We Believe: The Doctrine of Sacraments
Focus: We believe that water baptism and Communion are the two sacraments ordained by Christ, visible signs of God’s covenant of grace. Baptism is the sacrament of entrance into the church by which believers publicly identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Communion is the sacrament whereby believers corporately remember Christ’s body given and his blood shed for their forgiveness. Sacraments are means of grace in which God is present, affirming his promises represented by the visible signs.
A “sacrament” is a representation or a picture of an inward reality. We should know this: God takes His pictures seriously.
Here are some examples of how seriously God takes His pictures:
Moses and the rock:
In Exodus 17, God has Moses strike a rock to bring forth life-giving water.
In Numbers 20, God tells Moses to this time talk to the rock in order to bring forth life-giving water.
Moses obeys the first time (Exodus 17) but disobeys the second time (Numbers 20) and strikes the rock again.
We learn that this was intended to be a representation of Jesus being struck (killed) once and only once and then asked of in subsequent times for His life-giving blessings.
But Moses messed this picture up through his disobedience. God punishes Moses and does not allow him to enter the promised land.
Marriage:
Ephesians 5:22-32 reveals that marriage is an illustration of Christ (the husband) and the Church (the wife).
1 Peter 3:7 says that if a husband mistreats or dishonors his wife, his communication with God could be cut off.
We know that through these examples (among many others) that God takes His visible signs seriously. They are not to be toyed with.
The Sacraments of Baptism and Communion are visible signs of God’s covenant of Grace. They are the pinnacle of our expression of faith and a direct representation of God’s greatest gift.
It would behoove us to understand and practice these Sacraments with as much accuracy and reverence as possible.
Let’s break these down!
Baptism
Baptism is the sacrament of entrance into the church by which believers publicly identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
When we go down into the waters of baptism we identify with Jesus’ death and burial.
When we come up out of the water we identify with Jesus’ resurrection and our new life in Him.
We are saying, “I belong to Him now.”
The physical act of baptism in and of itself does not save us.
We can know this through the clear teaching of salvation by faith alone in the Bible:
Titus 3:5
Romans 10:9-13
Ephesians 2:8-9
We can know this by John the Baptist's declaration of Jesus’ superior baptism that He will enact on all who believe:
Matthew 3:11
We can know this through the example of the first convert after Christ’s death - the thief on the cross - who was not baptized:
Luke 23:39-43
Baptism, however, is required of the Christian in as much as it is possible to physically engage in this practice.
It is the first act of New Testament believers:
Acts 2:38
Matthew 28:19
1 Corinthians 12:13
Romans 6:3-4
It is done through an appeal to God for a good conscience:
1 Peter 3:21
The intended sequence of events for a new believer in Christ is to be saved, get baptized, then serve God for the rest of their life.
If you are saved but have not been baptized, we encourage you to reach out to us so you can get baptized!
If you have already been baptized but feel like you did not have agency in that decision or were not genuinely saved at the time of your baptism, we encourage you to reach out to us to learn more about baptism and get baptized in obedience to Christ!
Communion
Communion is the sacrament whereby believers corporately remember Christ’s body given and his blood shed for their forgiveness.
Communion, most commonly practiced when believers eat bread and drink juice/wine in a church service, was designed to be taken regularly in habitual remembrance of Jesus’ work on the cross. But it is more than a simple symbol or remembrance service.
1 Corinthians 11:27-32, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.”
Something that is purely symbolic could not have this type of effect on us both spiritually and physically.
Consider the Bronze Serpent in Numbers 21.
The Israelites, because of their sin, were cursed with snakes in their camp.
God has Moses construct a bronze serpent, which represented Christ (John 3:14-15) to be erected in the camp so that if anyone is bitten they can look at the symbol of Christ and be healed.
The bronze serpent was an illustration of Christ, but it also contained the spiritual presence of Christ, able to heal those afflicted. It was more than just a piece of metal because it possessed the power to heal.
Consider the Ark of the Covenant.
The Ark represented God’s presence, but it also contained His presence in such a powerful way that someone who accidentally touched it actually died from doing so (2 Samuel 6:1-7).
The Ark was both a symbol and physical item that contained the very real presence of God.
Similarly, we believe in a real, spiritual presence of Jesus in Communion. It is a symbol but should not be reduced to just that as it has the power to impart spiritual blessings if taken correctly and spiritual and/or physical peril if mishandled.
Communion is also a representation and practice of the equal standing Christ gives to all who put their trust in Him.
Paul rebukes the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 11:20-22 because they were partaking in communion while giving preference to those with higher social or fiscal status. The table was for all who believed, not for some.
1 Peter 2:9-10, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
2 Peter 1:1b, “To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:” (emphasis added)
These passages teach us that the newest convert to Christianity has the same standing with God as the most experienced pastor and everyone in between.
No one can withhold the blood of Christ from another, no one can withhold the body of Christ from another – we take these elements in both kinds because His body and blood, his sacrifice, is for all people. That is a beautiful reality that is reflected in this great sacrament.
Communion should be held in such high regard that there are times some believers should not take it.
In the passage quoted above (1 Corinthians 11:27-32) Paul warns that a person should examine themselves carefully so as to not bring judgment or physical ailment upon themselves.
If you are not in a place with your personal walk with God to take communion with a clear conscience, abstain and pray for a heart of humility and repentance so that you may partake at a later time.
Communion is the pinnacle expression of a life spent “consuming” Christ.
In John 6 we read of Jesus giving a difficult teaching to the disciples and those who followed Him after He fed 5,000 people.
In vv47-58 He says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
This is difficult to understand, but by studying the original words Jesus uses we can come to a better understanding.
In verse 56 the word for “eat” that Jesus uses is phagete.
Phagete means to eat, devour, or feast.
In verses 54 and onward, the word Jesus used for “feed” is trogon.
Trogon means to gnaw, nibble, graze, or in other words, to eat continually.
Jesus instructed those who follow Him to not only feast on His life giving body and blood, but to continually do so, without ceasing. It is a lifestyle, a continual feasting on His body and blood (His sacrifice on the cross that gives us our salvation) throughout our day-to-day walks with Him.
Is feasting on Christ’s flesh solely reserved for Communion? No. Feasting on Christ is a larger reality of the Christian life. When you read your Bible, you trogon Christ. When you serve in the church, you trogon Christ. When you give an answer for the hope that is in you with gentleness and respect, you trogon Christ. When you raise your family to know and love Him, you trogon Christ.
When we take communion we are displaying that inward reality at its highest point, communing with the very presence of Jesus with His bride, the Church through the sacrament and meal that He initiated.
Means of Grace
Sacraments are means of grace in which God is present, affirming his promises represented by the visible signs.
When we partake in these sacraments, the one-time sacrament of Baptism and the habitual sacrament of Communion, we should expect to receive God’s blessings as a means of grace. That is to say, these sacraments remind us of His forgiveness and impart spiritual life to us through Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit.
If you have not been baptized since consciously devoting your life to Christ, get baptized. Obey Him and expect Him to be faithful to you through your obedience.
If you belong to Christ, after examining yourself in humility and faith take of Communion. Commune with His presence and partake in His sacrifice in humility and reverence.
The full extent of these Sacraments are still a great mystery. By trying to understand and practice them with humility and faith, our obedience in faith is enough to draw near to Him as He draws us near to Himself.
So continue in humility to seek after these mysteries, to participate in them, and to draw near to the One who has given everything so that we may have life abundant in Him.
