Die heilige Nagmaal en kerklike tug

Abstract

Holy Communion and ecclesiastical discipline. This article intends to give an account of the Reformed Confession concerning aspects of the Lord's Supper and Church Discipline. Attention is given to relevant articles of faith in the Confession, the form for the sacrament of the Lord's Supper and certain articles of the Church Order of the Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika. These documents, originating from the Reformation of the 16th and 17th century, are still upheld by many Reformed Churches. In contrast to this, since the period of the so-called "Nadere Reformasie" until recent times, the Confession of the Reformed Churches, in cam the Heidelberg Catechism as well as particular articles of the Church Order, has been strongly criticised or neglected. A short review is given of the historical background to the establishment of the Reformed beliefs concerning the Lord's Supper and Church Discipline regarding this sacrament. In conclusion relevant parts of Scripture, for example 1 Corinthians 11, are dealt with in order to determine whether the Confession conforms to Scripture and to emphasize the correspondence between the particular articles of faith and the Word of God.