Regular Baptists and the ordinances

[heirmiles]

In case you're wondering, Regular Baptists (GARB in the States, and Fellowship Evangelical Baptists in Canada) believe in general that it is wiser to partake of the Lord's Supper after one has been baptized. Now as with any denomination there is a wide spectrum concerning the issues of whether it is appropriate for a believer to participate in the Lord's Supper prior to baptism. From one end where it's okay as long as a believer intends to be baptized on the one hand, to, one is not truly in fellowship with God because the person is walking in disobedience by not having been baptized, and therefore should not take the Lord's Supper.

So, what do you guys think?

 

[Bluelion]

In case you're wondering, Regular Baptists (GARB in the States, and Fellowship Evangelical Baptists in Canada) believe in general that it is wiser to partake of the Lord's Supper after one has been baptized. Now as with any denomination there is a wide spectrum concerning the issues of whether it is appropriate for a believer to participate in the Lord's Supper prior to baptism. From one end where it's okay as long as a believer intends to be baptized on the one hand, to, one is not truly in fellowship with God because the person is walking in disobedience by not having been baptized, and therefore should not take the Lord's Supper.

So, what do you guys think?

That is not biblical and hypocritical. A person is saved upon surrendering to God, even with out baptism. A person can be baptized with The Holy Spirit which has nothing to do with water. You say they walk in disobedience to the Lord because they are not baptized yet so do you, do you sin? So you are also unfaithful to God yet you judge others as unfaithful.

If a person is saved they are required to partake in the Lords supper. Jesus said do this is remembrances of Me. Any time a person wants to remember Jesus and they are saved, they may partake.

 

[heirmiles]

I personally agree with you, the thought being that God looks upon the inner heart of man, and not the outer appearance. Also as you point out, obeying the Lord in remembrance of Him through partaking of the Lord's Supper is something we are also to do as believers in Christ. So it can also be said that abstaining from the Lord's supper as a follower of Christ is actually a neglecting of the person's walk with Him even though he or she has not yet been baptized, and therefore should be allowed.

(As an aside), Interestingly enough I remember in some Regular Baptist churches I attended that the "ceremony" (for the lack of a better word) of the Lord's Supper usually entailed simply a reading of 1Corinthians 11:17-34, a moment of introspection, a blessing for the bread, and a blessing for the grape juice, being careful to partake all at the same time in order to be orderly.

I think the thing was back in the 1800s a lot of churches used to actually "police" their "tables" to ensure nobody just walked in to a service, and seeing that people were performing this "strange practice", ate the cracker and the juice without any relationship with Jesus whatsoever.

(And a second aside), I visited a Catholic Church a few times back in the '90s, and they also ask people not to partake in the Eucharist if they are not baptized and confirmed Catholics. So the practice is not completely unheard of.

I just wonder if "being responsible for people for not eating and drinking a curse of death upon themselves", is something that should be a concern for us while we are doing something that Jesus wants us to do?

 

[Bluelion]

I personally agree with you, the thought being that God looks upon the inner heart of man, and not the outer appearance. Also as you point out, obeying the Lord in remembrance of Him through partaking of the Lord's Supper is something we are also to do as believers in Christ. So it can also be said that abstaining from the Lord's supper as a follower of Christ is actually a neglecting of the person's walk with Him even though he or she has not yet been baptized, and therefore should be allowed.

(As an aside), Interestingly enough I remember in some Regular Baptist churches I attended that the "ceremony" (for the lack of a better word) of the Lord's Supper usually entailed simply a reading of 1Corinthians 11:17-34, a moment of introspection, a blessing for the bread, and a blessing for the grape juice, being careful to partake all at the same time in order to be orderly.

I think the thing was back in the 1800s a lot of churches used to actually "police" their "tables" to ensure nobody just walked in to a service, and seeing that people were performing this "strange practice", ate the cracker and the juice without any relationship with Jesus whatsoever.

(And a second aside), I visited a Catholic Church a few times back in the '90s, and they also ask people not to partake in the Eucharist if they are not baptized and confirmed Catholics. So the practice is not completely unheard of.

I just wonder if "being responsible for people for not eating and drinking a curse of death upon themselves", is something that should be a concern for us while we are doing something that Jesus wants us to do?

It is not are job to judge if they should or should not partake, they know in their heart if they should or not.

Me and my wife were singled out long story but the church got a new preacher who had a problem telling people they were not saved and there baptism did not count.

