Church Ordinances vs Church Sacraments ~ From Christ Or From Man?

THERE IS OFTEN CONFUSION between Ordinances and Sacraments in the church today.  What is the difference?   And, are they binding upon Christian believers?

Sacraments in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and a few other Protestant denominations are seen as a means of attaining and keeping God's grace and salvation.  The seven sacraments are baptism, confirmation, holy communion, penance (confession), marriage, holy orders (ordination), and anointing of the sick. 

According to the Roman Catholic Church: “There are seven sacraments. They were instituted by Christ and given to the Church to administer. They are necessary for salvation. The sacraments are the vehicles of grace which they convey.”   In the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church, "The sacraments are efficacious (effective) signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us" (#1131).

Ordinances in most Protestant churches are symbolic expressions of our faith, not a means of attaining, keeping, or losing God's grace.   In the Bible, as interpreted by the majority of Protestant churches, Jesus Christ left only two ordinances for all believers:   Baptism, where we follow Him in symbolic death and resurrection as we publicly declare our eternal commitment to Him as members of His family ~ AND ~ Communion, which we do to symbolically remember His sacrifice on the cross when He suffered and died to offer eternal life and salvation to all who will follow Him.

Baptism and communion are separate from grace and are not a means to it.  The rituals of the church do not confer grace, and they cannot merit salvation.  It would be more proper to say the ordinances are the "signs of grace" ~ not the means of grace.

Water baptism is not a means of grace - it is the "outward expression of an inner change."  It is an act of obedience (accomplished) after salvation has occurred.  The examples of water baptism in Scripture all show that baptism happened after the person was born again (e.g., Acts 8:26-39).  Being immersed in water cannot change a person’s heart; that is the Holy Spirit’s work.  “The Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6).  Crucial to our salvation is faith in the heart, not water on the skin.

Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is not a means of grace - it is a memorial of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice and a picture of our fellowship with Him.  At the Last Supper, when our Lord shared the Passover with the disciples, He said, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).  Jesus was telling them (and us) not to forget His sacrifice on the cross.  It was Christ’s death that provided the remission of mankind’s sin.  ("What is the difference between ordinances and sacraments?" - www.gotquestions.org/ordinances-sacraments.html)    [underline, italic, and parenthetical emphasis is mine]

And,

What is an ordinance?   It is not a sacrament (a church ritual that is thought to have saving values).  The Bible clearly states that through Christ alone we are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9, Acts 4:12, Titus 3:5).  It is a command to be obeyed (cf. "City Ordinance").  It works no grace or special spiritual operation.  The two church ordinances are visible enactments of the Gospel message that Christ lived, died, was raised from the dead, ascended to heaven, and will some day return.  Put simply, the church ordinances are visual aids to help us better understand and appreciate what Jesus Christ accomplished for us in His redemptive work.

How is an Ordinance determined?  Three distinguishing marks characterize the New Testament ordinances:

• They were instituted by Christ.
• They were taught by the apostles.
• They were practiced by the early church.

www.new-testament-christian.com/ordinancebaptismandcommunion.html

Where in the Bible did Jesus Christ institute the two ordinances? 

Baptism, Matthew 28:18-20 tells us, "Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

Communion, also called the Lord’s Supper, Luke 22:19 tells us, “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’”  

How often should a church fellowship celebrate Communion, and in what manner?

It would seem that, since we take the Lord’s Supper to remember Christ’s death, we should take it fairly often.  Some churches have a monthly Lord’s Supper service; others do it bi-monthly; others weekly.  Since the Bible does not give us specific instruction as to frequency, there is some latitude in how often a church should observe the Lord’s Supper. 

It should be often enough to renew focus on Christ - without being so often that it become routine.  In any case, it’s not the frequency that matters but the heart attitude of those who participate.  We should partake with reverence, love, and a deep sense of gratitude for the Lord Jesus, who was willing to die on the cross to take upon Himself our sins.  ("How often should the Lord's Supper / Communion be observed?" - www.gotquestions.org/Lords-Supper-observed.html)

And,

How often should the Lord's Supper be celebrated?  Scripture does not tell us.  Jesus simply said, "As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup. . ." (1 Corinthians 11:26).  Paul's directive here regarding worship services would also be appropriate to consider: "Let all things be done for edification" (1 Corinthians 14:26). 

