ORDINANCES

Baptism

•         Prerequisites for baptism. The Bible teaches a proper order or sequence of events prior to baptism.

           □         Repentance (Mt. 3:6). Baptism comes after one repents and turns to Christ. Water baptism without salvation does not cleanse a person’s heart.

           □         Relationship (Acts 2:41). The New Testament distinguished true Christian baptism for those with a relationship to Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:5).

           □         Residence (Acts 10:47). Baptism outwardly marks those in whom the Spirit already inwardly resides.

•         Picture of baptism. Baptism symbolizes denial of the self-life, death to the old life, and devotion to the new life.

           □         Death (Lk. 12:50).

           □         Burial (Rom. 6:4).

           □         Resurrection (Col. 2:12).

•         Purpose of baptism.

           □         Add (Mt. 28:19). Through baptism, a church assimilates or adds new believers into the fellowship.

           □         Acknowledge (Lk. 7:30). Believers unashamedly (Mk. 8:38; Rom. 1:16) confess (Mt. 10:32; Jn. 9:22, 12:42; 1 Tim. 6:12; 1 Jn. 4:15) Jesus as Lord (1 Cor. 12:3). In the New Testament era, persecution often followed public identification with Jesus (Heb. 3:1, 4:14, 10:23).

           □         Advance (Mt. 3:16; Gal. 3:27). Obedience to the command for baptism furthers one’s spiritual progress.

•         Perversions of baptism.

           □         Counterfeit (Acts 8:13). A counterfeit Christian will substitute baptism into a body of water for baptism into the body of Christ.

           □         Confusion (Acts 18:25, 19:4-5). Tragically, some enter a baptistry without entering the new birth.

                      ♦         Error of baptism as a pledge of salvation (infant baptism).

                      ♦         Error of baptism as a part of salvation (Acts 15:11; 1 Cor. 1:17; Gal. 6:15). The idea of baptismal regeneration would give works a place in salvation.

           □         Constraints (Acts 8:36). The New Testament indicated true salvation as the only requirement prior to New Testament baptism.

•         Practice of baptism.

           □         Immersion (Acts 8:38). The Greek words baptizw (65 verses) and baptisma (22 verses) transliterate into the terms baptize and baptism. The terms define baptism as immersion into the water.

           □         Immediate (Acts 16:33, 22:16). New Testament Christians followed in baptism immediately.

           □         Introduction (to church membership and the Lord’s Supper). Baptism after a profession of faith serves as the point of entry into a Baptist church.

The Lord’s Supper

•         The Lord's Supper finds its roots in the Passover feast (Ex. 12:1-28). For Christians this new ordinance symbolizes the atoning blood and the applied blood of Christ (1 Cor. 5:7; 1 Pet. 1:18-19).

•         In the early church believers shared a meal in association with the Lord's Supper known as the agape (Acts 2:46, 20:11; 1 Cor. 11:20-34). The feast demonstrated the believers' commonness and charity. The church is a household of faith (Ex. 12:23) and a household of love (1 Cor. 11:18).

•         New Testament writers addressed preparation for the agape.

           □         Unconverted sinner. Jude and Peter (2 Pet. 2:13; Jude 12) warned of unbelievers participating in the Lord's Supper. Only baptized believers properly participate in this ordinance.

           □         Unconfessed sin. Paul cautioned the unfit believer not to participate in the Lord's Supper. A believer partakes of the Lord's Supper in a worthy manner (1 Cor. 11:27) by discerning the great sacrifice of the Lord's body (Heb. 10:29) and the precious blood (1 Pet. 1:19). A believer also partakes rightly of the Lord's Supper by self-judgment (1 Cor. 11:31) which prevents judgment by God (1 Cor. 11:29-32; Heb. 12:8-11). A believer should examine (1 Cor. 3:13, 11:28) the sins of worldliness (1 Cor. 11:32) and selfishness (1 Cor. 11:33) and ask "Lord, is it I." With this spiritual preparation, the table of the Lord can become a place of revival (2 Chr. 30:1-27).

•         In the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:23-26) believers symbolically remember the body (Acts 2:46, 20:7) and remember the blood of Christ (until He comes).