“We believe, that our gracious God, on account of our weakness and infirmities hath ordained the sacraments for us,…”
1. The name sacraments:
a. It is not a Scriptural name, but one adopted from the Latin world.
b. In the Roman world it signified an oath of allegiance to the flag or standard of the army by the soldier, or the sum of money deposited in connection with a legal process in a sacred place, which the depositor pledged to the gods in case he would lose his case.
c. In the church the term was used at first in a rather general sense in application to the mysteries of the gospel, but gradually limited to our sacraments.
2. Meaning:
a. They are first of all signs, that is, visible representations of invisible, spiritual realities. These spiritual realities are God’s covenant, righteousness by faith, forgiveness of sin, fellowship with Christ in His death and resurrection, etc. The article expresses it by saying the true object presented by them is Jesus Christ.
b. Further, they are seals, that is, a sign which marks at the same time the genuineness of a thing. Scripture often speaks of seals and of being sealed. The sign of circumcision was a seal of the righteousness which is by faith, Rom. 4:11. The things they seal are the same spiritual blessings they obsignate as signs.
c. They must be instituted by God. There are many signs that are not institutions, viz., the stars, the sand of the seashore, etc.
d. And therefore they are institutions that must be observed by the church. The rainbow was also an appointed sign, but not a sacrament.
3. Relation of the sign and the things obsignated:
a. Sacraments are not vehicles of grace in themselves. In themselves they impart no grace:
1) Such is the Roman Catholic view,-transubstantiation.
2) As also the Lutheran Church,-consubstantiation.
b. Neither, as the article expresses it, are they vain or insignificant. This is really the Zwinglian view. The Lord’s Supper is a mere feast of commemoration.
c. But they are means of grace, used by the Holy Spirit:
1) just like the Word, which is the chief means of grace, and in connection with which the sacraments should always be administered.
2) Only what the Word proclaims the sacraments obsignate. Without the Word they are not intelligible. They bring to our attention through the sense of sight the blessings of God’s grace.
3) As seals they also bear testimony of the certainty of God’s promises to us.
4) Through these means the Holy Spirit works in our hearts, concentrates all the attention of our faith on the sacrifice of Christ.
5) The Holy Spirit thus strengthens our faith, and by faith we appropriate the invisible blessings of God’s covenant.
4. The number of the sacraments:
a. The Roman Catholics have seven. Beside baptism and the Lord’s Supper, they have confirmation, penance, marriage, priestly consecration, extreme unction.
b. But these do not partake of the nature of sacraments. Hence, we are satisfied with the number Christ instituted.