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Essay / The Discussion of Baptism and the Lord's Supper
Table of ContentsWhere do we get baptism?Mode and Meaning of BaptismThe Lord's SupperMatthew chapter three is our first picture of the act of believer's baptism. John the Baptist (who was Jesus' cousin) baptized believers on the banks of the Jordan. It seems strange that Jesus wanted to be baptized by John, given that Christ was sinless. Each topic will be based on a discussion question. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Where do we get baptism? We have already stated that the first demonstration of believers' baptism is found in Matthew, where John baptizes Jesus. But where does he go from there? The Great Commission of Matthew twenty-eight says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. » So where is this represented in the ballad of the story? There has always been an ordinance of baptism throughout the ancient and current history of the Church. The Catholic Church makes baptism one of its sacraments for members of the Church. Wayne Grudem, in his book Bible Doctrine, shows that the Catholic Church teaches that "these sacraments in themselves actually convey grace to people (without requiring the faith of the people participating in them)." The Baptist position has always been opposed to the idea and belief of the Catholic Church in this area and has since referred to the sacraments as ordinances (much like I have done before). The dilemma was never really about what to call it (that's minor and somewhat insignificant). There is a problem with actually performing the action. Mode and Meaning of Baptism As I have said before, the problem is not with the name of the practice, but with the manner in which the practice is carried out. So here is the dilemma. How are we supposed to baptize? The Catholic Church uses it as an entrance into the Church itself with its children, known as "baptism". There is a belief in the culture that baptism is a means of salvation (which is why Baptists do not hold to the sacrament view). Wayne Grudem refers to this as much like Paul's struggle with the need for circumcision to believe in Galatians. So, what do Baptists adhere to for their baptismal record? A Baptist church should embrace the view of baptism after salvation, rather than the Catholic position of baptism for salvation. Scripture is very clear to Baptists as to its meaning and symbolism. The Greek word for baptism is baptizo, which translates to “plunge, dip, or immerse.” Everywhere you look in the New Testament you see baptism by immersion. Immersion involves placing a person's entire body under a body of water. It is accompanied by some important and meaningful symbols. First, baptism is obeying the Great Commission. The first step that Christ takes is to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We follow through with baptism because we believe in the power of the Trinity and the ministry and sacrifice of Christ. Second, the act of baptism is a symbol of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Romans it seems that because of the symbolism of Christ's death, burial and resurrection we should be completely immersed: "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus, We were baptized into his death? So we were buried with him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:3-4In fact, thispassage is used as a reference in most Baptist baptisms. So why is this an argument? How (and don't take this the wrong way) does it seem that Baptists have a very correct literal view of this act? Most people are familiar with Martin Luther and his ninety-five theses. Luther was a German priest who discovered his faults with the Catholic Church and exposed his disagreements to the Church in Wittenburg on October 31, 1517. Luther initiated the Reformation or, as the Catholic Encyclopedia calls it, "the great religious revolt. But it occurred 1,300 years after the corruption of Scripture. Baptists have always had a problem with the idea of infant baptism. In fact, the early Church did not stick to this practice until later. Tertullian in 200 AD said: “when they understand Christianity, let them declare themselves Christians.” Infant baptism did not appear in the thinking of the Church until thirty years later, when Origen wrote: “…and it is for this reason, because by the sacrament of baptism the taint of our birth is removed , that the children are baptized. » Slowly the situation worsened over the next two centuries, until Augustine proclaimed that it was better for children not even to be born because of the punishment they might suffer. The first Baptist baptism by immersion took some time to take place. Almost 1,100 years after Augustine to be exact. There was an urgent need within the European priesthood to give the people the truth of the Scriptures and to destroy the corrupt nature of the Church. People who began baptizing received the derogatory nickname Anabaptists. The Anabaptists were nothing more than men following the Scriptures. The first Anabaptist was a man named Conrad Grebel (1498-1526). He was baptized on January 21, 1525 (in the house of Félix Manz) with Félix Manz and George Blaurock. Unfortunately, Grebel