Lionel,
We may just have to agree to disagree on this subject as well. Hopefully, I have at least encouraged more indepth study on this subject. The baptism that John the Baptist, Paul, Peter, and Christ emphazised was the baptism of the spirit into the body of Christ. Water baptism was merely a shadow of this reality. But let everyone be fully persuaded in their own minds regarding the necessity of water baptism and taking of communion.

Two good resources that have been helpful to me and my understanding on how the epistles fit into the chronology of the book of Acts are: The Untold Story of the New Testament Church by Viola and a Chronological Study Bible that was published in 2008. I do all of my “daily bible reading” in this bible as it is very cool! As you read through the gospels you get a consolidated gospel and then as it enters into Acts the epistles are inserted where they belong. This way as I am reading the NT, I read all the way through in chronological order. I love it. It does the same with the Old Covenant scriptures as well and it is quite helpful to see the psalms inserted in the historical books and a harmony of the Samuels, Kings & Chronicles. I highly recommend these study aids.

Paul mentions baptism for the dead in passing. NO ONE knows what this entails. There are no scriptural references outside of it. We don’t see anyone in the Gospels, OT, or Acts being baptized for the dead, so it seems to be a Corinthian issue not something Paul taught (just like Paul didn’t teach them to be divisive, to eat up all the food at the Lord’s supper, to put other gifts above lesser gifts, to wear head coverings, to speak in tongues as use it as a foundation for the church). Whatever those 2 verses mean, it wasn’t practiced by other churches nor is it any writings of the post-apostolic church fathers.

You keep talking about that like it is a big deal but it isn’t. However, baptism dominates through the entire book of Acts which the epistles are encompassed in. Not to mention Matthew is written way after and it seems that Matthew also has a high view of baptism, not to mention Peter in 2 Peter talks a great deal about baptism and what it parellels.

The scriptures are not on your side Jon, you keep flirting around them but Hutch and I both show you and prove historically that baptism and the “love feast” were normal part of the church’s existence. You brought up the word “ordiance”, the scriptures don’t use that word; however, it does show that it was practiced throughout the foundation and continuation of the church and has never stopped being practiced thereafter.

My response:
Yes, he got a revalation of what happen in the past and further understanding of its spirititual significance for the church. The purpose of his mentioning of it in I Cor was to make sure they understood the spiritual significance of it. Out of all the things that Paul instructs us to do in this life for Christ in all of his epistles, there is no mention of this or any other physical ordinance that we are commanded to observe. If you still think so, please provide your scriptural references.

You stated:
“Paul didn’t bring old customs over as he is very clear about that in Colossians 2, but baptism still Next where did the Corinthians learn “communion”? Who did they learn it from and if they are doing it and it isn’t important why didn’t Paul tell them to stop, instead of telling them how to do it correctly?”

My response:
Paul made it very clear that no physical ordinance is to be binding on the church. However, he states several times on how not to offend the weaker brother. Therefore, he was willing to be a Jew for the Jew in order to not offend the weak. He would abstain from eating meat if it offended the weaker brother but that does not make it a commandment for us to follow. He also mentions baptism for the dead. Why don’t you practice this since some in the early church and maybe still today observe it?

Is Acts 19 a “midpoint”? Paul had planted numerous of churches. Not only that Paul also gets his revelation from Christ Himself. Paul didn’t bring old customs over as he is very clear about that in Colossians 2, but baptism still Next where did the Corinthians learn “communion”? Who did they learn it from and if they are doing it and it isn’t important why didn’t Paul tell them to stop, instead of telling them how to do it correctly? That doesn’t make sense. Not to metion it is in the major writings of all the post-apostolic writings of the 1st and 2nd century as far as I know. At least Ignatius writes about both.

My response:
I do understand that some of the epitstles were written during the Acts period. My point is that as the early churched progressed in time you’ll notice that many of the old traditions were being done away with. Almost all references to water baptism and Communion/Lord’s Supper/Passover are all written in the early to mid Acts period or before. It is to be noted that during this same time period some in the early church were observing baptisms for the dead.

Are we to baptise the dead too just because some were practicing this in the early church?

And are there any other physical ordinances that we must observe?

You also stated:
“I don’t understand how you say that we don’t need to do it when the Corinthians are doing based off a revelation from Christ and this is to take place until Jesus returns.”

My response:
Paul was merely giving reference to that past event and how it now relates spiritually with us in how we should live our lives in Christ (spiritual communion).

Exactly. As I have spelled out time and again that we cannot isolate a verse and then give it our own meaning outside of the textual and situational context. Paul did indeed correct their mishandling of the Lords Supper, but his diagnosis was not for them to stop doing it, his diagnosis was to tell them how to do it properly, by sharing with the poor, by waiting for others, by examining their heart motivation and lives in light of what they are about to celebrate.

Jon-

You gotta read what it says above and below the verses you are isolating, to get the proper meaning from the scriptures.