Who may partake...?

Another perspective for you Briguy. In Acts 8, Philip preaches to the Eunuch. At the end of it all the Eunuch says "hey there's some water, take me in for a dunk". Now before it all the guy didn't even know who Jesus was and had no clue of what the passage in Isaiha was talking about. Phillip preached the Gospel to him and set him straight. Now why on earth would the Eunuch bring up baptism. Did Philip preach the Gospel + baptism?

Did Jesus ever say to preach the Gospel + Baptism?

Mark 16:15
And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.


More likely, it seems to me that Philip as a part of the Gospel preached repentence and baptism for the forgiveness of sins which is a part of the Gospel. I do not see Paul as separating baptism out in the verse you sited, rather he says it is a part of the big picture. It is not the Gospel or another thing besides the Gospel, but a piece of the Gospel. You need the whole Gospel and so Paul was glad to be preaching it to them. Paul was saying get the big picture folks and then stop talking about who you follow because they baptized you and just follow Christ in whom you were baptized into.

Romans 6:3
Or do you not know that all of us who have been BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST have been baptized into His death?


So perhaps it is not so "clear" as you think. I am curious, if baptism is not neccessary for salvation, why should we do it?

Blessings

 

The Lord's Supper Is For Scripturally Baptized
Disciples Within The Local Church

Our Lord gave the Supper to His baptized disciples, not to the world. If this is true, then the first pre-requisite in coming to the Lord's Table is that one must be a baptized Christian, born of the Spirit and baptized in the manner set forth in the Scriptures. In the Scriptures the order of the ordinances is clear. "For they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." (Acts 2:41-42)

The commission itself fixes baptism as the first duty after believing (Matt. 28:19,20); therefore, under the commission no one can commune before baptism. The communion is one of those things which is commanded to be observed after baptism."


The Lord's Supper Is Only For Christians Who
Are Walking Orderly Before God

Paul says, "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no not to eat. " (I Cor. 5:11,13) The obligation here to break company does not rest upon the "conscience" of the disorderly, but upon the believer to break company and walk no more with the disorderly.

Again, Paul said, "But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partaker of the Lord's table, and the table of devils." (II Cor. 10:20,21) We are sure that Paul would apply this prohibition in our day to apostates who have departed from the faith, "giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." (I Tim. 4:1)

Again we are told, "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye, withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which ye received us." (II Thess. 3:6) Here again the separation is not left to the "conscience" of the disorderly, but Paul commands the believer to take the initiative. Such a person is to be disfellowshipped, if all efforts to recover him from his disorder fails.

John, in effect, demands the same, "Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, bath not God. He that abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, bath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he bath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him godspeed: For he that biddeth him godspeed is partaker of his evil deeds." (II John 9-11) Here again the initiative is to be taken by the believer in breaking off all relations with those who deny the doctrine of Christ as set forth in the Scriptures. This definitely forbids, among other things, any type of communion with modernists and apostates who deny or pervert the New Testament Christ.

Again, the Lord's Supper is not for churches torn with strife and factions. Later in his first epistle to the Corinthians, after noting that there were "divisions" and "heresies" among them, Paul said, "When ye come together therefore in one place, this is not to eat (literally ye cannot eat) the Lord's Supper." (I Cor.11:20)


The Christian Is To Examine Himself

The Christian is to examine himself, "and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of that cup." The Statement of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland says, "So the Lord's Supper must be a service of self-examination and repentance, of confession and judgment. This is the time when, sorrowfully remembering our offenses against one another and against God, we should lay our lives unreservedly open to the judgment of Christ, and seek anew His pardon and His peace. Our aim must be not merely to commemorate the death of Christ as a past fact, but so to identify ourselves by faith with our Lord in His death that at all costs we come to share His present mind about our sin, and are reconciled by Him afresh to God. This is the prior and indispensable condition of participation, and it is also the pledge of God's forgiveness and blessing (I John 1:8). Let us search our hearts carefully, confessing our sins, before we sit down to commune with the Saviour in His Supper.

 

SEB,

You might want to provide a link when you cut and past stuff from websites. Otherwise someone might think you are taking credit for writing it yourself. I'll help you out on this one.

I see what you posted on several sites including this one.

http://www.llano.net/baptist/baptistpositiononls.htm

Blessings

 

Hi Thess,

Thanks for your concern!!!!

 

Don't mention it.

Hey couple of quick questions. Why did you get baptized? Why do you participate in the Lord's Supper? If one chooses not to participate in the Lord's supper and/or If one chooses not to participate in Baptism is one saved?

 

Why would anyone who wasnt baptized want to partake of the Lord's Supper?

 

Hi Guys,
The Lord's supper is a time to remember what he did for us and more so to embrace our salvation. As we eat the bread and wine(juice) it goes into our physical body and becomes "one" with our body. On the day we are saved, Jesus "enters" us and becomes "one " with us. The Lord's supper is a direct reminder of our intimate relation to Christ and the complete union between the believer and Christ.

Baptism in the early church was like "signing" on the doted line. Once done it was the proof a person had joined "the way" and with that joining came the persecution, possibly severe persecution. Baptism was a bold step in that early church. Now it still symbolizes unity to the "body" of Christ but is not a means of entrance into anything. I am not sure why I haven't been believer baptized yet. It is something I am praying about and feel now I will do. I will invite unsaved family so it is a witness to them, like it was in the early church. I guess I didn't because as I was learning about God and His word it didn't seem like a big deal. I felt more the need to just serve God by using my gifts and talents. By the time I fully understood Baptism I had been a member of God's family for many years. Now having been saved for 11 1/2 years Baptism will not have the same impact but I will do it at some point. Maybe my family will be Baptized together when our new church building is complete.

Hope that answered the question.

In Love and Truth,
Brian

PS. I was Baptized in the Lutheran church as an infant.