Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Robbie Schmidtberger
Dr. Richard Gamble
Doctrine of the Church
April 13th, 2010
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“The sacraments are holy, visible signs and seals, appointed of God for
this end, that by the use thereof he may the more fully declare and
seal to us the promise of the gospel; namely, that he of grace grants us
the remission of sins and life eternal, for the sake of the one sacrifice
of Christ accomplished on the cross.” (Heidelberg Question #66)
Sacraments are visible signs and seals. Signs are a visible act reflecting the
grace God gives his children. A sign is the water, the wine, and the bread used. Seals
are the inward spiritual grace given by God‐ a promise given to us and accepted by
us with the purpose to strengthen our faith with respect to the realization of that
promise.
Their function and intent is to “visibly represent and deepen our consciousness
of the spiritual blessings of the covenant.” (Berkhof) How the sacraments do this, is
by being a means of grace. These sacraments point us to the cross, point us to
gospel, for Christ is present in someway.
Often the notion of grace is thought of as an ambiguous “force.” Christians
can easily say the Lord will give you the grace necessary to endure the trials before
you. One can easily think of the Jedi phrase ‘May the force be with you.’ This idea of
grace is not the biblical picture. Grace is far more than this mystical aura or essence.
Generally speaking grace is God’s disposition towards his children; it is
unearned favor shown to believers. With this understanding sinners are saved by
God’s favor received through faith. God saves Christians. Saints do not earn or do
their salvation by partaking of the sacraments. But this definition of grace implies
that salvation comes from the sacraments (since they are means of God’s favor). The
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sacraments as “the means of grace” does not mean that they give grace, but they
point to grace.
To say “my grace is sufficient to you” is simply another way of saying that
“Christ is all you need.” The lesson of the sacraments is “I am with you until the end
of the age.” Corrie Ten Boom once noted, “You will never know that Christ is all you
need, until Christ is all you have.” The sacraments are a means of grace, because
Christ is visibly put forth before his bride.
Murray explained this concept this way, “The means of grace are the channels
along which the saving and sanctifying grace of God flows.” (72) The means of grace
include: preaching of the word, baptism, and the Eucharist. How these differ is that
sacraments are visible and the preaching of the word is auditory.
How grace is given to us through the sacraments is: “The Holy Spirit teaches
us in the gospel and assures us by the sacraments that the whole of our salvation
stands in the one sacrifice of Christ made for us on the cross.” (Heidelberg Question
#67)
Christians have long disputed the number of sacraments within the history of
the church. Roman Catholics say seven, Anglicans and Orthodox offer another
number, certain Anabaptist groups say three, some say none, and the Reformed give
two. Biblically, from the church’s practice in the book of Acts, we see three things
arise as qualifications for the sacraments:
• An explicit command of Christ to his disciples to do something. (“Do this in
remembrance of me.)
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• Jesus himself did the very thing that he commanded his disciples to do. John
the Baptist baptized him, and Christ participated with his disciples on the
‘last supper.’
• Furthermore there is an explicit institution of the sacraments in the fabric of
the church’s worship and mission. Before he ascended into heaven Jesus told
his disciples to go to all the nations, baptizing those they disciple (paraphrase
of Matt. 28:19).
From these qualifications we see that Christ was never married, never took a vow to
join a holy order, or received last rites. If there were to be a third sacrament though,
it would be foot washing as two of the three qualifications are met. These
qualifications discern for the believer that there are two sacraments: Baptism and
the Eucharist (or Lord’s Supper).
Baptism is more about God than us; it is about God’s faithfulness to his
covenant and promises. It is for the individual and the congregation‐ for them to see
that it is by God’s faithfulness that we are saved and not our faithful. John Murray
wrote that, “the efficacy of infant baptism principally consists in this that it is to us the
certification or seal that God works in accordance with his covenant provision and
fulfills his covenant promises… It is the Lord’s own nurture which infant baptism
signifies and seals.” (pg. 90)
In this understanding of baptism, we find that it is a sign of: our union with
Christ, our union with the church, the washing away of sin, and the remission of sin
and guilt. The clear focus of this sacrament is our union with Christ. Baptism points
to the objective reality Christ performed upon the cross and the Holy Spirit’s
application of that work to our life. For it is only by the Holy Spirit that our sins are
washed away.
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Clearly we are not saved by baptism. Scripture says completely otherwise,
but sets baptism up as a picture of the salvation achieved by Jesus. As the hymn ‘Let
Us Love and Sing and Wonder’ says “he has washed us with his blood.” That is the
gospel. Christ has done for us what we cannot do. John Murray put it like this:
“It is because believers are united to Christ in the efficacy of his death,
in the power of his resurrection, and in the fellowship of his grace that
they are one body. They are united to Christ and therefore to one
another. Of this union baptism is the sign and seal. The relationship
which baptism signifies is therefore that of union, and union with
Christ is its basic and central import… There are two respects in
which cleansing or purification takes place at the inception of the
relationship, which is signified and sealed by baptism, namely,
purification from the defilement and purification from the guilt of
sin… We may therefore conclude that baptism represents the
remission of sin or, in other words, purification from the guilt by the
sprinkling of the blood of Christ.” (Pg. 3‐5)
Lastly baptism is a sign of our inclusion into the church, a sign of our union
with the communion of the saints. Baptism is an initiation rite. Commonly when
people get baptized it is in one of two incidents: (1) newborn (thus infant baptism)
or (2) a profession of faith (thus adult baptism). Baptism is a sign of inclusion or
incorporation into the covenant community. When one is baptized, they testify that
they are part of God’s people.
