The Confession of Faith (40)

Articles 33, 34, and 35 of our Confession of Faith deal with the sacraments, Article 33 is about the sacraments in general, Article 34 about Holy Baptism and Article 35 about the Lord’s Supper.

We know that the Lord has given two means of grace to His church, namely, His Word and the sacraments. Articles 3 through 7 speak about His Word, and now we have arrived at the subject of the sacraments. What are sacraments?

Rev. Hellenbroek gives us the answer in his question book, saying, “They are signs and seals of God’s grace.” He quotes Romans 4:11a, which reads, “And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith.”

Are all the means of grace the same? No, there is a difference between Word and sacrament, but then there is also a similarity. The differences can be said to be the following: (1) the Word is audible, while the sacraments are visible; (2) the Word is indispensable to salvation, while the sacraments are not; (3) the Word works and strengthens faith, but the sacraments are only for the strengthening of faith; and (4) the Word is heard by all, but the sacraments seal the believers only. The similarities are: (1) both are of divine origin; (2) both are means of grace; and (3) both point to Christ.

The word “sacrament” is not to be found in the Bible. It is derived from a word in the heathen world, and it received a place in the church. In the old Roman Empire, it meant the sum of money which was to be given to the priest when a person wished to begin a lawsuit. It also signified the oath of the soldiers, who promised to be faithful. Therefore, we may say that the sacraments are oaths of the Lord to affirm His promises. This meaning can be found in the article which reads: “We believe, that our gracious God, on account of our weakness and infirmities hath ordained the sacraments for us, thereby to seal unto us His promises, and to be pledges of the good will and grace of God toward us, and also to nourish and strengthen our faith…”

Our gracious God has ordained the sacraments for us. God Himself has ordained the sacraments. Under the Old Testament, circumcision was given to Abraham as a seal of the righteousness of faith. In the Passover the Lord promised deliverance out of the house of bondage and from the angel of destruction, but it also had a deeper meaning, namely, the deliverance by Christ. Both of these sacraments of the Old Testament were bloody, pointing to Christ, who had yet to come, to suffer and to die for His people. The sacraments of the New Testament are not bloody, since Christ had fulfilled everything necessary to salvation.

It was not without reason that the Lord Jesus asked the Jews, “The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?” Christ Himself was baptized to prove that it was from heaven, and He gave the commandment to the disciples, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” The Lord’s Supper was instituted in the night that He was betrayed. Both are ordained by God and are signs and seals of God’s grace.

The Lord could have given His Word only. The promises in His Word are sure and do not need added assurances of the Lord. However, the Lord knows what to expect of men, how that their faith is often so weak and that they are full of infirmities. Therefore, He not only gave the Word, but he added the sacraments so that we would better understand the promises of the gospel and that they would be sealed unto us. The sacraments are not given because God’s Word alone would not be sufficient to salvation or that it would not be trustworthy; no, not at all. God’s Word and God’s promises are sure; God is not a man that He should lie. The problem is with the believers; they are sinners.

The faith of believers is often so weak that they do not dare to accept God’s promises. To these weak and feeble children, the Lord now comes with the sacraments, saying, “I assure you by these visible signs that My Word is the truth.” The sacraments are the seals of the Word. A seal is put upon an important document to guarantee its authenticity. Likewise, the Lord ordained the sacraments as seals upon His Word, showing that it is the truth.

The sacraments do not give promises different from the Word; both means of grace point to Christ. Neither do the sacraments give any benefits other than those written in God’s Word. God is revealed in the Word as the God who in Christ forgives sins, giving eternal life out of free grace. Both Word and sacraments point to the Mediator; thus, there is unity in the means of grace.

God’s children are often opposed by Satan, and the Lord strengthens their faith not only by His Word but especially by the sacraments. Free grace for Christ’s sake is signified and sealed in both Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, just as it is described in this article: “to seal unto us His promises, and to be pledges of the good will and grace of God toward us, and also to nourish and strengthen our faith.”

All the promises of the Word for His Church are sure in Christ. These promises were made from eternity and must be applied by the Holy Spirit in the heart of God’s child. The satisfaction of Christ is enough to salvation, but there is much darkness and ignorance in the life of the church. This makes it necessary that the Holy Spirit instructs us time and again about the promises in God’s Word.

Article 33 first mentions that the sacraments seal God’s promises, and secondly, that they are pledges of the good will and grace of God toward us. In the third place, it states that they are instituted to nourish and strengthen the faith of God’s children. It is therefore evident that faith is necessary in order to have profit of the sacraments. When faith is not present, it cannot be nourished and strengthened. If we partake of the sacraments without faith, they do not give any assurance to us regarding God’s promises and about our salvation. We continually hear about the necessity to be converted unto the Lord, and this is also true when we speak about the sacraments. May the Lord give this to us.

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen