As more than a few pastors will attest, a quandary sometimes attendant the ministration of "believer's baptism" or the Lord's Table involves a seeming absence of transformational grace.
Nor is such a solely contemporary phenomenon. John the Baptist, for example, frequently verbalized his conviction that not all baptismal candidates qualified (Matt. 3:7-10). Indeed, the fact that those seeking baptism under his ministry were expected to publicly confess their sins (vv. 5,6) may well have represented an endeavor to weed out the shallow and insincere.
Given such, self chosen baptism (i.e., as contrasted to the "covenantal" concept perceived by some in Acts 11:14; 17:31) can, in some instances, involve little more than one's becoming physically wet - validity at such point necessitating an accompanying or preceding (both concepts appearing in Scripture) work of grace. Hence the insightful, if somewhat artless, observation of a particular pastor that "there is little spiritual value in falling off the deck even if, in so doing, one is immersed."
Again, there were those at Corinth who, in celebrating the Lord's Supper, failed to "discern the Lord's body" - first of all, as represented in the elements of the observance (Matt. 26:26-28; I Cor. 10:16; 11:17-27, etc.) and secondly, by the sacrilegious behavior whereby they not only descrated such, but in so doing violated that organic structure repeatedly designated in the apostolic writings as Christ's "body" (Rom. 1:25; I Cor. 12:27; Eph. 1:22,23; Col. 1:24; etc.). Significantly, failure at this point had, on occasion, led to not only physical illness but even death itself (I Cor. 11:17-34). At this point the Corinthian believers were dealing with more than mere symbolism.
It is similarly to be noted that there are present day instances in which, concurrent to receiving of the Lord's Table, God presence has been notably evidenced. We recall an occasion in our own ministry in which, following the Communion service, a member of the congregation asked to share a word. Upon receiving Communion he had experienced a physical healing. While having heard of similar instances, I had not previously observed such nor, for that matter, have I since witnessed an occurrence of this nature. It did, however, drive home a point never since forgotten.
Could it be that both those of a sacramental (i.e., spiritual reality) understanding and those viewing baptism and Communion within an essentially emblematic (i.e., ordinance) frame of reference might here learn from one another? We would so suggest.
In either instance, we would yet aver the sanctity of the ceremony.
Burl Ratzsch
