Baptism and the Lord's Supper
Baptism and the Lord's Supper
Baptism and the Lord's Supper are the two signs Jesus gave his church, kept by Christians of nearly every tradition across the world and the centuries. In baptism a person is washed in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and marked as united to Christ in his death and resurrection. In the Lord's Supper the church takes bread and cup in remembrance of him, communing with the Lord who gave his body and shed his blood. These pages explain both from Scripture, verse by verse, and treat the honest differences fairly.
Jesus did not leave his church only with words to believe. He gave two visible signs to do, water for the beginning of the Christian life and bread and cup for its ongoing nourishment. Both point away from themselves to him: to his cross, his grace, and the union with him that is the heart of the gospel. Whatever a Christian's background, these two signs belong to them, because they belong first to Christ, who commanded them for all his people.
Baptism
What Is Baptism?
Baptism is the sign Jesus gave his church for the beginning of the Christian life, a washing with water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Why Be Baptized?
Christians are baptized because Jesus commanded it and because it is the God-given way to confess him openly.
How Christians Differ on Baptism
Christians agree that Jesus commanded baptism and that it signifies union with him, yet they differ honestly on two points: who should be baptized, and how.
The Lord's Supper
The Lord's Supper Explained
The Lord's Supper, also called Holy Communion, is the meal of bread and cup that Jesus gave his church on the night he was betrayed, telling his followers to eat and drink in remembrance of him.
The Meaning of the Bread and the Cup
At the Lord's table the bread stands for the body of Jesus, given for us, and the cup stands for his blood, poured out for the forgiveness of sins.
Who Should Take Communion?
Scripture calls those who come to the Lord's table to examine themselves first, so that they eat and drink with faith, repentance, and love, discerning the Lord's body.
How Christians Differ on the Lord's Supper
Christians agree that the Lord's Supper remembers Christ's death, communes with him, and proclaims his death until he returns, yet they differ honestly on how Christ is present in the bread and cup.
A note for all traditions: baptism and the Lord's Supper are kept across the whole church, yet Christians practice them in genuinely different ways. Where believers sincerely differ, the main views are named here fairly and without taking a side, because The Living Bread is non-denominational. What unites us is greater than what divides us: obedience to Christ, remembrance of his death, and union with him.
Come and see
Baptism and the Lord's Supper are not ideas to study but signs of a Person to know. The Jesus who gave them calls you by name. Read the Word, pray, find a church near you, and be known on The Living Bread. Free, with no ads, for all people.
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