In our church building I am glad that our communion table and the baptistery are located close to each other since there is an essential connection between them. Two statements by Paul, one about baptism and the other about the Lord's Supper indicate this relationship. In both cases he is discussing the danger of sin and how it can be dealt with.
In Romans 6:3 he says this about baptism: "How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death?" In baptism the death of Jesus, his shed blood, becomes effective in our lives.
In 1 Corinthians 10:6, in the context of discussing the sin of idolatry, he says this about the Lord's Supper: "Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?" In the Lord's Supper the blood of Jesus becomes effective in our lives, just as in baptism.
Does it offend you to talk about the blood of Jesus? It does some people. I know ministers who have tried to explain the sacrificial death of Jesus in ways that play down any reference to the blood of Jesus. This is not new. We had a highly respected choir director in college many years ago who was not only a classy lady but a dedicated Christian. She also had very high musical standards. She made it clear that the gospel hymn "Power in the Blood" was neither good music or, in her opinion, good theology. I can understand the revulsion for talking about the blood of Jesus. Some insensitive, fundamentalist preachers have gone to great lengths to portray the gross and hideous details of crucifixion, linked this to the many sins of their listeners and succeeded in laying a great burden of guilt upon them.
And yet, in the New Testament, the writers chose to use the word "blood" three times as often as the "cross of Christ," and five times as frequently as "death". What do we mean when we speak about the "blood of Jesus?" Language is symbolic. It points to something. To speak about the blood of Jesus being effective in baptism and the Lord's Supper means several things. Like any good metaphor it has several meanings but one is enough for us to see the connection between baptism and the Lord's Supper.
Among other things, it means cleansing. 1 John 1:7 tells us that "the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin." Dr Brand and Philip Yancy in their book, In His Image, explain how blood in our bodies carries away harmful chemical by-products that could threaten life. "Just as blood cleanses the body of harmful metabolites, forgiveness through Christ's blood cleanses away the waste products, sins, that impede true health" (77). One of the functions of blood is to cleanse.
It used to be that Saturday night was bath night -- you took a bath once a week whether you needed it or not. When finished you were clean all over. Of course, it would not be long before you would have to wash your hands again. Its like that with baptism and the Lord's Supper. In baptism we are totally cleansed of sin -- but that doesn't mean we never sin again. God in his grace has provided access to cleansing each week as we come to the table.
