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Enter the Water, Come to the Table: Baptism and Lord's Supper in the Bible's Story of New Creation
A rich resource for renewing the practice of the sacraments in a way that encourages faithful discipleship in a hostile cultural environment. As evangelicals and other Christians continue the renewal and deepening of their practice of the sacraments, Enter the Water, Come to the Table provides an accessible study. It explores the meaning and practice of baptism and the Lord's supper through the lens of the biblical story's movement from creation to new creation. Rooting this sacramental journey in the Exodus of Israel, this book shows how Jesus inaugurates a new Exodus from old creation into new creation. Jesus' own baptism and table fellowship with his disciples embody the kingdom of God as new creation realities. And in light of Jesus' death and resurrection, baptism and the Lord's supper not only promise a future but they mediate a transforming experience of new life now.
192 pages, Paperback
First published April 27, 2014
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39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 14, 2023
This book was immensely helpful. Hicks offers a “sacramental” theology of both baptism and the Lord’s Supper that gives new life and significance to these practices. He also charts a very practical vision for how we might better tie these sacraments to the story of Scripture, running from “from creation to new creation.”
May 7, 2023
Wow! This was a great recommendation! There is a new sense of joy that surrounds the sacraments of baptism and partaking in the Eucharist after reading this. Thank you God for these gifts.
November 9, 2015
An excellent, concise look at what God is actually doing in baptism and the Lord's Supper, and how we can deepen our understanding of these sacraments (yeah, I used the 'S' word). The Restoration Movement has always emphasized these practices, and this book both reminds us why they're important for Christian identity, and calls us to renew our practice in even deeper ways.
January 31, 2024
This is a negative review because I expected more from Hicks. However, that doesn't mean that it is all bad...just most of it.
There were many minor issues all through the book but my first moment of strong rejection came on page 102. It is when he said the following: "The Messianic reign of Jesus is the reign of new humanity preparing a new Jerusalem for a new heaven and earth."
We do not prepare the New Jerusalem. Jesus prepares it for us. He got it exactly backwards and in a pretty pernicious way. Jesus says in John 14:2-3 "...I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." As the bridegroom He prepares a place for the church (his bride) and when it is complete He comes and takes His bride to it. That is the metaphor all through the NT. There is just no getting around it. Rev 21:2 says, "Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." I think his misunderstanding here comes from the influence of NT Wright on the renewal of the present creation through the work of spreading the gospel...but I am not sure. Whatever, the reason he gets it completely backward.
I then finally tapped out after he claimed that children raised in Christian homes don't ever really fall away from God's presence. He says on page 130, "But I question the theological underpinnings of the notion that our children move from 'safe' to 'lost' to 'saved' (once baptized). My daughter always believed in Jesus. There was never a time when she did not believe." Well, the process that he described is literally the ENTIRE story of the Bible. From Adam who "walked with God" and then later rebelled to the parable of the lost son. We all at some point chose to rebel against God's perfect law. That is why he is the "lost son." He rebelled against his father and wanted to seek his own way.
Both of these examples are basic, foundational theology that he gets completely wrong. I understand that there is often a desire for "new ideas" within the scholarly community but I prefer the beauty found in the beliefs of 2,000 years of Christian tradition.
There were many minor issues all through the book but my first moment of strong rejection came on page 102. It is when he said the following: "The Messianic reign of Jesus is the reign of new humanity preparing a new Jerusalem for a new heaven and earth."
We do not prepare the New Jerusalem. Jesus prepares it for us. He got it exactly backwards and in a pretty pernicious way. Jesus says in John 14:2-3 "...I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." As the bridegroom He prepares a place for the church (his bride) and when it is complete He comes and takes His bride to it. That is the metaphor all through the NT. There is just no getting around it. Rev 21:2 says, "Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." I think his misunderstanding here comes from the influence of NT Wright on the renewal of the present creation through the work of spreading the gospel...but I am not sure. Whatever, the reason he gets it completely backward.
I then finally tapped out after he claimed that children raised in Christian homes don't ever really fall away from God's presence. He says on page 130, "But I question the theological underpinnings of the notion that our children move from 'safe' to 'lost' to 'saved' (once baptized). My daughter always believed in Jesus. There was never a time when she did not believe." Well, the process that he described is literally the ENTIRE story of the Bible. From Adam who "walked with God" and then later rebelled to the parable of the lost son. We all at some point chose to rebel against God's perfect law. That is why he is the "lost son." He rebelled against his father and wanted to seek his own way.
Both of these examples are basic, foundational theology that he gets completely wrong. I understand that there is often a desire for "new ideas" within the scholarly community but I prefer the beauty found in the beliefs of 2,000 years of Christian tradition.
January 18, 2022
Fantastic book on the biblical theology undergirding the church's central practices of baptism and the Lord's Supper. Could have quoted nearly the whole book in this review.
"The church, as the descendant of Israel, relives Israel's own sacramental moments through the church's sacraments. The church, grafted into Israel, celebrates the redemptive meaning of the exodus in our own baptism, continues to eat a thanksgiving meal at a table in God's presence, and comes 'before the Lord' in the assembling of the saints. The story of salvation is one. God has acted and continues to act through the gracious gift of the sacraments. As Christians, we remember our baptismal identity, eat with God at the table, and encounter God when we assemble. Israel's sacramental journey is our own."
