Fundies and footwashing

[premilldispensationalist]

What is your attitude to footwashing? I believe it to be an ordinance and a vital activity amongst believers.

Regards,
Richard

[Svt4Him]

I believe one can get so caught up in the fact that they perform ordinances that others don't, that they miss the whole purpose of the ordinance. Not saying you do, I have no idea, but the humility was the issue, not the washing of the feet.

[premilldispensationalist]

the humility was the issue...

Which is why I believe it to be an important ordinance!

[Bizzlebin Imperatoris]

It is important to be humble, yes. But to wash feet? I don't think so. There are more appropriate and useful things one could do in this time period.

[Paula]

What is your attitude to footwashing? I believe it to be an ordinance and a vital activity amongst believers.

Regards,
Richard
Footwashing is regarded as ritualistic or ceremonial, and from what I've heard, it is a ceremonial practice of Primitive Baptists, which both symbolizes and underscores one's own humility. Although I don't condemn the practice per se, I believe it is unnecessary in light of the New Covenant.

[Bizzlebin Imperatoris]

According to the histical context, it was simply an act, not a ritual. People wore sandals back then, and feet got really nasty. Footwashing was just one of the lowest jobs, a good way to show humility.

[Paula]

I believe this is the ordinance premil is referring to:

Exodus 30:20-21 When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD: 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.


John 13. This is where Jesus washed the feet of his disciples to show the full extent of his love and humility.

In John 12, Mary also performed the same act of love when she washed the feet of Jesus with expensive perfume and then dried them with her long hair.

John 12:3Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

So in that respect, the modern-day practice of footwashing to me is both symbolic and ritualistic, a demonstration of love and humility, however, unnecessary.

[Kalypso]

I think its one of many acts one can do to help exercise humility. I remember the Christian summer camp I went to when I was younger- we had sports teams. Anyway, the one I was on, that was one of the activities we did for our "initiation" as well as various other activities based on the Bible. While I am not a big fan of feet, I understand the importance of that activity. However, I don't think it is necessarily commanded per se. I do think we should do things each day to show our willingness to put others first.

[LynneClomina]

i think in our day of clean feet, there are other things along the same lines that we could do - the big one in my mind is BEING WILLING AND AVAILABLE to do things for people like rubbing their feet for them, cutting their toenails when they find it difficult to do (like when they are older, ill, overweight, or pregnant), or, *gasp*, ridding their backs of pesky whiskers or blackheads.... those are very "low" jobs that few people want to do, and being willing to help people out in those areas anytime is a bigger humility/love thing that doing a symbolic ritual is, in my mind. i mean, wouldnt everyone who shows up for a footwashing probably got their cleanest feet already? (just washed and smellin' pretty!) but offer to rub someones feet when they've just gotten off work, or give a back rub to someone with a VERY zitty back is totally different. and hard to do, too. :sorry:

[TheScottsMen]

i think in our day of clean feet, there are other things along the same lines that we could do - the big one in my mind is BEING WILLING AND AVAILABLE to do things for people like rubbing their feet for them, cutting their toenails when they find it difficult to do (like when they are older, ill, overweight, or pregnant), or, *gasp*, ridding their backs of pesky whiskers or blackheads.... those are very "low" jobs that few people want to do, and being willing to help people out in those areas anytime is a bigger humility/love thing that doing a symbolic ritual is, in my mind. i mean, wouldnt everyone who shows up for a footwashing probably got their cleanest feet already? (just washed and smellin' pretty!) but offer to rub someones feet when they've just gotten off work, or give a back rub to someone with a VERY zitty back is totally different. and hard to do, too. :sorry:Why stop at foot washing?! Who here is read for a Holy Kiss also!;)

[TwinCrier]

Foot washing was done in the bible because people wore sandles and lived in the desert. Today there is no need for it. It misses the whole point of the foot washing, which is to serve others, and turns it into an automated ritual. To do it as a symbolic act or ordinance seems kind of silly to me, but as long as you're not not using it to excuse yourself from REALLY helping your neighbors, I suppose it can't hurt anything. As long as you're not spreading athletes foot around.

[premilldispensationalist]

Although I don't condemn the practice per se, I believe it is unnecessary in light of the New Covenant.

Could you explain?

[Bizzlebin Imperatoris]

Could you explain?Read the other posts...

[LynneClomina]

Why stop at foot washing?! Who here is read for a Holy Kiss also!;)
what kind of kiss is a Holy Kiss? what are the implications for that for today?