In actuality, it has been the practice of most of the church throughout its history to celebrate the Lord's Supper every week when believers gather.  However, in many Protestant groups since the Reformation, there has been a less frequent celebration of the Lord's Supper, sometimes once a month or twice a month, or, in many Reformed churches, only four times a year. 

If the Lord's Supper is planned and explained and carried out in such a way that it is a time of self-examination, confession, and thanksgiving and praise, then it does not seem that celebrating it once a week would be too often, however, and it certainly could be observed that frequently "for edification."    ("The Lord's Supper," from "Bible Doctrine, Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith " - Chapter Twenty-Eight, Pages 387-394 - by Dr. Wayne Grudem)

I have been in Filipino-American Baptist churches for the past thirty years, and all have celebrated the Lord's Supper on a monthly basis.  On the first Sunday of each month, at the end of our worship service and before leaving the fellowship, we find that partaking of the Lord's Supper gives us spiritual strength to enable us to stand firm in our Christian faith as we go back into the secular world around us.    We pass the elements to all believers, pastor reminds us Scripturally what we are doing and why we are celebrating this ordinance.  Then we, together, take the elements in remembrance of Him (Luke 22:19).

If the Lord's Supper is celebrated only every three months, or once a year - are we saying that it is not really that important?  Once a month, to me, keeps His sacrifice fresh in my heart - whereas doing it weekly would tend to make it more of a ritual, done by rote.  If the Lord's Supper become only a ritual - are we missing out on that spiritual strength and on that great spiritual blessing?  Are we relegating the ordinance of the Lord's Supper to a lesser position of importance in our worship?

Once, for a special occasion, Dory and I attended a large non-denominational church in our area.  When time for Communion, the Lord's Supper, came - the ushers passed the elements to us.  And we were told beforehand by the pastor to just go ahead and just do our own private celebration of the Lord's Supper when we received the elements.  There was no pastoral devotion, no sharing about the meaning of this ordinance - just, when you receive your elements go ahead and do it yourself.  Not celebrating the Lord's Supper in fellowship with all other believers present, to me, relegated it to the level of, "Have as cup of coffee."

At the same time that this individual Lord's Supper event was happening, on a large display screen in the sanctuary we were viewing a baptism which was occurring in some other part of the building.  It was as though they were telling us, "These are the two ordinances.  But for expediency sake, and to save time, we will have both simultaneously.  Just watch the screen as your take Communion by yourself."  Somehow I just did not feel any spiritual connection with either event.   

There are other questions regarding the Lord's Supper besides timing and method.   Who should participate in the Lord's Supper?  Can visitors to our church participate with us?  Can only Baptists share the Lord's Supper in our Baptist church?  

So, let's clear the air. On the Day of Pentecost 33 AD, Jesus Christ instituted His church, His body of believers - which has grown to His body of believers worldwide.  He did not institute the Baptist church, the Roman Catholic church, the Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Nazarene, or any other denominational church - only His church - His body of believers worldwide.  

So, who should take Communion, the Lord's Supper, with us?  Answer:  Every born-again believer who has joined us for worship, regardless of which denominational hat he/she wears.  We are sharing His Supper with His family of believers - not just our local church family, but all present who believe and have received Him as Lord and Savior.

Is Baptism a prerequisite for receiving Communion?  If you answer yes, then you are saying that baptism is a requirement for salvation - which goes against the teaching of Ephesians 2:8-9, that we are "saved by grace through faith" alone.   Such a prerequisite for Communion would be a validation of the false teaching of Baptismal Regeneration, i.e., that we are saved through baptism. 

And, if Baptismal Regeneration is true - then the thief on the cross was not saved.  Yet, Jesus Christ told him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise"  (Luke 23:43).  Was Jesus Christ wrong - or are we, and the thief on the cross, truly "saved by grace through faith" alone?

I pray that my thoughts on Ordinances vs Sacraments has been helpful to you.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill