Is baptism required before a person can receive communion?

[tonychanyt]

The NT did not assert that but it assumed that.

Didache:

let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist, unless they have been baptized into the name of the Lord.

In the early church, as soon as a person believed, he was quickly baptized. Belief and baptism went hand in hand together. What's he waiting for? Get baptized and participate at the Lord's table.

Today, is baptism required before a person can receive communion?

It is a good rule of thumb but I would not be dogmatic. I would relax the rule for a believer with a working plan to get baptized.

If a church requires membership before a person can receive communion, then I might go to another church.

 

[atpollard]

Today, is baptism required before a person can receive communion?

Communion is about "fellowship" with a local body of believers. They have a God given command to "not eat and drink in an unworthy manner".

That's pretty vague, isn't it?

And yet, the "overseers" (deacon, elder, pastor, shepherd, father, reverend ... whatever term they assign locally) will be called to answer for that responsibility given them by God through the Apostles (via Scripture). So it falls on their shoulders to "guard" the communion and the "body". To provide the "body and blood" to all whom should receive it and to prevent any that should not from eating and drinking their destruction.

I have no stones to throw at them. God bless, they have a tough row to hoe. So it is the leaders of the local body that must decide who is welcome to share in fellowship at their table. They MUST set the rules for their table.

So who they say may share in their fellowship is who may share in their fellowship. Some tables are open to all who attend, some to all who claim to believe, some to only members whose faith has been tested and found genuine. Baptism is just one criteria they can use.

Personally, I think it worth asking why someone would profess to be a follower of Christ and refuse to obey His command to "repent and be baptized" ... so while not a REQUIREMENT, it certainly raises some red flags about the appropriateness.

 

[LoveofTruth]

In the early church, as soon as a person believed, he was quickly baptized. Belief and baptism went hand in hand together. What's he waiting for? Get baptized and participate at the Lord's table.

Water baptism is not the saving baptism nor is the baptism with the Holy Ghost.

The one saving baptism is "into Christ by one Spirit", to be immersed into Christ at saving faith where Christ dwells in the heart and is formed within where we put on Christ This is where we put on Christ. Water baptism was a leftover from Johns water baptism and the early church practiced this along with many Jewish customs and laws of Moses all through Acts. The Jewish believers even sacrificed animals still many years after Christ death and went into the Temple and kept the law and customs *Acts 15, 21). They were in transition and reform from the Old to the New. It did not happen right away. Paul even had Timothy circumcised in Acts 16.

“For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” (Acts 1:5)

Notice that John water baptized past tense, but ye shall be baptized, future tense. Johns water baptism was a type and figure of things. The OT saints had to do many carnal ordinances and diverse washings (Baptismos GR)until the time of reformation.

“Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.” (Hebrews 9:10)

“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13)

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27) This is not baptized into water, but "into Christ"

anyway another 45 hour talk.

 

[concretecamper]

It is a good rule of thumb but I would not be dogmatic. I would relax the rule for a believer with a working plan to get baptized.

This thinking would get on excommunicated from His Church, now and close to 2,000 years ago