Allen has been slack this week so I thought I’d post. For those of you who know me, know that I do not beat around the bush. Allen likes to tease me by calling me an Old Testament girl and having no mercy. Which in some cases it’s true. I am one of those “if it’s in the Bible, yep, we need to do it!” I guess it falls under the gifts of faith and discernment.
This “what if” was given to me, if one Sunday morning a person comes forward to let the pastor know that he has accepted Jesus as his Savior and Lord and the pastor presents him to the church for a time of celebration. Then the pastor goes on to announce that in the evening worship service that same Sunday, they were going to observe the Lord’s Supper and the next Sunday morning, they would have baptism for the person who just got saved. Here’s the question, could this new believer participate in the observance of the Lord’s Supper? I said yes, he could participate. The person asking me this question told me that I was incorrect. They went to check their notes and asked me to look up Acts 2:41-42 . So I read it, now what? If we look at it in context of the day that it was written, Peter was preaching on the day of Pentecost. There were thousands and thousands of people gathered around to hear. Most likely they were outside and were near a river, maybe the Jordan River? Yes I believe that baptism should follow accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord. If you stop and think about it, we’re baptized twice. First with the Holy Spirit and then with water (a complete dunking, not sprinkle). Neither dunking nor sprinkle will get you into heaven. Jesus set the example for us to follow. That example is an outward sign of the old self dying, being buried and being raised new in the likeness of Christ. Where in God’s word does it say that we have to be baptized first before we can participate in the Lord’s Supper? Yes in Acts 2:41-42 it says that the gospel was presented then there was a baptism service and then there was a meal. Unlike today’s time, we have to arrange for a baptism service; back then, they didn’t!
O.K. some of you are asking why are we splitin’ hairs over this subject? Well………… here’s where tradition kicks in. It’s called church constitution and by-laws. This is the church’s handbook on how to run the church. Now wait, don’t get me wrong, we do need guidelines but they should be according to God’s word, not according to the people who write the constitution and by-laws. Don’t forget, we are humans and we make mistakes too. There are churches out there that uphold their constitution and by-laws higher than God’s holy, perfect, inherent, life giving, life changing word and to those who do, may God have mercy on you.
I was born and raised as a traditional southern Baptist but as I have matured in my walk with God, He has shown to me that we can get so wrapped up in traditions that we forget about Him. God is not traditional, that’s for sure. He’s not predictable, He’s not boring, He’s not plain. He is wonderful, He is a loving and just God. Need I say more? So, what are you, traditionalist or a believer of God’s Holy Word?
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