Week 13: Basic Symbols
There are many symbols in the Scripture which point to Messiah. However, as far as those commanded for New Covenant believers, the Lord gave us two that testify of Him: Immersion and Communion. These are both aspects of our salvation. Immersion is done only once for it represents the once-for-all salvation a believer has in Yeshua (Ephesians 4:5). But Communion celebrated regularly, since it represents the continuing testimony of Messiah’s saving atonement for our sins. Both were instituted by the commands of our Lord (Matthew 28:19; First Corinthians 11:23-26).
Immersion: Faithful disciples follow Yeshua’s commandments, which include the act of Immersion. Then Yeshua came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on the earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, immersing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh” (Matthew 28:18-19). The original intent of Immersion implied being submerged into the water. The word Immersion comes from the Greek word baptizo, meaning to dip, immerse or plunge (Mark 7:4; Luke 11:38). This term is also used in the textile trade for dyeing clothes, and would also describe a sunken ship. As a result, when Immersion was practiced in the Scriptures, it was always near plenty of water (John 3:23).
The symbolism of Immersion is a picture of what was spiritually accomplished when you came to faith in Yeshua. It is an outward manifestation of an inward reality. When you trusted in Messiah, you were spiritually Baptized into the Body of Messiah by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. This is a onetime event enabling you to live out Messiah’s love and supernaturally empowering you to serve as a member of His Body (First Corinthians 12:13). Thus, physical Immersion pictures your salvation experience. Coming up out of the water is like your being raised up with Messiah, picturing His death and resurrection, “If we have been united with Him in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:5-6). You have a new life in Messiah.
Communion: Yeshua instituted Communion while celebrating Passover with His apostles (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24). The feast of Passover is a yearly reminder of God’s redemption of His people from Egyptian bondage (Exodus 12). Yeshua used the third cup, traditionally called the Cup of Redemption, to represent Himself in the Seder meal (see my commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Kk – The Third Cup of Redemption). At Passover, the blood of the lamb kept judgment from the Israelites, as God said: when I see the blood I will pass over you (Exodus 12:13). Yeshua initiated the New Covenant in His blood as a picture of the fullness of this redemption (Jeremiah 31:31; Luke 22:20).
Paul gives more detail about Communion when he said: For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till he comes (First Corinthians 11:26). What is the significance of the phrase till He comes? When Yeshua returns, we will no longer need the symbols, for the Reality will be with us! That is why it is for believers only – a testimony of faith in Yeshua’s death, resurrection, and return.
Both elements, the bread and the cup, are vitally important. The bread reminds us that He gave His body as payment for the sin debt we owed God (Second Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 10:5-10). Through His sacrifice we have forgiveness from God. The cup reminds us of His blood which cleanses the stain of sin (First John 1:7). Through the shedding of His blood, we have fellowship with God. In addition to Immersion and Communion, Tithing is an important aspect in the life of every believer.
Tithing: While we are still commanded to tithe today, most of us are not thinking of the tithe during the Dispensation of the Torah which would amount to about twenty-five percent! Giving in the Dispensation of Grace is proportionate. Today, giving is to be personally determined. Second Corinthians 9:7 tells us that each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. We are to give freely out of what the LORD has given freely. The cycle applies not only to material giving but also to every form of giving that is done sincerely to honor God and to meet a need. The way of God’s people has always been the way of giving. To guide us, the Bible teaches seven principles of scriptural giving.
First, giving from the heart is investing with God. “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use it, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38). Paul reiterated Messiah’s words when he wrote to the believers at Corinth, saying: Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously (Second Corinthians 9:6).
Second, genuine giving is to be sacrificial. David refused to give to the LORD that which cost him nothing. He insisted on paying for the threshing floor on which to build an altar to the LORD (Second Samuel 24:18-24). Generosity is not measured by the size of the gift itself, but by its size in comparison to what is possessed. The widow who put “two very small copper coins into the treasury gave more than all the others who gave large sums because they all gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything she had to live on” (Mark 12:42-44; Luke 21:2-4).
Third, responsibility for giving has no relationship to how much the person has. People who are not generous when they are poor will not be generous when they are rich. They might give a larger amount, but they will not give a larger proportion. “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16:10). It is especially important to teach younger children to give generously to God with whatever small amounts of money they receive, because the attitudes and patterns they set as children are likely to carry over into adulthood. God doesn’t need your money, but He wants your heart.
Fourth, material giving correlates to spiritual blessing. To those who are not faithful with mundane things such as money and other possessions, Messiah will not entrust things that are of far greater value. “So, if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own” (Luke 16:11-12).
Fifth, giving is to be personally determined. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (Second Corinthians 9:7). Righteous giving is done from a righteous and generous heart, not from legalistic percentages of quotas. The Macedonian believers gave abundantly out of their deep financial poverty because spiritually they were rich in love (Second Corinthians 8:1-2). The Philippian believers gave out of the spontaneous generosity of their hearts, not because they felt compelled to do so (Philippians 4:15-18).
Sixth, we are to give in response to need. The early messianic community in Jerusalem gave their resources without hesitation. Many of their fellow believers had become destitute when they trusted in Messiah and were ostracized from their families and lost employment because of their faith. Years later Paul collected money from the Galatian churches to help meet the great needs that continued to exist among the righteous of the TaNaKh in Jerusalem and that had been intensified by famine.
There have always been charlatans who manufacture needs and play on the sympathy of others. And there have always been professional beggars, who are able to work but would rather not. A believer in Yeshua has no responsibility to support such people and should take reasonable care to determine if and when real need exists before giving money. Believers with the gift of discernment are especially helpful in this regard. The one who is unwilling to work, Paul said: shall not eat (Second Thessalonians 3:10). Encouraging laziness weakens the character of the one who is lazy and also wastes God’s money.
Seventh, giving demonstrates love, not man-made commandments. The New Covenant contains no commands for specified amounts or percentages of giving. We need to support those who feed us spiritually (Matthew 10:5-11; Luke 9:1-5; First Timothy 5:17-18), but after that the percentage we give will be determined by the love of our own hearts and the needs of others. Under grace, believers are free from the demands of the Torah.
All of these seven principles in scriptural giving point to the obligation to give generously because we are investing in the Lord’s work, because we are willing to sacrifice for Him who sacrificed Himself for us, because it has no bearing on how much we have, because we want spiritual riches more than financial riches, because we have personally determined to give, because we want to meet as much need as we can, and because our love compels us to give. As in every area of our righteousness, the key is the heart, the inner attitude that should motivate what we say and do.
God does not need our gifts, because He is entirely self-sufficient. The need is on our part. Paul to the church at Philippi: I am not seeking the gift; rather, I am looking for what will increase the credit of balance in your spiritual account (Philippians 4:17). “When we give to the needy . . . then our Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward us” (Matthew 6:4b). The principle is this: if we remember, God will forget; but we forget, God will remember. Our purpose should be to meet every need we are able to meet and leave the bookkeeping to Him, realizing that we have only done what was our duty (Luke 17:10).
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