Comparison of Baptism and Lord's Supper Practices
Christian traditions have never agreed on how baptism and the Lord's Supper should be practiced, who should receive them, or what they accomplish. The disagreements run deep—touching mode, recipients, frequency, and theological meaning—and they have persisted since the Reformation, if not earlier.
The Sacraments: Shared Ground
All major Christian traditions recognize baptism and the Lord's Supper as ordinances instituted by Christ. The Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England state plainly: "There are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the Gospel, that is to say, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord" [4]. Baptism was commanded in Matthew 28:19-20, and the Lord's Supper was instituted on the night Jesus ate the Passover with his disciples, likely at the third cup of the feast [2]. Both are understood as public acts of the church, not private devotions. Both involve physical elements—water, bread, wine—and both are tied to Christ's death and resurrection. Beyond this, the consensus fractures.
Baptism: Mode and Meaning
The mode of baptism divides traditions sharply. Baptists insist that "baptize" means "to dip," and nothing else, though this view is contested [1]. Immersionists argue that the New Testament pattern—Jesus' baptism in the Jordan, Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch going "down into the water"—requires full immersion. Paedobaptist traditions (those who baptize infants) practice sprinkling or pouring, arguing that the mode is secondary to the covenant sign. The Anglican Articles describe baptism as "a sign of Regeneration or new Birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church" [5]. This language—"instrument," "grafted"—suggests baptism effects something, not merely symbolizes it.
Reformed and Presbyterian traditions hold that baptism is the New Covenant counterpart to circumcision, the sign of inclusion in God's people. On this reading, the children of believers are baptized because they belong to the covenant community, just as Israelite infants were circumcised. Baptists reject this analogy, insisting that baptism follows a credible profession of faith. For them, baptism is "the public profession of faith and discipleship" [3], and infants cannot profess faith. The disagreement is not merely about timing but about the nature of the church: is it a covenant community (including children) or a gathered assembly of believers only?
The theological meaning of baptism also varies. Some traditions teach that baptism regenerates—that it is the moment of new birth. The Anglican Articles say baptism is a sign "whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church" and that "the promises of forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed" [5]. Others, particularly in the Baptist and evangelical traditions, view baptism as an outward sign of an inward grace already received. Baptism "signifies" confession of faith and cleansing from sin [3], but does not itself confer regeneration. The New Testament language is contested: does Romans 6:3-4 describe what baptism does or what it pictures?
The Lord's Supper: Presence and Participation
The Lord's Supper divides traditions even more sharply. The central question is Christ's presence in the elements. Roman Catholics teach transubstantiation: the bread and wine become, in substance, the body and blood of Christ, though their physical properties remain unchanged. Lutherans teach consubstantiation (though they reject the term): Christ is present "in, with, and under" the bread and wine. Reformed traditions teach a spiritual presence: Christ is truly present by the Holy Spirit, but not physically in the elements. Baptists and many evangelicals teach memorialist views: the bread and wine are symbols, and the Supper is a memorial act, not a means of grace.
These differences shape practice. Catholics reserve the consecrated host and practice adoration of the Eucharist. Lutherans and Anglicans typically celebrate the Supper weekly or at least frequently. Many Baptist and evangelical churches observe it monthly or quarterly, treating it as a memorial rather than a repeatable sacrifice or a means of ongoing grace. The frequency reflects the theology: if the Supper is a means of grace, it should be frequent; if it is a memorial, less frequent observance suffices.
Who may receive the Supper is also contested. Catholics practice "closed communion," restricting the table to baptized Catholics in a state of grace. Many Lutheran and Reformed churches practice "close communion," admitting only those who share their confession. Baptist churches often practice "open communion," welcoming all baptized believers. Some traditions fence the table with warnings (based on 1 Corinthians 11:27-29); others emphasize the invitation to all who trust Christ.
Why Traditions Diverge
The divergence stems from different hermeneutical commitments. Traditions that emphasize covenant theology read the sacraments as signs and seals of God's promises, effective by the Spirit's work. Traditions that emphasize believer's baptism and congregational autonomy read the sacraments as acts of obedience and public testimony. The former tend toward sacramental realism (the signs convey what they signify); the latter toward symbolic memorialism (the signs represent what has already occurred).
Historical context also matters. The Reformation debates over the Mass shaped Protestant sacramental theology. Luther retained much of the medieval sacramental framework while rejecting transubstantiation and the sacrificial interpretation. Calvin moved further, emphasizing the Spirit's role in making Christ present. Zwingli moved furthest, treating the Supper as a memorial. Anabaptists rejected infant baptism entirely, seeing it as a corruption introduced after the apostolic age. Each tradition's sacramental practice reflects its broader ecclesiology and soteriology.
The disagreements persist because they touch foundational questions: What is the church? How does grace work? What role do physical signs play in spiritual realities? These are not peripheral matters but central to Christian identity and practice.
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Baptism, Christian — An ordinance immediately instituted by Christ (Matt. 28:19, 20), and designed to be observed in the church, like that of the Supper, "till he come." The words "baptize" and "baptism" are simply Greek words transferred into English. This was necessarily done by the translators of the Scriptures, for no literal translation could properly express all that is implied in them. The mode of baptism can in no way be determined from the Greek word rendered "baptize." Baptists say that it means "to dip," and nothing else. That is an incorrect view of the m”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Lords Supper — The words which thus describe the great central act of the worship of the Christian Church occur but in a single passage of the New Testament-- (1 Corinthians 11:20) + Its institution .--It was instituted on that night when Jesus and his disciples met together to eat the passover, (Matthew 26:19; Mark 14:16; Luke 22:13) (on Thursday evening, April 6, A.D. 30). It was probably instituted at the third cup (the cup of blessing) of the passover [see on [821]Passover], Jesus taking one of the unleavened cakes used at the feast and breaking it and giving it t”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Baptism — It is well known that ablution or bathing was common in most ancient nations as a preparation for prayers and sacrifice or as expiatory of sin. In warm countries this connection is probably even closer than in colder climates; and hence the frequency of ablution in the religious rites throughout the East. Baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost is the rite or ordinance by which persons are admitted into the Church of Christ. It is the public profession of faith and discipleship. Baptism signifies-- + A confession of faith in Christ; + A cleansi”
- Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican) “Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican, 1571), Section 262: There are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the Gospel, that is to say, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord.”
- Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican) “Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican, 1571), Section 269: Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and mark of difference, whereby Christian men are discerned from others that be not christened, but it is also a sign of Regeneration or new Birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church; the promises of forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed; Faith is confirmed, and Grace increased by virtue of prayer unto God. The Baptism of young Children is in any wise to be reta”