LIFE Groups is a ministry of Grace Baptist Church Pastor Tim Richmond For the full sequence of books go to www.nycgrace.org 888-517-1110

CONTENTS

LESSON 1: God's Orders for His Church - Baptism Part 1 pgs 1-6

Understanding the background of baptism - How did baptism come about?

Phase 1 - Jewish Ceremonial Cleansing

Phase 2 - John the Baptist

Phase 3 - Jesus' Baptism

Phase 4 - Spirit Baptism

LESSON 2: God's Orders for His Church - Baptism Part 2 pgs 7-12

Understanding the meaning of baptism - What is Christian baptism?

The Word Baptize

The Significance of Baptism

Understanding purpose of baptism - Why get baptized?

To Obey Jesus' Command

To Give Public Testimony

LESSON 3: God's Orders for His Church: Baptism Part 3 pgs 13-18

Understanding the process of baptism - Who and how?

Who should be baptized?

Infant Baptism

Can baptism save?

LESSON 4: God's Orders for His Church: The Lord's Table Part 1 pgs 19-22

Background and Meaning of the Lord's Table

LESSON 5: God's Orders for His Church: The Lord's Table Part 2 pgs 23-32

Participants of the Lord's Table

Prerequisite #1 - Only believers should partake.

Prerequisite #2 - Only obedient believers should partake.

Misunderstandings of the Lord's Table

Transubstantiation

Consubstantiation

Three clarifying principles

John Newton's last words were, "My memory is nearly gone, but I can remember two

things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior!”1 We often quote

people's last words. At times they summarize their life; at other times they offer their

final challenge to others. We find this in the life of our Lord. In two of His final

challenges He gave orders for His local Church. The first, baptism, is found in Matthew

28:28, and the second was given on the night He enjoyed His final Passover Seder

(rd<se) with his Disciples. That night Jesus commanded the disciples to continue this

meal in memory of Him (the Lord's Table). We seek to obey these commands even

now when we observe the two ordinances of the local church.

The word ordinance is defined as "an authoritative decree or direction."2 These are

Jesus' orders to us as a church. Because of the weight that Jesus gives to these

commands, we need to know their nature and purpose so that we in turn can teach

others at Grace Baptist Church. Claim these ordinances as your own!

Baptism and the Lord’s Table work together to paint a unified picture. Baptism

represents a person's entrance to the body of Christ. The Lord's Table pictures a

person's continuance in that body. As we will discover, these ordinances do not

accomplish that entrance and continuation, but picture spiritual realities. Nevertheless,

they are valuable in how they communicate a person's entrance and continuation within

a local church. We could see baptism as a visual/symbolic gate to the church and the

Lord's Table as a visual/symbolic fence surrounding the fellowship of the local body.

We will begin our study with the ordinance of baptism, a believer's public display of their

faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. As we do, we will answer four different questions.

Understanding the Background—How did baptism come about?

Understanding the Meaning—What does baptism mean?

Understanding the Purpose—Why do I need to be Baptized?

Understanding the Process—How is baptism accomplished?

1 Strom, Once Blind, 234. 2 Merriam-Webster Dictionary online

God's Orders for His Church: Baptism L E S S O N 1

2

Understanding the Background - How did baptism come

about?

Baptism developed in several phases from the Jewish ceremony of the early NT to what

we practice today. Because of these changes, when you ‘dip’ into a passage and read

the word ‘baptize’ you should recognize who is using the word and what historical

context is involved.

Phase #1: Jewish Ceremonial Cleansing:

We should start with baptism during the time period of Jesus' life and ministry. Being

dunked under water is not a common practice in our culture. However, according to

archeological findings there were many ‘dunk tanks’ in

Jerusalem at the time of Jesus.3 People used these to

cleanse themselves after being ‘unclean till the

evening’ for one offense or the other under the Mosaic

Law. People would become unclean for touching a

dead person or for touching an eagle, pig, or lizard

(Leviticus 11:28, 40). I can hear the neighbors next

door yelling – “Mom, no fair! The Jones’s have their

own ceremonial cleansing ritual tank in their house!” Christian baptism is a different

practice entirely because of what it symbolizes (as we shall see), but this is the root of

the practice.

Consider another example many Jewish restaurants here in NYC have two sinks—one

in the restroom and another just outside of the bathroom in public. This is for cleansing

your hands before you eat as a ceremonial cleansing ritual (similar to Jewish practice in

Jesus' day). Jewish people recite a special prayer in Hebrew as they 'baptize' their

hands in water before eating. Similarly, the earliest forms of baptism came straight from

the synagogue. At the outset, baptism was a ceremonial ritual acknowledging the need

for cleansing, and law abiding Jewish people needed baptism on a regular basis,

making it a very common image in their culture.4 This baptism was self-administered—

someone would walk down into the water and dip themselves. It was also

administered frequently. Some might have to do this every day.

3 “Ritual immersion was a common practice in Judaism, so common that the wealthier inhabitants of Jerusalem had their own immersion pools built in their houses. Nearly 150 of them have been found. . . . They were to be one cubit square by one cubit square and three cubits deep to enable people standing in it to immerse themselves completely by bending their knees.” (David E. Garland, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary on Mark 1:5). 4 For example, Jewish ladies once a month.

3

Another role of early Jewish baptism was (and still is) initiating new converts—

proselytes. When a Gentile wanted to convert to Judaism he or she would need to

baptized in order to become “clean.“ Through baptism, a Gentile could identify himself

as Jewish from that time on. I have a friend who went through this process when he

converted to Judaism.

In summary, what do we learn about baptism from the Jewish culture in which Christian

baptism was born? First, it symbolized cleansing. Second, it was included in the

process of converting to some sects of Judaism.

