Study 7 Objective: What are Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and why are they relevant to the believer?
|
So if we come to the altar of the Lord’s Supper, and we hold grudges and have not forgiven, then we eat and drink the elements in an unworthy manner. Authentic worship is linked to the spirit of forgiveness (see also Matthew 5:23-24).
May the forgiveness of God be present always in the way we take the Lord’s Supper. Reflection: Can you think of an area where you are not forgiving someone. What steps can you take to put that right? In what way does this understanding imply that attending church is good practice for the believer? Conclusion
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are sacramental acts of personal and congregational worship which demonstrate visibly the Gospel of salvation. They are relevant to the believer because they were prescribed in Scripture by Christ Himself, and they are means of active participation in the death and resurrection of our Lord. From the Statement of Beliefs of the Grace Communion International
https://www.gci.org/articles/the-gci-statement-of-beliefs/ Baptism
"The sacrament of baptism proclaims that we are saved by Christ alone and not through our own repentance and faith. It is a participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in which our old selves have been crucified and renounced in Christ and we have been freed from the shackles of the past and given new being through his resurrection. Baptism proclaims the good news that Christ has made us his own, and that it is only in him that our new life of faith and obedience emerges. Grace Communion International baptizes by immersion." (Romans 6:3-6; Galatians 3:26; Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:38) |
The Lord's Supper
“In the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, we partake of bread and wine in remembrance of our Saviour, proclaiming his death until he comes. The Lord’s Supper is a participation in the death and resurrection of our Lord. Just as the bread and wine become part of our physical bodies, so we are made by grace to partake spiritually of Jesus Christ in his body and blood. Thus the Lord’s Supper declares to believers that in every aspect of our Christian life we rely not on any obedience or righteousness of our own, but solely upon the grace of God incarnate in Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:23-26; 10:16; Matthew 26:26-28; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 2 Timothy 1:9) |