[white dove]

I had actually done this years ago. I was merely humbling myself before the person, and yes, I DID cry. It was something I felt the Spirit called me to do, though. If for no other reason, I did it b/c God told me to do it. I HAD to, no questions asked. I have not been called to do it since but if I were to, I sp'ose I'd have to again...hey, I worked in shoe retail for three years~I'm immune to everything-feet!! :P
but on a serious note, I wanna get in on this holy kiss deal
.............it's the forehead, right? :)

[LynneClomina]

i have no idea where the holy kiss is supposed to be.... it wouldnt be the kiss "in the air" by each cheek deal, would it? ;)

[bliz]

Those of you who do not feel that foot-washing is a necessary thing to do, do you feel the same way about communion?

Luke 22:19 And he took the bread and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in rememberance of me."

John 13:14, 15 "Now that I your Lord and Teacher have washed you feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do asI have done for you."

These instructions were given to the same group of people, in the same location, at the same time by Jesus. How is it that Christians in general regard one as an instruction they are to follow, and indeeed do follow, and the other as an unecessary option?

Of course foot washing is symbolic... just as communion is. Why the need to re-enact exactly what Christ did for communion, but not to do so for foot-washing?

Someone commented that there is no need for foot-washing today, what with paved roads and shoes instead of sandles. What is the need for a tiny glass of wine and a pinch of bread? Someone else opined that there were better things to do with the time than wash feet... better things to do and follow the instructions of Jesus?

I think the Christian church in general has forgotten or overlooked this particular command of Christ's.

[white dove]

that's an amazing post, bliz :)

an issue to definately meditate on

[twistedsketch]

The footwashing was just before the Passover feast, not during (John 13:1).

Unless people want to walk barefoot in the mud before such a ceremony, I do not think that we'd really get what He was doing. I think a good modern adaptation would be to scrub one another's toilets.

[bliz]

Scrubbing each other's toilets would be a fine thing to do!

But what are we to do with the instruction from Jesus that we are to wash feet? Is it an invalid instruction becasue it took place before a religious activity like the Passover feast? What does that do to all the teaching Jesus did outside of religious places, services and ceremonies?

The amount of dirt on the feet is not what matters. Complying with the instructions from Jesus is what matters.

Many people find that washing other people's feet is actually the easy part. Having one's own feet washed by someone kneeling before you is a very humblng experience.

[twistedsketch]

I think either way it's pretty easy. A lot easier than when Jesus did it. Jesus commanded it to the disciples because it was hard to do. Feet these days in America are generally not as nasty as feet were in Jesus' day. Not only that, as far as I have read, communion is stressed in the NT and in church history a lot more than footwashing.

[bliz]

twistedsketch - you miss the point!

The point is not how dirty or "nasty" (or pristine and beautiful) the feet are! The point is obedience to a command from Jesus.

You said: "Jesus commanded it to the disciples because it was hard to do." Is there a Biblical basis for your statement? Because in John, when Jesus gave the original instruction, He does not mention telling His disciples to do it becasue it is hard. Are there other passages that discuss this?

You also say that communion was stressed in the NT. I am quite familiar with the passages in I Corinthians, but not others.

I was not raised in a foot-washing church and my emotional reaction, when I learned there would be such a service at the church I then attended, was one of great discomfort. For one thing, I had been in Gospel preaching churches my whole life. If foot-washing was important, one of my pastors or youth leaders or Sunday school teachers would have been mentioned it! I was sure this was some activity being done for emotional impact and not for sound Biblical reasons. I began to research to prove my point... and to my surprise, came to quite the opposit conclusion.

Why the church has brushed this aside I can guess, but my conjecture may be way off base and it really doesn't matter. The issue is: will we do as God instructs us to do?

[The Lord is my banner]

I would think that the church gave it up round here because it's practically a taboo to let anyone touch our feet. Don't know why, but it is! :eek:

Can you think how many millions of stiff-upper-lip Brits would have avoided church their whole lives if they'd thought this might be going on at the service? Probably me for one. Now that's scary!

You can argue we shouldn't be like that, but we are, and I think Jesus always went out of His way to make Himself accessible to all who sought him for the right reasons, so hadn't we better try to help them feel as unthreatened as possible when they visit us?

I might, in fact I know I would, overcome my own "taboo" on this if I felt it was essential, but what about the poor folks in my church when I try to foist it on them?
Those furthest out on the fringes would be the first to run off, and maybe lose a chance of ever finding a real relationship with God.

Oh dear, why have we SO many of those in my church anyway? Been there decades, some of them.

Now you really have me worried - maybe it's because we're not pushing our comfort zones and doing things like this. Hmmm...

I apologise for the rambling. Thinking as I go.
:help:

Blessings, Susana