Phase #2: John the Baptist:

With that background, enter "John the Baptizer."5 John calls for this same activity—

immersion—only he did this alongside of a call for people to turn from their wicked

ways. We know

it was unique

enough that they

sent out a group

to ask what he

was doing (John

1:19).

Apparently, they

believed that

either the

Messiah or the

prophet sent to

prepare for Him

would baptize.

John denied that

he was the

Messiah but he

did testify boldly

about why he

was baptizing.

"So that [the

Messiah] might

be manifested to

5 Perhaps we should correct the false notion that John was not the first Baptist forming the “First Baptist Church of Jerusalem.” The term "Baptists" came much later in church history.

If John's baptism was the baptism of repentance from sin in preparation for Jesus then why was Jesus baptized? We know that Jesus had no sin to repent of and he couldn’t turn from a sin that He had not committed. "He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth" (1 Peter 2:22). Jesus needed no repentance, but he mentions that He must be baptized to fulfill all righteousness.

At that time in God's dealing with Jewish individuals, they were commanded to show their desire for God's coming Messiah through baptism. Baptism was a cleansing of themselves to prepare for God's coming kingdom. Although Jesus had no sin to cleanse, He did welcome the coming kingdom. So Jesus did this as an example to the Jewish believers at that time to welcome and expect Him as Messiah.

This is why God chose this event as an annunciation to Israel of the King. As Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus, and God the Father spoke His approval from heaven. Jesus’ baptism was the beginning of His earthly ministry—His presentation to the Jewish people by the prophet, John the Baptist.

SIDE LIGHT: Why was Jesus baptized by John?

4

Israel, I came baptizing in water" (John 1:31).

John’s purpose was to make Jesus seen in Israel, and baptism was his way of

preparing people for Jesus’ message. Over and over the gospel writers reiterate that

people who came to John were turning from sin (Matthew 3:6; Mark 1:5; Luke 3:3).

The recipients of John’s baptism were acknowledging to others that they were

“unclean.” They understood that the ceremonial ritual was not enough because they

needed cleansing on the inside. And that is exactly what Jesus brought. John's phase

of baptism was only a preparation for the spiritual changes to come. Like plowing a field

before planting seed, John prepared people’s hearts for the message (seed) of the

Gospel of Christ.

And then that message came. John looked at Jesus and cried out with a loud voice to

all around him, “Behold, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John

1:29). What a bold proclamation! Here was the One Who could be a Sacrificial Lamb

to cleanse hearts from sin. Jesus would not just call people to repentance—He would

actually cleanse them of their sin.

In American culture it is easy to be a casual follower of Jesus. According to Pew Research polls, well over 3/4th of people in the United States consider themselves to be Christians. You are just fitting in with the crowd if that is as far as your faith goes. But place yourself in Jesus’ day and time. Would you be ready to boldly and publicly profess your desire to follow Jesus if it meant that your family would ridicule you, your neighbors would ostracize you and you would loose your well-being? This is often what the early church faced. Listen to Hebrews 11:35-37: "Others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; 36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins,

being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated.”

SIDE LIGHT Are You a Fair Weather Friend?

5

Phase #3: Jesus’ Baptism:

In John 4:1 we read that Jesus baptized many disciples. Jesus was calling people to

follow Him and the full development of the mission revealed in His name was only

beginning to develop. As Jesus continued to teach, it becomes clear that his physical

baptism also prophesied of a coming spiritual baptism, administered by the Spirit. This

is the true Christian baptism, prophesied and commanded by Jesus, and the final phase

in Scripture’s teaching about baptism.

Phase #4: Spirit Baptism

Even as John the Baptist was baptizing, he prophesied that Jesus' baptism would be

different than his own. Although John baptized with water, Jesus would baptize with the

Holy Spirit (John 1:8; Acts 1:5). This spiritual baptism is invisible. When someone

trusts in Jesus as Savior, they become a member of His spiritual body—the church. As

we will see below, this invisible baptism is what our outward ceremony symbolizes. Our

invisible baptism is administered by God the Holy Spirit and the mode used is not water,

but Jesus—baptism into His body.

Conclusion:

When we hold a baptism at Grace Baptist Church, we are obeying Jesus’ command to

the church in the Great Commission (phase #3), symbolizing what has already

happened in Spirit baptism (phase #4). Baptism at a local church does not cause Spirit

baptism, but it reflects that this spiritual baptism has taken place.

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1. CONTENT: What are the two ordinances of the local church? Which is

symbolized by a gate and which by a fence?

2. CONTENT: Define baptism:

3. Do you think baptism had more significance in the first century than it does now?

If so, should we do away with the practice?

4. How could we practice baptism to make the symbolism more like it was in the

early church?

5. For Reflection: Would you be willing to publicly share your faith through water

baptism if it certainly meant public humiliation and persecution? Do God's

commands sometimes cause us to step out in faith, even if we will face

persecution as a result?

QUESTION AND ANSWER

7

Understanding the Significance - What is Christian Baptism?

The Word Baptize

Having looked at the historical background, let's turn to the Greek word that we translate

with “baptism.” The word means “to dip or immerse.” Our English translators decided

not to translate the Greek word into English, so they just turned the Greek word

(baptizo) into an English word (baptize). If our English translators had translated the

Greek word, it might have avoided some of the confusion surrounding different

denominational practices. Every place you read baptize in the NT you could read

immerse—that’s what the word means.

Even a surface reading of the passages that use “baptize” makes it clear that dipping is

what happens when someone is baptized. Consider these passages:

"As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said,

"Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?" ... And he ordered the

chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the

eunuch, and he baptized him. When they came up out of the water..." (Acts

8:36-39)

"In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in

the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water..." (Mark 1:9-10).

