Westminster Larger Catechism, Question 172
Question 172
May one who doubteth of his being in Christ, or of his due preparation, come to the Lord's supper?
One who doubteth of his being in Christ, or of his due preparation to the sacrament of the Lord's supper, may have true interest in Christ, though he be not yet assured thereof; and in God's account hath it, if he be duly affected with the apprehension of the want of it, and unfeignedly desires to be found in Christ, and to depart from iniquity: in which case (because promises are made, and this sacrament is appointed, for the relief even of weak and doubting Christians) he is to bewail his unbelief, and labor to have his doubts resolved; and, so doing, he may and ought to come to the Lord's supper, that he may be further strengthened.
Scripture references for paragraph 1
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Isaiah 1:1010Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
1 John 5:1313I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Psalms 88:1-181O LORD, the God of my salvation, day and night I cry out before You.
2May my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry.
3For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.
4I am counted among those descending to the Pit. I am like a man without strength.
5I am forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, who are cut off from Your care.
6You have laid me in the lowest Pit, in the darkest of the depths.
7Your wrath weighs heavily upon me; all Your waves have submerged me. Selah
8You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape.
9My eyes grow dim with grief. I call to You daily, O LORD; I spread out my hands to You.
10Do You work wonders for the dead? Do departed spirits rise up to praise You? Selah
11Can Your loving devotion be proclaimed in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon ?
12Will Your wonders be known in the darkness, or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?
13But to You, O LORD, I cry for help; in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14Why, O LORD, do You reject me? Why do You hide Your face from me?
15From my youth I was afflicted and near death. I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair.
16Your wrath has swept over me; Your terrors have destroyed me.
17All day long they engulf me like water; they enclose me on every side.
18You have removed my beloved and my friend; darkness is my closest companion.
Psalms 77:1-121I cried out to God; I cried aloud to God to hear me.
2In the day of trouble I sought the Lord; through the night my outstretched hands did not grow weary; my soul refused to be comforted.
3I remembered You, O God, and I groaned; I mused and my spirit grew faint. Selah
4You have kept my eyes from closing; I am too troubled to speak.
5I considered the days of old, the years long in the past.
6At night I remembered my song; in my heart I mused, and my spirit pondered:
7“Will the Lord spurn us forever and never show His favor again?
8Is His loving devotion gone forever? Has His promise failed for all time?
9Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has His anger shut off His compassion?” Selah
10So I said, “I am grieved that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
11I will remember the works of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.
12I will reflect on all You have done and ponder Your mighty deeds.
Jonah 2:44At this, I said, ‘I have been banished from Your sight; yet I will look once more toward Your holy temple.’
Jonah 2:77As my life was fading away, I remembered the LORD. My prayer went up to You, to Your holy temple.
Isaiah 54:7-107“For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will bring you back.
8In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.
9“For to Me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.
10Though the mountains may be removed and the hills may be shaken, My loving devotion will not depart from you, and My covenant of peace will not be broken,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Matthew 5:3-43“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Psalms 31:2222In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from Your sight!” But You heard my plea for mercy when I called to You for help.
Psalms 73:1313Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure; in innocence I have washed my hands.
Psalms 73:22-2322I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You.
23Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand.
Philippians 3:8-98More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.
Psalms 10:1717You have heard, O LORD, the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts. You will incline Your ear,
Psalms 42:1-21As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God.
2My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?
Psalms 42:55Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence.
Psalms 42:1111Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.
2 Timothy 2:1919Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”
Psalms 66:18-2018If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
19But God has surely heard; He has attended to the sound of my prayer.
20Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld from me His loving devotion!
Isaiah 40:1111He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.
Isaiah 40:2929He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak.
Isaiah 40:3131But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
Matthew 11:2828Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 12:2020A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, till He leads justice to victory.
Matthew 26:2828This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Mark 9:2424Immediately the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”
Acts 2:3737When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Acts 16:3030Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Romans 4:1111And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.
1 Corinthians 11:2828Each one must examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
Source and edition
Westminster Larger Catechism. NonlinearFruit/Creeds.json, Unlicense. Creeds.json, English transcription
Unlicense. Source transcription.
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