God uses earthly visible things to teach heavenly invisible spiritual truths. The practices, whether it be Water Baptism or Lord’s Table, themselves cannot save anybody, as we see in the example of Simon the Sorcerer. If we set our minds on earthly visible things then we are lost. We can understand Bible and come to right understanding only if we follow God prescribed methodology of comparing scripture with scripture as Holy Spirit guides us. Also nothing we can do on our part can qualify us for Salvation. Salvation is an unmerited favor ‘Grace’.
John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth [make you alive]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
1 Cor 2:12-14 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
- God gave the practice of Lord’s table to remind us of Christ’s Atonement for our sins. It is a replacement for old testament ceremonial Passover feast. The Ceremonial laws and practices do not have any spiritual benefit except they teach and point to the true sacrifice of Christ as the Passover Lamb.
1 Cor 10:16-17 “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.”
- Lord Jesus Christ is the ‘Bread of Life’ broken for our sins. The Jews and Desciples understood it in earthly visible terms, as their eyes were not opened to the invisible heavenly spiritual truths. ‘The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’, ‘Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?’
- Bread of Life is Lord Jesus Christ and Lord Jesus Christ is the Word of God in flesh. It is the Word of God that we need to feed on.
Matt 4:3-4 “And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
John 6:32-35 “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
John 6:51 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth [make you alive]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
- It is the Christ’s Blood that makes an Atonement for the Soul. Why Blood? because Life is in Blood. God gave His own Life to redeem us from Second death.
Lev 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”
Exo 12:5 “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:”
Heb 10:4 “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”
1 Pet 1:18-20 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,”
Rev 1:5 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
- Similarly Water Baptism is an earthly visible thing to teach us invisible heavenly spiritual truth that we are to be washed in Christ’s blood to be in the right standing with God. God has to pay for our sins and convict us of our sins to repentance by blessing His Word to our Hearts through the Holy Spirit. This is the same way God granted Salvation to Old Testament believers too. The difference is that the Old Testament believers looked forward to the blood of Christ, and the New Testament believers look back to the cross.
John 3:5 “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”
Rom 10:17 declares “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Eph 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it [the Church, Elect of God]; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
1 Cor 12:13 “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
Rom 6:3-5 “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:”
Rev 5:9-12 “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 11And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.