What are "the ordinances" of the Church?

1 Corinthians 11:1 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

Most religious organizations such as the "Church of Christ" and others teach that 1 Corinthians 11:2 is referring to "the two ordinances of the local church, water baptism and the Lord's supper". This teaching is derived from not obeying the seven rules of Bible study as given by God...

Rules of interpretation:

• Rule #1: Do not "interpret" anything (Gen. 40:8, 2 Pet. 1:20).

• Rule #2: Believe what you are reading, have faith in it and do not doubt its authority. Receive it as the word of God, not the word of man (Heb. 4:2, 1 Thes. 2:13, 2 Pet. 1:21, Tit. 2:15).  

• Rule #3: Take heed to the Bible "as it is written", do not spiritualize or philosophize the words of scripture. Christ and His ministers preached the Bible plainly as it is written (Matt. 26:24, Mark 1:2, 7:6, 9:13, 14:21, Luke 2:23, 3:4, John 6:31, 12:14, Acts 7:42, 15:15, Rom. 1:17, 2:24, 3:4, 3:10, 4:17, 8:36, 9:13, 9:33, 10:15, 11:8, 11:26, 15:3, 15:9, 15:21, etc.)

• Rule #4: Do not alter the words of God by subtracting or adding to them nor be ashamed of them (Deut. 4:2,  Prov. 13:13, 30:5-6, Jer. 23:30, 23:36, Mark 9:38, Luke 9:26, Rev. 22:18-19).

• Rule #5: Rightly divide the Bible, acknowledge the proper divisions that exist throughout God's differing dispensations/revelations to man. Put God's dealings in there proper order (2 Tim. 2:15-18).

• Rule #6: The Holy Ghost teaches the person that compares scripture with scripture in order to understand it (1 Cor. 2:13, John 6:63).

• Rule #7: Handle the word of God in sincerity and honesty. Do not handle it deceitfully, which is "proof texting" and reading what you already believe into the Bible (2 Cor. 2:17, 4:2).  

There are many scriptural problems with making 1 Corinthians 11:2 refer to "two ordinances" of the local church. The first problem is that 1 Corinthians 11:2 does not mention "two ordinances", everybody says that it is referring to two ordinances when it does not mention "two". It simply says "ordinances", that could be any amount of ordinances (plural). The second problem is that water baptism has not been mentioned since 1 Corinthians chapter one and it wasn't referred to as a command/ordinance, so why would 1 Corinthians 11:2 be referring to water baptism? Judging by what Paul says about water baptism and what he says about the "ordinances", he was not referring to the same thing....

1 Corinthians 1:14-17 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

1 Corinthians 11:1-2 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

Reading what Paul says about water baptism and what he says about the ordinances, it is obvious that he is not referring to the same thing.

Water Baptism: "I thank God that I baptized none of you"
Ordinances: "Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances"

Water Baptism: "I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize"
Ordinances: "Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things"

Water Baptism: "Christ sent me not to baptize"
Ordinances: "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ"

Paul rebukes the Corinthians for their water baptism divisions and expresses that he really didn't care if he baptized them or how many of them he baptized. Christ did not send him to baptize, so he did not care. However, that is the exact opposite of what he says about the ordinances. He says that he praised them for how they were keeping the ordinances and that he knew they were keeping them (obviously he was keeping up with the practice of these ordinances, unlike water baptism).

Next, was the Lord's supper in mind when he said "I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you"? Of course not. The verses do not say that. People will say "but Paul mentions the Lord's supper in the same chapter". That is true, but between 1 Corinthians 11:1-2 and his discussion of the Lord's supper in verses 17-34 Paul talks about hair lengths for men and women! Wouldn't this make hair lengths one of the ordinances of verses 1 and 2? Not really. Look at the verses carefully....

1 Corinthians 11:
[1] Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. (the context of this statement is not offending people when you are trying to reach them with the gospel--see the last part of chapter 10:23-33)
[2] Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. (This is referring to ordinances Paul had already given, past tense. He is not giving them again in 1 Corinthians 11.)
[3] But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. (Paul is moving on from the "ordinances" in verse 2, he is bringing up something new that he had not commanded the Corinthians before and that they did not keep in remembrance. "But I would have you know..." is a contrasting statement from verse 2. Nothing past verse 2 has anything to do with the ordinances.)

Therefore Paul's statement in verse 2 has nothing to do with the Lord's supper in verses 17-34, verse 3 transitioned away from "the ordinances".

Another obvious reason why 1 Corinthians 11:2 cannot be referring to the Lord's supper is that what Paul says about "the ordinances" and what he says about the Lord's supper are completely different.

"THE ORDINANCES": 1 Corinthians 11:1-2 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

Now look and see if Paul "praised" the Corinthians in their practice of the Lord's supper. Look and see if they were remembering what Paul said about it. Look and see if they were doing it as he delivered it to them. 

THE LORD'S SUPPER: 11:17-34
[17] Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.
[18] For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
[19] For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
[20] When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.
[21] For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
[22] What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
[23] For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
[24] And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
[25] After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
[26] For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
[27] Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
[28] But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
[29] For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
[30] For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
[31] For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
[32] But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
[33] Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.
[34] And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.

Since the "ordinances" are not water baptism or the Lord's supper, what are they? The word of God defines "ordinance" as something that God has commanded or ordained. Hebrews 9:1-6 defines an "ordinance" as something God ordained...."Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.....Now when these things were thus ordained...". The word "ordained" just means appointed/instituted/established according to Webster's 1828 dictionary and the usage of the word in Scripture. Therefore there are dozens of ordinances, not for the local church, but for individual Christians.

Examples of ordinances for Christians can be found in Romans 13:1-2, Titus 3:1-2, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:14-22, 2 Timothy 2:15, Ephesians 4:1, 4:22-32, 5:1-23, 6:1-18, etc. 

The Church which is the Body of Christ has no symbolic ceremonial ordinances (Colosians 2:8-23, Ephesians 2:8-22, Galatians 5:1-11, 6:12-15, Philippians 3:1-9). 

The Lord's supper is never said to be an ordinance for the Body of Christ or that it is commanded. It is an optional memorial of Christ's death. Paul did not command us to take the Lord's supper, it is optional. "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come." It is certainly not suppose to be done every week as the Catholics and the "church of christ" teach, "When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper." The Lord's supper is a heart issue, not a command. God doesn't want people to take the Lord's supper because it is commanded, He wants us to take it because we glory in the cross and the blood He shed for us there. If someone does not take the Lord's supper, it is not a big deal. "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink" (Col. 2:16). "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Rom. 14:17)

--Eli Caldwell