All Authority Given: Christ’s Reign and the Work of the Church
After expounding upon the Ten Commandments, the Westminster Catechisms pivot to a sobering reality: is it even possible for man to obey God’s law perfectly? The answer, of course, is a resounding no. Since the fall of Adam, no human being born of ordinary generation has been able to keep God’s commandments perfectly in this life. Instead, we transgress His law daily, and we do so with the entirety of our being, in thought, word, and deed.
As if this weight were not heavy enough, the Catechisms then address the varying degrees of sin. While Scripture teaches that some sins are more heinous than others in the sight of God, it simultaneously declares that every sin, no matter how small it may appear to us, deserves God’s wrath and curse, both in this life and in the life to come.
This brings us to an unavoidable question: How do we escape this judgment? The Catechisms answer with clarity. Scripture teaches that sinners escape God’s wrath through repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, notably, repentance and faith are not presented as standalone responses. God also calls His people to the diligent use of the outward means of grace, which are the specific instruments through which Christ applies the benefits of His saving work to His people.
The Church: The Primary Context of Grace
Once we identify these outward means, we are led directly into the Doctrine of the Church. While not every means of grace is exercised exclusively within the local body, the Church holds a central and indispensable role in their administration. The Larger Catechism summarizes this in Question 154:
The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to his church the benefits of his mediation, are all his ordinances, especially the word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for their salvation.1
Several observations immediately stand out from this definition. First, these means are said to be communicated specifically to Christ’s Church. Second, the Catechism refers to them as “all his ordinances,” a term that necessarily includes the Church itself as an instituted body. Third, while the Word and prayer are encouraged in private devotion, God has ordained their public use within the Church; furthermore, the sacraments are administered exclusively within that corporate context. In this light, the necessity and importance of the Church becomes unmistakable.
The Foundation: The Exalted Christ
To understand the power of these means, we must look to the primary text underlying the Catechism’s teaching: Matthew 28:19, 20. At the close of Matthew’s Gospel, Christ has died, risen, and appeared to His disciples, declaring: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples...”
As Luke records in both his Gospel and the book of Acts, Christ then ascended to the Father’s right hand. Having endured the state of humiliation, being born under the law and suffering the cursed death of the cross, our Lord entered a new state of exaltation. This reign is a present, cosmic reality. Psalm 110 describes the Lord sending forth His mighty scepter from Zion to rule in the midst of His enemies, while Daniel 7 portrays the Son of Man receiving an everlasting dominion.
When Jesus claims all authority, He is not speaking hypothetically. This is the glorified Messiah of John 17, who received authority over all flesh specifically to give eternal life to the elect. Christ reigns now with purpose: to accomplish the salvation of those the Father gave Him before the foundation of the world. Because His authority is absolute, it is impossible for His decree to fail.
Implications for the Believer
From this reality, two vital implications follow:
1. The Commission is the Exercise of His Authority. After asserting His kingship, Christ immediately commissions His Church. He does not invite us to be passive spectators of His reign; rather, He says, “Go therefore.” The Church is sent to make disciples, baptize, and teach, which is a mission grounded in His authority rather than human ingenuity. This includes the essential practice of church discipline; as Matthew 18 reminds us, Christ is uniquely present among His gathered people when they exercise His keys.
To reject the local Church is not a neutral act of preference. To despise the gathering of believers is to reject Christ’s ordained means and rebel against His authority. One cannot claim allegiance to the King while refusing to submit to the very means by which He governs His kingdom.
2. The Power of “Ordinary” Means. It is often objected that God is not bound to means. Indeed, the Confession affirms that God can work “without, above, and against” them, as seen in the miraculous conversion of Saul. However, the Catechism uses the word “ordinary” for a reason. While God can work extraordinarily, Scripture teaches that the ordinary way He blesses and sanctifies His people is through the Word, the sacraments, and prayer.
We are not permitted to neglect what God has commanded simply because He is capable of acting apart from it. We are responsible for what He has revealed, not His secret counsels. Furthermore, we are not free to invent new methods of worship or “self-made religion” as described in Colossians 2. Christ rebukes such manmade traditions as vain in Matthew 15, and the prophet Micah warns of judgment for those who follow human statutes over divine commands.
Conclusion: Do Not Despise the Ordinary
In an age of flash and spectacle, it is tempting not only to despise these ordinary means in favor of visible success or impressive programs, but even to neglect the Church altogether. Many are drawn away by what appears effective or exciting, yet much of it is spiritually hollow and will be exposed on the last day. Though the Word, sacraments, and prayer may lack worldly display, they do not lack power. They are the appointed instruments through which the Spirit works effectually in the elect.
Let us therefore encourage one another in the diligent use of these means, resisting both the lure of substitutes and the temptation to withdraw from the Church, and honoring the authority of our seated King who rules in the midst of His people.
Westminster Assembly, The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition (Philadelphia: William S. Young, 1851), Larger Catechism, Q. 154.