Communion & Baptism

HOW THE BAPTIST FAITH VIEWS THESE HOLY MOMENTS

Baptists view these two practices as ordinances, two high acts of worship which Christ Himself ordained.

In the Baptist tradition, we try to look for spiritual readiness in our children, not age, before they take Communion and before they are baptized. To assist parents, we have age-appropriate materials which they and their children can walk through. Ultimately, it is the parents’ decision when to release their child for taking Communion. One thing I offer to parents as a pastor is to meet with them and their child once they have completed their study to help with that decision.

HOW BAPTISM DIFFERS FROM COMMUNION

While Communion is a repeated act of worship which builds our faith (and therefore, children will generally start taking Communion well before they are baptized), baptism is a one-time decision and a momentous decision at that. By entering the waters of baptism, the person is declaring publicly their firm decision that they belong to Jesus, and they will follow Jesus by His grace for the rest of their lives.  It’s a decision a person should make at the beginnning of their personal faith journey, but it needs to be understood that this decision encompasses the entirety of their faith journey. Until that is understood, a person should not be baptized. (It’s similar to marriage that way; and in fact, baptism is a way of saying, “I am marrying Jesus.”).

As a pastor responsible for coming alongside those who make this decision, it is my solemn and sacred duty to make sure that the significance of baptism is understood and upheld. I’ve heard far too many people say to me over the years, “Well, I was baptized at such and such age but it didn’t mean anything”. They did it because all their friends were doing it. Or because their parents were pressuring them. Or because it seemed cool. At the same time, we in no way want to hinder the precious work of our Lord in a young person’s heart. “Let the children come unto me”, Jesus said. We want to be faithful in allowing that to happen.

WHY SOME GROUPS PRACTICE INFANT BAPTIST

In some instances, the Bible mentions that “entire households” were baptized and therefore, it is assumed that children were included. But primarily, the reason has to do with the Jewish heritage of Christianity. In Judaism, every male was circumcised 8 days after his birth as a covenantal sign of being included in the community of faith. However, Christianity changed all this.

While in the Old Testament, one could be said to be “born a Jew”, in the New Testament it is clear that one cannot be “born a Christian”. We must be born again (John 3:3).  And this requires a personal and informed decision of repentance and faith. Therefore, we affirm the practice of “believer’s baptism”.

In addition to believer’s baptism, we affirm the practice of immersion as the biblical mode of baptism, as opposed to sprinkling or pouring. Consider:

• The word “baptism” comes from the Greek word “baptizo” which literally means to “immerse”, “dip” or “submerge”.
• The words “sprinkling” or “pouring” are never used in the New Testament for baptism.
• For the first 1,300 years of church history, immersion was the customary mode of baptizing.