Both of these references picture a person going down into a body of water to get

baptized and coming up out of the water after the baptism. It is clear from the word

meaning and usage that baptism in the New Testament was immersion under water.6

What does this symbolize today when we immerse someone publicly at Grace Baptist

Church?

6 Understanding the word as immerse or engulf helps us to understand the references to Jesus death as a baptism. He was immersed into pain. It was an overwhelming immersion into death.

God's Orders for His Church: Baptism L E S S O N 2

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The Significance of Baptism

When Jesus baptized His followers (stage #3 in the previous lesson) or when we

baptize someone at Grace Baptist Church, that immersion represents something critical.

Baptism visually illustrates the invisible reality called Spirit baptism (stage #4 in the

previous lesson).

A Picture of Spirit Baptism

Let's start by reviewing what Spirit baptism is. The Bible states that all those who are

saved (born again) are placed into a spiritual body—the church. This happens as soon

as you receive Jesus as your Savior. This is why Paul refers to the church as a spiritual

body, and we are all members of this spiritual body. We look different; we have

different gifts and different abilities, but these differences should not be a source of

strife. Instead, they enable us to help one another because we are all in this body

together. Our initiation into the spiritual body, the body of Christ, is referred to as

baptism. Look at Paul's description in 1 Corinthians as he encourages them to walk in

unity:

"For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks,

whether slaves or free" (1 Corinthians 12:13).

This describes what happens when a believer is born again. They are placed into the

body of Jesus (the church) by God the Holy Spirit. The image below pictures Spirit

Baptism:

The believer is

the individual

being baptized,

the Holy Spirit

is the Person

who is

baptizing, and

the spiritual

body of Christ

(the church) is

the “water” into which we are baptized. Everyone who is born again has experienced

this Spirit baptism. This is what Paul is referring to in Romans 6:

9

"Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have

been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through

baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory

of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4).

The day you accepted Jesus as your Savior, you experienced this spiritual baptism.

The first baptism into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit happened at the Day of

Pentecost, just after Jesus ascended back to heaven. Immediately before Jesus'

ascension, He prophesied that those surrounding Him would be baptized by the Spirit

not many days from then:

"Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to

wait for what the Father had promised, 'Which,' He said, 'you heard of from Me;

for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not

many days from now'" (Acts 1:4-5).

What Jesus prophesied in this passage was fulfilled at the beginning of the church in

Acts 2.7 Every individual that has been born again since then has received the baptism

of the Spirit. But Spirit baptism is a spiritual experience. We do not see someone

awakened to the new birth and we don't see them immersed into the body of Christ as

they become a member of His spiritual body. A public picture must portray what

happened spiritually. This is exactly why Jesus commanded the ordinance of water

baptism. When someone places faith in Jesus they publicly demonstrate their faith and

obedience in water baptism. This physical display clearly demonstrates the spiritual

reality that was accomplished when they believed in Jesus as their Savior.

A Picture of the Gospel

Water baptism clearly pictures our union with Jesus in His death burial and resurrection.

Romans 6, the passage quoted above, references spiritual baptism but links the picture

of water baptism with our union to the death burial and resurrection of Jesus.

"Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ

was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in

newness of life" (Romans 6:4). Although this refers specifically to Spirit baptism, it

certainly shows how water baptism pictures the Gospel. When someone is baptized

they are publicly picturing their belief in Jesus' death burial and resurrection.

7 See also Acts 11:15-16 where this baptism of the Spirit is mentioned again and Peter says that it was the same as at the beginning - the beginning of the church and the baptism of the Spirit into the church.

10

This also proclaims that we are in Christ. Union with Christ is one of the key tenets of

Christianity and all that we have is based on being "in Christ." We are united with Christ

in His death and burial because we believe that He died for us. We are "in Christ" in His

resurrection because His life is lived through us now on a daily basis and we will one

day rise again from the dead, never to die again. Water baptism pictures our union with

Jesus in all of this.

Understanding the Purpose - Why be baptized? Now that you understand the background and meaning of baptism you should consider several reasons that every believer should be baptized.

To Obey Jesus' Command

This seems obvious. But it is actually the primary reason to be baptized. Having

considered the background and significance of this ordinance, perhaps you now

understand more of the reason Jesus instituted this ordinance. This was not just to add

another religious activity. Baptism was an essential part of portraying to the early

church what was going on spiritually and also a way to preach the Gospel to others.

The New Testament repeatedly records that people in the early church believed and

were baptized, or that the apostles commanded people to believe and be baptized.

This was the common procedure. Each person who placed their trust in Jesus wanted

to identify with His message by publicly portraying their faith in Him through baptism.

This is what Jesus commanded just before He ascended back to heaven:

"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to

Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you

always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20).

Baptism is so clearly linked with trusting in Jesus that it summarizes the initial faith and

repentance of salvation. A person’s baptism is their public display that they have

believed. In the early church, it would have been completely abnormal for someone to

trust in Jesus without being baptized. As we will see in the next lesson, baptism does

not save someone, but conversion and baptism were so closely tied in the early church,

they were almost inseparable.

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So in His final commission Jesus commands that the first step of discipleship is

baptism. It is no wonder then that this command is repeated over and over by the

disciples in the months and years to follow. Read the following from Acts:

"Peter said to them, 'Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus

Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy

Spirit.' So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day

there were added about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:38).

"But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of

God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women

alike. Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on

with Philip" (Acts 8:12).

The primary reason, to be baptized is that we should be followers of Jesus and obey

what He has commanded—especially in the first command we receive after salvation.

To Give Public Testimony

A second reason to be baptized is to give public testimony of your faith in Jesus. At

Grace Baptist Church, we give the individual an opportunity to say or read how they

trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Beyond that, the picture of baptism itself gives

testimony to your trust in the Gospel. In the early church this was even more the case.

