“Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, ‘Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, “What do those stones mean to you?” then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So, these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.’
“And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the LORD told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day.” [1]
Memorials have meaning. When they are destroyed, the meaning is forgotten for the generations that follow. The monuments of a nation speak of the values of that nation. When a nation begins to destroy that which once anchored it, the foundations are being destroyed and the nation is moving toward insignificance and desolation. To deny the heritage of the nation through disavowal of the past is to ensure a tumultuous future. The people who forget where they came from are a people moving toward dissolution and ruin. For this reason, I fear for the west as we jettison our heritage to embrace whatever the latest fad may be.
Foundational to the heritage that defines the western world is the Faith of Christ the Lord. Though modern politicians seek to deny this truth, their denials are evidence of their ignorance. Obviously, those who would deny our western foundations have never read the founding documents of the nations constituting the West. One cannot read British history without concluding that the Faith of Christ the Lord was woven in the warp and woof of the land. Similarly, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence fairly shout out dependence on the Eternal God as foundational for the United States of America. Canada, arising from a British heritage, is likewise founded on principles of the Faith once delivered to all the saints.
The nations of the west once welcomed immigrants to come with the understanding that those immigrating would learn who we are and adapt themselves to what God had raised up. That welcome has been perverted in more recent days as we invite the peoples of the world to come, remaining who they are even as they deny what we once stood for.
Something akin to this transformation takes place among the churches of our Lord. Our Lord gave us two ordinances, and only two ordinances. They were meant to be memorials, commemorating what Christ has provided for His people. Increasingly, the churches in this day have forgotten the meaning of these ordinances. Consequently, they neglect the truths that flow out of that which the Saviour gave to His people. We are in need of refreshing our memories and doing again those acts that were first given to us as followers of the Christ.
THE IMPORTANCE OF REMEMBERING — “Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, ‘Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, “What do those stones mean to you?” then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So, these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever’” [JOSHUA 4:1-7].
Joshua was motivated by the knowledge that in days to come, children born to the people would see the monument he had erected. Children, being naturally inquisitive, would ask their elders, “What do those stones mean to you?” The very existence of the monument would provide future generations opportunity to instruct still younger generations of God and of His power. God had revealed His love for His people by bringing them to the Jordan at floodtide. The nation had crossed without getting their feet wet, though the river was flooding at the time.
Joshua’s desire for a memorial commemorating God’s might displayed for Israel’s benefit was based in no small measure on what he had learned watching Moses. You will recall that God set a memorial in Israel as He brought the people out of slavery. He appointed the Passover for the generations to come. Do you remember these words recorded by Moses? “When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the LORD’s. Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt” [EXODUS 13:11-16].
As the family would observe the Passover Meal, it would be natural that children would ask their parents, “What does this mean?” When the little ones asked, their question would provide opportunity for parents to exalt God by telling of His mercy and His goodness demonstrated to the nation. Parents could tell their children again of His might displayed for His people. The point was so essential that Moses would iterate the need to instruct through explaining what was happening as he wrote of this some forty years later.
“When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us’” [DEUTERONOMY 6:20-25].
Let me wax political for a moment. No, I don’t want to promote one political party over another. I have no intention of lambasting the government, but I do want to state my concern for the state of government in this day. I am concerned about the state of education in our nation. Again, I’m not planning to complain that our children cannot add or subtract, though basic math skills do appear to be lacking. I’m not going to take note of the fact that many youths are unable to read or form coherent sentences in either of the official languages of the nation. I am not even going to mention that children are no longer able to read a clock (unless it is digital) or that most are unable write in cursive script, the illegible scrawl they present as printing appearing childish. I am, however, going to point out that children are no longer able to defend the concept of democratic government or discuss the idea of liberty as the divine right of all people.
It is not the children that are ignorant of the freedoms we hold; preceding generations are proving astonishingly ignorant of what it means to be a free people. The nation seems to degenerate into conflicting demands for more free things from government, never understanding that there is no such thing as a government that can generate wealth. So, they demand that government take from those who have in order to give away more to themselves. Though socialism and communism have proven to be abject failures in each nation the experiment has been tried, the current generation appears determined to try it again. They are assured that the outcome will be different this time.
The majority of the citizens of our nation appear to be ignorant of the principles underlying confederation. They are unaware of what a parliamentary democracy is or the meaning of a constitutional monarchy. Training in basic civics is essentially absent from contemporary education. Because we have failed to educate this present generation in basic civics, the nation is poised on the cusp of a disastrous transition to socialism, the discredited system of government that has enslaved more nations in this past generation than were enslaved in all preceding generations.
Childish individuals agitated until they got their wish to remove a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald in Victoria. [2] He was guilty of what some called “cultural genocide;” in effect, having lived in an “unenlightened” era unlike the enlightened day in which we live. What is actually happening is the erasure of cultural heritage; and the first step is removing the monuments erected to instruct us in who we are. We are witnessing students as they jump from having their feelings offended to self-righteous demands that everyone join in repudiating the thing that offends them. Should you foolishly say you don’t care—you will be made to care!
I said I would be political, and so I shall be. Here is a concern I have about the state of knowledge of who we are as a people. Our youth know more about the trivia of celebrities than they do the men and women who sacrificed everything to bequeath our freedoms to us. Karl Marx once said, “Take away a people’s roots, and they can easily be moved.” Dr. Peter Lillback said in his book on church/state relations, Wall of Misconception, “One of our great national dangers is ignorance of America’s profound legacy of freedom. I firmly believe that ignorance is a threat to freedom.” What he said concerning the dangers to the United States, assuredly applies to Canada. Lillback compiled the following quotes on the link between education and freedom:
• Thomas Jefferson said, “A nation has never been ignorant and free; that has never been and will never be.”
• James Madison observed, “The diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty… It is universally admitted that a well-instructed people alone can be permanently a free people.”
• Samuel Adams pointed out the importance “of inculcating in the minds of the youth the fear and love of the Deity and universal philanthropy, and, in subordination to these great principles, the love of their country.” God and charity first, said the Lightning Rod of the American Revolution, country second.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” says the Bible [PROVERBS 9:10a]. For the first two hundred years of America’s existence, the Bible was the chief textbook in one way or another. That includes the small but powerful New England Primer, which trained whole generations in Christian theology, while teaching students even the basics of reading and writing. Canada has a similar foundation to that of the United States.
Even the ABC’s as taught in the schools were based on Biblical truths in that earlier era. In those early schools, children were taught from the New England Primer, which began education in the alphabet by teaching:
A, In Adam’s Fall, We Sinned All.
B, Thy Life to Mend, the Bible Tend.
C, Christ Crucif’ed, For Sinners Dy’d, [3]
and so forth. In that earlier day, built upon a Bible-based education, literacy was so high that John Adams said that to find an illiterate man in New England was as rare as a comet. It is doubtful that the same could be said today.
With all our advance scientific abilities, we aren’t producing a literate society. In some communities, rates of illiteracy approach ninety-five percent! In our own nation, forty-two percent of Canadian adults have low literacy skills. [4] At best, studies reveal that Canada is a “C” performer by world standards; the United States receives a “D” rating. [5] It is too bad that as a society we continue to forget God, and we continue to reap the consequences, including the loss of our history and heritage of liberty. Why does this matter? George Orwell, a former British Marxist, told us why in his classic novel, 1984: “Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” [6] People know how to read Facebook and Instagram on their phones, but they are unable to read the Bible or learn of their own godly heritage.
Without a continuing reminder, people soon forget their history. Without a fresh reminder of a people’s history and the truths on which the nation was founded, succeeding generations forget who they are and why they do the things they do. Returning to the theme of the message, note that Israel would drift steadily toward embracing the detestable paganism that sullied the nations about them. The memorials erected would not halt the decay that would contaminate the land, but it would delay the inevitable. Something like that is true of the memorials erected for the faithful as the churches move through this Church Age. The memorials, if they are faithfully kept, will delay the rot of infidelity. However, without revival, without God’s merciful intervention on an ongoing basis, the churches will drift into paganism. The memorials are required to slow the rot of unbelief.
