Two Christian Ordinances ~ "Do This In Remembrance Of Me!" ~ Do You? - Does Your Church?

This Has Been A Difficult Blog To Write  ~  Because I do not want any friend or any particular church to feel that I am targeting them.  I am just addressing an issue which is very important to me - the Two Ordinances which Jesus left for all believers:  Baptism and Communion.

I am not addressing any one church fellowship, yet I am addressing all Christian fellowships.  If these Two Ordinances were important to Jesus, they should be equally as important to us.

"DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME!"  ~  Why do you suppose Jesus left that command for us?  Do you suppose it was just a casual suggestion?  Or maybe it was "it would be nice" if you do this in remembrance of Me? 

To the contrary, I would suggest that the Two Ordinances are more on the level of an ELEVENTH COMMANDMENT, one that would fit between the 4th and 5th commandment in the God - Man Relationships of the Ten Commandments. 

Jesus came to earth as the Incarnate God to take us from under the Law, which was only a tutor, and into the dispensation of Grace where He gave Himself as our "once for all who will believe" atoning sacrifice. 

And that is what He is asking us to remember - His birth, death, resurrection, and ascension back into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father - as our "once for all" atoning sacrifice (1 John 2:2) and the only Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5).
 
Rather than improving upon what the Father has already done in the Ten Commandments, Jesus gave us the Two Ordinances - Baptism and Communion.   Both of which we are to "Do In Remembrance Of Him"  (Luke 22:19, 1 Corinthians 11:24).

Let's look more closely at both Ordinances:

BAPTISM:  A once in a lifetime event.

We know that Baptism is a "once for all eternity" event in the life of all believers.  Baptism does not save us, nor does a believer dying before being baptized cause that believer to miss out on or lose his/her eternal salvation. 

Baptism is a post-believing action which all believers should do, unless an untimely death prevents it - and is done to declare to the world that you "REMEMBER" what Jesus Christ has done for YOU - that He was born in human flesh, He was crucified and died on the cross, He resurrected from death, and then He ascended into heaven - to make eternal life available to YOU. 

Baptism is not a local church ritual, nor is baptism the cause of your salvation, i.e., Baptismal Regeneration is not Biblical.  Baptism is YOUR declaration to the world that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior!

Is it wrong for a baptized believer to be baptized again?  No, of course not.  It is not necessary, but at times it may carry special significance.  Special events or situations may make a second baptism memorable.  For example, a Christian brother whom I have known from the 1960s when he was a very small boy, is a devout believer. 

Circa 1960 I worked with his dad at Burroughs Corporation in the company's Washington DC office - and my wife and I were close friends with his mom and dad, who had immigrated from Turkey.  His dad has passed, but my Christian brother was instrumental in leading his mom and younger brother to faith in Christ. 

Several years ago, his mom and younger brother visited her native homeland, Turkey, and realizing the Biblical significance of that land - they chose to be baptized there a second time.  We need only be baptized once - but I am sure that Jesus Christ did not have His feelings hurt when they chose to remember their relationship with Him by a second baptism in their native land.

That covers the first of the Two Ordinances, BAPTISM.  Now let's talk about the second of the Two Ordinances, COMMUNION.  How important is Communion to the Christian church?

COMMUNION:  A life-long frequent celebration of our relationship with Jesus Christ.   

Passover is one of the most revered celebrations of the Jewish faith, remembering that night in Egypt when the Holy Spirit "passed over" the homes of the Jews who believed and had put the blood of a lamb on their door posts - and bringing death into all Egyptian homes, taking the life of each first born - causing Pharaoh to finally allow the Jews to leave bondage in Egypt and seek their freedom in God.

It was at a Passover Feastwith His apostles in the Upper Room in Jerusalem that Jesus Christ instituted Christian Communion.  We find this in Luke 22:19-20, "And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.'  Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.' "

That is Christian Communion, the Lord's Supper - and it obviously was, and is, very personal to Jesus Christ.  Being very personal to Him, shouldn't it be equally personal and important to you?  There can be no closer bond than Communion, the Lord's Supper, with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  And that is the meaning of Christian Communion.

HOW FREQUENTLY SHOULD WE CELEBRATE COMMUNION?