When someone was baptized it was usually public. Those who were baptized were

often cut off from their normal society and way of life, so it was a big step to begin to

identify not only with Jesus, but now with His followers. Many had no one else to go to

after baptism.

Baptism is a wonderful time to invite your friends and neighbors and share with them

what Jesus has done for you. Through baptism, you can publicly profess that Jesus is

your savior and give Him glory in the beautiful picture of the Gospel.

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1.

1. Who is the Baptizer in Spirit baptism, and in What is the baptized immersed?

2. Baptism is optional. (True/False)

3. The Word baptize in Greek means pour or sprinkle with water. (True/False)

4. Explain the major difference between Spirit baptism and water baptism:

QUESTION AND ANSWER

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What is the Process: Who and How?

This final lesson will handle some of the debated issues regarding baptism. Different

Christian denominations have various views on who should be baptized, when he or

she should be baptized, and how baptism should be done. We will first talk about “who”

and then answer the question “how.”

Who should be baptized?

Who then should be baptized? According to our first two lessons and all of the New

Testament references to baptism, this ordinance should be administered only to people

who have trusted in Jesus for forgiveness of their sins. Consider again some of the

passages that teach this.

"So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there

were added about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:38).

"But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of

God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women

alike. Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on

with Philip" (Acts 8:12).

After people believed they were baptized. Baptizing someone who was not a follower of

Jesus would not have entered their mind.8 Look at the clarification Philip gave the

Ethiopian eunuch. Philip preached Jesus to this man from the book of Isaiah and as a

result, the man wanted to be baptized as a follower of Jesus. What does Philip give as

a pre-requisite to baptism?

8 Consider John's warning to those Pharisees who were just coming to receive his baptism for a show. “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, ‘O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance’” (Matthew 3:7-8). Although this baptism was different from Christian baptism in significance, the principle remains that baptism was for those whose heart met the conditions.

God's Orders for His Church: Baptism L E S S O N 3

14

“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus

to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the

eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?’ Then

Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and

said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God’” (Acts 8:35-37 NKJ).

Notice the pattern—preaching the Gospel, believing the Gospel, publicly demonstrating

faith in the Gospel. This is why we call this ordinance "believer's baptism." It is

reserved for those who are trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Infant Baptism

So why don’t we baptize infants? The simple reason is that babies are not able to place

trust in Jesus. They cannot yet understand the Gospel or respond in faith to the

Gospel. Of course, we could also recognize that there are no examples of babies being

baptized in the New Testament. This practice came later in church history. Once

developed, the practice was passed down through tradition, not through Biblical

command or example.

The biggest problem with infant baptism, however, is that it hinders “confessional

Christianity.” We believe that a person must confess that he or she believes in Jesus

and the clear Gospel truths of Scripture before becoming a believer, and this is the

meaning of confessional Christianity. If someone is baptized as an infant they have

never placed their trust in Jesus. They are born physically, but they have yet to be born

again. Unfortunately, far too many people rely on their infant baptism when they are not

truly relying on Jesus. They do not have eternal life, and infant baptism becomes a very

dangerous confusion for them.

The problem is compounded when you organize a large group of people together into a

church based on this false assumption. They do not have a changed heart nor do they

want to pursue the things of God as a true church. Infant baptism is one of the factors

that led to widespread darkness during the Middle ages. People were Christian in name

but had no heart change based on personal faith in Jesus as Savior and commitment to

Him as Lord.

"That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart

that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person

believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting

in salvation" (Romans 10:9-10).

15

One of the reasons that infant baptism became a practice is people’s misunderstanding

about original sin. The concern for many parents is that if their child should die before

they are able to place trust in the Gospel, perhaps baptism would wash their sins away

and they could be accepted based on the faith of the parents or church community that

baptized them. However, as we have discovered, this is an unscriptural view of

baptism. Baptism does not wash away sin, whether someone is seven weeks old,

seven years old, or seventy years old. But this does bring up a common question.

What about babies that die before they have heard or are even able to understand the

Gospel? Several passages can help us understand what God thinks of these children.

One is at the very end of Jonah. In this passage, the prophet Jonah wants God to

destroy the Ninevites, even though God wants to show them mercy. In God's message

to Jonah, he says,

“Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are

more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right

and left hand, as well as many animals” (Jonah 4:11)?

God shows us here his compassion on the young. Those who are not able to tell the

difference between their right hand and their left hand certainly don't know the Gospel

message and cannot yet respond to it. So we know that He will have mercy on them.

Another helpful passage is found in David's life. Following David's adulterous

relationship with Bathsheba, God punished David by taking the life of his child. David

was so stricken with grief that he did not eat. He was distraught. He spent days fasting

and praying that the Lord would have compassion and save his child's life. When the

child died, David cleaned himself up and went back to work. When asked about this

sudden change of disposition, David was confident that he would see the child again.

"Then his servants said to him, 'What is this thing that you have done? While the

child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate

food.' He said, 'While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who

knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.' But now he

has died, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he

will not return to me'" (2 Samuel 12:21-23).

SIDE LIGHT What About Babies Who Die Before Belief?

16

David told his servants that he planed to go to be with the child in the future though the

child could not come to him. According to Psalm 16 (among others), David looked

forward to being in the Lord's presence where there would be pleasures forever. David

knew that the eternal life in God's presence that he anticipated and longed for would be

shared with his infant child, even though the child could not yet trust in God's promises.

From these two passages, it seems clear that there is an age where children are not

held accountable for belief in the Gospel (you've heard the term “age of accountability”).