THE NECESSITY OF SHARED REMEMBRANCE — “And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the LORD told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day” [JOSHUA 4:8-9].
In the English-speaking world, we share a heritage of freedom and responsibility to accept shared hardship if such will ensure the welfare of the nation. In Canada, prior generations accepted that all Canadians share responsibility to contribute to strengthen the nation. We did not question the idea that each Canadian would be expected to share in hardship if such was necessary; we did this for the benefit of the nation. Citizens were expected to remember our heritage, to remember the strength and willingness to invest in the nation in order to ensure a better tomorrow. We saw the vast land as a treasure to be protected, to be used wisely to ensure a stronger world. We had a shared remembrance of where we came from and where we wanted to be as a people. We held these truths in common with our fellow citizens.
In a similar manner, those participating in the Faith must seek commonality in order to experience cohesiveness. Perhaps some could wish that we all shared a common aspect associated with this life, such as culture, or race, or denominational agreement. However, such broad agreement has never been the case among the churches of our Saviour. Paul will write that among the faithful, “[Within the church] there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all” [COLOSSIANS 3:11].
Writing the saints in Corinth, the Apostle reveals that there is an aspect of our lives that transcends race and culture in binding the people of God. Paul writes, “In one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit” [1 CORINTHIANS 12:13].
Elsewhere, the Apostle makes it abundantly evident that whatever acceptance we may enjoy before the Living God is not based on our situation in this life. You will no doubt recall that he has written, “There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him” [ROMANS 10:12]. God chose us as followers of His Son on a basis that is quite different from what is expected in this fallen world.
I thrill when I read again of the “new song” that we shall sing in Heaven. John writes, “[The Lamb] went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,
‘Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.’”
[REVELATION 5:7-10]
Christ has brought us into His Body, and for that mercy we shall unite our voices with the voices of all the redeemed as we praise His holy Name. Before the throne of the Living God we shall be gathered; at last, faith will have become sight, and the people of God will be united “from every tribe and language and people and nation!” Together, we will have been united as “a kingdom and priests to our God.” And the reality that shall be revealed in that day is even now being fulfilled. Though we are now separated by language, we are united in love for the Saviour and love for one another. Though we hale from different cultures, and though we represent different races, we are bound as one in the Spirit of God. We are united now, and though this truth is not always evident to our eyes, we see with eyes of faith. Though we are separated by the things that mark this life, we are not segregated. The reality, though not always recognised, shall be revealed in Heaven when the faith shall become sight.
The glorious truth is that followers of the Christ are now united in doctrine—we share this common Faith. Sabine Baring-Gould, a priest within the Anglican communion, seems to have intended to exalt his own denomination, but he inadvertently spoke the truth that identifies the entire Family of God when he wrote: “We are not divided, all one body we—one in hope and doctrine, one in charity.” Indeed! If we who follow the Master as redeemed believers will honour Him, we must focus on that which unites us rather than focusing on our differences. Differences are important, but they are not more important than what we share in common. These common elements of the Faith are memorialised in the ordinances observed throughout Christendom. Those continuing memorials speak of the unity we share in Christ the Lord.
We memorialise the truths that bind us through sharing in the ordinances of the Faith. We are not, as many seem to imagine, making ourselves better through receiving the ordinances. These are not “sacraments” that somehow add grace to our lives; these are traditions that remind us of essential truths defining this Holy Faith. We are not more suited for Heaven because we share in the ordinances of the Faith. It is precisely because we have already been fitted for Heaven through the grace of our Saviour that we share in these memorials. We receive baptism as new followers of the Master and we continue sharing in the Lord’s Table as His followers. We do these things because we are redeemed and not to make us “more redeemed.”
