(1)
A. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances that have been positive and sovereignly instituted by the Lord Jesus, the only legislator: Mt. 28:19, 20; 1 Cor 11:24, 25.
B. to continue in the church until the end of the world: Mt. 28: 18-20; Ro. 6: 3, 4; 1 Corinthians 1: 13-17;Gal. 3:27; Eph. Four. Five; Col. 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21; 1 Cor 11:26; Lk. 22: 14-20.
(2)
A. These holy institutions must be administered only by those who are qualified and called to it, according to the commission of Christ : Matthew 24: 45-51; Lk. 12: 41-44; 1 Cor 4: 1; Tit. 1: 5-7.
BAPTISM.
Since Jesus commanded his church to baptize (Mt 28: 19), we would expect a measure of blessing is connected with baptism, because all obedience to God brings the believer God's favor.
This obedience is specifically a public act of confessing Jesus as Savior, an act that in itself brings joy and blessing the believer. Even more, it is a sign of death and resurrection of the believer with Christ (cf. Rom 6: 2-5; Col 2: 12), and it seems appropriate that the Holy Spirit would work through such a signal to increase our faith, to raise our consciousness in death experience the power and love of sin in our lives, and increase our experience of the power of the new resurrection life in Christ that we as believers.
Since baptism is a physical symbol of the death and resurrection of Christ and our participation in them, you should also give added security of union with Christ to all believers who are present. Finally, since water baptism is an outward symbol of an inner spiritual baptism by the Holy Spirit, we can expect the Holy Spirit ordinarily Obre along with baptism, giving believers an increased awareness of the benefits of spiritual baptism that he says.
When baptism comes very close to the initial profession of faith of anyone and is indeed an external form that takes the profession of faith, there is certainly a connection between baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, because Peter tells his listeners at Pentecost, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of their sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2: 38).
Moreover, Paul says: "You received it by being buried with him in baptism. In it they were also raised through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead "(Col 2: 12). The claim that is "through faith in the power of God" that this happens reminds us that there is no magical property in the very act of baptism, which does take place a spiritual result, however verse also indicates that when the It accompanies the baptism faith is a genuine spiritual work in the life of the person who is baptized. As we might expect, sometimes great spiritual joy follows baptism; great joy in the Lord and salvation that baptism so vividly illustrates (see Acts 8: 39; 16: 34).
Although we must avoid the Roman Catholic teaching that grace is given even apart from the faith of the baptized, we should not react so strongly to this error as to say that there is no spiritual for anything that results from baptism benefit, that the Holy Spirit does not work by and it is merely symbolic.
Better to say that where there is genuine faith of the baptized, and where the faith of the church that includes baptism is stimulated and encouraged by this ceremony, the Holy Spirit certainly work through baptism, and this becomes a "means grace "by which the Holy Spirit gives blessing the baptized and the whole church. (Baptism is considered more fully in the next chapter).
THE LORD'S SUPPER.
In addition to baptism, the other ordinance or ceremony that Jesus commanded the church to undertake is participation in the Lord's Supper.
Although this subject will be considered more fully in Chapter 50, it is appropriate to note here that participation in the Lord's Supper is clearly also a means of grace which the Holy Spirit uses to give blessing to the church. The Lord's Supper is not just an ordinary meal among humans; It is communion with Christ in his presence and at your table.
Again, we must avoid the idea that some automatic or magical benefit resulting from participation in the Lord's Supper, whether the person involved in faith or not. "But when the person participates in faith, renewing and strengthening their self-confidence Christ for salvation, and believing that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual blessing through such participation, then certainly you can expect additional blessing.
We must be careful here, as with baptism, to avoid the mistake of reacting too much to Roman Catholic teaching and keep the Lord's Supper is merely symbolic and not a means of grace.
Paul says: "the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks, does not that mean that we enter into communion (gr kiononía," participation "(communion) in the blood of Christ The bread which we break, does not mean we walked in.? communion (koinonia) with the body of Christ "(1 Cor 10: 16)?. Because there is such a participation in the body and blood of Christ (apparently meaning a share in the benefits of the body and blood of Christ delivered by us), the unity of believers is displayed beautifully at the time of the Lord's Supper, "There is one bread which we all participate, so although we are many, are one body" (1 Cor 10: 17 ).
And since we are participants in "the table of the Lord" (1 Cor 10: 21), Paul warned the Corinthians that they can not partake of the table of the Lord and also engage in idol worship "they can not participate in the Lord's table and the table of demons "(1 Cor 10: 21). There is a spiritual connection between the believers and the Lord strengthens and solidifies in the Lord's Supper, and this should not be taken lightly.
So the Corinthians were experiencing trial for abuse of the Lord's Supper (1st Corinthians 11: 29-30: "For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks his own condemnation why many among you are weak. and sick, and a number have died "). But if Paul says there will be judgment for the wrong participation in the Lord's Supper, then certainly we should expect blessing for the right participation in the Lord's Supper.
When we obey the command of Jesus: "Take, eat" (Mt 26: 26), and perform physical activity eating and drinking at the Lord's table, our physical action illustrates a corresponding spiritual nourishment, nourishment of our souls to be held when we participate in obedience and faith. Jesus says: "For my flesh is real food and my blood is true drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him "Genesis 6: 55-56; vv. 52-54, 57-58; also vv. 27, 33-35, 48-51).
As with baptism, therefore, we should expect the Lord to give spiritual blessing as we participate in the Lord's Supper in faith and obedience to the directions set out in the Scriptures, and thus is a "means of grace" that the Spirit Santo used to give blessing.