This age may be different for every person based on their ability to respond to God's

revelation. This is why children's ministries are so important at Grace Baptist Church.

We want to reach children with the Gospel as early as possible.

How should we baptize?

We touched on this question when outlining the meaning of baptism, but we should

review. In the early church, the practice was for a person to be immersed in water.

This is taught clearly in both the meaning of the word “baptize” (to dip or immerse), and

in the many New Testament examples. Numerous passages specifically describe the

participants going down into the water or coming up out of the water. If baptism is a

matter of sprinkling or pouring water over someone’s head, going down into a body of

water would be completely unnecessary. Baptism by immersion in water was the clear

practice of the early church.

Additionally, although sprinkling and pouring can picture cleansing, only immersion

pictures the spiritual realities of “believer's baptism.” Immersion represents the death,

burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Likewise, only immersion pictures Spirit baptism

where someone is placed into the spiritual body of Christ. For these reasons, we only

baptize through immersion at Grace Baptist Church.

Can Baptism Save?

There is one final question that we have to work through: Can baptism save someone?

The answer is clearly no. Although this is something of a review, let's review some of

the material we have already considered and re-gather the reasons that baptism does

not save someone.

1. Baptism is for believers. Someone has already been saved by trusting in

Jesus when they are baptized publicly. They are confessing publicly what has taken

place inwardly.

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2. Salvation comes by grace through faith, not through any sacrament or

ordinance. God is the only one Who saves.

3. Water baptism pictures a spiritual reality. Suggesting that water baptism

saves completely, subverts spirit baptism. When someone places their faith in

Jesus they are baptized into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. Spirit baptism is

always concurrent with salvation.

In addition to these points that we have previously discussed in depth, several other

passages directly teach that baptism cannot save. First of all, when Paul pleaded for

unity in the Corinthian church, he discredited anyone who was looking to Paul (or Peter

or Apollos) as a special figure to follow. In saying this, he boldly declared that he did

not baptize any of the believers there except one family. Paul was not trying to call

people to follow him but to follow Christ.

“Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know

whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to

preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would

not be made void” (1 Corinthians 1:16-17).

It is clear that Paul knew that baptism did not save anyone—he focused on the

preaching of the Gospel so that people would believe, and after believing they were

baptized. Of course, Paul never taught that they should not get baptized. In this

passage the inference is that all of the believers in Corinth had been baptized, but not

by Paul (except for one household). Still, the focus of Paul’s ministry was on faith, not

baptism.

We should consider one other passage in closing. When Jesus was dying, one of the

men who was crucified with Him trusted in Him. It goes without saying that this man

was never baptized. Nailed to a tree next to Jesus, this repentant thief trusted in Christ,

never received baptism and yet Jesus is able to say, "Today you shall be with Me in

paradise" (Luke 23:43).9 10

9 Consider also a very similar passage in Luke 18:14 where a repentant man went home justified, even though he had not been baptized. 10 Those who teach that baptism saves often reference 1 Peter 1:21-22. "Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.” But Peter specifically clarifies in this passage that he is not referring to water baptism—“not the removal of dirt from the flesh.”

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1. Which of these is Biblical baptism?

a. Johnny was baptized as an infant in his Lutheran church.

b. Justin was baptized in the First Baptist Church up the street to appease his

“hoped to be” father-in-law that he was serious about dating his daughter.

c. Joel was dunked in water after professing his faith in Jesus as Savior because he

wanted to share with others that he was trusting in Jesus as Savior.

d. Jeremiah had a friend publicly pour water over him following his belief in Jesus

as Savior.

2. What happens to a child who dies in childbirth? What about a one-year-old?

3. Your friend professes that he is a believer and wants to be baptized, but he is afraid

of getting up in front of people. How should you advise your friend?

4. Infant baptism is not a valid form of biblical baptism. (true/false)

5. When someone is baptized, their original sin is removed. (true/false)

QUESTION AND ANSWER

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The previous three lessons outlined how Jesus, the Head of the church, instituted the

ordinance of baptism before He left. The second ordinance He told the disciples to

regularly observe as a group was what we will call the Lord's Table (also called

Communion, the Lord's Supper, and the Eucharist). We will cover this topic in three

main sections:

Background and Meaning of the Lord's Table

Participants in the Lord's Table

Faulty Views of the Lord's Table

Background and Meaning of the Lord's Table Like baptism, the Lord’s Table is rooted in the background of Jewish practice. The final

night before Jesus’ death was the time of the Passover meal—the Jewish holiday that

celebrated the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt. You may remember that God led the

Israelites to Egypt through Joseph. Rejected by his brothers, Joseph also faced great

injustice in Egypt but eventually became the ruler over all of Egypt. God used Joseph’s

powerful position to bring the seventy remaining Israelites to Egypt and over the next

430 years they became a great nation.

But in the ensuing generations, Joseph’s favor was soon forgotten. In fact, favor quickly

turned to labor. The Israelites became slaves in Egypt.

“Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. He said to his

people, ‘Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we.

Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of

war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and

depart from the land.’ So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them

with hard labor” (Exodus 1:8-11).

So God prepared Moses as a key leader to bring Israel out of the land of Egypt to the

land that He had promised to Abraham. You can be sure that Pharaoh wasn’t excited

about this idea, and it took some convincing. God sent ten disastrous plagues that

God's Orders for His Church: The Lord's Table L E S S O N 1

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weakened Pharaoh until he would free the Israelites from bondage. The final plague

was the death of the firstborn. God commanded that all households take a lamb, kill it

and place its blood upon the doorpost of their home. If they did not, their firstborn son

would die. So the sacrificial lamb was slain in the place of their firstborn child. When

the first Passover night came, all those in Egypt who did not obey the command lost

their firstborn child, just as God had said.

