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THE ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH (Kent Smith Notes 11/3/24)

THE ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH

Understanding what we do, and why we do it.

The Ordinances of the Church - The Gospel Coalition

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THE ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH

CATHOLIC: SACRAMENTS

  • Baptism

  • Confirmation

  • The Eucharist (communion)

  • Penance

  • Anointing of the Sick

  • Holy Orders

  • Matrimony

REFORMED: ORDINANCES

  • Baptism

  • The Lord’s Supper

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THE BAPTISM UNDERSTANDING OF THE ORDINANCES

  • The ordinances symbolize and demonstrate the faith and obedience of the people of God.

  • Ordinances do not bestow God’s grace on the participant.

  • The ordinances are opportunities for the recipients to express their allegiance to Christ.

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WHAT IS BAPTISM? (for Baptists)

Baptism is an ordinance for people who have a credible profession of faith in Christ Jesus and who willingly obey his command to be baptized. The common mode of baptism is immersion.

1. It identifies the believer with the triune God. (mt. 18:19-20)

2. It identifies the believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

3. It acknowledges God’s cleansing us from sin (Acts 2:38)

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Southern Baptist: It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus”  (BF&M) 2000

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BAPTISM IS A SYMBOLIC DEATH AND BURIAL

  • R. 6:4a Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death.

  • Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live.

  • Ro. 6:6 Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with.

  • Ro. 6:11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

  • Col 3:5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

  • Gal. 5:24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

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Jesus bids us to come and die.

Candidates for baptism come to bury their own selfish dreams and aspirations. They see themselves as dead to self and alive as servants/slaves of Christ.

They have been bought by the blood of Jesus, and they understand their life is no longer their own..

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BAPTISM IS A SYMBOLIC RESURRECTION

  • Ro 6:4b As Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

  • Ro 6:5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.

  • 2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

  • Eph 5:8 For you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light

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In Christ we are remade, reborn, restored, renewed.

God’s plans for His children are far greater than anything we can hope or imagine for ourselves.

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THE LORD’S SUPPER FOR BAPTISTS

  • We view this ordinance as a memorial remembrance of the death of Jesus; specifically acknowledging His suffering on the cross on our behalf to satisfy the Father’s wrath against sin.

  • We take the bread and the juice as symbols and reminders of the body broken for us, and the blood shed for us.

  • We practice this ordinance as an act of obedience to the command of Jesus: “Do this in remembrance of me.”

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Propitiation:  The act of Christ to receive in His body the wrath and anger of the holy God against sin, to satisfy His perfect justice.

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