Baptist
Baptist churches, emphasizing believer's baptism, the gathered church, and Scripture alone.
Like all the Christian traditions here, this one shares the common faith of the creeds (see what Christians hold in common). What follows is where it reads the contested passages distinctively.
How Baptist reads the contested passages
The Supper is a memorial: bread and wine symbolize Christ's body and blood as the church remembers his death until he comes. John 6 speaks of believing, not the ordinance.
Key points: "Do this in remembrance of me"; the symbols point back to the once-for-all cross; faith, not the elements, conveys grace.
Representative voices: Ulrich Zwingli
Sources: 1689 Baptist Confession ch. 30; 1 Cor 11:24–26
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Baptism is for those who have repented and believed — a believer's immersion that portrays union with Christ's death and resurrection. It symbolizes, but does not effect, forgiveness.
Key points: Repentance precedes baptism (the order of Acts 2:38); immersion as the NT mode; no infant baptism.
Sources: 1689 Baptist Confession ch. 29; Rom 6:3–4
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