Specific performancse

[Rumely]

There's a concept in business law called "specific performance." It has to do with the fulfillment of contracts. A court can compel a company to fulfill the specific demands of a contract as opposed to paying a penalty, say, or offering other goods or services in lieu of the original contractural obligations. What I've often wondered is how important is our specific performance on certain things in regard to Scripture? For instance, we are commanded to be baptized. How important is the form of that baptism? Is sprinkling sufficient to constitute valid baptism, or is full immersion necessary? How about communion? Are grape juice and leavened bread acceptable, or is that fudging? How about head coverings? If the concept is valid for today (which may be a separate debate) is the principle served by the wedding ring and taking of the husband's name, or are we remiss by not requiring head coverings in our assemblies?

[Rumely]

One of the things that got me thinking about this is the story from II Kings 13 where Joash is told by Elisha to take some arrows and strike the ground. Joash struck the ground three times with the arrows and was rebuked for not having struck the ground five or six times. He was told that he would only strike Aramea three times, rather than the (presumably) five or six times required to destroy Aramea. I always wondered, how was Joash supposed to know what the striking the ground meant until he was told after the fact? How would have known any better than to strike three times? Here his symbolic actions had significant real world consequences.