The Confession of Faith (41)

Although the Word is sufficient for the church to know the way of salvation, and therein are also many promises, the Lord has added to it the sacraments. The Lord has done so on account of our weaknesses and infirmities so that we may not only hear but also see the sealing of His promises unto us. The Confession words it thus: “which He hath joined to the Word of the gospel, the better to present to our senses, both that which He signifies to us by His Word, and that which He works inwardly in our hearts, thereby assuring and confirming in us the salvation which He imparts to us.” It is not in the signs themselves, but the Holy Spirit uses the sacraments to strengthen faith.

In baptism the Lord confirms His covenant and His promises; He strengthens His people in their faith. How is this done? The water in baptism is a testimony of Christ’s sacrifice to cleanse His people from all their sins. The sprinkling with water points to our uncleanness, for we are the subject of God’s wrath from the moment of our birth. This is felt by God’s children when they are instructed by the Holy Spirit. They have bowed under God’s justice, become worthy of eternal death, but in the sacrament, they may look from the water to the blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin. He has fulfilled God’s justice and has taken away the handwriting which is against us. In Christ, God the Father forgives their sin and casts it away so that it will never be remembered anymore. What a comfort it is for God’s people when the Holy Spirit opens their eyes to behold the mystery of salvation in the sacrament of Holy Baptism.

In the same way we may say that the Lord’s Supper points to Christ. The breaking of the bread and the pouring of the wine show how He has broken His body and how He has shed His blood. As the bread is for nourishing and the wine is for strengthening, it likewise speaks about Christ’s obedience. Christ is the Bread of Life and the Water of Life. It can be so dark in the heart of God’s children, they can be so discouraged and be sighing under the heaven-high debt, but in the Lord’s Supper the Lord shows His infinite grace for poor sinners. When we may look upon Christ by faith, the sun of righteousness will arise in our life and we may view the King in His beauty. When we read in the Scriptures that He is white and ruddy, it is a testimony of His active and passive obedience which gives peace in the heart of the church. The sacrament does not work grace, but it is given to strengthen faith and to comfort God’s children.

Some try to take the sacraments out of the congregations, teaching that they are only external ceremonies of no importance. These emphasize that you must be baptized with the Holy Ghost. However, the forsaking of God’s institutions causes great darkness in spiritual life and is against God’s Word, for therein we find so clearly that the sacraments are institutions of the Lord.

Our article says: “For they are visible signs and seals of an inward and invisible thing, by means whereof God worketh in us by the power of the Holy Ghost.” Invisible in the sacraments are the Covenant of Grace, the righteousness of faith, and the promises of the covenant. There are no promises without Christ; therefore, we may say that the invisible and inward things which are spoken of point to Christ and all the promises. He is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. All the benefits of the Covenant of Grace rest in Christ.

Many do not agree with this explanation. Rome teaches that all the treasures of Christ’s fullness flow to the church, and if you want to receive them, you must go to church where they will be given through the priest. They say that with grace or without grace makes no difference, since it is the saving church. Luther taught that God’s Word gave power to the sacrament, but Calvin said that the power of the sacrament is indebted to the Holy Ghost, who works and strengthens faith.

We all agree that God’s grace is not in the signs of the sacrament, but that they portray externally and visibly that which the Holy Spirit works internally and invisibly in the heart. The Holy Spirit does not work in all those who are baptized or go to the Lord’s Supper but only in true believers. In addition, the article states: “Therefore the signs are not in vain or insignificant, so as to deceive us. For Jesus Christ is the true object presented by them, without whom they would be of no moment.”

There is a similarity between the signs and the true meaning of the sacraments. We can find this in God’s Word, which speaks about the circumcision of the heart, and tells us that Christ says of the bread, “This is My body.” The Heidelberg Catechism also speaks of the close relationship there is between the signs and their meanings. Question and answer 73 explain why baptism is called the washing of regeneration and the washing away of sins, saying that it is to show how we are spiritually cleansed from our sins as really as we are externally washed with water. Likewise, in question and answer 79 about the Lord’s Supper, Christ called the bread His body and the cup His blood, or the new covenant in His blood. Paul speaks of the communion of the body and the blood of Christ. This points to the nourishment which is in Christ for a needy people. It means that only the satisfaction of Christ gives rest to the soul.

Thus, by faith the children of God may receive the assurance that for time and eternity they are for His account. Have the sacraments ever spoken in such a way to us? If they continue to be empty and without meaning for us, then the water of baptism does not tell us of the remission of sin but will testify against us. Therefore, the Lord must teach us to know our uncleanness, for then the need will be felt for the cleansing from our sins. This is possible, as we have seen in the sacraments.

There have always been differences about the number of sacraments. Luther first had seven sacraments; later, he had three, namely, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and penance; in the end he had two as we have, just as we find in the Old Testament. Rome has seven sacraments, but this is only a human institution as it is for them in so many areas. It is a false church.

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