging ways to draw out what your child believes and be careful not to be overly critical if what you hear is not quite right (e.g. “The Holy Spirit was raised from the dead by Jesus,” or something to that effect).
(4) Even if one points to the mention of wine in 1 Cor. 10:16 as evidence that Paul is still referring the corporate body of believers in 1 Cor. 11:29, notice that Paul does not say, “Because there is one [cup], we who are many are one [cup], for we all partake of one [cup]” as he does of bread (see 10:17). Therefore, where we find mention of the cup in 1 Corinthians 11:23-29, we are to assume that it is referring to the cup of wine that Jesus’ used to picture His shed blood and that, by association, the bread refers to the same bread that He used to picture His broken body.
(5) For further reading on this topic, I would heartily recommend Children at the Lord’s Table? by Cornelis Venema and Children and the Lord’s Table edited by Guy Waters and Ligon Duncan.
