what are the sacraments?
Sacraments, Part 1
For a long time, I didn't consider myself a morning person. Even two years into an eight-to-five job, I still slept in on Saturdays till eleven or twelve.1 And on work days, I only got up as early as I needed to to get ready for work and clock in on time.
Somewhere along the way, though, I got into the habit of getting up earlier than I needed to just to get to work on time. I made some time in the morning for quiet, exercise, and some breakfast. It was quite nice. But when I took a job that I really didn't like, it became more than nice: it became essential. You see, when I got up and went straight to work, it felt like my day was all about my job, and when I didn't like my job, that was a pretty miserable feeling! But when I got up and had some purposeful time before work, it didn't feel so much like my day was all about going to work. Sure, that was still a huge chunk of my day, but there was more to it than that.
My morning routine became a sort of ritual that gave my day some meaning. While I was miserable at work, my ritual gave me some perspective that there was more to my life. It was honestly a saving grace during a difficult time.
In the life of the church, we also have some important rituals and rites that help to give us perspective, meaning, and a better understanding of our faith. Some of these rites, which we call sacraments, were given to us by Jesus Christ himself, who commanded us that we should do them. But for those who truly understand the meaning of these sacraments, they are not just commandments, but beautiful gifts of grace.
time for some word nerdery
The definition of sacrament is one of the subjects of debate among different Christian traditions, but for now, we will use this working definition: a sacrament is one of the sacred, ceremonial acts (i.e. rites) of the church instituted by Jesus Christ as signs of his grace toward us. In other words, they are actions that we take as Christians that signify what Jesus has done for us in his life, death, and resurrection.
You probably noticed the similarity between the words "sacrament" and "sacred," and that's because they come from the same Latin root. In fact, the Latin word sacramentum denoted any oath or ceremony2 that imposed an obligation on a person. For instance, when a man enlisted as a Roman soldier, he took a sacramentum, or oath, of obedience and fidelity.3 Such an oath set him apart for military service, and the word "sacred" simply means "set apart."
Every Christian church (at least that I've heard of) agrees on two of these sacraments: holy communion (or Eucharist, or The Lord's Supper) and water baptism.4 We'll be looking in depth at both of these traditions soon, but for now, I just want to note that if you are a regular churchgoer, you have almost definitely encountered both of these traditions. They may be done very differently at other churches, but for the last two thousand years, and today all over the world, these two traditions have been and are being practiced by believers in some form or another.
but I heard there were more than two sacraments!
The Roman Catholic church includes holy communion and baptism as two of a total of seven sacraments. The other five are confirmation, penance (confession to a priest), anointing of the sick (sometimes called last rites), holy orders (ordination of ministers), and matrimony.
The main delineation between the sacraments and other rites and traditions in Protestant understanding is that the sacraments were instituted and commanded by Jesus Christ. All Christians should be baptized, and all Christians should take communion. This is not necessarily the case for the other Catholic sacraments: although they are all approved of in some form or another in the New Testament, only these two are expressly commanded by Christ.
The Orthodox Church recognizes the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, however, they take a broader view of what a sacrament is, calling them "special experiences ... when the perception of God's presence and actions is heightened and celebrated."5 As a result, they do not limit the sacraments to the seven or to any specific number. One thing I appreciate about the Orthodox Church is that they describe the sacraments, along with many other ideas in their beliefs, as mysteries, admitting that there is so much about not only God but even about how we worship him, that we don't understand. I think that shows a refreshing sense of humility.
The Anglican tradition6 often takes a middle road between Catholicism and most Protestant traditions. While they only recognize two of what they call the "Great Sacraments", they view these other five rites as having a sacramental nature, often called Sacraments of the Church. According to the Episcopal Church, they "evolved in the church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit."7 So, they don't hold the same weight as the two Great Sacraments, but they are sacred events.
signs of grace, or means of grace?
One of the disagreements that arise surrounding the sacraments is what exactly they do in the believer who practices them. As we said in our working definition, the sacraments are signs or symbols of Christ's grace. Many of the more evangelical churches would say that they are only symbols, that they don't actually do anything in the believer. But more traditional churches would go farther. Anglican churches, for instance, say that sacraments are "Outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ," but they go on to say that they are given by Christ "as sure and certain means for receiving God’s grace."8
That's where a lot of people will have some concern. This can be interpreted as works righteousness: we do the sacraments and that makes us eligible to receive God's grace. Of course, grace isn't grace if it's earned.
sacraments vs. ordinances
This concern is why some churches call these traditions "ordinances" instead of "sacraments." They believe that the word "sacrament" denotes a means of grace. However, having looked at the history of the word, and it's ancient, non-Christian meaning of an oath of loyalty, I think that the word is a good description of what the sacraments are: in the case of baptism, it is generally understood as a public declaration of a person's commitment to the faith and membership in the church. Communion is a recurring declaration and remembrance that we are saved by Christ's sacrifice and belong to him.
And perhaps here is where we can find some understanding of the phrase "means of grace." If I were to take U.S. Army's Oath of Enlistment right now, it wouldn't make me a soldier. Someone has to invite me to join. (I may initiate that invitation by starting the enlistment process, but the Army is welcome to refuse me.) Only after their invitation does my oath make me a soldier. In the same way, participation in the Sacraments does not save us. But since God has made the sacrifice for us and invited us into his kingdom, we can accept that invitation through confession9 including our confession through the sacraments. If God had not saved me, then taking communion right now would be as meaningless as that oath to the army. The oath, or sacrament, is only effective if it is my response to what has already been offered to me.
grace upon grace
We must also understand that calling the sacraments "means of grace" does not equal "means of salvation." God's greatest grace to us is, of course, salvation through the sacrifice of Christ. But that is not where his grace ends.10 God's grace continues through our spiritual life and growth. God uses even our own actions, insufficient as they are, to help us grow, and that includes participation in the sacraments. The catechism of the Anglican Church in North America says that the means by which God will transform us into the image of Jesus Christ, following the pattern of Acts 2:42, includes "through reading Scripture and receiving the sacraments, through worship and prayer, and through fellowship with God’s people and loving witness to the world."11 I think this makes it clear that we're not talking about works righteousness.
understanding
My hope is that our discussion of the sacraments will help us understand other Christian traditions, even if we can't necessarily agree with them. Whether we call them sacraments or ordinances, and whether or not we're comfortable calling them a "means of grace," we must agree that they should be taken seriously in the life of the church and in our individual lives as Christians. These traditions may look very different from one church to another, but I believe that if we are taking them seriously and approaching them with humility and devotion to Jesus Christ, we are fulfilling his commandments.
We'll continue our discussion of the sacraments in the weeks to come by taking a closer look at holy communion and baptism. But first, a little digression into heresy...
What changed that, you ask? Children, of course!
I almost added "secular or religious" here, but we should remember that there was no such distinction in the ancient world. An oath to serve Rome was an oath to serve the gods of Rome, including the deified emperor!
from the Online Etymology Dictionary
Some church traditions, however, call them "ordinances" rather than "sacraments", for reasons we'll discuss below.
Rev. Fr. Thomas Fitzgerald, "Understanding the Sacraments of the Orthodox Church"
including the Episcopal Church in the U.S.
Although, if it was, it would still be far more than we deserve!
"To Be a Christian", no. 17 (page 26).