“Now it came about at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of

Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the

captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle. Pharaoh arose in the

night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in

Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead” (Exodus 12:29-

30).

At this point Pharaoh drove Moses and the nation out of Egypt. God delivered Israel

through the death of the Egyptian firstborn. As a reminder of God’s deliverance and

how He “passed over” the Israelite homes, this meal is practiced to this very day in

Jewish homes—the “Passover” or Seder meal.

The night that Jesus died, He commanded His disciples to continue celebratjng this

meal in remembrance of Him. There was special significance to the third cup—the cup

that followed the meal. It was the cup of redemption, reminding Jewish people that they

were redeemed out of slavery into freedom.

“In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new

covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For

as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until

He comes.’” (1 Corinthians 11:25-26).

The meaning of Jesus’ command is clear. He wants us to remember Him regularly in

the Lord’s Table services. We are to remember that He died for us, buying us back

from slavery to sin. He redeemed us with His own blood. So the Lord’s table is

primarily a remembrance—a teaching tool embedded in the biblical practices of the

church so that faithful believers through the centuries would commemorate the death of

Jesus, God's true Passover Lamb. The Jewish Passover meal foreshadowed a much

greater celebration—not just redemption from human slavery but redemption from

spiritual bondage.

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver

and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but

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with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1

Peter 1:18-19).

Passover Meal Lord’s Table

Passover lamb slain for the firstborn The firstborn Son, God’s Lamb, slain for us

Ordinance commanded by Law for Israel Ordinance commanded by Jesus for all

who believe.

Remembering how God redeemed Israel

from Egyptian bondage

Remembering how God redeemed those

who believe from bondage to sin

Juice picturing the blood of a lamb Juice picturing the blood of Jesus

Bread picturing a quick departure Bread picturing Jesus’ broken body

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1. Eating Passover meals makes someone Jewish and taking the Lord’s Table makes

someone Christian. (True/False)

2. What is the best one-word summary of the Lord's Table?

a. Sacrament

b. Remembrance

c. Sacrifice

3. Secular history does not back the Bible’s claims; secular history contradicts

Scripture. (true/false)

4. Since Israel’s bondage to Egypt foreshadowed the believer’s bondage to sin, what

are some of the parallels between the two biblical realities?

5. Read Exodus 12:1-7 and list four parallels between the Passover Lamb and Jesus

Christ.

QUESTION AND ANSWER

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Participants of the Lord's Table

There are two important facts that must be taught regarding those who should partake

in this ordinance. These two facts are prerequisites—requirements—before someone

can participate in this table. The first is that a person must be a professing believer in

Jesus and the second is that they must be in fellowship with the Lord.

Prerequisite #1—Believers

Only Believers Should Partake Clearly, this particular ordinance is reserved for those who are trusting in Jesus for their

salvation. Every biblical context that mentions the Lord's table is a setting where

believers are gathered. In other words, this is not an evangelistic ordinance but one

that builds up those who already believe. This ordinance actually portrays the unity that

true believers share. So it is critical to protect the table from including those who do not

believe. Wherever unbelievers do join in, it weakens the picture of the unity of the

church.

All Believers Should Partake Regularly

Of course, the most obvious reason that every believer should partake in this ordinance

is that Jesus commands us to. Just as with baptism, if we fail to participate we are

disobeying His commands.

"Take, eat..." (Matthew 26:26)

"...Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me" (1 Corinthians 11:26).

This was not lost on the early church. They obeyed Jesus’ command. You remember

that our Lord instituted this ordinance in the final hours before His death. Following this,

we find the believers gathered, waiting for God to pour out His Holy Spirit. After the

God's Orders for His Church: The Lord's Table

L E S S O N 2

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Spirit came (Acts 2), we know what their common practice was. They devoted

themselves to four specific activities (Acts 2:42), one of which was the breaking of

bread—partaking in the Lord’s Table.11

Later in the book of Acts we find Paul leading in the Lord’s Table (Acts 20:6). This time,

they were observing this practice on the Lord’s Day (Sunday). This was the normal time

for believers to gather together. This second example clearly shows that the early

church had a pattern of regularly observing the Lord’s Table in each local assembly.

In the Old Testament, God commanded that the Passover should be observed annually. However, He did not give us any particular instructions about how often to observe the Lord’s Table. The early church definitely participated in the service more often than annually. In fact, it appears that at the beginning they may have observed it daily! We should observe several principles to decide how often our local church will participate. 1.Take the Table Sincerely We must guard against taking the table so frequently that it becomes casual, monotonous, or observed with very little thought. Unfortunately, this can often become the case with activities we do on a weekly basis. Perhaps there are times when the offering basket goes by and you forget to worship the Lord as you give, thinking instead about your day or talking with the person beside you. But because the Lord’s Table involves such drastic warnings like sickness and death for those who partake in the wrong manner (see below), we should extremely careful about becoming casual. 2. Take the Table Regularly. On the other hand, it is a problem if months pass without us observing this ordinance. In this case, people could go for long intervals without taking

11 Though the breaking of bread may have included a meal (as in Corinth), Acts 20:11 makes it clear that it was a separate activity. “When he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left” (Acts 20:11).

SIDE LIGHT How Often Should We Partake?

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serious stock of where they are spiritually. So it is also essential that a church regularly observes this table. At Grace, we seek a balance between these two principles by partaking monthly. This let us partake regularly (monthly as opposed to annually or quarterly) and partake sincerely (monthly as opposed to weekly). We also recognize, however, that other churches may differ with us in how often they observe the table or the types of services where they do it. Other denominations also may disagree as to who should administer the elements. These are details that are not decided in Scripture so we should show charity in these differences.

