Paedocommunion

[Iosias]

What do you think about welcoming children to the Lord's Table? I accept the practice.

paedocommunion.com - resource center for the study of children and the Lord's Supper

 

[Osage Bluestem]

They need to profess faith first.

 

[Iosias]

They need to profess faith first.

How come?

 

[The Conductor]

1 Corinthians 11:27-32
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 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. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

 

[Iosias]

1 Corinthians 11:27-32
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 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. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

That, of course, does not necessarily imply that infants cannot partake.

 

[The Conductor]

If nonbelievers are worthy of communion, then who could possibly be excluded? Who could possibly be considered unworthy of the Lord's supper if even unrepentant sinners are allowed? Now, if you want to argue from tradition, you've already got an issue. This flies in the face of Sola Scriptura. The same Clement of Alexandria that was the first to approve of this practice also had these things against him:

His belief that matter and thought are eternal, and thus did not originate from God, contradicting the doctrine of Creatio ex nihilo.

His belief in cosmic cycles predating the creation of the world, following Heraclitus, which is extra-Biblical in origin.

His belief that Christ, as Logos, was in some sense created, contrary to John 1 but following Philo.

His ambivalence towards docetism, the heretical doctrine that Christ's earthly body was an illusion.

(List taken from Wikipedia page on Clement of Alexandria)
Unless someone can provide solid biblical reasons why this could possibly be a good idea, the fact that people did it for a thousand years is irrelevant. How could you "do this in remembrance of me" if they don't know who he is?

 

[hedrick]

What age children do you have in mind? Eastern Orthodox practice is to give it to infants. I'm not aware of Reformed churches doing that. I would agree that 1 Cor 11:27 would be an issue. PCUSA practice is to give it to elementary-age children, but they have to be old enough to understand at some level what is going on, and they get instruction on the meaning.

I don't know at what age different churches do confirmation or their equivalent. We do it in 9th grade. I certainly wouldn't want to deprive kids of communion until then.

 

[Iosias]

Unless someone can provide solid biblical reasons why this could possibly be a good idea, the fact that people did it for a thousand years is irrelevant. How could you "do this in remembrance of me" if they don't know who he is?

Try http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/churchman/121-02_127.pdf

What age children do you have in mind?

As old as they are physically able, similar to EO practice. A growing number of Reformed churches do it, and a number of Presbyterians agree with it but since their church rule forbid it they do not carry it out.

 

[theFijian]

A growing number of Reformed churches do it, and a number of Presbyterians agree with it but since their church rule forbid it they do not carry it out.

For example....?

 

[Iosias]

PCA: http://www.pcahistory.org/pca/2-498.pdf

 

[theFijian]

PCA: http://www.pcahistory.org/pca/2-498.pdf

So the PCA thought about it. What was in the 1998 report?

 

[Iosias]

So the PCA thought about it. What was in the 1998 report?

I've been a bit pushed for time; the PCA discussed it, there are ministers within the PCA who accept paedocommunion (e.g. Robert S. Rayburn) but who do not practice it since it is still contrary to the official position of the PCA, though they seek to change that. The Federation of Reformed Churches practices paedocommunion in all its churches as does the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches. The Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Episcopal Church are both tolerant of the practice. The OPC doument is here where they conclude:

I. The Exegesis of I Corinthians 11 in Its Context

A. The participation of infants/children in the Lord's Supper lies outside the specific concern of the apostle in his discussion of the practice of the Corinthians in this letter.

B. The focus of attention was on the misbehavior of at least some of the participants.

C. Paul's discussion in I Cor. 10 and 11 does not directly address every aspect of the Lord's Supper.

D. Paul's purpose is to emphasize the seriousness of the Corinthians' abuses of the Lord's Supper in that the Corinthians bring the chastening of the Lord upon themselves.

E. I Cor. 10:1-5 proves that Paul saw the church at Corinth was having continuity with the wilderness church.

F. Paul's concern was not with the "worthiness" of the persons coming to the table, but with their manner of participation.

G. The purpose of the Lord's chastening is remedial.

H. A proper observance of the Lord's Supper includes a demand for an act of remembering and proclaiming the Lord's death.

I. The focus of Paul's criticism of the Corinthians in chapters 10 and 11 is upon their sin of disunity.

J. The phrase "the body" (v. 29) could be taken to refer to either the sacrament or the church, or both. (one exception)

K. While verses 27-29 deal with a particular situation, we agree that the teaching of the passage contains principles with universal applicability.

L. I Cor. 10:18ff. underscores the principle of the "real presence" of Christ in the Lord's Supper.

M. The "discerning" of I Cor. 11:29 is not the equivalent of doctrinal sophistication in our understanding of the sacrament.

N. While proper "discernment" requires saving faith, saving faith does not itself guarantee proper discernment.

 

[DocNH]

Sorry no time for more, but the case against paedo-communion is established upon more than just 1 Cor. 11.

See: Anti-Paedocommunion

 

[Iosias]

I know it is, but it is also a key argument which if removed makes the case for paedocommunion more persuasive

 

[DocNH]

While the PCA is discussing the issue at present "again" and actually using the link above in their examination, the OPC's summary is rather vague and does not conicide with a proper interpretation of the complete text. Thier minority report is more accurate - Report of the Committee on Paedocommunion

In addition, see DINING WITH DEITY, 1 CORINTHIANS 11:17-34. Moreover, as already stated, 1 Cor. 11 is not the only text involved in the issue. Not doing a complete review of all the concerned Scripture can often lead to error, etc.

From the PCA perspective I am not really concerned. If for some reason they ever go that way - which is clearly against Scripture - they will also witness an exodus from their ranks.

I know it is, but it is also a key argument which if removed makes the case for paedocommunion more persuasive