Question 99: How do Baptism and the Lord's Supper differ from the other ordinances of God?

Answer: Baptism and the Lord's Supper differ from the other ordinances of God in that they were specially instituted by Christ to represent and apply to believers the benefits of the new covenant by visible and outward signs.

DAY 1:

The representation and application of the new covenant by visible and outward signs is the course of study this week. As we look to this subject, let us recall our own baptism, if we have been baptized and let us think of the application that lies before us in Romans 6.

We see the context which bridges over from chapter five where we are told that though sin reigned unto death, so also grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. What then would be the obvious question that one might pose to the apostle in regards to this statement? “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” Paul states emphatically, “No.” He goes on to ask that since we have died to sin, should we continue to live in it? This is a rhetorical question which would be answered no.

Now he comes to the point of addressing the issue of what has taken place in the life of believers whereby he can say what he has said. This comes by way of reminder. The apostle asks, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” First let us recognize from the things we looked at in the previous catechism lesson that Paul is not referring to everyone who has been baptized. We made reference to Simon in Acts 8. We are quite familiar with many today and throughout history that were baptized and yet were unregenerate. Paul speaks to those who were truly united with Christ in His death and resurrection and evidenced that very union in the ordinance of baptism. He takes time to emphasize just what happened at the point of our conversion, and for the Christian the outward sign of baptism is a declaration of exactly what the gospel does. Christian baptism is like the sign of circumcision in that it is an outward sign of an inward reality. It’s true that many who were circumcised never had their hearts circumcised (cf. Rom. 2:29). But for those who had their hearts circumcised, the circumcision of their foreskins was a very real reminder of their identification and covenant with the living God.

Just as in the passage of Romans 2:29, believers have had our hearts circumcised, but we have also been identified with Christ and united with Him. Our union with Him is two fold. First, we are buried with Him through baptism into death (vs. 4). While our deaths are different, Christ’s death was a natural physical death and ours is spiritual, they are nevertheless paralleled in this passage. When Christ died we died. As Paul would later write to the Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live (Gal. 2:20.” Paul is clear that believers died with Christ. When He died, we died. His was a real death and as such was a substitute for us. We then symbolized the reality of His death when we are “buried with Him through baptism.” When one is placed under the water in baptism there is the clear picture of what it is to die and then be buried. Remember Christ not only died according to the Scriptures, but was buried according to the Scriptures (cf. 1 Cor. 15:4).

However, Paul does not stop here with death, but he also reminds his hearers that they were united with Christ in His resurrection. He reminds us that we should walk in newness of life. Again, in the ordinance of baptism when the person being baptized is raised up out of the water they are symbolizing the spiritual reality of being united with Christ is His resurrection. What good would it be to remain dead? It would do us no good. This seems to be the point the apostle is trying to bring across so that there is no mistaking what he is saying concerning the idea behind “sinning so that grace may abound.” Our baptism symbolizes the fact that we are new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). We have died to sin as Paul will say later on in the chapter (vss. 11, 13). Paul refers to the likeness of Christ’s resurrection in us as “walk in newness of life.” Obviously this goes way beyond the moment of conversion and even beyond the ordinance of baptism. However, the symbolism is quite clear and this is Paul’s point.

He uses the ordinance of baptism to bring back to the mind of the believers a remembrance of what it was all about. It was about death to sin and life unto God (vs. 11). Jesus came to save His people from their sins. That is not something that simply awaits believers when they reach the glories of heaven, but that salvation from sin begins practically in the life of the believer at the moment of conversion. For it is at the moment of conversion that our death with Christ and our subsequent resurrection takes place. Thus baptism becomes a reminder to us of what we have died to and what we have been raised for. It is all because of the Lord Jesus Christ and His perfect work on behalf of those who believe in Him.

