Baptism and Communion

This is a longer post designed to help you talk with your child about Baptism and Communion.

This past Sunday, the sermon from Acts 2:37 - 41 contained the statement "Repent and Be Baptized."

This upcoming Sunday, we are going to be celebrating communion.

Our website states "We believe that the two ordinances of the local church are Baptism (the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) and the Lord's Supper (partaking of the bread and the cup to memorialize Christ's death and anticipate his second coming)."

Baptism and Communion are physical, experiential reminders of what God has done in our salvation. 

Baptism provides the believer with the one-time opportunity to proclaim to the church and the world that through Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, the believer has been saved from sin, brought into a new life, and radically changed.

Communion provides an ongoing, regular reminder that Jesus' body was broken and blood was shed for the redemption of sin.  This time in the service provides the opportunity for reflection and celebration.

Some thoughts to remember about your child and baptism.

The italicized information below is taken directly from www.tvcresources.net/resource-library/articles/how-to-talk-with-your-children-about-baptism-and-communion/

• Baptism tells a story of being rescued from sin by Jesus through faith in His death and resurrection.
• Being baptized does not save you. Placing your faith in Jesus alone saves you. Baptism is a picture of what God has already done in the heart of a believer.
• When someone is baptized, that person shares a brief testimony so that other believers might hear of God’s grace, rejoice in His saving work and worship Him together.

It might also be helpful to explain to your child what they see when someone is baptized.

• When the person stands in the water before being baptized, that represents their life before trusting Jesus. They were alive to sin, following and obeying it as their master.
• When the person is put completely underneath the water, that represents the fact that they died to sin when they became a believer; they turned away from sin to follow Jesus.
• When the person comes up out of the water and is completely wet, that represents the new life they have because of Jesus. They have been washed clean from sin – not because their bodies are wet but because they have been forgiven by God because of Jesus’ death in their place.

Some thoughts to remember about your child and communion.

The information below is taken directly from www.tvcresources.net/resource-library/articles/should-my-child-take-communion/

Some thoughts to remember

• In the Bible, there is no age of accountability or prescribed requirement.  The only prerequisite is that the participant is a follower of Jesus Christ.
• Never rush communion.  It's not magical so taking it sooner than later will not keep your kids from sin or earn them extra favor with God.
• Communion requires proper mental understanding and meaning spiritual reflection to hold significance.
• No one knows your child better than you and when it comes to a decision like this, trust the Lord's guidance and your discernment as a parent.
• Be prayerful about the matter.

What to look for:

• Have they given a convincing profession of faith in Jesus?
• Are they showing fruit and evidence of conversion through obedience to and love for Jesus?
• Do they understand and can they articulate the significance of communion?

A conversation about communion should include the following:

What is Communion?

Make sure they understand what communion is and what communion isn’t. I recommend starting with Jesus’ institution of the Lord’s Supper in Luke 22. Talk about what Jesus was teaching when He spoke to His disciples and how we continue to remember Jesus broken body and shed blood. Be sure to explain that what we are doing is symbolic and not literal. We are not literally drinking Jesus’ blood and eating His body. Communion is not magical.

Why Do We Take Communion?

Teach your child that we take communion because Jesus instructed us to and as a way of remembering and celebrating what He did for us. 1 Corinthians 11:26 tells us that as often as we eat of the bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again. 

How Do We Take Communion?

Coach your child through the logistics and the spirit of taking communion. Communion is done differently at every church, so coach them on the proper way to receive and the proper time to partake of the bread and juice. Also, help and encourage them to be in the right mindset. 1 Corinthians 11 gives personal instructions for taking communion and tells a believer to “examine himself” before eating and drinking.

On a personal note, Krista and I have made the decision in our faith to teach our children that the one-time act of baptism comes before the repeated act of communion.  This has provided us with a teaching framework in our home.  You may have a different way to do it in your home.  But make sure that you are teaching that...

Salvation is by grace through faith
Salvation results in a radically changed, obedient life.