Church Words 101 - Sacrament

Have you ever received a beautifully wrapped gift from someone that was given to you at a moment in time when you least expected it? If you’ve had this experience, my guess is that while the gift itself was meaningful, what it represented, the love and thoughtfulness behind it, was truly what made this a special experience for you. Perhaps this could be a helpful way to think about the meaning of the “church word”, sacrament, that we’ll be looking at in this post.

Someone once explained it to me in this way - a sacrament is like an amplified symbol that carries spiritual significance. Or rather, a visible sign that points to a deeper reality and God’s grace at work.

Few words carry as much weight and significance as the word "sacrament." The word finds its origins in the earliest centuries of church history. Sacraments have played a central role in Christian worship throughout the course of this history.

In the context of Christianity, there are two main sacraments: Baptism and Communion (also referred to as the Lord’s Supper). These acts don't magically save someone or give anyone special powers, but they serve as powerful reminders of God's presence, love, and the promises He has made to His people. They help believers connect with God on a deeper level and grow in their faith journey. These sacraments have the power to be truly meaningful moments in the life of a Christ follower.

Tim Keller had this to say regarding the sacraments…

“They are not just personal, individual experiences. We are members of a community, and baptism and the Lord’s Supper show that we belong to that community, the covenant community, the people who belong to Jesus. And that’s the reason why these are actually like boundary markers. The Westminster Confession says they “put a visible difference between those that belong to the church and the rest of the world.”

Sacraments are recognized as visible signs and seals of God's grace.

They are the divinely appointed means through which God communicates and strengthens our faith. While their forms may vary across denominations, the core understanding remains consistent: sacraments are God's ordained vehicle for spreading his love, power, and grace to His people.

Let’s take a more in-depth look at the sacraments of Baptism and Communion for a moment. These sacraments are viewed as sacred rituals that not only commemorate significant events but also embody the profound spiritual realities they represent.

A believer’s baptism symbolizes the believer's initiation into the Christian faith and their incorporation into the body of Christ, the Church. Baptism is seen as a visible sign and seal of God's spirit and grace. It signifies God's cleansing from sin, the washing away of guilt, and the believer's identification with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Through baptism, the individual publicly declares their faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross. There is nothing magical about the water that is used in baptism. The water does not wash away original sin or save anyone. Infant baptism, in a similar way, is a way for parents to include their child in the covenant community of faith.

Communion commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with His disciples before His crucifixion. Communion can be seen as a sacramental remembrance and participation in the benefits of His redemptive work. Communion also brings about unity within the body of Christ, reminding believers of their shared identity and mission as a body of believers.

In 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul gives instructions for how Christ’s followers can worship God through the sacrament of Communion.

“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” - 1 Corinthians 11:26

In this way, those who claim to know Christ personally come to the Communion table proclaiming and celebrating the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

Sacraments are not mere symbols or rituals but effective vehicles through which God imparts His grace to believers. The way in which God goes about accomplishing this is truly a mystery.  In this beautifully mysterious way, God uses sacraments to communicate His grace in a transformative way.