Are you reminded of Christ’s perfect work when you look back on your baptism or do you trusting in baptism for salvation? Baptism was only meant to be a sign of your union with Christ. Have you made it the reality of salvation instead of a sign? Have you professed union with Christ but failed to follow through in baptism? You cannot follow the words of the apostle Paul if you have not obeyed in the area to be baptized. We will look at the command to be baptized in the next lesson.

DAY 2:

I mentioned in the previous lesson that we would look at the command to be baptized. So let us begin this by first noting that the Lord Jesus set the example for us in His baptism (Matt. 3:13-17). Jesus said that He did this, not because He needed to repent or to have His sins forgiven, but to fulfill all righteousness (vs. 15). It was part of the design of the work of Christ. Though He was not a sinner, He identified with sinners. Thus we have His own example of baptism at the hands of John.

Now let us remember that baptism is not totally a New Testament concept. The Jews clearly understood the implications of baptism. Though their ceremonial washings were the result of being clean (cf. Ex. 19:14; Lev. 13:14; Heb. 10:22-23), they understood that there was a declaration of being clean given. Therefore, it was not their act of bathing (louo loo’-o, from LXX) or washing that brought about their cleansing, rather this was an ordinance that followed their cleansing. Those that gathered to be baptized by John understood this. When John declared for them to be baptized, it was to be done because of their repentance. Thus when he saw the Pharisees coming he inquired of them why they were coming since there was no apparent “fruit of repentance” visible in their lives. Quite possibly he may have perceived that they would just be willing to go through another religious ceremony to have another notch under their already large but worthless self righteous belts.

We can also recognize that many of the disciples baptized others during their three and a half years of ministry with the Lord (Jn. 4:1-2). Where did they get authority to do so? Was it not from the Lord Jesus? Yes. Baptism was not just for Old Covenant people, but it continued and became instituted in the New Covenant as well. Whereas those of the Old Covenant “bathed” and then were baptized (baptizo) by John and the disciples looked forward to the cleansing of the soul by the Messiah, believers in the New Covenant are baptized looking back to the completion of cleansing from sin accomplished in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Rom 6:3, 4).

In Matthew 28:19 we have the famous “Great Commission” expressed by our Lord. There we find that He commands that we teach. This is a command. The verb here is an imperative. We must teach all things that He commanded to be observed (vs. 20). One of those observances is baptism, which He includes in this verse. Jesus uses the word baptizo (bap-tid’-zo). It means, “to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk); to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one’s self, bathe; to overwhelm.” We will deal with the proper ordinance of baptism (whether sprinkling or immersion) in another lesson. Let it suffice for now that the definition is very clear that it is immersion. However, this practice was not to stop, but rather the verb used is a present active participle. Therefore, the practice of baptism was not only part of the command of the Lord Jesus, but it is also to be carried out until His return. Believers are to be baptized today and in the future. True professors of faith in Jesus Christ should follow the example of the Lord and the disciples. This also gives evidence of their submission to the Lordship of Christ in that they are willing to obey Him in this matter.

We find that the apostle Paul was also clear about baptism. When Ananias came to him and spoke to him it was clear what he must do. In Acts 22 he is very clear when he asks Paul “And now why are you waiting?” Paul must act in obedience to the command of the Lord. That command is found in verse 16. “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” This is not that baptism washes away our sins. On the contrary the word for calling here in the Greek is an aorist participle which means not only that he was calling on the name of the Lord, but had called on the name of the Lord. It is the calling on the name of the Lord, by which one is saved (cf. Rom. 10:9-10, 13). Never is baptism stated in the Scriptures to be that which actually saves us. It is by grace through faith, not by any works which we are able to do, that God saves us. Also, let us make one more observation of the passage: this was not optional for Paul. The word baptize here is an imperative. Paul could not look upon baptism as something trivial. Rather he had to respond in obedience to this command.

Are you a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you followed Him in baptism? Have you submitted to His Lordship in the most basic acts of obedience in the Christian life? If not I pray that you will and identify your union with him and openly show forth your submission to His Lordship. In the next lesson we will briefly look at the Lord’s Supper and make mention of how these ordinances are different from others.

