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Church
Ordinances
The New Testament
Church had two ordinances, namely, Baptism and The Lord's Supper or Holy
Communion. Baptists try to maintain these two ordinances in their
simple and pure forms. They are exceedingly beautiful, deeply
impressive and highly meaningful. Yet they are both symbols and
pictures of spiritual truths. They are ordinances that picture the
Savior in His act of sacrifice that purchased our salvation.
Baptism
The first
New Testament ordinance is Baptism, which in New Testament days was by
immersion (entire body submerged under water) and was administered only
to those who believed. The ordinance pictured a graphic form of
the burial of the old life of sin and resurrection to a new life in
Christ. Romans 6:4 states "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 the newness of life." Baptism symbolizes a death, a burial and a resurrection. I Peter
3:21 speaks of baptism as a "figure". This means that baptism is a
picture or a symbol. Baptism symbolizes the death, burial and
resurrection of Church. The essential Gospel truths are: "Christ
died for our sins... he was...buried... he rose again..." (I
Corinthians 15:3-4) These three essential truths are pictured in
baptism. The believer is buried under the water and
raised up out
of the water. This depicts the death, burial and resurrection of
Christ for our sins. Baptism symbolizes the burial and resurrection of
believers. "Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism and death:
that like as Christ was raised up form the
dead by the Glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the
newness of life" (Romans 6:4) In baptism, the believer
recognizes that "Through faith in Christ as my
personal Savior, I have died to sin an am raised to live a new life in
Christ." Baptism is a beautiful symbol of the believer's death in the
old life and his spiritual resurrection of the bodies of all Christians
at the end of the age. Some
suggested reading are found in following spiritual test to assist
in a better understanding of the power of Jesus Christ:
The
Lord's Supper or Holy Communion
The
second of the New Testament ordinances, the Lord's Supper or the Holy
Communion, was instituted by Christ as He neared His final hours of
earthly ministry. It is observed periodically in remembrance
of the fact that Jesus came to make the supreme sacrifice that man and
woman might be saved (I Corinthians 11:18-34). The fruit of the
vine depicts His shed blood. The bread portrays His broken bones
and His death upon the cross for all human sins. When eaten, the
bread and the fruit of the vine symbolize the power of the cross in our
daily living. "This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance
of me". (I Corinthians 11:25) |
