THE ORDINANCES
Romans 6:3-6 (KJV)
Know ye not, that so many of us as 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.
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.
My subject is, “The Ordinances: Why Baptist Baptism and Closed Communion?”
This is the question that began this series.
There are a number of young preachers in our sort of churches, who are now questioning our practice of the ordinances.
I think I would like to begin by saying of these questions about the ordinances,
I. IT’S NOT NEW
A. I got baptized in a church that was just two weeks old.
Our pastor arranged to use another Baptist church’s baptistry and afterword I asked him about the church.
He said he had to be careful about his relationship with that church because he had church members who disputed with that church’s practice of the ordinances
B. I remember hearing a Pastor by the name of Rick Demato preach a message at a church planting conference way back probably 30 years ago. He said that before a man plants a church he had better get settled:
· What baptism he will accept and
· Who he will invite to the Lord’s Table
C. The church Anita and I attended when I surrendered to preach and from which we went out to Bible College never did partake in the Lord’s Supper.
D. When we got to college and joined a church there, I knew nothing about the Lord’s Supper until our Pastor announced it in April.
I asked Mike Riggs about it and had him explain the position of Closed Communion – the Table being open to only members of the local church.
E. What I discovered is that, among independent Baptists,
· There is a group who accepts into membership only those who are baptized in a Baptist church. Those churches generally also observe a closed communion table.
· There are others, I think the majority of independent Baptists, who accept any baptism as long as it is by immersion and who generally observe either an open or close communion.
F. The truth is, every group, even Protestant ones, disagree on the ordinances.
Martin Luther and John Calvin, arguably the two most famous influencers of the Protestant Reformation, disagreed enough on the ordinances that they could not work together.
One founded Lutheranism
The other founded what would become Presbyterianism
Two separate church denominations, primarily because they differed on the ordinances.
In order to prepare you for the things I hope to teach, let me give a short
II. REVIEW
This is actually the 10th message in this “WHY? Series.
Three of them were especially given to lay some groundwork for this message.
A. Why Baptist? – the history of churches
The first message was “Why Baptists are not Protestants” and I tried in that message to show you that only Baptists have any claim to having roots all the way back to Jesus and John the Baptist.
John 1:6 (KJV)
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
Mark 1:1-4 (KJV)
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
Our contention is that the authority to baptize comes from God, through John the Baptist.
Only Baptists can remotely claim that because only Baptists can claim a history that goes all the way back to Jesus and John the Baptist.
B. The importance of the Scriptures vs church tradition
In every sort of Protestant church, their doctrines comes from church teaching rather than the Bible.[1]
What we want to do is make sure our doctrines come from the Bible.
C. The Doctrine of the Local church vs the universal church
Every Protestant church teaches the doctrine of the universal church, and from it impose church teaching over what the Bible says concerning baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
From there
III. WHAT ARE THE ORDINANCES?
While there are some who disagree, Baptists generally teach that there are two and only two ordinances of the church; baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Those ordinances come from an observation of Scriptures only concerning Baptism and the Lord’s Supper can it be said that they were
A. Instituted by the Lord in the Gospels
Jesus didn’t baptize in the Gospels, but he was baptized by John the Baptist.
Every one of the twelve Apostles were baptized by John the Baptist so that, when those Apostles wanted to replace Judas Iscariot they said, Acts 1:21-22 (KJV)
Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
The institution of the Lord’s Supper is found in:
· Matthew 26:26-30
· Mark 14:17-26 and
· Luke 22:14-28
B. Practiced by the Apostles in Acts and
We find baptism and the Lord’s Supper practiced almost immediately in the book of Acts,
Acts 2:41-42 (KJV)
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
You’ll find baptism and the breaking of Bread (most often a reference to the Lord’s Table) practiced over and over in Acts.
You’ll even find an occasion where Paul baptized again a group of believers whose baptism was not suitable.[2]
C. Instructed upon by Paul in the Epistles
Specific instructions concerning baptism are found in
Romans 6:3-6 (KJV)
Know ye not, that so many of us as 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.
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.
As well as other epistles.
Specific instructions concerning the Lord’s Supper are found in
1 Corinthians 11:20-30 (KJV)
When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.
For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
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 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.
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 shew the Lord's death till he come.
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.
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.
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
There is a third practice by some Baptist and other groups, sometimes considered to be an ordinance.
Footwashing was instituted by the Lord in John 13:3-12.[3]
I’ve never seen a footwashing service (the only church I have ever known to practice it was a Pentecostal Church in the Tri-Cities, near 40 years ago.)
I would be interested in observing the practice if it were in a Baptist church[4], and I would love to see their teachings about it.
I am satisfied, in these three qualifications I have offered for an ordinance, however. Footwashing is not practiced in Acts or instructed upon in the Epistles.
Let me attempt to get more specific about
IV. THE ORDINANCES
A. They are memorials
They impart no grace to the receiver but belong to those who are already possessors of grace.
Baptism doesn’t save or contribute to salvation
The Lord’s Supper doesn’t put Christ in your or make you more Christlike.
Their purpose is to remember.
B. Baptism
Pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus
Focus is our Christian walk (raised to walk in newness of life)
C. The Lord’s Supper
Pictures of the cross of Christ
Focus His return (ye do show the Lord’s death til He comes)
D. Their function
While the ordinances have no saving grace, they are important in that they serve as the guardians of the church’s purity.
Baptism
The door into the Church.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (KJV)
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Notice that we are “baptized into one body.”
Baptism is how we enter the body of Christ. The question is, “What is that body?”
· The universal church guy will say it is the invisible universal body of Christ.
· The local church guy will understand the Bible to mean the local, visible church.
Lord’s Supper
The discipline of the Church.
1 Corinthians 11:28-32 (KJV)
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.
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
The Lord’s Supper is also called communion, a kind of fellowship.
When a brother or sister in the church is out of fellowship with the Lord, they should be restricted from observing the Lord’s Supper.[5]
Finally
V. THE BOTTOM LINE
Your position on the local church will determine your understanding of those passages relating to the ordinances.
A. If you believe that the only sort of church in the Bible is a local church, then you will almost certainly see the Scriptures relating to them as applying to the local church
B. If you believe that the true church is one that all Christians belong to at the moment of their salvation, then you will almost certainly understand those passages having to do with church authority as meaning the big invisible one.
C. If you take the position that the church issue is not that important and that what really matters is winning souls and teaching them the Bible, then you will probably compromise whichever way you lean on Bible interpretation for the greater good of winning souls and building a large congregation.
[1] Paul Schwanke wrote concerning the difference between “FUNDAMENTALISTS BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS THE FINAL AUTHORITY; INDEPENDENT BAPTISTS BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS THE ONLY AUTHORITY.”
[2] Acts 19:3-5 (KJV)
And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
[3] John 13:3-12 (KJV)
Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
[4] I understand it is the Primitive Baptists that practice it.
[5] 1 Corinthians 5:11 (KJV)
But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
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