CHRISTIAN ORDINANCES A Christian Ordinance is a religious ceremony with a: heavenward meaning. The practical value of such ordinances is to symbolize the most vital Christian principles, to furnish something tangible as an aid to the Church in maintaining the organization and to individual members in maintaining their Christian experience. It is not of such vital importance that we know all the exact reasons why these ordinances were instituted. It is sufficient to know that they were called into being by Christ and His apostles. Following is a list of Christian ordinances and what they mean to the Church: Water Baptism-"the answer of a good conscience toward God," the initiatory rite into the visible Church, the symbol of Spirit baptism, which initiates into the invisible Church of Jesus Christ. The Communion-instituted in memory of our Savior's broken body and shed blood, showing "the Lord's death till he come," symbolizing the unity and oneness of believers. Washing of Saints' Feet-a token of humility, and of mutual service, and of the brotherly equality of believers. The Devotional Covering-"a sign of authority," sym-bolizing the relation of Christian woman to Christian man, as woman's long hair symbolizes the relation of natural woman to natural man. Salutation of the Holy Kiss-symbol of the "fervent charity" which should exist among believers. The Anointing of Oil-symbol of God's grace, manifested in healing power. Marriage the union for life of one man and one woman who thereby become "one flesh." A literal observance of these ordinances, when kept in the spirit of Him who gave them, can result only in great blessings to both Church and individual members. "If ye: know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." 11-Bible Doctrine Go ye CHAPTER I BAPTISM teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of Jesus came to John to be baptized of him. John hesitated, because Jesus was worthier and mightier than he. At the command, "Suffer it to be so now," and the reason, "for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness," John baptized Him. What did Jesus fulfill? Were there any baptisms under the law? Yes; and He had to fulfill them as well as the rest of the ceremonial law. The law is "holy," "spiritual," "righteous" (Rom. 7:12, 14; 8:4). Jesus fulfilled every jot and tittle of it. CEREMONIAL CLEANSINGS IN THE LAW "Divers Washings."-All who know the original Greek know that Paul's "diaforois baptismois" is translated "divers washings" (Heb. 9:10). This shows clearly that the purifying ceremonies of the Mosaic law were so many baptisms ("baptismois"). These were performed by applications of oil, water, or blood. Pouring oil upon the heads of those chosen to be priests was a rite that signified consecration and sanctification, preparatory to ministering unto the Lord in their priestly offices. "And he poured the anointing oil upon Aaron's head" (Lev. 8:12). Aaron and his sons were also sprinkled with blood and oil. Ex. 29:21. Also the Levites: "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. Sprinkle water of purifying upon them .... and after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation" (Num. 8:5-15). For leprosy: "The oil that is in the priest's hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed" (Lev. 14:18). For uncleanness: "The water of separation hath not been sprinkled upon him: he is unclean" (Num. 19:20). There were many other instances of purifying, by pouring and sprinkling ("divers washings"-baptisms) which did not wash the surface of the body but which ceremonially cleansed the entire being. Moses sprinkled a few millions of people with blood and water and they were baptized. Heb. 9:10, 19. Sprinkling. There is a translation of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew into Greek by seventy-two Jewish scholars at Alexandria about 280 B. C. In the apocryphal book Ecclesiasticus 34:25 it says, "He that washeth (baptizomenos) himself after the touching of a dead body, if he touch it again, what availeth his washing?" That this baptism was sprinkling is plainly given in Num. 19:11-22. The ashes of the burnt heifer for the purification for sin, and running water shall be put into a vessel and the unclean person who touched a dead body shall be sprinkled with it. Those who made this translation so shortly before Luke, Paul, and others wrote the New Testament in the same language, certainly knew that this ceremonial cleansing by sprinkling water was a baptism, or they would not have called it "baptizomenos." The word "baptidzo" has many different forms according to the voice, mood, tense, person, and number of the word in the sentence where it is used. Scholars tell us that in the writings of the heathen Greeks and Romans may be found more than twenty different meanings of this word. So it would be quite confusing to let heathen usages determine the significance and mode of Christian ceremonies. Let the Levitical law, not heathenism, be our schoolmaster to bring us to the light of the Gospel. The Word of God defines its own terms. We have no right to put into Bible baptism any other meaning than what the Scriptures give us. The Bible mode by effusion is in harmony with many early heathen usages. Washings. Washing before meals is called baptism. "And when the Pharisee saw it he marveled that he had not washed (ebaptisthe-that is, baptized) before dinner" (Luke 11:38). The Jews washed for meals and other purposes in running water: that is, by pouring water on the hands. "Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah" (II Kings 3:11). There is nothing wrong in washing hands in that way, but to claim it as a necessary means to internal purification when it is nothing but a tradition of the elders is sinful. Jesus reproved them for making a ceremony out of hand washing. Matt. 15:1-20. In Mark 7:4 this traditional washing is called a baptism. "And when they come from the market, except they wash (baptisontai) they eat not. And many other things there be which they have received to hold as the washing (baptismous) of cups and pots, brazen vessels and tables." That the first baptism here has reference only to washing the hands is evident from the two verses preceding and the one following. The writer saw a Jew return from following a funeral procession. He had not touched the dead body but nevertheless, according to tradition, he must purify himself. There was no one present to pour water for him, so he poured water first on one hand and then on the other. According to the marginal. reading ("in the original, with the fist"-Mark 7:3) he made a fist in holding the vessel with one hand to pour water on the other. How were the cups, brazen vessels, etc., baptized (baptismous)? It was not a matter of washing them to make them clean, but of ceremonially purifying them according to their tradition. Any small quantity of water poured or sprinkled on these articles would have purified them. Christ may have had this in mind when He spoke to the Pharisees about making clean the outside of the cup and platter and not the inside. Matt. 23:24, 25. It would have been an easy matter to have put these vessels into water and washed both outside and in to make them clean, but the object was ceremonial cleansing. Objects are often filthy with dirt when the Jews have finished their purification. But Mark says that there were also tables or beds (margin) baptized. A great, bulky affair these table |
