Two key rites that are integral to Christian expression that provide varying views within different organizations are baptism and communion (the Eucharist). Below are some of the differences, followed by Scripture upon which they are based.
Differences occur regarding baptism and its efficacy. Infant baptism is valid for many denominations. Contrasted to this, believer’s baptism is only valid for those who claim that a person has to be of age to make the decision to be baptized.
Baptism is variously regarded as:
- Unnecessary
- Necessary for salvation
- Necessary to receive the Holy Spirit
- Necessary for church membership
- The acknowledgment of repentance, the beginning of faith towards God
- An act of obedience in fulfillment of faith
- An outward expression of an internalized experience
- A testimony to one’s conviction
- Christian rite equivalent to circumcision
- Invocation and admittance into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- Invocation and admittance into the name of Lord Jesus Christ
When God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him. (1 Peter 3:20-22)
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.”
And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.”
On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve of them in all. (Acts 19:1-7)
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6)The Eucharist (the bread and the wine) is considered:
- Essential for salvation
- The actual body and blood of Lord Jesus Christ
- Symbolic of the body and blood of Lord Jesus Christ
- A declaration and celebration of the resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ
- A mere memorial
- An integral part of Sunday celebrations
- Attended to by the presence of Lord Jesus Christ
- A time of reflection and presentation and commitment
- A rite of no great significance performed monthly, quarterly,or yearly
- Only to be taken by church members
- Taken by all believers, even children
- Not to be admitted to children
- Only to be taken by those who consider themselves one of the elect
- Only to be taken by those who claim they are members of the 144,000
When you meet together….For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Partaking of the Supper UnworthilyOther differences are those who only accept the Gospels as valid, those who accept the writings of the Apostle Paul, those who accept the New Testament, those who accept the Old and New Testament.
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we should not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are chastened so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
(1 Corinthians 11:20,23-32)
Sabbath-keepers emphasize the observance of Saturday as binding. Many others claim the Sabbath has been changed to Sunday. Then there are those who assert the Bible teaches the Sabbath is a certain day called “today”.
Pentecostals see speaking in unknown tongues as evidence of the Holy Spirit. Charismatics see unknown tongues as one of the gifts. Those opposed to speaking in unknown tongues, see the practice as a manifestation of the Devil.
Roman Catholics see the Pope as the Vicar of Christ and able to appoint people in Heaven to do miracles, even though he cannot perform miracles himself. Although, he is supposed to be able to turn the bread and the wine into the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, along with all the other priests—the illusion is rather brilliant, as nobody ever sees it happen.
Churches that have statues within them have people bowing before the statues and praying to them (or who they represent, as the pagans do) rather than Lord Jesus Christ: the only mediator between man and God. Members of churches without statues pray only to Lord Jesus Christ or to the Heavenly Father directly.
End-time beliefs also vary widely and these affect people’s worldview and zeal for making converts. There are views that assert there is no 1000 year reign to come—amillennials. Those that believe in the 1000 year reign are often known as pre-millennials or post-millennials. Pre-millenials are broken up into pre-tribulationists, mid-tribulationists and post-tribulationists.
The above-mentioned, although not exhaustive, provide some indication of why their are so many differences within the world of Christendom’s denominations.
If Everybody Sought The Truth They Would Arrive At The Same Destination
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