"The church, as the descendant of Israel, relives Israel's own sacramental moments through the church's sacraments. The church, grafted into Israel, celebrates the redemptive meaning of the exodus in our own baptism, continues to eat a thanksgiving meal at a table in God's presence, and comes 'before the Lord' in the assembling of the saints. The story of salvation is one. God has acted and continues to act through the gracious gift of the sacraments. As Christians, we remember our baptismal identity, eat with God at the table, and encounter God when we assemble. Israel's sacramental journey is our own."
November 25, 2017
It was helpful at challenging my perspective on baptism. I also really appreciate his analysis of the Lord’s Supper as a celebration of the new creation in the living Christ as opposed to a mourning of the crucified Christ. I recommend this book because I think it will challenge anyone to reconsider their understandings of baptism and communion no matter what denomination they come from.
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February 2, 2021Jesus Is Delicious. Come And Taste!
Video Length: 45 seconds.
https://youtu.be/di7JirqBZKo
Video Length: 45 seconds.
https://youtu.be/di7JirqBZKo
August 12, 2016
John Mark Hicks has been a brother, mentor, and one-time travel companion of mine since my time at Lipscomb University. Few academics impress me as much as John Mark in their ability to retain so much information, recollect it without aid, and express it in a way that is fitting for any given audience. (In the loving words of a fellow professor, “We hate him because we all know he can teach all of our classes and probably do it better.”) His website, johnmarkhicks.com, hosts a wealth of information, and I’m not sure where he finds the time to blog as much as he does!
Enter the Water, Come to the Table: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper in Scripture’s Story of New Creation is indicative of John Mark Hicks’ ability to unify differing perspectives by way of addressing their preferred semantics and expressing them in a more cohesive and understandable manner. Some themes and terms specific to this book that fall into this practice are baptism, communion (the Lord’s Supper), sacraments, and eschatology. No matter where you fall on the Christian theological spectrum, there is something to be gained by reading Hicks’ perspective; you may even discover similarities with others that were once thought to be differences over which separation was worth the fight!
In his latest book, Hicks aptly pulls his readers into the biblical narrative and shows them how both baptism and the Lord’s Supper have been and are expressed from the beginning of creation to the renewal of all things in the new creation (the new heavens and the new earth), demonstrating their far reaching influence and importance in and on the lives of God’s people. Rather than summarize or provide bullet points that may be found therein, I simply encourage you to get a copy and read without any preconceived notions as to that with which you may or may not agree.
For readers of my blog in my more immediate geographical location, what Hicks extensively describes as “bringing back the table” has been demonstrated in our house church (Durough House Communion), with fewer specific formalities, since January 2012. For those interested in learning and experiencing more about bringing back the table in communion, feel free to contact us!
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from ACU Press/Leafwood Publishers as part of their ACU Press Bookclub Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Enter the Water, Come to the Table: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper in Scripture’s Story of New Creation is indicative of John Mark Hicks’ ability to unify differing perspectives by way of addressing their preferred semantics and expressing them in a more cohesive and understandable manner. Some themes and terms specific to this book that fall into this practice are baptism, communion (the Lord’s Supper), sacraments, and eschatology. No matter where you fall on the Christian theological spectrum, there is something to be gained by reading Hicks’ perspective; you may even discover similarities with others that were once thought to be differences over which separation was worth the fight!
In his latest book, Hicks aptly pulls his readers into the biblical narrative and shows them how both baptism and the Lord’s Supper have been and are expressed from the beginning of creation to the renewal of all things in the new creation (the new heavens and the new earth), demonstrating their far reaching influence and importance in and on the lives of God’s people. Rather than summarize or provide bullet points that may be found therein, I simply encourage you to get a copy and read without any preconceived notions as to that with which you may or may not agree.
For readers of my blog in my more immediate geographical location, what Hicks extensively describes as “bringing back the table” has been demonstrated in our house church (Durough House Communion), with fewer specific formalities, since January 2012. For those interested in learning and experiencing more about bringing back the table in communion, feel free to contact us!
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from ACU Press/Leafwood Publishers as part of their ACU Press Bookclub Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
November 14, 2015
I enjoyed reading this book. I particularly appreciated the author's treatment of the Lord's supper. His points left me with a lot of food for thought. It is always good to look at the things we do routinely and see them in a new light. Doing so takes away the routine attitude toward what is sacred and central to our faith. As always John Mark Hicks causes his readers to think, and rethink what it is they do and why. I recommend it as a thought provoking study of baptism and the Lord's supper.
September 17, 2014
This book goes a long way in restoring the meaning and beauty of baptism, which in my tradition, has become something one HAS to do to be SAVED. It also goes a long way in expanding our idea of the Lord's Supper/Communion/Eucharist, which we have turned into a rote ritual.
The best part of this book is chapters 6 and 7, A Renewed for Practice of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. It will be nice to see congregations experiment with some of these ideas!
The best part of this book is chapters 6 and 7, A Renewed for Practice of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. It will be nice to see congregations experiment with some of these ideas!
November 5, 2014
Hicks does a great job of connecting dots in the Bible, identifying and explaining the meaning of baptism and communion within the context of the entire Biblical narrative. Quite good.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews