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Hoyte Nelson's Poems/ Reflections & Biblical Essays
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Essay A Baptist Distinctive Because of my desire to maintain the
“confessional integrity” of our Baptist Faith, I share the following
information: In the school-year of 1955-56, I was ask by
Dr. J. Ralph Noonkester of William Carey College, to teach a lesson on the
subject: “Why Baptists practice closed communion.” The subject being offered
was called, “Baptist Doctrines” (by whom, I do not remember). This article
is written in an effort to give today’s reader a better understanding to this
question: “Why do Baptists practice what is sometime called “closed
communion,” or “restricted communion”; meaning baptism by immersion in the
name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit as prerequisite to receiving the
Lord’s Supper (Matthew 28:19,20). I
will now offer evidence based upon the “Baptist Faith and Message” and other
Baptist historical renderings concerning this subject: The Baptist Faith and
Message 2000 repeats the long-standing Baptist tradition on this subject. It
reads as follows: “Christian Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water
in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit...Being a church
ordinance, “it” (believer’s baptism by immersion), “is
prerequisite to the privilege of church membership and the Lord’s Supper....
The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the
church, through partaking of the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the
Redeemer, and anticipate His Second Coming...” (BF&M, Section VII, p.14) In other
words, Baptist receive members, who, upon a public profession of faith in Jesus
Christ, are baptized by immersion in the name of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit, or believers, who have already followed Christ in believers baptism are
received by transfer of letter, or by statement of fact. According to the
BF&M, the same prerequisites are applicable in regard to the Lord’s Supper
e.g., believers baptism by immersion is
not only an act of obedience, but
according to the scriptures, it is the first
act of obedience for a believer (Acts 2:41; 8:18; 9:18; 10:4,48; 16:15,33). The following are historical affirmations: These Things We Believe: “The
Lord’s Supper is a church ordinance, to be observed by the church, and
participated in by those who have met the conditions laid down in the New
Testament – saving faith, baptism, and church membership.
These things We Believe J.
Clyde Turner, Convention Press, Nashville, Tennessee (1956, p. 115). What We Believe“So we hold that only members of the church, who first have been
baptized by immersion on a profession of their faith in Christ, and who are
associated together in harmonious
fellowship in the church are eligible
to partake of this church ordinance,” Dr. William C. Boone, What We Believe, Convention Press, Nashville, Tennessee
(1936,59,60). (Parenthesis mine)]. The Lord’s Supper “Since the Lord’s Supper is an expression of continuing in the
faith, it follows logically that only baptized believers should participate.”
Dr. Peter Gentry, Southern Baptist Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky: “Point-
of-View,” (Florida Baptist Witness 2000-3000), (page 4 of 4). In my desire for our future pastors to be informed concerning what we believe, I recently asked our six seminary presidents if we could now be assured that our future leaders, coming out of our seminaries, would hold to these same historical Baptist distinctive: “Baptism by immersion being prerequisite to church membership and the Lord’s Supper (BF&B, section 7, page 14, 2000, etc.), “and again, if the signing of the BF&M is an affirmation of one’s faithfulness to its teaching. I have received four responses to date: Dr. Patterson, Dr. Blaising, (filling in for Dr. Himphill), Dr. Mohler, and Dr. Kelly. Dr. Patterson: “I can assure you that we teach the very position that you are advocating regarding The Lord’s Supper and Baptism.... What I can tell you is that the next generation of pastors and missionaries coming out of our ... Seminaries, will be much more to your liking. I believe.” Dr. Blaising: “In the light of the above,
let me reaffirm our commitment to the doctrinal distinctive of baptism and the
Lord’s Supper as stated in The Baptist
Faith and Message. We believe these truths are vitally important and have
designed a curriculum of instruction to see that our students are indeed taught
these doctrines.” We completely agree that signature means “affirming
[one’s] faithfulness to its teaching.” Dr. Mohler: “I wholeheartedly agree the
Baptist churches should receive members only by believer’s baptism and the
believer’s baptism must be a prerequisite to the taking of the Lord’s
Supper.” |