Believer's baptism by immersion; Lord's Supper as memorial observance
Seventh Day Baptists practice believer's baptism by immersion as the normative form of baptism. Baptism is an ordinance commanded by Christ to be observed by all believers as a public declaration and symbol of their faith in Christ and identification with his death, burial, and resurrection. Baptism is not understood as efficacious for salvation but as a meaningful response to salvation already experienced through faith.
The Lord's Supper is the second ordinance, observed regularly by SDB congregations in remembrance of Christ's death. It is understood as a memorial meal — a symbolic representation of Christ's body and blood, not a literal or spiritual transformation of the bread and wine. The Supper serves to unite believers in their common faith and to anticipate Christ's future return.
The SDB tradition rejects sacramental theology and any notion that the ordinances convey grace ex opere operato (by the work done). Instead, the ordinances are means of grace through which faith is expressed and strengthened, but they derive their efficacy from the believer's prior faith in Christ and his ongoing work in the heart.
Key Distinctions
- Term used:
- ordinances
- Sacrament count:
- two (Baptism and Lord's Supper)
- Baptism mode:
- immersion
- Baptism recipients:
- believers only
- Eucharist presence:
- symbolic memorial
Scripture References
Sources
- Seventh-day Baptist General Conference Statement of Belief