Paedo-Baptism Answers Why don’t we give children Lord’s supper?

[Mrs. Mathiesen]

Hi there!

I am newly Presbyterian and had a question regarding paedo communion. If Circumcision is the Old Covenant version of baptism, and Passover is the Old Covenant version of Lord’s Supper, why don’t we give communion to our children? Why do they get to partake in only some aspects of the covenant and not others?

The arguments I’ve heard is that they can’t prepare themselves to take communion and may take it in an unworthy manner, nor can they proclaim the Lords death until he comes, but they also can’t appeal to God for a clean conscience to be baptized yet we still baptize them. Also, isn’t the verse about taking it in an unworthy manner referring to getting drunk and having disunity with other believers? A child obviously isn’t doing that.

Again, I’m newly Presbyterian so still have a ton to learn, but very curious to hear your answers! Thanks in advance!

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

Hi there!

I am newly Presbyterian and had a question regarding paedo communion. If Circumcision is the Old Covenant version of baptism, and Passover is the Old Covenant version of Lord’s Supper, why don’t we give communion to our children? Why do they get to partake in only some aspects of the covenant and not others?

The arguments I’ve heard is that they can’t prepare themselves to take communion and may take it in an unworthy manner, nor can they proclaim the Lords death until he comes, but they also can’t appeal to God for a clean conscience to be baptized yet we still baptize them. Also, isn’t the verse about taking it in an unworthy manner referring to getting drunk and having disunity with other believers? A child obviously isn’t doing that.

Again, I’m newly Presbyterian so still have a ton to learn, but very curious to hear your answers! Thanks in advance!

That's a good question. According to the Bible, there needs to be spiritual discernment for one to receive communion. Many Presbyterian churches make children go through classes which are helpful, but I wonder if the standard is being set too high. I have a 7-year-old who I believe should partake in communion, but because he is not of age yet and has not taken the class, he currently can't. I don't think that is a requirement mandated by the Bible.

 

[Jake]

I would reflect on WLC Q. 171 and Scripture proofs and see if you think a young child can so prepare to come to the Supper.

Q. 171. How are they that receive the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper to prepare themselves before they come unto it?
A. They that receive the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, are, before they come, to prepare themselves thereunto, by examining themselves of their being in Christ; of their sins and wants; of the truth and measure of their knowledge, faith, repentance, love to God and the brethren, charity to all men, forgiving those that have done them wrong; of their desires after Christ, and of their new obedience; and by renewing the exercise of these graces, by serious meditation, and fervent prayer.


1 Cor. 11:28; 2 Cor. 13:5; 1 Cor. 5:7; Ex. 12:15; 1 Cor. 11:29; 2 Cor. 13:5; Matt. 26:28; Zech. 12:10; 1 Cor. 11:31; 1 Cor. 10:16-17; Acts 2:46-47; 1 Cor. 5:8; 1 Cor. 11:18, 20; Matt. 5:23-24; Isa. 55:1; John 7:37; 1 Cor. 5:7-8; 1 Cor. 11:25-26, 28; Heb. 10:21-22, 24; Ps. 26:6; 1 Cor. 11:24-25; 2 Chr. 30:18-19; Matt. 26:26.

 

[JP Wallace]

As far as I am aware there is no activity of worship, or Christian duty that comes with the same "health warnings" as participating in the Lord's Supper.

"Unworthy" participation risks the following:

• That the participant or even the whole congregation as it participates, does so not just in vain, i.e. with the absense of blessing, but actually results in them being "worse".

1 Corinthians 11:17 ESV “But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.”

• The participant becomes in some way guilty before the Lord [again] because of their disrespect and lack of holiness and prepation, maybe careless in participation in the sacrament.

1 Corinthians 11:27 ESV “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.”

• That the particpant eats and drinks judgment upon themselves as they fail to discern the spiritual nature of the meal as a means of grace (this is likely also what Paul means in sayin they "will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord."

1 Corinthians 11:29 ESV “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.”

• That the participant may even be judged in a physical bodily sense

1 Corinthians 11:30 ESV “That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.”

Don't misunderstand me, I think many times we as adults fall foul of these errors and sins - but it seems to me to be irresponsible to heap such responsibility onto minors. I likewise admit that there are varying degrees of maturity in children, some may and some may not meet the requirements, but I'm not convinced they should be the judge of that, I'm not sure parents are necessasrily in the best place to do that, and elders need to be quite confident of their maturity to administer the sacrament to such.

It seems to me that the the Larger Catechism sets before us the qualifications for any one to come to the Lord's Supper - they are required to have a) examined themselves and their relationship to Christ as Saviour, examine themselves in relation to their understanding of the presence of Christ spiritually in the sacrament, examine themselves in relation to their fellow church members, and there's probably more could be added.


Q. 174. What is required of them that receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper in the time of the administration of it?

