Open Communion

Who ought to be allowed to partake of the Lord’s Supper? Maybe this question has never occurred to you, or you’ve always assumed the answer was obvious! Well, in this episode, Dr. Dallas Vandiver joins me to talk about a historic position known as ‘close communion,’ that the Lord’s Supper ought to be reserved for baptized members in good standing of a gospel-believing church.

Access the episode here. (Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.)

Dallas Vandiver’s book, Who Can Take the Lord’s Supper?: A Biblical-Theological Argument for Close Communion.

Dallas Vandiver’s shorter article summarizing the arguments of the book:

Who Can Take the Lord’s Supper? by Dallas Vandiver Download

The First London Confession of Father (1644)

“Jesus Christ hath here on earth a spiritual kingdom, which is His Church, whom He hath purchased and redeemed to Himself as a peculiar inheritance; which Church is a company of visible saints, called and separated from the world by the word and Spirit of God, to the visible profession of faith of the gospel, being baptized into that faith, and joined to the Lord, and each other, by mutual agreement in the practical enjoyment of the ordinances commanded by Christ their head and king.”

“Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, given by Christ, to be dispensed upon persons professing faith, or that are made disciples; who upon profession of faith, ought to be baptized, and after to partake of the Lord’s Supper.“

“That the way and manner of dispensing this ordinance, is dipping or plunging the body under water; it being a sign, must answer the things signified, which is, that interest the saints have in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.”

[Implicates closed membership. Makes explicit close communion.]

The Second London Baptist Confession (1689)

[See also the exact same wording in the Philadelphia Confession (1742) and the Charleston Confession (1767)]

“The members of these churches are saints by calling, visibly manifesting and evidencing (in and by their profession and walking) their obedience unto that call of Christ; and do willingly consent to walk together, according to the appointment of Christ; giving up themselves to the Lord, and one to another, by the will of God, in professed subjection to the ordinances of the Gospel.“

“Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances of positive and sovereign institution, appointed by the Lord Jesus, the only lawgiver, to be continued in his church to the end of the world.”

“Immersion, or dipping of the person in water, is necessary to the due administration of this ordinance.”

“Those who do actually profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to, our Lord Jesus Christ, are the only proper subjects of this ordinance.“

[Implicates closed membership. Does not comment either way on open or close communion.]

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