Prerequisite #2—Obedient Believers Should Partake

In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he takes time to correct several of their activities

during regular worship services.

“But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not

for the better but for the worse” (1 Corinthians 11:17).

One area where they failed was the Lord’s Table. Paul gives almost the entirety of

chapter 11 to this topic. Some in the church would come and feast during the Lord’s

Table. Others were extremely poor and could not afford a meal. Paul points out that

some of the believers celebrating the Table were hungry. Others were eating and

drinking so much that they became drunk. Apparently, there were two separate

factions when the Corinthians observed the Lord’s Table—the rich and the poor, the

hungry and the drunk. What a sad state!

“What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the

church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you?

Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you” (1 Corinthians 11:22).

In this context, Paul gives his instructions on how the local church should observe the

Table. After recounting how Jesus instituted the Lord’s Table, Paul gives a severe

warning and reveals the sad state of some Corinthians who participated improperly.

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“But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and

drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to

himself if he does not judge the body rightly. 30 For this reason many among you

are weak and sick, and a number sleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we

would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord

so that we will not be condemned along with the world. 33 So then, my brethren,

when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 If anyone is hungry, let

him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining

matters I will arrange when I come” (1 Corinthians 11:28-34).

Paul knew of believers who lost their physical health or even their lives because they

partook of this table unworthily. They observed a feast demonstrating Jesus’ death on

our behalf and the unity of the body, and yet the way they did so demonstrated that they

had no respect for the body (other believers in the church). This demonstrates the

heavy significance that God places on this observance. As a church body, we can

never afford to take this lightly. We should consciously put a fence around the table so

that others will not partake in an unworthy manner.

Of course, Paul isn’t teaching that we should avoid the Table, but that we should never

partake unworthily. How can we do this? We guard ourselves by examining or judging

our own lives. In the immediate context of Paul’s command, he teaches that we should

dwell with other believers in unity. So our treatment of others should demonstrate that

we recognize everyone’s standing before God equally (rightly discerning the local

body—v. 29).

Expanding on this principle, we should also insure that we are not harboring sin in our

lives. A comparison may help us. For instance, a child in constant rebellion to their Dad

and Mom will not be on good terms with their parents. But even so, they never cease to

be a son or daughter. The relationship needs to be mended and the child must forsake

his or her rebellion. Similarly, a believer never ceases to be a child of God. But we

should not come before the Lord to partake of His Table when we are in open rebellion

to Him.

Every time we observe the Lord’s Table, please examine your life and be sure you are

not harboring any known sins. If the Lord brings something to your mind, confess and

forsake it. If you are unwilling to forsake your sin then you should not participate.

Partaking anyway will be harmful to you and even to your physical well-being.

Based on the serious nature of this command and the harsh penalty that God clearly

teaches in this passage, some churches only allow church members to partake of the

Table (closed communion). This can be a wise practice, but may also hinder a true

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believer from observing the Lord’s Table while they are discerning whether or not they

can become a member of that church. At Grace Baptist Church we allow anyone to

partake who professes faith in Jesus as Savior and is walking in fellowship with Him.

We usually observe the table in a separate service so that unbelievers or people out of

fellowship with the Lord will not feel pressured. This is out of consideration to them—

after all, people in Corinth died because of this!

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Misunderstandings of the Lord’s Table

In order to understand the incorrect views of the Lord’s Table, we will briefly survey the

major interpretations that people use today. We will also look at the major Scripture

passages that apply to these interpretations.

Transubstantiation

Transubstantiation is the Roman Catholic view of the Lord’s Table—often called the

Mass. Transubstantiation teaches that the bread and wine actually transform into the

body and blood of Jesus. Although the appearance obviously does not change, they

believe that the invisible substance does change into Jesus’ body and blood. This

transformation takes place when the priest raises the host over his head and that act

makes a fresh sacrifice for sin.

“As a propitiatory sacrifice... the Sacrifice of the Mass effects the remission of

sins and the punishment for sins... The Eucharistic Sacrifice of propitiating can,

as the Council of Trent expressly asserted, be offered , not merely for the living,

but also for the poor souls in Purgatory.”12

There are at least three major problems with this doctrine. Later we will evaluate each

of these problems from Scripture.

1. The Roman Catholic Mass teaches that the bread and wine become the body

and blood of Jesus. In the process, they worship the bread.

2. The Roman Catholic Mass teaches that there is a fresh sacrifice of Jesus

during each service.

3. The Roman Catholic Mass teaches that this sacrifice actually effects

remission of sins.

Consubstantiation—The body and blood of Christ is present in the elements.

Martin Luther disagreed with this teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. He knew that

Scripture teaches salvation by Grace through faith alone. While he rejected the notion

that bread and wine transform into Jesus’ body and blood, he taught instead that the

literal body and blood of Jesus are “with, in and under” the elements. As a sponge may

12 Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma by Dr. Ludwig Ott is recognized as a classic summary of Roman Catholic teaching.

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hold water, so the bread and wine mysteriously contain the physical presence of Jesus.

As we will consider below, this is also an improper view of the Lord’s Table.

Three Clarifying Principles

As we consider these faulty views of the Lord's Table, we should know what the Bible

says. As a Bible-driven church, we must go directly to Scripture to know what God

wants us to observe. These clarifying principles directly correspond to the three

problems with the Roman Catholic Mass.

1. The elements in the Lord's Table do not transform into the body and blood of Jesus.

They merely represent the body and blood of Jesus.

Most of the confusion surrounding this aspect of the Lord’s Table arises from a

misunderstanding of Jesus’ statement in John 6.

“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him

up on the last day. 55 "For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56

"He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John

6:54-56).

A surface reading of this verse without its context may confuse some people. However,

there are several problems with this interpretation.

a. Jesus is using a physical illustration to teach a spiritual truth.

