The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Looking For a Church

One of the crucial questions that needs to be addressed is: Since he is not a member, which is applicable to all who are non-members because they will not submit to the requirement of rebaptism by immersion, then in all likelihood admittance to the Lord's Supper is denied. This is the case in the majority of such cases. Is it true in your friend's situation, i.e., as a non-member, is he denied the sacraments. And if so, how could he be "ok with that"???

Of course, if like most Baptists he considers the Lord's Supper to be a simple "remembrance" (ordinance) and not an actual sacrament where grace is given to true believers, then I could understand if he has little concern.

The other issue, which we have discussed here is the sad reality that if a local church denies membership to someone who has given a credible confession of faith and recognized to be so by the elder(s) because of the requirement to be immersed in water even though the applicant has already been baptized, and even as an adult, then de facto, the church's position is that the person is relegated to the same status as one who has been excommunicated (non-communicato), aka: barred from fellowship with the saints and the sacraments instituted by God for the saints because of either unrepentant sin or errant in doctrine or both.