Through the River and over the Mountain
Why Baptism before Communion?
We’re going on a bear hunt… oh a river! We can’t go under it. We can’t go over it. We have to go through it! I’ve enjoyed reading this well known book with my children before bed. A fun adventure with the words all can repeat at each event. To say it is a bit repetitious would be an under statement but that is also why it is so fun!
The Bible also can be a bit repetitious. Especially when we come to rivers, mountains, and covenants. Noah goes over it, while Jacob goes through it, and I’m sure some of the Israelites felt under it with the towering walls of the red sea above them. Noah crosses the flood waters into the new world, arrives on mount Ararat where God gives him the covenant of the rainbow. Jacob crosses the Euphrates river on his way back to the promise land, encamps on the mountains of Gilead where he and Laban make a covenant to do no harm. Moses leads the people through the red sea on their way to the land of promise, brings them to mount Sinai where God makes a covenant with them to be His own. Through the water, up the mountain, and a covenant ceremony (sacrifice/meal). It seems a bit repetitious! But then again that’s the fun!
Noticing the patterns of scripture allow us to see those same patterns in our own lives. We are able to identify with the stories of old, they become ours, and shape how we understand ourselves. Through the water and up the mountain to eat a covenant meal with the Lord. At our church we enjoy the opportunity in the summer to do baptisms at the river preferably as we BBQ a mountain of food at the same time! Baptism is a clear water crossing event while communion is identified with ‘the new covenant’ (1 Cor 11:25) which we eat and drink in God’s presence. As Christians we have crossed the river and come up into God’s presence for a covenant ceremony, the communion meal. Once again this might seem a bit repetitious! Yet it shapes who we are. Instead of shaping practise as we see fit it is better to be shaped by what God has practised. What do I mean?
It has long been taught historically by churches that baptism should precede the reception of communion. Matthew Wiersma observes ‘The Didache in the late first or early second century teaches that “none shall eat or shall drink from the Eucharist but those baptized in the name of the Lord.” This same policy is also taught in the second century by Justin Martyr, the third century by Cyprian, and the fourth century in the Apostolic Constitutions.’1 He summarises the historical data saying ‘Only baptized Christians living godly lives were permitted to partake of the Lord’s Supper, and only the church officers were allowed to preside over the celebration.’2
This historical position has been neglected recently with some advocating for Christians regardless of baptism, or even for all regardless of faith in Christ, to be welcomed to the communion table. The desire to show the hospitality and love of Christ to all is completely understandable. We must ask, were our Christian fathers wrong to hold their position? Paul will say in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” The traditions given to us as Christians are meant to be held unless they are not in accordance with Jesus Christ.3 With that in mind, the fact that we can see ‘baptism before communion’ as the rule being taught within a hundred years of the apostles, and continuing to be taught universally until recently, should make us very cautious to disregard it. So this is our question, is this position in agreement with what we see in the Bible?
To start with there is no example of an unbaptised person receiving communion in the New Testament. Jesus who gave us communion was himself baptised, his disciples who received communion that night were known to baptise others as disciples of Christ,4 the two thousand believers in Acts 2 who believed Peter’s preaching first received baptism before devoting themselves to the breaking of bread.5 Baptised disciples breaking bread together is the norm. So far the historical position is in full agreement with what we see.
It might be said ‘nowhere is there a command that a person must be baptised first.’ That is not entirely true. Hebrews 10:22 exhorts us to draw near to God with a true heart sprinkled clean and a body washed with pure water. We must remember that Jesus’ disciples were first century Jews. Communion came to them as part of the passover meal. The rules were already established. Exodus 12:43-49 explicitly taught that ‘no uncircumcised person shall eat of it’. Those who did not receive the sign of membership of God’s people were not able to partake of the passover meal. No one outside of the visible people of God would have been allowed to receive communion with the disciples that night. Baptism is the sign of membership of God’s people today.6 With that in mind the historical position is in full agreement again. Even with meals today, do not our mothers call us to wash-up before dinner?
But what are signs? The covenants throughout the Bible had signs attached to them. The signs were tangible ways God’s covenant promises were confirmed to his people.7 A covenant is not a contract, it is a commitment of love.8 In our world today we could think of a marriage. It is not a contract it is a covenant. Through the ceremony the husband and wife are bound to each other in committed love. The sign of this covenant is the wedding ring. Regardless of the strength of love two people confess they have for one another God does not bless those who engage in martial intimacy before going through the marriage ceremony. There can be no communion before the ceremony of union. But within the marriage the communion of the spouses is a blessing which renews the union entered into. It is no mistake that the covenant-promise of circumcision in Genesis 17 was renewed by the meal in Genesis 18. The same flow can be seen in 1 Cor 12:-12-13 and 1 Cor 10:16-17. The baptismal promise of entrance into the body of Christ is continually renewed and strengthened in the communion meal of the body.9 Once again the historic position is in full agreement with this. Therefore remembering the historic position, the example of the New Testament, the rule of the passover, and the nature of a covenant, let us encourage those who confess love for the Lord Jesus to receive the sign of union10 with Him before coming to communion.
One last point to think about. It is the desire to show the love and hospitality of Christ which moves us to open the communion table to everyone in attendance whether baptised or not, believing or not. So we ask is there any danger in taking communion in an improper way? It would seem that there is.11 Meals in the Bible are signs of fellowship with God. It was a sign that Adam and Eve lost when they left the garden but was graiously restored to the people of Israel in the Exodus through the sacrificial system. The angel guarded the way to the tree of life but the sword of the Lord passed over them during the meal in the Exodus. In the sacrificial system the job of guarding was given to the Levites.12 Notice that the sign of fellowship and peace with God was a source of blessing and life to some but a place of judgment and death to others. We see this continued with communion. In 1st Corinthians, after teaching the meaning of communion,13 the apostle exhorts the Corinthians to avoid food offered to idols. He says “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?”14 Participating in the meals of Christian worship and idol worship is improper for Christians. But is there any harm? The apostle Paul warns of ‘provoking the Lord to jealousy.’ A little later he will say “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.”15 Through the improper reception of communion it is possible for Christians to ‘provoke the Lord to jealousy,’ to participate in communion ‘in an unworthy way,’ to eat and drink ‘judgment upon oneself’ to the extent of becoming bodily ‘weak, ill, or even die’. It should be clear but encouraging someone to eat and drink communion in an improper way is not a loving and welcoming thing to do.
Is there a better way? Well yes! We have a pattern from scripture and church history which calls for our attention. Let us not disregard it but seek rather to be shaped by it! In this way all are given the opportunity again to hear the call to follow Christ and unite themselves visibly with Him, leaving the old behind and embracing the new way before them. In other words, the call to discipleship resounds again and again. Look a river! We can’t go under it, we can’t go over it, Oh no! We have to go through it!
Blessings.
https://cbtseminary.org/a-historical-overview-of-the-lords-supper-matthew-wiersma/
Ibid.
Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
John 4:1-2, an act which would be very strange if they needed to be baptised themselves.
Acts 2:41-42
Matt 28:19, Gal 3:27, 1 Cor 12:12-13, Col 2:11-12
Genesis 15:7-21, Abram wants God’s promise confirmed and God gives him a covent ceremony.
Ralph Smith - Understanding the Bible, Ch2, What is a Covenant?
If asked ‘why does a covenant promise need to be renewed’ we can see the answer in Genesis 17 and 18. The promise of Isaac’s birth was true from the start, yet God graciously comes and repeats this promise for Sarah’s sake whose faith desperately needs to be strengthened. God renews the covenant in His mercies for us.
Romans 6:3-4
Jesus himself taught a parable of a wedding feast. All were invited to come both bad and good. Yet when the king came he found one man in attendance who was not wearing a wedding garment. That man was bound and cast out. As Christians Christ is our clothing put on in baptism and good works are also called our clothing (Galatians 3:27, Revelation 19:8). As each Lord’s day is the day the Lord comes to meet his people in anticipation of that last day, once again, the historical position finds agreement ‘baptized Christians living godly lives’.
See Genesis 3:24, Exodus 12:23, and Numbers 8:26.
1 Corinthians 10:15-16
1 Corinthians 10:21-22
1 Corinthians 11:27-30