A. It is required of them that receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, that, during the time of the administration of it, with all holy reverence and attention they wait upon God in that ordinance,x diligently observe the sacramental elements and actions,y heedfully discern the Lord’s body,z and affectionately meditate on his death and sufferings,a and thereby stir up themselves to a vigorous exercise of their graces;b in judging themselves,c and sorrowing for sin;d in earnest hungering and thirsting after Christ,e feeding on him by faith,f receiving of his fullness,g trusting in his merits,h rejoicing in his love,i giving thanks for his grace;k in renewing of their covenant with God,l and love to all the saints.m

Cf. also relevant questions in relation to preparation and conduct after the sacrament.

 

[jwright82]

Hi there!

I am newly Presbyterian and had a question regarding paedo communion. If Circumcision is the Old Covenant version of baptism, and Passover is the Old Covenant version of Lord’s Supper, why don’t we give communion to our children? Why do they get to partake in only some aspects of the covenant and not others?

The arguments I’ve heard is that they can’t prepare themselves to take communion and may take it in an unworthy manner, nor can they proclaim the Lords death until he comes, but they also can’t appeal to God for a clean conscience to be baptized yet we still baptize them. Also, isn’t the verse about taking it in an unworthy manner referring to getting drunk and having disunity with other believers? A child obviously isn’t doing that.

Again, I’m newly Presbyterian so still have a ton to learn, but very curious to hear your answers! Thanks in advance!

Besides the Scriptural warnings of 1 Cor. 11, their seems to be at least two more theological problems. First it flattens out the covenants, in that what's true of one covenant is true of both. They're similarities for sure but the designation old/new covenant means something. There are many things we do differently than the OT saints. So even if young children participated in the passover (there is some debate I understand) in the new covenant thats changed according to 1 Cor.
The second theological problem is like the first in that it flattens out distinctions within the local church. We have communicate and non-communicate members. Per 1 Cor. we make that distinction because the Bible does. Yes both baptism and the Lord's supper are sacraments they are not completely the same. So any analogy needs to wrestle with those differences (baptism happens once, the Lord's supper more than once, they symbolize different things, etc.).
Does that help?

 

[smalltown_puritan]

The arguments I’ve heard is that they can’t prepare themselves to take communion and may take it in an unworthy manner, nor can they proclaim the Lords death until he comes, but they also can’t appeal to God for a clean conscience to be baptized yet we still baptize them.

Sometimes the difficulty of arguing against paedocommunion is that it often we only stick with one proof-text in 1 Corinthians 11; this, admittedly, can make the argument seem weak at times. However, Ken Gentry brought up briefly in his debate against Robert Rayburn a helpful passage that addresses the particular concern I have highlighted from the original post.

Galatians 4:1 says, 'I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.' There is a principle at work here that could be applied to the question at hand. While baptized children indeed are under the covenant of grace, they do not necessarily receive the full benefits and privileges yet due to lack of maturity. Nevertheless, parents of infants and young children should not be discouraged; for though they are not being feed on the bread and wine of Christ's body and blood, they are receiving the pure spiritual milk of the Word of God - and in that milk they still taste that the Lord is good (1 Pt 2:2-3). Baptized infants/young children may indeed be true sons, and one day by God's grace they will come into the full privileges of that.

 

[aaronsk]

Perhaps these resources may be of some use to you, @Mrs. Mathiesen.

If you have access to J.V. Fesko's book "Word, Water, & Spirit" he covers this topic on p361-365. (Paperback is ~$20 (christianbook.com) and ebooks can be found as low as ~$10 (heritagebooks.org/Amazon.com).

OPC report on the topic is here: https://www.opc.org/qa.html?question_id=191

There are further online resources on the topic available here: https://www.apuritansmind.com/covenant-theology/paedocommunion-and-covenant-theology/

 

[RamistThomist]

The two sacraments aren't the same. One is initiation. The other is renewal. There is more to it than that, of course, but that's a start.

 

[Contra_Mundum]

Hi there!

I am newly Presbyterian and had a question regarding paedo communion. If Circumcision is the Old Covenant version of baptism, and Passover is the Old Covenant version of Lord’s Supper, why don’t we give communion to our children? Why do they get to partake in only some aspects of the covenant and not others?

The arguments I’ve heard is that they can’t prepare themselves to take communion and may take it in an unworthy manner, nor can they proclaim the Lords death until he comes, but they also can’t appeal to God for a clean conscience to be baptized yet we still baptize them. Also, isn’t the verse about taking it in an unworthy manner referring to getting drunk and having disunity with other believers? A child obviously isn’t doing that.

Again, I’m newly Presbyterian so still have a ton to learn, but very curious to hear your answers! Thanks in advance!

Dear Mrs.M,
The duty to examine oneself before communing at the Lord's Table is not new as of the NT age. There is a plain distinction between sacramental suitability for baptism versus for the Lord's Supper. It is as old as the distinction between OT sacramental suitability for circumcision versus for the rites of the OT altar. It is as old as knowing the distinction between one's state of being clean versus unclean (Lev.5:3-6; Lev.7:19-21; 22:6; & etc.; cf. Num.9:6-13; 1Sam.21:2-6; 2Chr.30:17-20; Jn.18:28).

In other words, children in the days of Old Testament administrations also waited to fully participate in aspects of covenant-life. Certain conditions may have been necessary but not alone sufficient for fulfilling the permission required to eat of the altar and its feasts.

