We are to be saturated in God’s Word. This is to be where we have planted our feet. So when you hear the phrase, “ordinary means of grace,” remember where this phrase comes from, and remember that when you promised your commitment to the Westminster Standards, you committed yourself to live and work according to this wisdom.

I recently was handed a diagram outlining possible philosophies for ministry. In the diagram was the option of a philosophy of ministry called “ordinary means of grace.” I think of myself as an ordinary means of grace pastor. In my shepherding work, I desire to rest in the grace of God for building the church, and I appreciate knowing where I need to focus my attention. A commitment to the ordinary means of grace helps me achieve this. But I have begun to question the assumption that a commitment to the ordinary means of grace is a philosophy “option.” Can it truly be laid alongside other potential philosophies as one option among many? Or is it something more?

Let’s examine this question by asking and observing, “from where does this phrase come”? It comes from our confessional standards. Both the Shorter Catechism (Q. 88) and the Larger Catechism (Q. 154) contain the question,

WLC Q. 154. What are the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of his mediation?

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. (Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-37)

As a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), I have pledged that the Westminster Standards are a faithful summary of my understanding of biblical teaching. In all the years I have participated in examining ministers in my presbytery, I have never heard a candidate for ministry assert a difference with question 88 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism or question 154 of the Larger Catechism.

What these two questions teach is a reliance on the Word of God for ministry. Is there any self-respecting minister of the Gospel who would say something different?  If you are tempted to think the answer to this question is too narrow, look more closely at how the answer to the question is structured. The outward and ordinary means of communicating the benefits of Christ’s redemption are Christ’s ordinances. Christ’s ordinances are His commands in Scripture. This includes the Great Commission (Mt. 28) and the Great Commandment (Mt. 22);. the “one another” passages of the New Testament epistles; and Paul’s pastoral instruction to preach the Word in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2).

This is more than a perspective for how to do ministry. This is a Di-vine mandate. We are to love one another (John 13:34) and we are to pray for one another (James 5:16). We are to properly administer the sacraments and we are to proclaim the gospel, “for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

Why would anyone object to such a commitment in pastoral ministry? Maybe objections have been raised from an inadequate reading of the catechism. The answer identifies three areas of particular concern, the word, sacrament, and prayer. But notice the grammar. The ordinary means are his ordinances, especially word, sacrament, and prayer. The larger category of instruction to pay attention to is “all” the commands of Christ. The word “all” is the special contribution of the Larger Catechism. Therefore, the minister is to pay “special” attention to the word (read and preached), the faithful administration of the sacraments, and to prayer without neglecting any of the commands of Jesus. This is not narrow; it is as wide as the Word of God.

I am not naïve. I realize there are some brothers who think all they have to do is preach from the pulpit, administer the sacraments, and pray (publicly and privately) and everything will get done through the mysterious operation of these spiritual activities. Martin Luther thought similarly in the early years of his ministry. At one point in his life, he is quoted as saying that Philip (Melancthon) and I can be sitting at the pub drinking beer and the word of God preached is out doing all the work. Later in his life, Luther became very discouraged that more people, especially the Jews, were not converted. There are among us today some who have the same challenge.

Please don’t misunderstand me, pastors must be focused on preaching from the pulpit. There is a mysterious operation of the Spirit to apply the word preached. This work of Word and Spirit is indispensable. That is why the Westminster Divines stated, “especially.” Along with prayer, the preaching of the word must be our focus. Simultaneously, however, we must “go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.” (Luke 14:23) We must train God’s people to be Christ’s witnesses in the world (Acts 1:8). We must teach them to “put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” If the example of our life and the preaching from our pulpits are not aiming at such application, then we are not “making disciples.”

At the church where I serve, we believe the ordinary means of grace, understood as Christ’s commands, especially word, sacrament, and prayer, informs and fuels our work as a church. We find these commands in Scripture alone, and as Calvin said, the Scriptures are the touchstone that tests everything. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16-17,

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Ministers are to be saturated in God’s Word. This is to be where we have planted our feet. So when you hear the phrase, “ordinary means of grace,” remember where this phrase comes from, and remember that when you promised your commitment to the Westminster Standards, you committed yourself to live and work according to this wisdom. “Ordinary means of grace” should not be a phrase that leaves a bad taste in our mouths. Rather, it should communicate an ancient commitment to rest in God’s provision in Christ, the provision of His word, the marching orders for His saints and servants.

Andy Aikens is a Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is Pastor of First PCA in Crossville, TN.