Page 21 - Outline of Our Christian Faith

8.6 Is it appropriate to baptize infants?
Yes. Baptism is a sign of God’s promise that an infant is embraced in the covenant community of
the body of Christ, the Church. Those who in repentance and faith present infants to be baptized
vow to raise them in the knowledge and fear of the Lord, with the expectation that the child will,
one day, profess Christian faith as their own. That personal faith is then normally demonstrated at a
service of Confirmation when, as discerned by the elders of the congregation, the child reaches a
personal awareness, in which a testimony of their faith in Christ is shared. (Acts 2:39)

8.7 What signs of the Holy Spirit’s work do Christians hope and pray to see as a result of their
baptism?
They hope and pray that the Spirit who indwells them will help them become active members of a
Christian community; participate in worship; come to love studying the Bible; continually repent
and so return to God; serve their neighbors; strive for justice and peace; mature in the faith, love and
hope that are theirs in Christ; and purposefully share in Christ’s mission to the world through the
Church and their vocations. (Heb. 10:25; 12:14; 1 Pet. 3:15; 1 John 1:9; 2:1; Acts 1:8)

8.8 What is the meaning of the Lord’s Supper?
In the Lord’s Supper (also called Communion and the Eucharist), we partake of bread and wine in
remembrance of our Savior, proclaiming his death until he comes again. The Lord’s Supper is a
participation in the death and resurrection of our Lord. Just as the bread and wine become part of
our physical bodies, so we are made by grace to partake spiritually of Jesus Christ in his body and
blood. Thus, the Lord’s Supper declares to believers that in every aspect of their Christian life they
rely not on any obedience or righteousness of their own, but solely upon the grace of God in Christ.
(1 Cor. 11:23-26; 10:16; Matt. 26:26-28; 1 Cor. 1:9; 10:16-17; 2 Tim. 1:9)

8.9 What is required of people when they come to receive the Lord’s Supper?
That in response to the proclamation of the Word of God, they come to receive the grace of God
made available to all through Jesus Christ. They are to come to the Table with open hearts ready to
be identified with Christ, ready to depend upon him, ready to follow him, ready to give up whatever
stands in the way of living out of trust in him and in his Word to them. Coming to his Table, they
will have repented of their sins and be ready to leave behind any sin that might be revealed even at
the Table. They will come intending to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit to depend on Christ and
his faithfulness. Above all, they will receive Christ anew, rejoicing in the gift of communion they
can have with him and through him with the Father and the Spirit. They will do so looking forward
to Jesus’ return and the coming of the fullness of the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 11:27-32)

8.10 Who may receive the Lord's Supper?
All may receive it who receive Christ in faith, rejoicing in so great a gift, who confess their sins,
and who, in faith, intend to lead the new life that Christ shares with them. This includes children
who have expressed a desire to participate and have been instructed in the meaning of the sacrament
in a way they can understand. Receiving the Lord’s Supper will normally have taken place after the
person has been instructed and baptized, but for adults the Lord’s Supper can be received upon their
first hearing the Word of God proclaimed and, in response, desire to receive Christ by partaking of
it. Instruction and baptism would then normally follow. (Luke 13:29; 1 Cor. 11:2; Phil. 4:4)

8.11 What is expected of people after they have shared in the Lord’s Supper?
Having been renewed in their union with Christ and his people through sharing in the Lord’s
Supper, it is expected that they will continue by the Spirit and under the written Word of God to live
in holiness, avoiding sin, showing love and forgiveness to all, and serving others freely in gratitude
and in the hope of Christ’s return in power and glory. (1 Cor. 11:27-33)
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