The Baptist Distinctives, the reason we are Baptists.
The Ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
We believe that baptism is the first act of obedience for a believer, according to our command to go, and the lost person’s command to be obedient.
(Mat 28:18-20) "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. {19} Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: {20} Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
(Mark 16:15-16) "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. {16} He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
(Acts 2:37-38) "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? {38} Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
(Acts 2:41) "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls."
Baptized before service to God;
(Acts 16:14-15) "And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. {15} And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us."
(Acts 9:18) "And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized."
By example;
(Acts 18:8) "And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized."
(Acts 16:33) "And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway."
(Acts 8:36-39) "And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? {37} And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. {38} And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. {39} And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing."
Because of identification;
(Rom 6:3-4) "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? {4} 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."
The Lord’s supper was given by example from the Lord.
(1 Cor. 11:23-32) "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:
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
25 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.26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
Scriptural observance of the Lord’s Supper gives us 3 views:
| A view back: vs. 24-25. Reflection on the sacrifice of Christ and the suffering of punishment for your sins. |
| A view inward: vs. 27-28. Examine the condition of your heart carefully before partaking of the Lord’s Supper. You should confess any sin that the Holy Spirit reveals and repair any broken fellowship with God and other believers. Being stubborn and bitter is wickedness and should be dealt with then and there. Failure to confess and forsake sin causes you to eat and drink unworthily, which causes many to be weak and sickly. Some even perished. Vs. 30b. |
| A view forward: vs. 26. We will continue to observe this ordinance till he comes again. The view forward reminds us that He is going to return again for His own just as He promised. |
A Pastor’s failure to follow this command causes the church to be in disobedience. It is a command for believer’s only. The believer should use caution with regards to children. Be sure they have a sufficient amount of understanding of what they are partaking in, in light of the judgment placed on those that take it lightly.
The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper places the believer between a rock and a hard place:
To ignore it means disobedience to the Lord’s command, which leads to discipline from the Lord. To partake of it, he must deal with any sin revealed by the Holy Spirit to prevent severe discipline from the Lord for eating and drinking unworthily. God plays no games when it come to sin in the lives of his children.
WE ARE BAPTISTS BECAUSE WE OBSERVE THE ORDINANCES OF BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER
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This page was updated on 03/23/00