Evangelical
Protestants prefer to use the word ordinance rather than sacrament because the
word sacrament carries the connotation of it conveying grace. Charles Ryrie defines
ordinance as “an outward rite prescribed
by Christ to be performed by His church.”[1]
The New Testament only speaks of two
ordinances prescribed by Christ to be
performed by His church.
The Lord’s Supper
In three of the Gospels we find that
Christ instituted this ordinance on the eve of His crucifixion. When
instituting the Lord’s Supper, Jesus commanded His followers to continue
observing the ordinance until His return (Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke
22:14-23). Paul, in his epistle to The Corinthian church also wrote in some
detail about this ordinance (1 Cor. 11:23 -32).
Throughout
church history, there has been much debate over the meaning of this ordinance.
Following, I will make mention of the four views held as to its meaning. I will
expand slightly on the view this author holds.
(1) Transubstantiation. This is
the Roman Catholic view which teaches that the bread and wine literally change
to the body and blood of Christ. As the believer partakes of the elements, he
literally partakes of Christ, who during the mass is being sacrificed for the
atonement of sins. Grace is conveyed to the partaker.
(2) Consubstantiation. This was
the view held by the reformer Martin Luther. Today, most Lutherans hold to this
view. This view teaches that the bread and wine don’t change into the body and
blood of Christ but rather that Christ is present “in, with, and under” the
elements. Believer’s partake in order to have their sins forgiven and for their
faith to be confirmed as they receive them by faith.
(3) Reformed. Held primarily by
Presbyterians and Reformed churches, this view teaches that although Christ is
not literally present in the elements, He is present spiritually. Partaking of
the elements conveys grace to the believer.
(4) Memorial. This view is held
by Baptists, Mennonites, Plymouth Brethren, and other denominational and
non-denominational churches. This view teaches that Christ is not present
physically or spiritually in the
elements. When the believer partakes of the elements, he is simply
commemorating the death of Christ. No grace is conveyed or imparted to the
believer. The elements are figurative only and although there is no real
physical or spiritual presence of Christ in the elements, it is a time when the
believer is in communion and spiritual fellowship with His Lord, memorializing
His death. It is a rite in which believers acknowledge and demonstrate their
faith in the death of Christ. This is the view I hold because in my opinion the other views present a number of problems that
cannot be reconciled with the New Testament’s teaching on the ordinance. Paul Enns
states, “The memorial view has much to
commend it in the Scriptures. An examination of the passages reveals the
significance of the Lord’s Supper. It is a memorial to His death (1 Cor. 11:24,
25): the recurring statement, ‘in remembrance of Me,’ makes this clear, the
bread symbolizing His perfect body offered in sin-bearing sacrifice (1 Pet.
2:24) and the wine His blood shed for forgiveness of sins (Eph. 1:7). It is a
proclamation of the death of Christ while waiting for His coming (1 Cor. 11:26 ): it involves a looking back
to the historical event of the cross and an anticipating of His return in the
future (Matt. 26:29). It is a communion of believers with each other (1 Cor. 10:17 ): they eat and drink the same
symbolic elements, focusing on their common faith in Christ.”[2]
Baptism
Personally, I prefer to use the term
“believer’s baptism” since in my opinion it better expresses the ordinance. We
find the origin of this ordinance in Jesus’ command better known as The Great
Commission. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commanded Christians to make disciples and
baptize them. This verse, as well as many others deliberately establishes an
order in the execution of this ordinance. All these verses that I will
enumerate clearly indicate that before an individual is to be baptized, that
individual must have become a believer, thus my preferred term of “believer’s
baptism.” In other words, baptism follows a person’s act of repentance and his
exercise of faith (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38 ,
41; 8:12 , 38; 9:18 ; 10:48 ; 16:14 -15;
16:14 -15; 18:8).
When a believer
is baptized, he is identifying himself with the death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Baptism is an outward public declaration of what has already occurred
inwardly. Romans 6:4-5, although speaking of Spirit baptism helps illustrate
the meaning of this ordinance. Some have asked why one must make his
declaration public in this fashion. Because Christ died a very public death in
order that we might be reconciled to God. He died publicly, we declare
publicly.
It is important to note that the Bible
does not support the view or doctrine known as “baptismal regeneration.” This
view of baptism teaches that the result of baptism is the remission of sin and
as the name of the doctrine states; a person after baptism is regenerate or
born again. Scripture clearly teaches that a person is not baptized in order to
be saved but rather that he is baptized because he has been saved, therefore
the doctrine of baptismal regeneration is inconsistent with the clear teaching
of the New Testament.
[1] Charles
C. Ryrie, A Survey of Bible Doctrine (Chicago:
Moody, 1972), p. 149.
[2] Paul
Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago:
Moody, 1989), p. 362.
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