The Proper Ordinances of the Church

Scripture speaks of two ordinances – baptism and the Lord’s supper. Ordinance simply means that Jesus has ordained/commanded for these practices to be undertaken as a visible portrayal of the Gospel.[1] To the outside world, baptism is the mark by which a member is recognized.[2] Shaun Wright, in quoting Stephen Wellum, notes that baptism is the “initiatory covenantal sign” with the Lord’s supper being an “ongoing covenantal sign.”[3] In other words, it is through baptism and the Lord’s supper that one is recognized as a child of God living in continued faithfulness. Both ordinances are “the Lord’s visible seal of His invisible grace.”[4] The outward act of baptism visibly displays that one is a child of God. The outward act of the Lord’s Supper declares union with Christ and unity between His people. In this manner, the ordinances are “outward means of grace that sanctify us.”[5] The Holy Spirit’s work through these visible signs has a purifying action in the believers life.

Baptism

Ordinances are such in that Jesus has commanded them. Baptism was commanded by Jesus as He commissioned His disciples to reach the nations (Matthew 28:19),[6] with immediacy obedience was expected from confessing believers (Acts 2:38). It is by the waters of baptism that a believer were “numbered among the children of God.”[7] Baptism is therefore a “mark of union with Christ.”[8] Therefore, the only individuals that can be baptized are confessors of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9) who have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation.[9] The timing of baptism is a matter of determining a credible confession of faith in Jesus. The New Testament speaks of confessors being baptized almost immediately upon profession of faith (Acts 2:41, 8:12, 8:38, 16:15, 16:33). In the church today, the membership affirms each profession of faith and baptizes those who are deemed credible. Therefore, baptism should be as soon as practically possible and as soon as the church is able to determine a credible profession. The church should not rush to baptize (seeking to protect from lack of understanding of the Gospel) yet at the same time the church should not impose an arbitrary waiting time.

The baptism that the church performs is to be one of full immersion. Not only does the word baptism mean immersion in the original Greek,[10] but immersion is the picture of the union with Christ’s death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4). The confessor is to be lowered entirely into a body of water (whether the sea, a river, or a baptismal pool) signifying death to the old life, and be raised out of the water, signifying new life in Jesus. As per the teaching of Jesus, one is to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). 

The Lord’s Supper

The Lord’s supper is the continued sign and proclamation of a believers unity in Christ’s church.[11] Believers partake in the Lord’s supper in obedience to Scripture (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). It is to be noted that participation is only for baptized believers, for it is only the church that has been commanded to celebrate the Lord’s supper.[12] Each element declares the Gospel – the bread representing the body of Christ broken and the cup representing the blood of Christ shed. It is through these elements that one is “reminded of Christ’s death for us.”[13] In partaking together, the church visibly displays the unity found in the body of Christ. When unity is threatened, communion acts as a regular reminder of the grace shown each believer and the call to brotherly affection for the sake of God’s glory.

Although church history indicates that only the clergy can baptize and administer the elements of communion,[14]Scripture does not give clear instruction to whom should administer the elements. It would however be wise to follow the example of the early church, and the example of Paul by having the Elders or Deacons administer the elements. The Lord’s Supper should also be undertaken in the regular gathering of the body (usually Sunday morning services).[15]There is freedom in how often communion is to be undertaken, however, a regular approach should be adopted to ensure obedience and encouragement in the church family. The Lord is present with His people in communion; therefore, each church should recognize the beauty of unity that comes through regular obedience and worship in the Lord’s supper.

References

[1] Mark Dever and Jonathan Leeman. Baptist Foundations: Church Government for an Anti-Institutional Age (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2015), 88.

[2] Edmund P. Clowney. The Church: Contours of Christian Theology (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1995), 104.

[3] Dever, 83.

[4] Clowney, 104.

[5] Ibid., 89.

[6] Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references in this paper are to the English Standard Version (ESV) (Wheaton: Crossway, 2001).

[7] Clowney, 104.

[8] Ibid., 80.

[9] Dever, 123.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Clowney, 80.

[12] Dever, 89.

[13]  Ibid., 154.

[14] Ibid., 159.

[15] Ibid., 161.