An ordinance refers to a Christian rite prescribed by our Lord Jesus, practised by the early Church, and is to be done always until Christ’s return. We have two major undisputed Church ordinances: the Lord’s Supper, where Jesus commands the disciples to do this to remember him (Luke 22:19;1 Corinthians 11:23-30) and baptism. Jesus commanded the disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20). We shall, therefore, delve into these ordinances of baptism and holy communion and learn more about them.
Baptism
Baptism comes from the Greek word ‘baptizo’, which means to dip, immerse, submerge, or cleanse by dipping, washing, and cleaning with water. Baptism is an external and visible symbol of an inward yet invisible reality. It is for the believer who repents of their sin and turns to the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior (Romans 6:3-4, Galatians 2:20, Colossians 2:12, 1 Pet. 3:21, Acts 2:41, 8:12). You don’t become a Christian by being baptized, but, you are baptized because you have become a Christian; when you are saved by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8).
Some churches baptize by sprinkling, others by pouring, and others by immersion. Immersion is the biblical word for baptizing. Baptism by immersion portrays two things: First, it signifies how Christ died and was buried. By being immersed, we are saying that we have died to our old way of life and are burying or putting to death our old nature. Second, being raised from the waters symbolizes our belief that Christ rose from the dead. We affirm that we have been made into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), one who, as we saw earlier in Romans 6:4, has been raised to walk in the newness of life.
Importance of Baptism
1. Jesus Christ exemplified baptism (Matthew 3:16): Jesus set an example of humility and fulfilled all the laws of God. If Jesus was baptized, that should be a good enough reason to follow his example in baptism. Baptism did not make Jesus the Son of God (Jesus is eternally
the Son of God – John 1:1,14, 18), and baptism is not the means that makes a believer God’s child. The Holy Spirit declared after Jesus’ baptism that he was the Son of God (Matthew 3:17). The event declared publicly who Jesus had been all along. In like manner, one does not become a child of God by baptism; instead, baptism only serves to show publicly to others that the one being baptized is already a son of God.
2. Baptism is commanded as part of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19, 20): When we baptize, we obey God as we follow his instructions. Being baptized is the first attitude of Christian obedience. The early Church followed this pattern and obeyed the command of our Master and Saviour (Acts 2:37-41; 8:5-13; 26-38; 9:10-18). Baptism is, therefore, a foundational ordinance for Christians that we must uphold (Hebrews 6:1, 2).
Holy Communion
The second ordinance that Jesus commanded the Church to perform is the Lord’s Supper, also known as the breaking of bread, Holy Communion or the Eucharist. Holy Communion, derived from the Passover, is a ritual meal in which Jewish people would eat a lamb, reminding them of the lamb sacrificed so they could be delivered from Egyptian bondage (Exodus 12:1–13). In the New Testament, Jesus is our Passover lamb. Jesus commanded his disciples always to break the bread and drink the wine to remember that he died for us and saved us through the breaking of his body and the shedding of his blood (Luke 22:19, 1 Corinthians 11:23-25). The key purpose of the Lord’s Supper is found in the words of our Lord, do this in remembrance of me (1 Corinthians 11:24). As Christians gather together to partake of the Lord’s Table, they must focus retrospectively on the great sacrifice of the Savior. A second purpose for the Lord’s Supper is found in 1 Corinthians 11. The communion service allows Christians to focus introspectively on their dedication to the Savior (1 Corinthians 11:23-32). No one should casually partake of the Lord’s Table (1 Corinthians 11:29-30). In fact, casual participation can bring dreadful consequences, including sickness and death (1 Corinthians 11:30).
What do the Elements of The Lord’s Table Depict?
The bread portrays Christ’s broken body. In Matthew 26:26, we read, “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.” Christ’s blessed body was broken just hours later for our sins (Isaiah 53). He carried our sins in his own body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24). The bread should remind us of Christ’s body, which is broken for us. The wine signifies Christ’s shed blood. Jesus said, “This is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). Hebrews 9:22 reads, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood, and without shedding of blood is no remission.”
The Lord’s supper is essential because:
- It was established by Jesus Christ (Matthew 26:26)
- It is commanded (1 Corinthians 11:23-30)
- It follows the tradition of the early Church (Acts 2:42)
- It provides a time of fellowship with Christ and his People (1 Corinthians 10:16).
- It helps us to reflect on the cross and to remember what the Lord Jesus did for us at Calvary (Matthew 26:28; 2 Corinthians 5:21;1 Peter 1:18-19).
- It helps me to rely on Christ, who resurrected and is seated at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 1:3; 8:1)
- It assures us that Jesus will return and complete the work he began in us (Philippians 2:13).
The ordinances are clearly very significant to believers. While they do not make you a Christian and will lead to no punishment if you do not observe them for whatever reason, it is essential to fulfil them to remind us and to declare publicly who we are in Christ. May we joyfully look forward to these ordinances and celebrate those who partake of them.
