The Believer's Baptism and The Lord's Supper
I always enjoy seeing young believers follow the Lord in water baptism. Their public confession of their faith in Christ displays the power of the Gospel to save and change lives. I also enjoy participating in the Lord's Supper. It is the best time to remember Christ's sacrifice for our sins and the perfect time to worship Him because of His perfect love for us. The following are also lifted from my quiet time notes.
Q. What are the ordinances that a Christian church must observe?
A. The ordinances which believers are to observe until He comes are believer's baptism and the Lord's supper (Acts 19:1-6; 18:25-26).
Q. What is the believer's baptism?
A. The believer's baptism is the act of immersing (Mat 3:16; Mark 1:9-10) a Christian in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is performed after a person believed in Jesus Christ. It has, however, no supernatural effect on the believer. Baptism before conversion has no meaning (Acts 19:1-5).
Q. What is the basis of this practice?
A. Jesus commanded that all believers be baptized, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Mat 28:19-20).
Q. What is the meaning of the believer's baptism?
A. The believer’s baptism is a graphic illustration of the basic truths of Christian redemption. First, it reminds the believer that Christ died and was buried for the sins of the world and that Jesus resurrected from the grave to conquer the power of sin, which is death.
It also shows that the believer is now identified with Christ in the Lord's death, burial, and resurrection. "Know ye not, that so many of us were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death. That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4). This means that when Christ was crucified on the cross, we, by identification, were also crucified with Him. When Christ died and was buried, we, by identification, were also buried with Him. When Christ rose from the grave, we, by identification, were also risen from the dead. Baptism therefore shows that we are identified with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
Secondly, the believer's baptism also portrays the proper outlook of the believer in life. A believer's decision to be baptized should mean that he is not anymore allowing sin to rule his life. "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead died no more, death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God" (Romans 6:5-13).
Q. What is the Lord's Supper?
A. The Lord's Supper is a beautiful symbolic commemoration of the death of Christ. It is symbolic of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Paul says in I Cor. 11:23-26, "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed; took bread. And he had given thanks, he break it, and said, Take it; this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come". The bread in the Lord's supper represents the body of Christ which was offered as sacrifice for our sins while the wine represents the blood of Christ as the ransom for our sins. The bread and wine are not the literal body and blood of Christ, respectively.
Q. What is the basis of this practice?
A. Jesus commanded the believers to conduct the Last Supper he had with the apostles in remembrance of Him. "And he took bread, and gave thanks, and break it, and gave unto them, saying, this is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you" (Luke 22:19-20). The believers should perform the Lord's supper as often as they could until Jesus returns to take the believers with Him (I Cor. 11:23-26).
Q. How should the Lord's supper be conducted?
A. The Lord's supper should be preceded always by a solemn self-examination. "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body" (I Cor. 11: 27-29). Those who partake unworthily are in danger of God's judgment not that the bread and wine are supernatural but because they bring disgrace to the Holy God. This Christian ordinance must be preceded always by a solemn self- examination. The Christian church should observe this until Jesus returns to take His people with Him.
Q. What are the ordinances that a Christian church must observe?
A. The ordinances which believers are to observe until He comes are believer's baptism and the Lord's supper (Acts 19:1-6; 18:25-26).
Q. What is the believer's baptism?
A. The believer's baptism is the act of immersing (Mat 3:16; Mark 1:9-10) a Christian in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is performed after a person believed in Jesus Christ. It has, however, no supernatural effect on the believer. Baptism before conversion has no meaning (Acts 19:1-5).
Q. What is the basis of this practice?
A. Jesus commanded that all believers be baptized, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Mat 28:19-20).
Q. What is the meaning of the believer's baptism?
A. The believer’s baptism is a graphic illustration of the basic truths of Christian redemption. First, it reminds the believer that Christ died and was buried for the sins of the world and that Jesus resurrected from the grave to conquer the power of sin, which is death.
It also shows that the believer is now identified with Christ in the Lord's death, burial, and resurrection. "Know ye not, that so many of us were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death. That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4). This means that when Christ was crucified on the cross, we, by identification, were also crucified with Him. When Christ died and was buried, we, by identification, were also buried with Him. When Christ rose from the grave, we, by identification, were also risen from the dead. Baptism therefore shows that we are identified with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
Secondly, the believer's baptism also portrays the proper outlook of the believer in life. A believer's decision to be baptized should mean that he is not anymore allowing sin to rule his life. "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead died no more, death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God" (Romans 6:5-13).
Q. What is the Lord's Supper?
A. The Lord's Supper is a beautiful symbolic commemoration of the death of Christ. It is symbolic of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Paul says in I Cor. 11:23-26, "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed; took bread. And he had given thanks, he break it, and said, Take it; this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come". The bread in the Lord's supper represents the body of Christ which was offered as sacrifice for our sins while the wine represents the blood of Christ as the ransom for our sins. The bread and wine are not the literal body and blood of Christ, respectively.
Q. What is the basis of this practice?
A. Jesus commanded the believers to conduct the Last Supper he had with the apostles in remembrance of Him. "And he took bread, and gave thanks, and break it, and gave unto them, saying, this is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you" (Luke 22:19-20). The believers should perform the Lord's supper as often as they could until Jesus returns to take the believers with Him (I Cor. 11:23-26).
Q. How should the Lord's supper be conducted?
A. The Lord's supper should be preceded always by a solemn self-examination. "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body" (I Cor. 11: 27-29). Those who partake unworthily are in danger of God's judgment not that the bread and wine are supernatural but because they bring disgrace to the Holy God. This Christian ordinance must be preceded always by a solemn self- examination. The Christian church should observe this until Jesus returns to take His people with Him.
posted by Pids Nogales | 7:29 AM
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