perfectly, as if he had satisfied in his own person for all his sins, and fulfilled all righteousness."

-Form for the Administration of the Lord's Supper

This point asks if the person believes the gospel promise of God, and then states the contents of the gospel promise. When the writers summarized the gospel promise, they did so in the promise's richest sense -the forgiveness of my sin and the imputation of Christ's righteousness to me -the gospel's full salvation.

All true participants at the Lord's table must believe the gospel promise; all must know something of saving faith (or deliverance). But the degree of faith in the promise, the degree of personal assurance with which they believe the gospel will vary. The "little ones" may believe with a trembling hope, spiritual longing, and heartfelt desire. The "spiritual infant's" faith may be heard as a needy cry, "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24b). The "spiritual father's" faith may be witnessed as a powerful testimony, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39). The essence or root of faith is necessary for a divine right, but not the full degree or full assurance of faith. This truth is clearly summarized by Rev. G. H.Kersten in his Reformed Dogmatics as follows:

When the form gives confidence of heart that our sins are forgiven by Christ as a mark, it does not intend to exclude those who are in much concern and doubt about their state and have not yet arrived at the full assurance of faith, but it speaks of the confidence that lies in saving faith, however small it may be, as the catechism also teaches, both in describing faith in Lord's Day 7, and in speaking of the Lord's Supper in Lord's Day 30 (Q. 81).

That it must indeed be understood thus, is very clear when the Form does not exclude those that "have not perfect faith." Not one of God's children is too little, spiritually speaking, and not one is too far advanced to celebrate the Lord's Supper. The Lord gave to all His people His commandment of love, "This do in remembrance of Me." The neglect of this command does much injury to God's people, and though the neglect is the result of slavish fear, God's children must often experience that Satan and unbelief find strength in it to attack the soul all the more. It also results in much darkness.

-Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 2 p. 524