Baptising those who have put their faith in the Living Saviour, we recall in a fresh manner the truths that unite us. Witnessing the immersion of those who openly declare their faith in the Son of God, we remember that He died for our sin and that He was raised for our justification. In a similar manner, each time we sit together at the Lord’s Table, sharing the sacred meal and remembering the love our Master has showered upon us, we are declaring the teachings that unite us as followers of the Risen Saviour. We recall that Christ loved us and gave Himself for us. We rejoice in the knowledge that Christ loves us, witnessing the evidence in the fellow believers who now celebrate with us. We are encouraged at the knowledge that Christ shall ever love us, as evidenced by His promise to return for us. These truths bind us.
Bickering over secondary aspects of our Faith is a luxury that exists only where no eminent danger in following the Saviour exists. In those regions where the Faith is openly attacked and followers of the Master are routinely assaulted, believers are compelled to recognise their fellow worshippers even when they disagree on how they do the Faith. In such regions, the conduct of the Faith is reduced to simplest terms, much as was the case in the earliest days of the Faith. I don’t mean to suggest that it is not important for us to know what we believe or to disregard the reason we do things as we do; but I do mean that we need to remain focused on the essential truths that make us Christian.
I believe that churches should be free to direct their own affairs without external interference. That does not mean that connectional churches are not Christian. We should rejoice that among Anglicans, or among Presbyterians, or among Methodists are found godly people who seek the glory of the Father. I believe that Christians should offer sincere requests of the Father, expressing themselves freely as they pray. However, that should not be taken to mean that those communions that employ written prayers cannot honour God. What is essential is that we who profess Christ as Master over life know Him and dare reveal His presence through a holy life.
The Puritan divine, William Gurnall, wrote long years past, “Say not, thou hast royal blood running in thy veins, and art begotten of God, except thou canst prove thy pedigree by this heroic spirit, to dare to be holy in spite of men and devils.” [7] This is what must be sought; for when this is found, we will have found fellow believers who share our love for the Saviour. Let each one who names the Name of Christ seek to encourage those who share our love for the Master, doing so without surrendering our commitment to the memorials He gave us—baptism of those who believe and the continuing memorial of His love in the Communion Meal.
THE COMMONALITY OF OUR MONUMENTS — Differences shall always be realised among the churches, and these differences should not be ignored. However, there are commonalities of our monuments. Among the churches of this day, at least those that hold to the foundational truths that mark us as Christian, we hold certain actions in common. Those foundational truths include confidence that:
• Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man;
• He died a sacrificial death for sinful people;
• He rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven where He is now seated at the right hand of the Father;
• He is coming again to receive His own to Himself;
• The basis for our Faith is the Word of God which is inerrant and infallible.
The memorials to these truths are the ordinances we have received— baptism and the Lord’s Table. These memorials of the Faith are essential to the health of the churches. The Apostle Paul praised the saints in Corinthian for holding to the memorials of the Faith, memorials which Paul had personally delivered to these early saints. The Corinthians didn’t hold the memorials in purity, unfortunately; but they did remember them. Thus, Paul encouraged the congregation, “I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you” [1 CORINTHIANS 11:2].
To be certain, he would move on from this commendation to rebuke them for their failure to maintain the purity of the traditions. Their distortion of what was expected in the observance is the basis for the stern rebuke he would deliver with these words, “In the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse” [1 CORINTHIANS 11:17]. Paul found the Corinthian congregation guilty of sectarianism, of factionalism, of a distressing lack of love, and ultimately, they were demonstrated to be guilty of despising the church of God. They had the monument; but they had forgotten what it meant.
In an earlier letter sent to the Christians in Thessalonica, Paul commended that congregation for holding to the traditions he had taught them. The Apostle encouraged them, “Brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter” [2 THESSALONIANS 2:15]. The traditions to which Paul alluded are what we commonly speak of as ordinances, in particular, baptism and the communion meal. These are the memorials held in common by all the churches of our Lord.