only lived a year after his conversion. He is said to have baptized more than 500 people at a time over the winter in the frozen Sitten River. Manz was arrested at the same time as Grebel but lived until January 1527, when he was martyred by the Church. Blaurock was the first official Anabaptism in history. A very zealous man, he is recorded in October 1525 as having stopped a service at the church in Hinwil. He said, “Whose house is this?” If it is God's place, where the Word of God is proclaimed, I am a messenger of the Father to proclaim the word of God. Blaurock was imprisoned and charged with never preaching the gospel again. The reason he lived longer (1529) was because he was traveling...sharing the Gospel. This was only the beginning of the Baptist movement. We are no strangers to persecution in our history. We have hit the walls of liberalism and drawn lines in the sand that we know are the truth. Our statement of faith, The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, is a testimony to this long history of respect for Scripture. Here are some of the most recent revisions: The Holy Bible was written by divinely inspired men and is God's revelation to man. Although both men and women are gifted for service in the Church, the office of pastor is limited to men qualified by Scripture. is all-powerful and omniscient; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. We have been called Jesus freaks and Bible thugs, but we know what we are. We are Baptists because we could not let the error of man who filters the Scriptures go unnoticed. It all started because of the baptism of children. The discussion here really goes in one direction. We see the error of a baptismobligatory, but there is also an underlying question. How old is he old enough to be baptized? There is no clear statement in Scripture regarding a specific timetable or age required for someone to profess Christ. A good way to gauge the sincerity and clarity of a person's salvation is whether they can give a specific reason (or as specific as possible with younger people) why they want to know Christ. This could be early or later in life. There is, however, no scriptural basis for an exact age of accountability. The goal here is not to make you change your name. Truth is truth, it is not relative. Baptism in its biblical origin was done by immersion. It is a symbol of our acceptance of Christ as well as an outward and public demonstration of our death to self and the permission of the Holy Spirit to descend upon us. The scriptural necessity of baptism is evident in the Great Commission. However, this is not necessary for salvation. But it is the first step in obedience to Christ. On the day of Pentecost there were 3,000 baptized (Acts 2) and all followed believers' baptism. Here's the point. Baptism is a sacred act. This cannot be taken lightly and certainly should not be an act of salvation for anyone. So two things: Baptism is not a means of salvation but rather an act of obedience after salvation. The act of baptism is a double symbol. It is the representation of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Second, it symbolizes your new dependence on Christ and the washing away of your old self. The Lord's Supper The Lord's Supper falls into the same category as baptism and the two are usually associated. The Catholic Church includes it in the system of sacraments under the title “communion”. Now it doesn't matter what you call it honestly. It is, however, an ordinance that should be a regular practice in the local fraternity. Luke twenty-two gives a very clear overview of the institution of the Lord's Supper. Jesus gathered with his disciples in the upper room of Jerusalem, his last moments of life. Many questions arise from this particular law. When are we supposed to have the Lord’s Supper? Who can benefit from it? What does that mean? How can I eat the body and drink the blood of Christ? Let's try to answer this question. There are many reasons why we choose to follow the practice of the Lord's Supper. On the one hand, it was the last thing Christ did before the cross. Then, on the other hand, Christ himself says do this in memory of me. Grudem, in his book, gives seven reasons why the Lord's Supper is so important. When we partake of the Lord's Supper, we symbolize for ourselves the death of Christ. Our participation in the benefits of Christ's death. Spiritual food. The unity of believers. Christ affirms his love for me. Christ affirms that all the blessings of salvation are reserved for me. I affirm my faith in Christ. Even beyond the symbols of the Lord's Supper, it was a reference for the age of Christ at his death. We know that Christ was thirty years old when he began his public ministry, but the way we know he was thirty-three was the number of Easters he attended. Since Passover was an annual festival in Israel and we know that there were three that Christ attended, we know that He was in fact thirty-three years old. Another great lesson from the Lord's Supper is the account of John thirteen. Christ comes down and washes the disciple's feet. From the outside, it seems ridiculous that a sinless man would bend down and clean the feet of those who have no right to even be in.