-
P. J. Strauss
Universiteit van die Vrystaat
Keywords:
Confessional truths about sacraments determines way of serving, Church order gives guidance for practical serving, Differences between four churches on confessions and sacraments, Differences between four churches on ways of serving sacraments
Abstract
The service of holy communion as in four church ordersIn reformed churches the Word of God and the confessions of the church are accepted as norma normans and norma normata respectively. This means that the Word is the first norm and the confessions which should be in accordance with the Word, the second norm for the church. The church order comes as a third norm and should follow these two.The way in which holy communion is served, should be directed by the thruths about the meaning of it as found in the Word and the confessions. Where these confessional thruths do not change very often, the ways in which communion is served, are practical measures which change in changing circumstances. The four churches implied by the four church orders attended to in this article, however, differ in their understanding of the meaning of the confessions for the service of communion as well as the measures used for that.