The administration of these memorials is not uniform, but the foundation should be the same. We are convinced of the truth of the Apostolic affirmation, “No one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” [1 CORINTHIANS 3:11]. Throughout Christendom, differing assemblies maintain what they identify as baptism and the Lord’s Table. However, just like the distortion that had infiltrated the Corinthian congregation, so distortions of what is taught have insinuated themselves into the practises of many of the churches. What should be seen according to the Word is not what is witnessed in far too many instances.
What is identified as baptism among the various church communities is practised utilising a variety of modes today—aspersion, affusion, immersion, even imaginary! Because a given mode or practise carries the name “baptism,” does not mean that what is practised has Scriptural warrant. More important still, Christians need to ask, “What do we mean by this act we call baptism?” What does the Word of God teach?
Let’s begin by thinking of what the word means. The Greek word baptízo is transliterated in the New Testament as “baptise,” and the word báptisma is transliterated “baptism.” What you should know is that the words are not translated, they are merely brought into English untranslated. Bapto is “to dip.” The word speaks of immersing cucumbers into brine to make pickles. At other times, the word might speak of being drowned in the sea. At yet other times, the word speaks of being immersed in grief. There is no argument as to the meaning of the word. This is evident even from the times we encounter the word in the New Testament.
In John’s Gospel, we have the account of Jesus’ disciples baptising in the Judean wilderness. We are informed that the Baptist also was baptising at a place identified as Aenon. What is important is to note the reason for this location. Here is the text. “After this, Jesus and his disciples came into Judean territory, and there he spent time with them and was baptizing. John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming to him and being baptized” [JOHN 3:22-23]. If affusion was the mode employed, a cup of water would have sufficed, and it would not have been necessary to seek out a place where “water was plentiful.” The same holds true if aspersion was the proper mode.
If the word employed means what it was commonly understood to mean, then only one mode anticipates the meaning of the ordinance. Paul writes, “If we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him” [ROMANS 6:5-8].
Allow me to be blunt so that I may insure there will be no misunderstanding concerning what I am saying. A rite administered with the purpose of making the recipient of the rite a Christian has no warrant in Scripture, such is a godless act. We do not baptise to make those who are baptised Christians; we baptise because those whom we immerse are now Christians. Therefore, all infant baptism is invalidated by the teaching of the Word. All rites, even those misrepresented as baptism, all rites administered in order to make those who receive the rite a Christian is invalidated by the Word of God. Only those individuals who received Christ and voluntarily identified with Him through identifying with Him in His burial and His resurrection can be said to be baptised. We are not being argumentative or cruel when we make this stand; rather, we are holding to the memorial as delivered by Christ and by His Apostles.
Similarly, the Communion Meal in too many instances has become difficult to reconcile with what was described in the Word. The Church of God in Corinth was a dysfunctional congregation. It had segregated the people into at least two factions based on social standing. These factions could reasonably be identified as “the haves” and “the have-nots.” Some families within that assembly were well-to-do. They had enough wealth that they could provide food for their family during the love feasts—so much food that they could eat all they wanted, and they did so. These same people did not feel any particular need to share with others. These saints that were somewhat better off had so much wine that they actually got drunk at the love feasts. These families reduced worship of the Risen Saviour to a Bacchanalia.
In the same congregation were other families so impoverished that they had nothing, not even food for their own nourishment. These poor families sat at the love feasts, and they could only watch longingly as the “haves” gorged themselves and drank until they were insensible to what they were doing. Hearing what was going on, Paul stated that “the haves” were humiliating “those who [had] nothing.” Obviously, this was not something he could, or would, commend. The Apostle would never condone such ostentatious display which only served to humiliate the poor who were present and which disgraced the thought that the act could be called “worship.”
In effect, the church had allowed some members to reduce the Lord’s Table to a private observance; it had become a “Christian ordinance” rather than being a “Church ordinance.” What I mean is that the congregation were treating the ordinance as a right rather than an opportunity. Communion had become a laissez-faire act rather than being a corporate proclamation of unity. The assembly had come to the conclusion that anyone could partake of the meal, whether they actually shared in the meaning of the meal of not.
