Does the Lord's Supper have a higher standard of admission than Baptism?

[Peairtach]

Is access to baptism by a credible profession of faith, while access to the Lord's Supper by an accredited profession of faith, as Dr John Kennedy maintained in his "Days of the Fathers in Ross-shire"?

E.g.
Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.(I Corinthians 11:28, ESV)

There are not the same injunctions given regarding baptism - or the warnings associated with it - as a are given regarding the Lord's Supper.

 

[Bill The Baptist]

I think it is hard to compare the two because baptism is meant to be a one time event while the Lord's Supper is continual. All churches would claim to require salvation as a prerequisite to baptism, although their methods for discerning salvation may differ dramatically. While it is impossible to know with absolute certainty the condition of a man's heart, it should be the goal of any church to seek solid evidence of regeneration before baptising someone. If then we are requiring salvation as a prerequisite, then the standards should be just as high for baptism as for the Lord's Supper, albeit on a one time basis only.

 

[Skyler]

I think you're supposed to be baptized in order to partake, at least in most churches, so any qualifications for the Lord's Supper would be on top of those for baptism and hence stricter, right?

 

[Peairtach]

Well in Presbyterian churches a person who has been baptised as a child has to to go to the session if he/she wants to partake of the Lord's Supper for the first time. That is on top of that person's acceptance for baptism however many years ago. The paedocommunionists do not agree with the Confessions and Reformed practice on this.

An adult who comes for baptism, comes on the understanduing that he is also being accepted for the Lord's Table so he will be examined accordingly. I suppose it would be possible - and/or biblical? - to separate the time of his baptism from the time of his first Lord's Table by a period of catechesis.

The Scriptures indicate a relatively simple examination for baptism compared to the Lord's Supper, for which we have to examine ourselves each time we partake: -

E.g.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.(Matt 3:7, ESV)

And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.(Luke 3:3)

And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." (Acts 2:38-39)

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
(Acts 2:41)

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.(Acts 8:36-38)

And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.(Acts 16:33)

 

[Herald]

Is access to baptism by a credible profession of faith, while access to the Lord's Supper by an accredited profession of faith, as Dr John Kennedy maintained in his "Days of the Fathers in Ross-shire"?

Richard,

When Luther said, "All of life is repentance" he unwittingly touched on the true emphasis of 1 Cor. 11:28: repent and partake. If an individual has been accepted into the local church on the basis of a credible profession of faith, and their subsequent baptism, that is sufficient in order to partake of the Lord's Supper. It is expected that each believer will patrol his or her own heart in regards to sin and repent as necessary. We unnecessarily complicate the ordinance if we add more requirements.

 

[BertMulder]

I suppose it would be possible - and/or biblical? - to separate the time of his baptism from the time of his first Lord's Table by a period of catechesis.

In reformed churches, this catechesis is normally done prior to confession, so it can be a confession of knowledge, as well as confidence.... as faith is, after all, both knowledge and confidence.