This leads to a pertinent question – if one’s baptism signifies their inclusion
into the covenant community of God (i.e. the body of Christ) and people stray from
their profession of faith, then are unbelievers part of the covenant community of
God? John Murray and other theologues raised the issue of the visible vs. invisible
church. This is a helpful paradigm to help us understand this teaching. Christ himself
taught that not all his disciples were believers (i.e. Judas). This continues today. In
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the church there are men and women who do not call upon Jesus as their Lord and
Savior (Romans 10:9).
Baptism, then, is the sacrament of entrance into the covenant community. It
is an external act symbolizing the internal reality of God. Salvation, regeneration,
and justification are not up to us. Scripture teaches that people are totally unable to
change their hearts. Baptism is more about what God does, and how God is faithful
to his promises. It is a sign of the promise that God is faithful from generation to
generation and that he will save people.
This rich understanding of baptism has many implications. Children are part
of the Church, thus children’s and youth ministry are important because children
are part of the church today, not just because “they are the church of tomorrow.”
Another implication of baptism as a means of grace is that the church should
celebrate this sacrament regularly, that the church may be built up in faith. This is
not to say that believers are to be rebaptized, instead the church must seek the
salvation of the lost. However baptism does not get you all the blessings and
privileges of being in the church; there must come a time for a person to act on their
baptism‐ to publically say that they trust in Christ alone for their salvation (Rom.
10:9).
The last sacrament is the Lord’s Supper. This sacrament has many names:
communion, the Lord’s Supper, breaking bread, and the Eucharist. Each term can be
used interchangeably. Of special note is the word Eucharist, a word that literally
means “meal of happiness” or “meal of thanksgiving.”
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The Westminster Larger Catechism explained the logic of the Lord’s Supper
with these words:
“The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament of the New Testament, wherein, by
giving and receiving bread and wine according to the appointment of
Jesus Christ, his death is shewed forth; and they that worthily
communicate feed upon His body and blood, to their spiritual
nourishment and growth in grace; have their union and communion
with him confirmed; testify and renew their thankfulness; and
encouragement to God; and their mutual love and fellowship each
with other, as members of the same mystical body.” (WLC Question
#168)
Communion is a visible proclamation of the gospel. The bread and wine
directly correlate to the body and blood of Christ. When the elders break the bread,
Christ’s body is symbolically broken. When the wine is poured, Christ’s blood is
symbolically poured. Not to say that Christ’s body and blood is broken and spilled
again and repeatedly, but that this tangible act points to the past historical event of
Christ’s crucifixion. A preacher does the same thing, but only with words. Thus, this
meal is a visible proclamation of the preached word; for we are to preach Christ and
him crucified.
But the Eucharist is much more than the visible proclamation of the gospel.
In the words of Berkhof, “it represents, not only the death of Christ as the object of
faith, and the act of faith which united the believer to Christ, but also the effect of this
act as giving life, strength, and joy, to the soul.” Thus we see that the Lord’s Supper is
the sacrament of edification. Its purpose is pedagogical‐ to build up the church in
faith.
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How the church is built up is in what it signifies. The Eucharist is a sign of our
union with Christ, like Baptism, but in a different light. Baptism is an initiation rite,
the Lord’s Supper is a rite of edification, where by eating and drinking the bread and
wine we nourish on the spiritual body of Christ. By partaking of this meal believers
profess Christ.
Believers are admonished and assured, in their participation of the Lord’s
Supper, of their union with Christ because Christ promised three things: First, that
his body was offered and broken on the cross for those who believe in his name.
Second, that his blood was shed for believers. Saints have confidence in this reality
because they can see the cup of wine. Wine points to Christ’s work upon the cross.
Thirdly, that King Jesus feeds and nourishes our souls to everlasting life (Heidelberg
Catechism Question #75). By participation in the Eucharist, believers are reminded
of Christ’s death upon the cross. The seal, the grace it gives, is nourishment and
encouragement as we have a real, tangible, and visible symbol of that reality. But it
is also a visible demonstration of their union with Christ and the Church.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “The cup of blessing that we bless,
is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a
participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are
one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” (1 Cor. 10:16‐17) Paul teaches that our
union with one another is based upon our union with Christ. Thus the Eucharist is
also a confession of faith – a demonstration of inclusion in the covenant and church.
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Clearly this is the reason why Paul says, “anyone who eats and drinks without
discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (1 Cor. 11:29)
To conclude, one sees that the Lord Supper is not only a sign of Christ’s death
upon the cross but also of our inclusion into the family of God. The Eucharist begins
where baptism left off. Baptism marked one’s entrance into the covenant
community, the Lord’s Supper is a repeatable testimony to that wonderful grace.
Two implications arise from this robust understanding of the Eucharist. First
it is to be celebrated frequently as it is a means of grace. It proclaims both to the
believer and unbeliever that salvation is through Christ alone. Secondly, because it is
a sacrament that displays one’s union with Christ and the church‐ it is a sacrament
only for the people of God. The table of the Lord must be guarded; Paul identified
that the people, or person, responsible for guarding the table is you. One must make
sure that they discern the body before they partake of this meal of thanksgiving.
Together these sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist communicate the
gospel in ways that preaching the word could not. For the preaching ministry of the
church is to the ear, while the sacraments are to the eye. They visible remind us of
the great work Christ did upon the cross and how the Holy Spirit applies that work
to our life. In these sacraments it is seen very clearly that God saves sinners. This is
how they are means of grace.