John Knox On The Lord’s Supper, Part 4: Knox’s Polemical and Pastoral Agenda

by on July 29, 2025 | Comment

In our previous three articles, we have been arguing that, in light of the perceived softening of some Protestants’ attitudes regarding the Roman Catholic Mass, a reexamination of a classical Reformed and Protestant theological view of the Mass might be in order. We have done so briefly by observing the writings of the Scottish Reformer, John Knox. We have noted Knox’s hardline condemnation of the Roman Mass in his “Vindication of the Doctrine that the Sacrifice of Mass is Idolatry”1 and his positive articulation of a biblical doctrine of the Lord’s Supper in his “Summary, According to The Holy Scriptures, of the Sacrament of The Lord’s Supper.”2 We also considered Knox’s stance regarding the administration and distribution of the Lord’s Supper.

Having given consideration to Knox’s opposition to the Roman Mass, his doctrine of the Lord’s Supper, and his concern for a proper, biblical administration of the sacrament in light of his religious and theological context, we return in this article to analyze the polemical and pastoral heart that drove Knox’s opposition to the Mass and his defense of the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper.

Orthopraxy as Pastoral Care

In terms of pastoral theology, what animated Knox in this controversy was his conviction that Christians, and in particular his congregants, must not be allowed to participate in a tacit superstition or muted sorcery.3 Given his understanding of biblical shepherding, Knox understood it to be his duty to guard the flock against idolatrous practices and to guide them toward a better and more God-honoring way.4 By “pastoral theology,” we mean, for our purposes here, that a system of biblical and theological commitments and practices that one believes must be brought to bear within the life of the church collectively as well as within the lives of individual Christians. Though pastoral care is an integral component of pastoral theology, the “care” aspect must not be understood in a modern, sentimentalized sense of the word. Rather, Knox cared for his congregants by insisting that they not be allowed to be given over to idolatry. His care for them was not a kind of emotionalism but rather stemmed from his concern for the honor of God and the good of his people’s souls.

For Knox, God is greatly dishonored by idolatry—whether gross or miniscule. 5 God is honored best by offering him the worship that he commanded and via the practices most closely regulated by Scripture. Therefore, Knox’s zeal in this controversy was driven by his two-fold concern for 1) the honor of God and obedience to his will, and 2) his duty as a shepherd to guard the congregation from indulging in God-dishonoring or God-displeasing actions.

A Didactic Ministry

Some reflection and analysis are warranted because, on the one hand, it is evident that Knox was engaging in a great deal of polemical theology at this stage in his ministry. He was actively preaching, writing, publishing, and attempting to persuade the church against what he deemed to be erroneous doctrines of the Lord’s Supper. As our readers may be aware, in both the scholarly literature as well as the popular imagination, Knox is often conceived as a firebrand preacher and full-charge Reformer with little regard paid to his pastoral ministry. In many cases, there exists something of a caricature of Knox where he is perceived as a surly, rigid, and militant Protestant preaching-warrior.

While it is certainly true that Knox engaged in plenty of polemical theology and committed what one might term “theological and hortatory iconoclasm” in his vehement and impassioned denouncements of issues that he deemed crucial for the right practice of Christianity, it is not accurate to suggest that Knox “tore down” without also “building up.” That is, Knox exercised pastoral care to the people in his charge by “feeding” them or instructing them in doctrine. In this instance (as has been chronicled in our previous articles), Knox provided positive, constructive teaching on matters pertaining to the Lord’s Supper, not just a critical debunking of the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Mass. Knox supplied a positive articulation of doctrine that his people ought to believe, which would fill the void created in their faith should they heed his warnings and discard their previous theology of the Eucharist or Mass.

This instructive pastoral tendency is evidenced again in the positive, constructive theology of the Lord’s Supper that Knox provides even in the very liturgy of the sacrament. As noted in our previous articles, not only a proper practice but a proper understanding of the Lord’s Supper was key to Knox’s pastoral theology. Knox was not content to merely perform or administer the sacrament rightly, but he discipled and instructed his congregants so that their theology of the sacrament was also well-informed. The pastoral theology of Knox included a conviction that it was not enough for the congregants simply to observe a proper sacramental practice, but that they be must instructed as to why the sacrament was administered the way it was and what the Scripture taught regarding the meaning of the sacrament.6

Doctrine: A Necessary Element in the Crucible

Knox’s pastoral impulse with regard to providing positive doctrinal instruction is not limited to his teaching on the Lord’s Supper. Earlier in his ministry, he had done something similar with the doctrine of justification by faith. Knox published and promoted Henry Balnaves’ treatise on the doctrine, a work which was included in Knox’s own written corpus.7

 

Given the counsel expressed in Knox’s letter to the St. Andrews congregation and the weight he places behind Balnaves’ treatise on justification, it is evident Knox believed that a proper understanding of this doctrine was essential for the spiritual health and comfort of his flock. Knox’s Epistle is a combination of encouragement, exhortation, and theological reflection. Knox provided spiritual encouragement to the beleaguered congregation, affirming their commitment to the Protestant cause and urging them to remain steadfast in their faith despite the hardships they faced.8 He emphasized the importance of adhering to the true gospel and rejecting the corrupt practices of the Roman Church. Knox discussed themes such as justification by faith, the authority of Scripture, and the need for personal piety and repentance. Further, Knox urged the congregation to persevere in the face of persecution, reminding them that suffering for their faith is a mark of true discipleship. He encouraged them to rely on God’s strength and to trust in his ultimate deliverance:9