DAY 3:

I promised that we would take a brief look at the Lord’s Supper in this lesson. So let’s begin in Matthew 26. Here we find Jesus with the remaining disciples after the departure of Judas (cf. John 13:24-29). He has been involved in the observance of the Passover meal. You may feel free to discuss the content of the Passover with your family. This can be found in Exodus 12:1-11. Notice that it is during this meal that Christ transforms the Passover meal of the Old Testament into His Own Supper of the New Covenant.

First, we notice that Jesus takes bread and breaks it. There were several observances during the Passover celebration. The breaking of the bread was one of those observances. Remember that this will be the final Passover sanctioned by the Lord. All other observances of Passover are mere celebrations of shadows. Jesus in this moment is declaring that the reality has come. Though many would partake of the meat of the lamb and remember how its body was burned and eaten and its life given for them to deliver them from the final plague which was ultimately used by God to deliver them from the bondage of Egypt, Christ was going to replace that spotless paschal lamb with His own body. Thus we have Him break the bread, bless it, give it to the disciples and say, “Take, eat; this is My body.” This bread now would become the symbol for His body that was broken for us. Though the Scriptures are clear that not one bone of His body would be broken (cf. Jn. 19:36; Ps. 34:20), His body was in fact broken by the thorns, the spear, the beatings, the scourgings and the nails (Ps. 22:14-15).

In no way was Jesus communicating that the bread would literally become His body. Rome has deceived many with this heresy. Many during the time of Christ even thought that His disciples were involved in cannibalism because of the institution of the Lord’s Supper and the words of the Lord Jesus in John 6:51-58. As the paschal lamb was a symbol of the coming Messiah, so now the reality had come. The Messiah Himself was here in the disciples midst and was doing away with the shadow and now we celebrate the Lord’s Supper remembering the body of the Lord that was given for us on the tree.

Next Jesus took the cup. Many believe this is the third cup of the Passover meal, called the cup of blessing (cf. 1 Cor. 10:16). He also gave thanks. The word that makes up our words “gave thanks” is the word eucharisteo (yoo-khar-is-teh’-o). This is the term where we get the word Eucharist. It means “grateful, or feel thankful”. He then took the cup and gave it to the disciples and said to them, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Those who were saved from the final plague of Egypt did so in light of the blood of the paschal lamb applied to the doorposts. It was a reminder of the deliverance that was theirs from the bondage of Egypt. Now the Lamb of God was about to pour out His own blood for many to deliver them from the bondage of sin. His life’s blood would be that which would make sinners clean. As the writer of Hebrews explains to us, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Heb. 9:22; cf. 1 Pet. 1:2).” When we reference the blood of Christ we are not saying that there is something special about the physical blood of Christ. Rather we are speaking specifically of His death. It was the pouring out of His blood that drained His life, which sealed the new covenant and brought the hope of salvation to many.

Finally the words of the Lord Jesus tell us in verse 29 that He will partake of this cup with us in the kingdom. Some have suggested that the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is actually the Lord’s Supper and that we will share it with Him in the Kingdom. We are also told by the apostle Paul that we are to observe the Lord’s Supper often till He comes (1 Cor. 11:26).

So, how do these ordinances differ from say that of the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Simple, these are the only ceremonies or symbols that carry over to the New Covenant. We are not to engage in the Passover meal. Nor are we to observe special days (Feast Days), or special times of the month (cf. Rom. 14:5-6; Col. 2:16). These things were but shadows of the Christ. Now the reality has come. There is no more need for the shadow. However, Christ took those shadows and turned them into memorial of what He has done for us. Just as the Lord of the Sabbath did not do away with the Sabbath, but merely changed the day of observance from Saturday to Sunday, he also took the Passover meal and the ceremonial washings and instituted them in a new identification and remembrance of our identification with Him and the testimony of His wonderful work.

Scripture: Acts 22:16; Matthew 26:26-28; 28:19; Romans 6:4.