Contrary Views of the Sacraments
11.2 - Foundations of the Christian Faith
There has been much disagreement between traditional churches and churches in the Protestant, Evangelical, and Charismatic movements on the topic of sacraments. Many oppose the whole conversation about sacraments because it just sounds too Catholic. After all, the Protestants “protested” the practices of the Catholic church 500+ years ago. The movement even takes its name from their protests. This is a weakness in these churches, which results in the baby getting thrown out with the bath water. In reality, they still come to the Lord’s table to take the bread and the wine, and they still baptize new believers (some even baptize infants). The sacraments have not gone away. To avoid identifying with Catholic practice, they simply redefined these things as ordinances, avoiding both the term and the theology used by the Catholic church.
An ordinance is a rite or ritual done by command or decree. It has no spiritual power and it imparts no spiritual grace. So those who choose to practice these things do so by Christ’s command, but they get no benefit from the activity. It’s just about obedience. It is often quipped that these folks take the Lord’s supper once a year whether they need it or not. This is a theological error introduced by the reformers when they split from the Catholic church. They were well-meaning, but they missed the mark all the same.
Since the time of the early church, the sacraments were believed to be conduits of grace. This, of course, requires the sacrament to be taken faithfully, believing that the bread and wine, for example, are truly the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. This is a mystery that cannot be explained, simply received. This was the position of the one undivided church for more than a thousand years.
Many Protestant and Evangelical churches outright reject the Sacraments of the Church (marriage, ordination, etc.). Their focus on the Bible as the only authority for the church leads them to dismiss these rites as extra-biblical. The irony is obvious. They reject these sacraments even as they hold services for Holy Matrimony, Ordination to the Ministry, and prayers for the sick. The sacraments have not gone away. The Evangelicals have simply named them something else, which makes this nothing more than a game of semantics.
We encourage you to see past the squabbles of the Reformation and embrace the Kingdom of God in all its glory. The kingdom is a spiritual place where God (who is Spirit) encounters His people through miracles, signs and wonders, beauty, and grace. Expect heaven to invade earth, changing people and circumstances as it advances. The sacraments are a great conduit of grace for you, if you will receive them in faith with great expectation.
Your assignment: Read the following scriptures to see what else the scriptures say about the Sacraments.
Hebrews 13:4
4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
Genesis 2:24
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
James 5:14-16
14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Acts 14: 23
23 So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Titus 1:5
5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you—
2 Timothy 1:6
6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
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