Consider, Brethren, it is no speculative Theology which desireth to give you courage, but even your Brother in affliction. . . . Rejoyse (yet I say) spiritually, and bee glad. . . . But ye, most Christian Brethren, humbly I beseech, and in the blood of Jesus Christ I exhort, that ye read diligently this present Treatise; not only with earnest prayer, that ye may understand the same aright, but also with humble and due thanksgiving unto our most merciful Father. . . . I dare affirm, that no man which cometh with a godly heart hereto, shall pass from the same without satisfaction. the firm and weak shall find strength and comfort; the rude and simple, true knowledge and erudition; the learned and godly humbly rejoicing, by the omnipotent spirit of Jesus Christ, to whom be glory before his congregation.10

Crucial for the church of today to note, Knox deems doctrine—of all things—as relevant for a group of Christians in the midst of pressures and persecutions on account of their faith. It was not enough for Knox to simply reprove his people and repudiate what he deemed the errors of Roman Catholicism, he felt compelled to commend to them the doctrine to which they ought to hold.

Conclusion: Knox the Shepherd-Teacher

In considering this evidence, a fuller picture of Knox the pastor emerges. This is not to suggest that Knox was not a polemicist or that he did not castigate what he deemed erroneous or heretical doctrine—he was, and he did. Nevertheless, this positive resourcing and instruction in doctrine provided by Knox suggests that the Scotsman was multi-faceted. While it is safe to say that Knox was not necessarily a theologian in the same sense that Calvin was (Knox, by his own admission, did not feel called to pen theological treatises11 and he authored only one lengthy theological discourse, “An Answer To The Cavillations Of An Adversary Respecting The Doctrine Of Predestination,”12), he was what one might deem a pastoral theologian. That is, he was content to meet the needs of his people in a given circumstance by providing positive expression and articulation of Christian doctrine for their spiritual benefit. He would not leave his parishioners, so far as he could help it, in doctrinal or spiritual ambiguity. Knox strove to provide his people with the doctrinal and theological instruction they needed in order to grasp the Christian faith better and to mature spiritually. Knox was not just a firebrand; he was also a teacher.

Moreover, this penchant for providing positive instruction is a habit evidenced not just during his English ministry but one which occurred in Frankfurt, Geneva, particularly in his Scottish itinerant ministry with the Privy Kirks, and most especially in his early Edinburgh ministry. Highlighting the various stages in Knox’s ministry where he evidenced this tendency may warrant future articles on the subject. Sufficient for now is to observe that this teaching dimension of Knox’s pastoral ministry was not just an occasional feature that took place during his Church of England tenure but was a recurring habit and theme throughout his pastoral ministry. Knox was committed not only to doing away with what he deemed erroneous and dangerous doctrine but also to providing sound and constructive theological instruction to his people. In this way, he continued to live out his pastoral theology of shepherding,13 as expressed in his summary of Balnaves’ treatment of the pastoral office: “[A bishop] continually should preach, read, and exhort his flock to seek their spiritual food in the Scriptures.”14 A teaching ministry and a commitment to resourcing Christ’s people with sound theological instruction were core tenets and key facets of Knox’s pastoral theology. Therein lies a timely and sound reminder for all who would shepherd God’s people into the green and safe pastures of God’s ways.

Notes

  1. Knox, “A Vindication of the Doctrine that the Sacrifice of Mass is Idolatry,” in The Works of John Knox (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2015), 3:33–70.
  2. Knox, “A Summary, According to The Holy Scriptures, of the Sacrament of The Lord’s Supper,” in Works of John Knox, (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2015), 3:71–75.
  3. Knox, Works, 4:186.
  4. Knox, Works, 3:389.
  5. Knox, Works, 3:197.
  6. Knox, “The Practice of the Lord’s Supper in Berwick,” in Peter Lorimer, John Knox and the Church of England (London: Henry S. King, 1875), 290–91.
  7. An Epistle to the Congregation of the Castle of St Andrews and A briefe Sommarie of the Work by Balnaves on Justification, Knox, Works, 3:5–28.
  8. Knox, Works, 3:10.
  9. Knox, Works, 3:10–11.
  10. Knox, Works, 3:10–11.
  11. Knox, Works, 6:229.
  12. Knox, Works, 5:31–468.
  13. “But if the pastor sleep, and altogether keep his tongue close, then surely shall the very sheep go astray. . . [the pastor] most tenderly loves his sheep committed to his protection by God his Father, by him to receive life, and that abundantly; and therefore provides he some Peters to be sent in every age, to call again the sheep to the only pastor of their souls, Jesus Christ, whose voice the sheep hear and thirsts for.” Knox, Works, 3:389; “But also it hath pleased him of his superabundant grace, to make and appointe me, most wretched of many thousands, a witness, minister, and preacher of the same doctrine.” Knox, Works, 4:467.
  14. Knox, Works, 3:26.

©Sean Morris. All Rights Reserved.

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    Post authored by:

  • Sean Morris
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    Sean was educated at Grove City College, Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson, MS), Edinburgh Theological Seminary, and the University of Glasgow (Scotland). He earned his PhD from Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He is an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America, and serves as a minister at the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge, TN. He also serves as the Academic Dean of the Blue Ridge Institute for Theological Education and has published numerous theological and devotional articles. Sean lives in Oak Ridge with his wife, Sarah, and their children.

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