In fairness, I cannot say that I have ever witnessed Christians embarrassing one another through ostentatious displays of personal wealth either at the Lord’s Table or during the potluck meals hosted by the churches. I’ve never witnessed displays of gluttony or of drunkenness while some went without at our love feasts, which we identify as potlucks. Nevertheless, churches often do appear to reduce the observance of the Communion Meal to an afterthought, a mere ritual that has no discernable connection to worship. It has always been a source of dismay to me at the number of churches that tack on the Lord’s Table at the conclusion of a service, and then rush through the observance as though it is a distraction. Perhaps these “worshippers” are worried that the Presbyterians are going to get to White Spot before they can get a table!
I recall a younger preacher who could never quite get it right; he seemed determined to ignore the Lord in this. His actions fairly screamed, “Here’s bread; grab a bite. Here’s wine; take a sip.” Wham! Bam! Bang! Done! There was no sense of the holy, no taking time to allow the Spirit of God to speak to the heart. Get it over with and get outta’ here! He talked a lot about worship; but the concept seemed to be far from his heart when it came to the Lord’s Table.
One of the tragedies of the two memorials at Gilgal—one on the shore and one in the middle of the river—is that with the passage of time, these memorials lost the spiritual meaning. Instead, they became a shrine where Israel sinned against God by worshipping there. Consider some of the instances in later years where this was pointed out.
“Though you play the whore, O Israel,
let not Judah become guilty.
Enter not into Gilgal,
nor go up to Beth-aven,
and swear not, ‘As the LORD lives.’”
[HOSEA 4:15]
The LORD makes a similar complaint in HOSEA 9:15. Then, near the end of his prophecy, Hosea writes:
“If there is iniquity in Gilead,
they shall surely come to nothing:
in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;
their altars also are like stone heaps
on the furrows of the field.”
[HOSEA 12:11]
Amos, also, sees Gilgal as a means for idolatry when he writes:
“Come to Bethel, and transgress;
to Gilgal, and multiply transgression;
bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tithes every three days.”
[AMOS 4:4]
He makes a similar complaint in AMOS 5:5, where he writes,
“Do not seek Bethel,
and do not enter into Gilgal
or cross over to Beersheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
and Bethel shall come to nothing.”
Clearly, Gilgal loomed large in the LORD’s anger with His people. The divine anger appears to arise because the people had transformed the memorial Joshua erected into an excuse for idolatry. Where the people should have gone to remember the LORD’s mercy and His mighty power revealed for the benefit of His people, they now went to move through religious ritual devoid of divine blessing. Authenticity was lacking as the people simply drifted through rituals that no longer meant anything. These two memorials were to remind the people that God had opened the Jordan to permit them to enter into His blessing. They transformed the memorials into religious idols. Something like that can happen with the memorials of the Faith.
Christ has established monuments for the benefit of His people. In effect, baptism and the Lord’s Table are recognised as divine monuments which have been delivered to the faithful. Professing saints will either see these monuments as reminders of God’s grace and mercy, or they will reduce them to opportunities for idolatry. The churches will either worship the Risen Saviour as we share in these reminders of God’s goodness, or the churches will turn them into idols much as Israel transformed the serpent on a pole into an idol they called “Nehushtan.” Nehushtan is a fine Hebrew word that means “a piece of brass” [see 2 KINGS 18:4]. The people no longer saw the glory of God displayed in this exhibit of His grace, but they transformed it into an icon, a religious relic to be worshipped, much as is done among many churches today.