Respecting your other questions, 1) circumcision too required anyone who would fulfill its intent to make the same appeal to God for an inward clearing, no less than baptism does now. Whenever the covenant sign was due to be applied in the case of a new OT convert, or an infant, or later in case of a delayed obedience to the divine command, the duty to properly regard the meaning of the sign is not bound to the moment of the sign's application. Baptism follows the same pattern.

2) 1Cor.11:28, "let a man examine himself," is not confined to checking if one is presently engaged in the particular sins endemic to the Corinthian context; and if not, to proceed without worry to the table of the Lord. Rather, the duty to examine oneself is fundamental, and the cases of sin that one could be indulging rather than repenting of are manifold. The Corinthian's besetting sins are but species of a genus.

 

[Eyedoc84]

I would add the tidbit that the Lord’s Supper does not correlate to only the Passover in Egypt. There was the annual Passover, and of course the rest of the feasts.

 

[Polanus1561]

I would add the tidbit that the Lord’s Supper does not correlate to only the Passover in Egypt. There was the annual Passover, and of course the rest of the feasts.

And Exodus 24

 

[Valleyofvision2023]

Hi there,

Let me try to simplify this not only in thought but practical application:

Baptism occurs before your child comprehends spiritual life in Christ.
Baptism is a sign and seal of the covenant. It is a sign given to your child that signifies they are in a covenant home. It is relational to circumcision. Having this sign does not regenerate, but it signifies their “covenant rights” if you will- which in essence is the covenant right of the Gospel itself and the promise of the Holy Spirit. They too, have the promise of Abraham for their children. This is the promise of Christ Himself.

The Lord’s table according to Scripture is a very serious sacrament in which the Lord Jesus administers the means of Gospel grace to His people. To reject the table, is to reject in essence the grace that Christ offers.
BUT:
We must take incredibly seriously the verse that says, “Let a man examine himself…”Why?? I Corinthians 11 continues to say that whoever does it in an unworthy manner is guilty of the “body and blood of the Lord.” It further explains that some have even become sick or “fallen asleep” (died) by flippantly approaching the table.

I agree with one of the people earlier in this post, that some young children truly do understand the Lord’s table, but at the same time, if they wait until going through a class and taking into consideration the serious meaning of the sacrament, how much more sweet will it be to them when they sincerely approach the Lord’s table?

The Lord’s table brings us into the glorious presence of Christ as we see His death and resurrection, and we are reminded of the grace He gives to fight sin.

This recent idea of paedo-communion, in my personal opinion, is dangerous and associated with Federal Vision theology. That’s an entirely different headache among itself.

Be very careful when raising our little ones. Don’t be the parents that lead our children to partake in this sacrament when they could possibly be partaking in an “unworthy” manner.

I’m so glad to hear you care enough to ask the question. Keep asking questions and keep seeking the heart of Christ in everything.

 

[De Jager]

I am no expert when it comes to children's participation in the passover, but I don't think we can say that they participated in the same way as the adults, certainly not in the same way as the head of the household. Exodus 12:26 anticipates children asking the question "What do you mean by this service?" to their fathers. This clearly implies that the children were not participating in the same way as their fathers and not to the same extent. So there is a distinction.

Furthermore, we readily admit that the Lord's supper is a corollary to the passover and that baptism is the corollary to circumcision and yet that does not mean they have to be partaken in the exact same manner and by the exact same class of people. We look to God's word to determine his will in the celebration of these sacraments. For the Lord's supper, we clearly see the need to examine oneself, which precludes certain people from partaking. However, for baptism we clearly see households being baptized, just like households were circumcised. So there is no reason not to carry on the practice of applying the sign of initiation to households, which of course includes children by definition.

Thus I don't think Reformed people are being inconsistent in their approach.

 

[Mrs. Mathiesen]

Thank you all so much for your thorough replies! So much good stuff to chew on! Happy to learn from everyone here as the reformed tradition is so new to me! Appreciate you all

 

[JennyGeddes]

Hi there!

I am newly Presbyterian and had a question regarding paedo communion. If Circumcision is the Old Covenant version of baptism, and Passover is the Old Covenant version of Lord’s Supper, why don’t we give communion to our children? Why do they get to partake in only some aspects of the covenant and not others?

The arguments I’ve heard is that they can’t prepare themselves to take communion and may take it in an unworthy manner, nor can they proclaim the Lords death until he comes, but they also can’t appeal to God for a clean conscience to be baptized yet we still baptize them. Also, isn’t the verse about taking it in an unworthy manner referring to getting drunk and having disunity with other believers? A child obviously isn’t doing that.

Again, I’m newly Presbyterian so still have a ton to learn, but very curious to hear your answers! Thanks in advance!

Welcome to the board, Aliya!
You have gotten some great advice already, but I just wanted to throw something else out there too. You may already be doing this, but just in case you’re not, don’t be shy in engaging with your church elders on this topic. They love you and keep watch of your soul, so I am sure they would be delighted to take time to sit down and discuss this with you.
I just wanted to encourage you in case having elders to go to is something new to you. It was for me when we first began attending our reformed church, but they have been such a blessing to our family. I pray yours will be a blessing to you as well.