Word for Wednesday
Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1
When I was a very small boy, I used to play with my sisters and brothers in a small swimming hole that our father had bulldozed for us in the brook. While playing on an old inner tube, I slipped off and became submerged for a couple of seconds. As I rose above the surface, the thought went through my mind that I had just been baptized. It was a silly thought, even for a little boy, but the reason why was my understanding of baptism as being submerged in water. I had at least that part of the picture correct, because I had seen a number of people baptized and they had all been immersed completely under the surface of the water. Although the meaning of the Greek word for baptism is immersion, there are many today who do other things and still call it baptism. All sorts of rites and rituals have grown up around the erroneous application of this ordinance. So it is refreshing to know that among our Assembnlies, and among many of the more conservative and evangelical of the denominations, this ordinance is observed exactly as it is taught in the word of God.
When it comes to ordinances, God did not give us very many, certainly nothing like the vast array of things that were involved in the Old Testament worship and service. Those Old Testament ordinances are no longer needed, because they were just shadows and types of the Lord Jesus and His great provision of the sacrifice of Himself for us. Some religious groups still have a large number of ordinances as part of their package. The Catholics, for example, will insist on seven sacraments that they say are essential for salvation: baptism, confirmation, holy communion, confession, marriage, holy orders, and the anointing of the sick. According to the Scriptures, however, none of these is essential for salvation. Even the two ordinances that are taught in the Scriptures for us to observe – baptism and the Lord’s Supper – are not necessary for salvation. But they are necessary for obedience and for fellowship among the Lord’s people. That is why it is important that we do not let them slip in our observance and in our following the instruction from the Lord.
It is important for new Christians to be baptized. This is a step of obedience and a mark of identification with our Lord. Scripture teaches the baptism of believers, and this ordinance need not be repeated. The other ordinance, the Lord’s Supper, on the other hand, is for all believers of all ages and levels of spiritual maturity. And it is to be repeated every week, if possible. It is amazing to see some Christians, even some with a good grasp on many of the Bible’s truths, who see little need to eat the Lord’s Supper other than a few times a year, if that. Those of us who have made it a weekly practice cannot imagine making it an infrequent and brief add-on to another service, like the Baptists and others do.
Our Lord gave us the ordinances that we might be brought close to Him and remain close to Him. Let us never allow their importance to fade. -Jim MacIntosh