How frequently should your church fellowship celebrate Communion?  Roman Catholics celebrate Communion (the Eucharist) at every mass.  Some Protestant church fellowships also have Communion at each weekly worship service - while in my experience over the past 34 years that I have been a believer, most Protestant churches celebrate Communion once each month.  The churches I have attended usually celebrate Communion on the first Sunday of each month.

The one thing we want to avoid is having Communion so often, so frequently, that it becomes a repetitious ritual - for rituals soon reach the point where they have little or no meaning, being an activity done by rote.  Weekly Communion is understandable, but I lean toward monthly Communion.  That is often enough to have true meaning, yet not so often that it becomes a ritual.

I have seen pastors who will make Communion Sunday into the full message for their worship service that day.  Which is fine, but if it is done this way too frequently, i.e., same message first Sunday of each month (same message 12 times a year) - that also could becomes a "by rote" ritual, with little meaning.

In 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 the apostle Paul explains why we should have Communion in Remembrance of Him:

"For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; (24), and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.'  (25) In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.'  (26) For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. 

And in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 Paul tells us that, before coming to the Lord's Communion Table, we should examine ourselves to see if we are worthy.

"Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  (28) But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (29) For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

It should be the individual believer's responsibility to be sure that he/she is worthy that day to be in Communion with the Lord.  It is not the pastor's responsibility, nor the elder's, deacon's, other fellowship member's, or even the denomination's responsibility to determine if a person is worthy to be in Communion with the Lord. 

For we are told in verse 28, "let a man (or woman) examine himself" - for it is when we have sinned that we most need to be in personal communion with Him.  Yet if a person has sinned and refuses to be repentant - that person is not worthy to sit at the Lord's Supper Table.  That is the meaning of that Scripture passage.

In 1 Corinthians 11:30-32 the apostle Paul is addressing the Corinthian church, and all believers, as he further explains:

"For this reason many are weak and sick among you (the church in Corinth), and many sleep. (31)  For if we would judge (examine) ourselves, we would not be judged.  (32) But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world."

In his commentary on 1 Corinthians 11:30-32, Pastor David Guzik explains that Paul is referring to corrective discipline, not loss of eternal salvation if a person comes to the Lord's Supper unrepentant and unworthy of His fellowship:

b. The judgment is significant:  "For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep."  Evidently, among the Corinthian Christians, some experienced illness and some had even died as a result of God’s corrective discipline.

i. In writing eats and drinks judgment, Paul does not refer to eternal judgment, but to corrective judgment.  There is no article “the” before “judgment,” so it is not the judgment. This chastening is not a judge condemning a criminal; it is a father correcting disobedient children.

ii. As mentioned in 1 John 5:16, there is "sin leading to death," and Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 seem to be examples of this.  Apparently, believers can sin to the point where God believes it is just best to bring them home, probably because they have in some way compromised their testimony so significantly that they should just come on home to God.

iii. However, it is certainly presumptuous to think this about every case of an untimely death of a believer, .  .  .  . Our lives are in God’s hands, and if He sees fit to bring one of His children home, that is fine.

c. (Verse 32 tells us) We are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world:  This makes it clear Paul knew (that) none of the Corinthian Christians, even those who died as a result of God’s corrective judgment, had lost their salvation.  They were chastened so that they would not be condemned with the world.

In my experience, most church fellowships will celebrate Communion as the closing part of a normal worship service.  It would seem to me that if the pastor continues to share the same Communion message as a full sermon weekly or once a month, it would have a tendency to become ritualistic.  Personally I am very comfortable with Communion once a month at the closing of our normal sermon.  That allows our Communion celebration to continue to be fresh and very special.

WHO SHOULD TAKE COMMUNION:

The next question is:  "Who should take Communion?"  Believe it or not, that can become a big sticking point.  Should Communion be only for the believers within that local church fellowship?  That is called Closed Communion, meaning it is "closed to all visitors and outsiders."

Or should it be only for those believers from within your church group or denomination, i.e., in a Southern Baptist church, only believers who are Southern Baptist can celebrate Communion in your local church service.  That is called Close Communion meaning that it is only for those who are in the same denomination or church group as your local church fellowship, i.e., those believers who are closely connected with your church through a denomination or church group.

