May 25 – LD 21, Day 5: The Communion of the Saints
by Prof Herman Hanko
Read: Psalm 133
We are once again
summoned into the classroom in order to learn more about the church of which we
are members. The lesson for today is this: In that church in which we live,
there is a communion or fellowship of members. This blessing is particularly
great and one for which we cannot be thankful enough.
It is a miracle that
surprises us, if we stop to think about it, for the very essence of sin is that
the sinner is totally absorbed in himself; so much so that his own well-being,
wealth, comfort, honor and ease are the only things that concern him. He is
even willing to step on the heads of his fellow men to climb the ladder of his
own ambition. He will sacrifice unborn children and children of the family,
wife and friends, fellow employees and neighbors, if some advantage can be
gained by doing this. The sinner is totally self-centered and takes the
attitude: “Me first and the devil take the hindmost.”
Suddenly, we are told,
we come upon a group of people, each one of which never gives one thought to
himself or herself, never for a moment worries about “what’s in it for me,”
never is concerned for his own comfort and pleasure; but is completely wrapped
up and concerned about others. At whatever price has to be paid, everyone else
is important, while I am not.
We may very well ask our
teacher: “How is such a great wonder possible?’
He is quick with his
answer: “All and every one who believes, being members of Christ, are, in
common, partakers of Him and of all His riches and gifts.”
Remember, the Heidelberg
Catechism is talking about the work of the Holy Spirit.
By the Holy Spirit in
our hearts we are united to Christ. The tie that connects us to Christ is
faith, for we are grafted into his body by the graft of faith.
Through faith every one
grafted into Christ receives the blessings that He merited on the cross for His
beloved church.
Those blessings destroy
the selfishness and sin in every member and make him holy and righteous, as
Christ Himself is.
In a sense, everyone
receives the same gifts and blessings. Jude mentioned in his epistle about “the
common salvation;” (vs 3) that is, the salvation all
God’s people have in common. All have the forgiveness of their sins, the
righteousness of Christ, the hope of glory, the resurrection of the body, etc.
But there is a sense in
which each saint has his own unique gifts. Jesus teaches that in the parable of
the talents (Matt 25:14-30 – “to every man according to his several ability”
receives talents). Psa 68 speaks of Christ at his
ascension giving gifts to men (vs 18, 19).
God gives to each member
of the church gifts that are uniquely his own, for they are given that each may
serve his or her own purpose in the body of the church.
This gift of God’s grace
makes the communion of saints possible.