IX : THE SACRAMENTS
I Corinthians 11:23-26
Two sacraments are offered in Presbyterian churches – the sacrament of Baptism and the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Both were established by Christ.
Baptism
In His last commission to His disciples, Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.”[1] In the same way, Peter issued a call to baptism in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost. “Repent and be baptized every one of you,” he said, “in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”[2] Baptism is a symbol of cleansing from sin. So, Ananias said to Paul, “Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away.”[3] The sacrament of baptism is the ordinance of admission to membership in the Church. Generally, in the Presbyterian Church, baptism is administered by sprinkling, not by immersion. In this, the imagery is taken from the Old Testament. During the Exodus, the people of Israel were told to sprinkle the blood of a lamb upon their doorposts to show that they belonged to God’s people.[4] In the same way, we believe that this sacrament demonstrates that we also belong to God’s people. It is no sense a guarantee of salvation, simply a sign of obedience. It must be accompanied by faith.
However, it is not necessarily the person being baptized who must have faith. “Let the little children come to me,” said Jesus.[5] In the Presbyterian Church, children of believing parents are baptized in infancy and claimed for Christ. When they are old enough to understand and to accept Jesus for themselves, they must make their own profession of faith, confirming the vows made on their behalf by their parents. In this way, Presbyterians draw a comparison between the Old Testament ordinance of circumcision and the New Testament sacrament of baptism. Before we even know what it means to believe, we are shown what it means to belong.
The Lord’s Supper
The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion, was instituted by Jesus on the night on which He was betrayed. Gathering His disciples about the Passover table, “Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat, this is my body.’ Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’”[6] This sacrament has always been at the heart of the Christian Church.
The observance of Holy Communion is a time of re-consecration, when Christian people come together at His table, in response to His invitation, and take a new oath of allegiance to Him. Therefore, all who love the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior are invited and urged to participate. It is not necessary for you to be a member of the Church to receive communion. In light of the seriousness with which this sacrament is regarded, it is only offered five or six times a year.
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