Or should the Communion celebration be for ALL believers, regardless of local church, church group, or denomination affiliation?   The big question becomes:  "When your local church fellowship invites people attending worship service that day to celebrate Communion - should visitors be excluded?"   I would suggest that ALL believers be invited to have Communion with our Lord, with no believer present excluded.

Wouldn't that seem like telling them, "We are not really sure you are a believer" or "We are not sure you are worthy?"  Who are we to tell another believer that he/she is not worthy to have Communion with the Lord?  Isn't that the meaning of 1 Corinthians 11:28?  Would not our judging their worthiness, make us unworthy?  Remember what 1 Corinthians 11:28 tells us, "But let a man examine himself,.  .  ."  It is not telling the local fellowship or pastor to judge that person - but that he must examine himself/herself.

I am firmly convinced that Jesus intended His invitation to join Him in Communion, i.e., the Lord's Supper Table, to include ALL believers and let each person examine himself/herself on their worthiness that day.  I am convinced that He included all who have believed and received Him, therefore becoming born-again believers, to join Him at His Supper Table.  That is called Open Communion, open to all believers.

However, as I have often heard pastors remind the congregation that day, if for some reason a person feels that he/she needs to resolve an issue known only to him and the Lord, before coming to the Lord's Supper Table that day, no one will look upon that person as less worshipful.

ONCE MORE, SHOULD THE LORD'S SUPPER be Open, Closed, or Close?  ~  What is the difference?  Glad you asked.  Let's take one more look:

Open Communion:  All Christian believers present at the time the Lord's Supper is celebrated, local church members and visitors, can participate in remembering Christ through receiving the elements.  The individual person determines if he/she is spiritually ready to receive the Lord's Supper.

Closed Communion:  Only members of that local church fellowship may participate in the Lord's Supper celebration.

Close Communion:  Local church members and visitors from other church fellowships in the same denomination or church group may participate in the Lord's Table celebration.

Confusing?  I agree, it can be confusing and I do not believe Jesus Christ meant to confuse, nor exclude, anyone when in Luke 22:19 we read, "He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' "

I ask myself, "When Jesus 'took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me' -  who was He addressing when 'He gave the elements to them'?"   "Them" at that time referred to His apostles who were sharing the Passover Meal with Him in the Upper Room on that particular evening. 

But when He said,"This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me" - I am convinced His "you" was addressing all believers down through the ages.

I have seen church fellowships which seldom celebrate Communion, or maybe celebrate Communion once a year or once every few years.  Yet it has been my experience that those same fellowships will Baptize new believers frequently.   Why Baptism soon - but Communion seldom or never?

 And I asked myself,  "Why do they neglect celebrating His Communion, something very important to our Lord - important enough that He tells us several times in Scripture, 'Do this in remembrance of Me' - yet those same church fellowships will, with all expediency, have Baptisms?"

Once talking with a pastor whose church had frequent Baptism, yet had only celebrated Communion two times in four years, I asked him, "In Luke 22:19 Christ tells us 'Do this in remembrance of me' - yet you do not.  Do you not remember Him?"   And that pastor friend just smiled and walked away.  End of discussion.

To the best of my understanding, there is only one reason why a truly Christian fellowship will not celebrate Communion.  Confusion, i.e., not really understanding the Ordinance of Communion or the reason for it.  Or timidity, not wanting to rock the boat.  Being affiliated with a church group or denomination which practices Closed or Close Communion - and the pastor of the local fellowship believes in Open Communion - but does not want to make waves. 

What can he do?  He can just quietly overlook Communion, hide it away, assuming local church members will not notice that they are not celebrating the Lord's Supper.   He would rather ignore Jesus Christ's Ordinance rather than upset or openly disagree with fellow pastors in their church group or denomination.  But, is that pastor or elder being true to his calling?

Personally, if I were a pastor or elder and my church group or denomination practiced Closed or Close Communion - and I know the Bible teaches Open Communion - I would take my church fellowship out of that group or denomination.  As a lay person who is convinced that Christ Openly invites ALL believers to His Supper Table - if my church fellowship is too timid to do what is Biblically right - I would have to find another home fellowship.

I pray this gives you a better understanding of the Two Ordinances given to all believers by Christ.  And that this helps you realize that the Two Ordinances are not merely suggestions - but come from the heart of Christ Himself.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

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