Much the same thing happens frequently with the ordinances of the Faith as God’s people begin to speak of the ordinances as “sacraments,” thinking of them as means of obtaining grace. Unconsciously, we begin to worship the act rather than the Lord Who gave the memorial; we begin to infuse the elements of the ordinances with salvific significance. Our Saviour said, “Do this in remembrance of Me” [see LUKE 22:19; cf. 1 CORINTHIANS 11:24, 25]. Our Saviour did not say, “Do this in order to be saved.” I plead with God’s people to see these monuments as reminders of God’s grace as He meant them to be. Don’t permit the observance of the ordinances to degenerate into mere ritual. I urge each follower of the Master to take time to ensure that he or she worships when participating in the ordinances that Christ gave. Give God praise each time you observe these ordinances; glorify His Holy Name.
In these closing moments, let me be somewhat more personal, speaking to each listener. Whether you realise it or not, you have erected a monument with your life. One day, when this life is finished and God says, “Come home,” the only memorial that will remain is the memory of you were. The impact you had in the lives of others will last beyond the years, often having greater permanence than marble or metal. Now, in these days while you are still in the flesh, your life speaks to your children, indeed, even to all who know you. Your life either speaks of great deliverance, or it speaks of personal vanity. Either those who know you know that you passed dry-shod through the streambed of the Jordan, and that on the far side of the river onto which you were delivered you erected a monument to the grace of the Lord who delivered you, or from the vantage of life they look back to the shores on which you once walked and see there a monument that speaks of the fact that who you were is who you are still. Your life testifies to what is important to you. You are either leading others to glorify God with how you live, or you are pointing them to the futility of life itself.
Perhaps I have spoken to a church member today who is challenged by the Spirit of Christ to consider whether they have faith in the Risen Saviour. If that is you, my plea is to look to the Lord Jesus, believing Him. Stop relying on your church membership or your participating in the ordinances of the Faith. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” [ACTS 16:31]. Hear the promise of the Son of God who died because of your sin and raised to life so that you need never go back to where you once were. His promise is the forgiveness of sin and freedom as you believe Him. God’s promise has always been, “Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” Believe Christ and be saved. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] Andrea Woo, “Victoria to remove statue of Sir John A Macdonald,” The Globe and Mail, August 9, 2018, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-victoria-to-remove-statue-of-sir-john-a-macdonald/, accessed 23 February 2019; Richard Zussman, “City of Victoria to remove statue of John A. Macdonald at city hall,” Global News, August 8, 2018, https://globalnews.ca/news/4376655/john-a-macdonald-statue-victoria-city-hall/, accessed 23 February 2019; Megan Thomas and Justin McElroy, “John A. Macdonald statue removed from Victoria City Hall, August 11, 2018, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/john-a-macdonald-statue-victoria-city-hall-lisa-helps-1.4782065, accessed 23 February 2019
[3] The New England Primer, 1777 edition, http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/nep/1777/, accessed 21 February 2019; Also consulted, Westminster Assembly, The New-England Primer, Enlarged. For the More Easy Attaining the True Reading of English: To Which is Added, the Assembly of Divines Catechism, Early American Imprints, 1639-1800; No. 2927 (S. Kneeland & T. Green, Boston, sold by the booksellers, 1727)
[4] Arti Patel, “When It Comes to High Literacy, Numeracy Rates, Canada Is Low On The List: Report,” 05/16/2017, https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/09/01/canada-literacy-rates_n_11817262.html, accessed 1 March 2019; see also Angie Seth, “Rising concerns over literacy rates in Canada,” September 15, 2017, https://globalnews.ca/news/3748748/rising-concerns-over-literacy-rates-in-canada/, accessed 1 March 2019
[5] The Conference Board of Canada, “Adult Literacy Rate—Low-Level Skills,” https://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/Details/education/adult-literacy-rate-low-skills.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1, accessed 1 March 1, 2019
[6] The foregoing ideas were taken from Jerry Newcombe, “America’s Historical Ignorance,” Townhall, Feb 21, 2019, https://townhall.com/columnists/jerrynewcombe/2019/02/21/americas-historical-ignorance-n2541956
[7] William Gurnall and John Campbell, The Christian in Complete Armour (Thomas Tegg, London 1845) 6
