Clean Water, Red Wine, Broken Bread

by Douglas Wilson

The Christian faith proclaims a standing invitation to a grand and glorious banquet. But those who wish to attend this feast must first be washed. This washing is declared by the clean water of baptism. After we are washed, we may sit down at the Lord's Supper, consisting of red wine and broken bread.

An invitation to this banquet is too gracious to be dismissed out of hand, and it is too profound to accept glibly. The Christian faith is a serious and demanding religion, founded on the gladness and delight of God. As a faith, it is an all-encompassing worldview which cannot be reduced to cute little slogans.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Christianity

60 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2000

About the author

I write in order to make the little voices in my head go away. Thus far it hasn't worked.

Reviews

[Caleb M. Powers]

A good, clear invitation to sinners to come and believe on Jesus.

[Spencer]

An excellent and short presentation of the Gospel. Listened to on the Canon app.

[Sam]

Good theologically rich, yet succinct summary of christian faith. Although, imagining myself as a beginner in the faith or a curious unbeliever (the target audience), I think it would be hard for to grasp the section on covenants the theological richness perhaps works against this end. It's a tough subject to make accessible.

[Zack Freeman]

A fantastic and well written presentation of the Gospel. I highly recommend to Christians for encouragement and conviction as well as to all non Christians.

[Julie Freeman]

A clear and in depth Gospel presentation, I highly recommend! Great book to start off the year!

[John]

This is one of the best introductions to the Christian faith you'll find. It is an invitation to participate in the sacraments of the church--hence the title. It doesn't really discuss these sacraments in any detail, instead, it offers sound instruction that one might be a partaker.

This is straight-up gospel, right out of the Bible with the kind of exposition one would expect from Wilson. Highly recommended.

[Zach de Walsingham]

Refreshing reorientation to the primacies of who Christ is and our ultimate need of salvation. It shows the beauty of our invitation to a feast with Christ - underlining our need of union with him and communion with the saints, glory and community.

[ValeReads Kyriosity]

Great little gospel explanation and invitation. No one will answer if God isn't calling, but if He is, they'll have a better idea of exactly what they're answering than many other evangelistic tracts provide.

[Aurora Grace]

An early booklet by Wilson, this one could be summed up as a restatement of Calvinist covenant theology, emphatically declaring that God has the right to murder you because of Adam and Eve's fall, and the only way to appease this wrathful deity was for him to murder his own son in our place. The conclusion is to go to church to receive the sacraments, the means of grace by which God communicates the murder of Jesus onto us.

[Jason Bray]

It’s well-written. Full of useful and relevant Scripture. I’m glad to be reminded of gospel truth.

The only problem is that I don’t know how helpful it would be to a non-believer.

Anyway, if you’re not a Christian and are looking for a straightforward “what, why, how” of the gospel, this short read fits the bill. If you’re looking to remind yourself of the gospel, go for it. If you’re a Christian looking to explore the ramifications of the gospel, there are other books.

[Josiah Richardson]

This reminded me of one of those Oxford Press “A Very Short introduction” books except on Christianity. A lot of these Christian books on introductions to the faith always seem to be missing something, or go into more depth than an introduction ought, or are drier than a 30 year old saltine cracker.

Wilson checks all the boxes here and this will be one of my go-to recommendations for this genre.

[Micah Douthit]

Covers the very basics of Christianity with a strong focus on the invitation. Straightforward, challenging, evangelistic.

[Jake Litwin]

Such a wonderful little book on the gospel and the invitation to live for the glory of God.

[Eric Keel]

I thought this was a book about baptism and the Lord's Supper. I was wrong. It's a presentation of the Gospel message, a good one too. But not what I expected.

[Nick Prodromou]

This is an excellent intro to the gospel type book.

[Brad Bohlmann]

Best booklet containing an invitation to the Christian faith I’ve heard yet.

[Sean Brothers]

Simple explanation and easy read in the invitation of the Gospel of Jesus.

[Will]

A good narrative/invitation to consider the foundations of Christianity.

[Joseph]

Good. Listened on Canon+.

[Jesus Salgado]

A short read on the basic principles of Christianity. Some of the covenant material might be difficult to understand at first, but it’s not overly complicated.

[Tyler Jarboe]

Powerful plea practically and poetically, fraught with a little Calvinistic flatness theologically.

[Lucas Shannon]

I thought I was picking up a book about the sacraments. What I got was a great gospel talk. This is a good one if evangelism is what you’re into. Very much enjoyed, would read again.

[Michael Jeffries]

This was an excellent little evangelistic book. Would highly recommend it as an outreach tool, but was also very encouraging to me as a Christian a bit farther along in my journey.

[Will Dole]

Really good introduction to the faith, and the need to respond in faith to Jesus Christ.

[Steven Hoffer]

Good

[Jeff Irwin]

Gospel through and through.

[Thomas]

The most complete clear and concise explanation of entering christian life I have ever experienced.

[Justin Woodall]

Decent, short introduction to the Christian faith. Doug does a great job laying out the Gospel and calling for a response.

[Matthew Huff]

Quick, yet solid.

[Ben P]

First-rate. It is simply compelling. Plus Pastor Wilson can link symbols coherently as few others can do.