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Me Lesson 16: What Is Baptism And Communion? The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded His Church to observe two ordinances. This is Water Baptism and Communion or The Lord's Supper. These are not mere rituals, but practices with great spiritual significance. There has been a lot of questions concerning these two ordinances. We would be considering them in this lesson in light of Scriptures. The Ordinance of Baptism 1. Is baptism a sacrament? A sacrament was originally defined as "an outward and visible sign of an inward spiritual grace." If such is the case, the answer is "yes." Some religious groups, however, define it differently. By sacrament, they mean "means of grace." In other words, baptism does not merely visualize the inward grace of salvation, but rather causes salvation - the means of saving grace. They say it is an important element of salvation. If this is the case, the answer is "no." It is not a sacrament. According to 1 Peter 3:21, can water baptism save us? Why or why not? __________________________________________________________________ How is a person put right with God according to Romans 3:28? __________________________________________________________________ Water baptism cannot wash a person of his sins. Actually, the biblical practice of baptism requires a person to be saved first before he can be baptized (Acts 8:36, 37). 2. Is water baptism then all that important? Absolutely yes! Jesus Christ commands all His professing followers to observe this. It is an important element of being a disciple of Christ. According to Matthew 28:18-20, what are the three elements needed in making disciples? a. ________________________________________________________________ See if these elements are also present in Peter's ministry (Acts 2:40-42). 3. What is the significance of water baptism? First, it symbolizes our baptism or identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The invisible work of God in our lives is visualized through water baptism. Rom. 6:3-6 __________________________________________________________________ Second, it is in water baptism that we publicly proclaim our identification with the Lord Jesus Christ. We should not be ashamed to publicly profess Jesus Christ as our Lord! Third, it symbolizes our Spirit baptism which ushered us into the Body of Christ, Universal (1 Cor. 12:13). It qualifies us for local church membership. 4. How is water baptism to be administered to a believer? The term baptism came from the Greek word, baptidzo, which when translated means, "to immerse" or "to dip." There are religious groups that insist on some other forms of baptism like pouring, sprinkling or anointing. The Greek language, however, has words corresponding to these terms, none of which were used to refer to baptism. Communion or Lord's Supper 1. Is the Lord's Supper a sacrament? For other religious groups, Communion is a sacrament (means of grace). To the Roman Catholics for instance, Communion (Holy Eucharist) is not merely symbolic of the death of Jesus Christ but a re-enactment of His sacrifice at Calvary. Often called an unbloody sacrifice (mass), the host or bread actually becomes the flesh of Jesus, while the wine actually turns into the blood of Jesus. This "miracle" is called transubstantiation. Read Hebrews 9:24-26; 10:10-12, 18. According to these texts, what can you conclude about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ? Should it be repeated? Why or why not? __________________________________________________________________ When Jesus Christ said (1 Cor. 11:24), "This is My body," did He mean that the bread actually became His flesh? Why or why not? Connect it with His statement, "do this in remembrance of Me." __________________________________________________________________ 2. What is the significance of the Lord's Supper? The Lord's Supper is symbolic of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bread serves as a visual representation of His Body which suffered for our salvation (Is. 53:4, 5). On the other hand, the Cup symbolizes the Lord's precious blood spilled for our redemption (1 Pet. 1:18, 19). Looking Back: It is an opportunity for believers to remember the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ; that it is only through His work that we were saved and not through our own merits. 1 Cor. 11:24, 25 Looking Within: It is also an opportunity to examine our spiritual lives and renew our commitment to the Lord as His followers. 1 Cor. 11:28 Looking Ahead: When we participate, we also eagerly anticipate the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 11:26 Preparations for the Next Lesson 1. Prepare for the Evangelism and
Follow-up Training. Your manuals will be given by your Group Leader.
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