Baptism, the Church, and the Lord's Supper
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Jesus gave His followers practices that mark and strengthen the Christian life.
Baptism
Before returning to heaven, Jesus told His disciples: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:19-20). On the day of Pentecost, Peter said: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38), and "they that gladly received his word were baptized" (Acts 2:41).
Paul explains the meaning: "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4). The Ethiopian official in Acts 8, after hearing the gospel, asked: "See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" (Acts 8:36).
Christians differ about baptism's role. Readers should know the main views [8]:
| Tradition | Common teaching on baptism |
| Baptist, Pentecostal, many evangelical churches | Believers' baptism, usually by immersion, as an act of obedience and public testimony after faith |
| Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran | A means through which God gives grace and new birth; infants are baptized, with faith to follow |
| Presbyterian, Reformed, Methodist, Anglican | A sign and seal of God's covenant promise; infants and believers are baptized, with views varying on its effect |
| Churches of Christ | Baptism of believers is required for the forgiveness of sins |
All agree that Jesus commanded baptism and that the believer should not neglect it. Most evangelicals teach that salvation comes by faith and that baptism follows as the obedience of faith, as with the Ethiopian, while recognizing that faith and baptism are joined in the New Testament [9].
The Church
Christians are not meant to follow Jesus alone. The early believers "continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42). The writer of Hebrews urges: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another" (Hebrews 10:25). Find a church that honors Christ, teaches the Bible faithfully, and welcomes you.
The Lord's Supper
On the night before His death, Jesus took bread and wine and told His followers to remember Him. Paul writes: "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come" (1 Corinthians 11:26). Churches differ on what happens in the Supper, whether it is a memorial, a spiritual presence, or the real presence, but all agree that it points to Christ's sacrifice and unites believers.
CHAPTER 10