This preacher looked right at us in front of the whole church and gave a speech about not partaking. When he called the rest up my wife was scared to walk up and partake because of this preacher. I told her I said i know Jesus is in your heart, I'll take responsibility we are partaking, and we did, and the preacher gave us a dirty look and sigh. No false teacher is going to keep me from honoring my God. He will answer for that. He also refused to baptize me and my wife in fact a couple churches did, so we were baptized in a bath tub. This suppose to be God's church which try to keep us from doing what God commanded of us. Now they will answer for that.

See there are two sides of that coin, maybe you keep people from doing something wrong and maybe you keep a child of God or try to keep him from doing Gods will. Now do you want to stand before God for that because I sure don't.

 

[Nickybobby]

It is not are job to judge if they should or should not partake, they know in their heart if they should or not.

Me and my wife were singled out long story but the church got a new preacher who had a problem telling people they were not saved and there baptism did not count.

This preacher looked right at us in front of the whole church and gave a speech about not partaking. When he called the rest up my wife was scared to walk up and partake because of this preacher. I told her I said i know Jesus is in your heart, I'll take responsibility we are partaking, and we did, and the preacher gave us a dirty look and sigh. No false teacher is going to keep me from honoring my God. He will answer for that. He also refused to baptize me and my wife in fact a couple churches did, so we were baptized in a bath tub. This suppose to be God's church which try to keep us from doing what God commanded of us. Now they will answer for that.

See there are two sides of that coin, maybe you keep people from doing something wrong and maybe you keep a child of God or try to keep him from doing Gods will. Now do you want to stand before God for that because I sure don't.

Slightly off topic - Why did so many preachers refuse to baptize you? Surely they must have given you a reason.

 

[heirmiles]

Hi Bluelion,

It breaks my heart that you were treated in such a way. Sometimes people get so caught up in the forms of worship that they forget what true worship is all about. Once a person recognizes and understands that the Lord Jesus' body and blood were sacrificed to atone for our sins, and that His sacrifice was a very personal gift on our behalf, we understand what the Lord's Supper is truly about. We remember not only His physical pain but the pain and suffering of God's judgment placed upon Him as He suffered for all our sins. In knowing and receiving Christ's sacrifice for us, and believing in the work of His shed blood, we discern Christ's body and blood. In faith in Him we are made perfect before God, and partaking of the Lord's supper brings us to a place where we cannot help but remember and worship Him for His supreme sacrifice.

Faith in Him is the evidence of His love, grace, and mercy working within us, it is the evidence of our salvation. Can people then responsibly withhold this act of worship from any of God's children in Christ? "For as many as received Him, He gave the right to be called the children of God, even to those who believe on His name."

 

[Bluelion]

Slightly off topic - Why did so many preachers refuse to baptize you? Surely they must have given you a reason.

at first it was because me and my wife were living together but unmarried, we wanted to get married just didn't have the money the church was no help in this issue. We got married and then they wanted us to do a 6 week course to get baptize. I said why should we wait, who are you to judge whether we are worthy to be baptized it is commanded of us. All the churches required a course which we took once already, and were turned down for the marriage reason. I believe when some one is ready to be baptized it should be done right there, no waiting and they don't need a course.

 

[Bluelion]

Hi Bluelion,

It breaks my heart that you were treated in such a way. Sometimes people get so caught up in the forms of worship that they forget what true worship is all about. Once a person recognizes and understands that the Lord Jesus' body and blood were sacrificed to atone for our sins, and that His sacrifice was a very personal gift on our behalf, we understand what the Lord's Supper is truly about. We remember not only His physical pain but the pain and suffering of God's judgment placed upon Him as He suffered for all our sins. In knowing and receiving Christ's sacrifice for us, and believing in the work of His shed blood, we discern Christ's body and blood. In faith in Him we are made perfect before God, and partaking of the Lord's supper brings us to a place where we cannot help but remember and worship Him for His supreme sacrifice.

Faith in Him is the evidence of His love, grace, and mercy working within us, it is the evidence of our salvation. Can people then responsibly withhold this act of worship from any of God's children in Christ? "For as many as received Him, He gave the right to be called the children of God, even to those who believe on His name."

well i think you are right there.

In my other post I spoke they would not baptize us because me and my wife were unmarried, however, this is not Biblical. Jesus came to the Samaritans woman house even though she was living with a man not her husband. There thought was we were living in sin, but who is free from sin before or after they are baptize, we still stumble, but will never fall as the Bible says.