Just as God sent manna from heaven to give physical health to the Israelites, God sent

Jesus as spiritual food from heaven. Whoever believes in Him has eternal life.

“Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 "This is the

bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51

"I am the living bread that came down out of heaven” (John 6:49-51).

Clearly, this is a physical picture representing a spiritual truth. The next few chapters of

John make that even more clear. Jesus says, “I am the light” (John 8:12), “I am the

Door” (John 10:7, 9), “I am the good Shepherd” (10:14), and He makes many other

comparisons. In each case, Jesus taught a spiritual truth using a physical picture. No

one thinks that Jesus was a literal, physical door, but the picture taught a significant

spiritual truth. The same is true in John 6.

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b. Jesus clarifies His teaching at the end of the chapter.

A few verses later the Lord clarifies this spiritual truth to His disciples. Those who teach

Transubstantiation should read the entire context to understand what Jesus is teaching

because he explained it clearly:

“'It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have

spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not

believe.' For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe,

and who it was that would betray Him” (John 6:63-64).

When Jesus spoke of people eating His body, He was not directly referring to the

Passover meal. Rather, he was telling people to believe His Words. When a person

believingly accepts (eating) the Words of the Gospel (bread), that person will receive

spiritual life. Jesus taught the same principle in John 3.

Spiritual Truth John 6

Picture of Manna

John 3

Picture of Brass

Serpent

Believe

Eat Look

Words of the Gospel

Body and Blood the Brass Serpent

Have eternal life

Have life Have Physical Life

In His life and ministry, Jesus often used the lessons learned by the Children of Israel to

teach spiritual truths. Clearly, Jesus is using metaphors that should be taken in the way

He intended. Reading an event that happened several months later (the Lord’s Table)

back into Jesus’ clear teaching is dishonest.

2. Jesus’ sacrifice was once-for-all.

Another very clear teaching of Scripture that contradicts transubstantiation is that Jesus’

death was once-for-all. Scripture repeatedly highlights this aspect of Jesus’ death to

contrast what He accomplished with the priests of the Old Covenant. They repeatedly

offered sacrifices. But since Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient for all sins, it only needs to be

offered once.

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“Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same

sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice

for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD” (Hebrews

10:11-12).

In the Roman Catholic view, every Mass is one more repetition of Jesus’ sacrifice for

the remission of sins. This means that His sacrifice was not sufficient to pay for all sins

for all time. But when Jesus died He cried out—“It is Finished!” The sacrifice was

complete—His atoning work was finished once and for all.

This is even clear in the name of the person that dispenses the Roman Catholic sacrament—he is a priest. Priests make sacrifices. However, Scripture teaches that there is now only one mediator and His name is Jesus. He is our High Priest, mediating between us and God the Father.

“For there is one God, and one Mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:5-6).

3. The Roman Catholic Mass teaches that this sacrifice actually effects remission

of sins.

Though related to the previous two, this point is a major difference between Roman

Catholic and Protestant churches. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the Mass

effects a real atonement.

“The purpose of the Sacrifice is the same in the Sacrifice of the Mass as in the

Sacrifice of the Cross; primarily the glorification of God, secondarily atonement,

thanksgiving and appeal” (Ott, 408).

If the Mass is an atonement for sin as Roman Catholic theology teaches, a Sacrament

must be performed for us to be forgiven. However, Scripture teaches that Jesus saves,

and His salvation is by grace alone through faith alone.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is

the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians

2:8-9).

Your salvation was not earned by someone performing a Sacrament. It was earned

when Jesus took God’s wrath once and for all on Calvary. This happened at one

moment in history and now it is finished. Nor do you receive your salvation by taking a

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sacrament. You received salvation by God's grace through your repentant faith that

Jesus could save you from your sin. According to the traditional Roman Catholic view,

we receive salvation is through the Mass because that is how we access grace. But the

Bible teaches that grace is an unearned favor from God. We do nothing to earn

grace—otherwise “grace is no longer grace.”

Two major tenets of the Protestant Reformation were “grace alone” and “faith alone.” It

is not enough to say that salvation is by grace and the sacraments or faith and the

sacraments. Otherwise, man’s system and works join with God’s grace. As a result,

grace is no longer a gift given but something earned. But God's salvation is by grace

alone through faith alone.

What would you say if someone offered you a watch “absolutely free… for $5?” Well,

depending on the watch it might be a good offer, but absolutely free doesn’t cost $5 and

$5 is not absolutely free. If God’s gift of eternal life is absolutely free we cannot mix any

works into the equation.

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1.

1. Everyone should participate in the Lord’s Table to gain spiritual perspective.

(True/False)

2. Why do we observe the Lord’s Table in a separate service at Grace?

3. What meal did Jesus institute the Lord’s Table at and how is this significant?

4. Match the view with the correct description:

a. Reformed Position ____ The body and blood of Jesus are “with, in, and under”

the elements.

b. Transubstantiation

____ The body and blood of Jesus are “spiritually present” in

the elements.

c. Consubstantiation

____ The elements represent Jesus’ body and blood.

d. Symbolic Position ____ The elements become the body and blood of Jesus.

5. Your neighbor was raised in a Roman Catholic church but only attends once a year.

In fact, she just lives for herself with very little thought of God or any church. You have

an opportunity to speak with her after a close family member dies and she asks for your

thoughts about the afterlife. Specifically, she wants to know about the main difference

between your view of the afterlife and hers. How would you respond?

QUESTION AND ANSWER

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6. Worshiping the host during the Roman Catholic Mass is idolatry. (True/False)

7. If partaking in the Lord's Table does not bring salvation, what is the benefit to a

believer for observing?

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