6. The Sacraments as a Means of Grace

In the last class, we learned how the Word of God is the principal means of grace. In this class, we will learn how, alongside the Word, the sacraments are secondary means of grace.

Definition of a Sacrament

The word “sacrament” is not found in the Bible, though the concept is certainly present in Scripture.¹The term “sacrament” was likely adopted by Christians in the second century. Two possible origins are commonly proposed: first, sacramentum is the Latin translation of the Greek word mystērion (μυστηριον) or “mystery.” While the New Testament uses the term “mystery” to describe the acts of God that were formerly hidden but now revealed (e.g., Rom. 16:25; 1 Cor. 15:51; Eph. 5:32), the word took on a different meaning in the early church and was instead applied to the rituals of baptism and the Lord’s supper. Second, the word sacramentumwas also used by the Romans to describe the military oath taken by soldiers to bind themselves in obedience to their commanders. It is possible that Christians took on the term for this reason, seeing that “we are called to military service of the living God” (as per the Church Father, Tertullian). Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, pp. 464-465, 472; Vos, Geerhardus. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 5: Ecclesiology, The Means of Grace, Eschatology. Lexham Press, 2016, pp. 92-93; Vos, Johannes Geerhardus. The Westminster Larger Catechism: A Commentary. P&R Publishing, 2002, p. 437. The Reformed define the sacraments as “visible, holy signs and seals instituted by God so that He might make believers understand more clearly and reassure them of the promises and benefits of the covenant of grace, and believers on their part might confess and confirm their faith and love before God.”²Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, p. 473; cf. Calvin, John.Institutes of the Christian Religion, 4.14.1. A similar definition is provided in the WLC Q162: What is a sacrament? A: A sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ in his church, to signify, seal, and exhibit unto those that are within the covenant of grace, the benefits of his mediation; to strengthen and increase their faith, and all other graces; to oblige them to obedience; to testify and cherish their love and communion one with another; and to distinguish them from those that are without. There are several important distinctives to recognize:³Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, pp. 473-477.

1. The sacraments were instituted by God in Christ. He is the only one that can distribute saving grace. The sacraments operate according to divine power.
2. The recipients are those within the visible church. For this reason, they are only to be administered corporately within the church (not privately or to those outside the church). 
3. The sacraments are sensible signs. Visible elements (e.g., water, bread, and wine) along with specific actions (e.g., sprinkling or pouring of water; eating and drinking of bread and wine) are used to represent invisible blessings.⁴“Because we are not [disembodied] spirits but sensuous earthly creatures who can only understand spiritual things when they come to us in humanly perceptible forms, God instituted the sacraments in order that by seeing those signs we might gain a better insight into his benefits, receive a stronger confirmation of his promises, and thus be supported and strengthened in our faith. The sacraments do not work faith but reinforce it, as a wedding ring reinforces love. They do not infuse a physical grace but confer the whole Christ, whom believers already possess by the Word. They bestow on them that same Christ in another way and by another road and so strengthen the faith. Furthermore, they renew the believers’ covenant with God, [and] strengthen them in the communion of Christ.” Ibid, p. 489.
4. They are seals. They confirm (or validate) what God has promised. When a person uses the sacraments according to a true faith, he/she can look upon the sacraments as pledges (or “guarantees”) that God will fulfill His covenant promises.⁵“In the sacrament God first comes to believers to signify and seal his benefits. He assures them with visible pledges that he is their God and the God of their children. He attaches seals to his Word to strengthen their faith in that Word (Gen. 9:11–15; 17:11; Exod. 12:13; Mark 1:4; 16:16; Luke 22:19; Rom. 4:11)… Aside from being signs, sacraments are also seals that God attaches to his word in order to highlight its trustworthiness… for our benefit and to our mind.” Ibid, pp. 475-477.
5. The sacraments are used to apply spiritual benefits to those who receive them by faith. The content of the sacraments is Christ and the benefits of the New Covenant. As such, the sacraments are of immense practical value in the life of a believer, as they help to strengthen and build up a person in faith and all other graces.
6. The sacraments are also used as acts of confession. In them, believers confess their faith, obedience, and communion with Christ and with other saints. Just as God assures them that He is their God, believers testify that they are His children. In this way, the sacraments also help to distinguish the people of God from those who are not, by serving as marks of covenant membership.⁶“Every observance of the sacrament is an act of covenant renewal, a vow of faithfulness, an oath that obligates those who take it to engage in the service of Christ (Mark 1:5; 16:16; Acts 2:41; 8:37; Rom. 6:3ff.; 1 Cor. 10:16ff.)” Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, pp. 475-476. Also, Vos, Johannes Geerhardus. The Westminster Larger Catechism: A Commentary. P&R Publishing, 2002, p. 437.

When correctly administered and received, every sacrament consists of two parts:⁷WLC Q163: What are the parts of a sacrament? A: The parts of a sacrament are two; the one an outward and sensible sign, used according to Christ’s own appointment; the other an inward and spiritual grace thereby signified. an outward sensible sign and the inward spiritual grace.⁸Those who use the sacraments wrongly only partake of the outward form without receiving the spiritual benefits.

1. The outward sign corresponds to the physical elements that can be perceived by our bodily senses (e.g., sight, taste, touch, smell, and hearing). It is also necessary that these elements be “used according to Christ’s own appointment,” meaning in a manner consistent with Christ’s instruction (e.g., baptism must according to the name of the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; in the Lord’s supper, there needs to be giving of thanks, breaking of bread, and distribution of the elements with the words of institution). 
2. The inward spiritual grace is what the outward sensible sign points to. It is inward (meaning that it does not exist in the physical world) and it is spiritual (indicating that it cannot be perceived by bodily senses but only by spiritual discernment; cf. 1 Cor. 2:9-16). This spiritual grace is God’s saving work in a person’s life.

The link between the outward sign and the inward grace is called the “sacramental union.” This is not a mechanical or physical relationship, nor a local connection based on proximity, but rather a spiritual connection established by the Holy Spirit. When the outward sign is used rightly according to a true faith, grace is given to the receivers by the Holy Spirit.⁹Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 27, paragraphs 2 and 3.

Sacraments in the New Testament

The object of the Old and New Testament sacraments is the same; these point to Christ.¹⁰Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 27, paragraph 5; cf. chapter 7, paragraphs 5 and 6. The internal substance is identical, but the external administration differs between the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament sacraments portrayed Christ who was to come, whereas the New Testament sacraments signify and seal the benefits of salvation that Christ has already obtained.¹¹Vos, Geerhardus. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 5: Ecclesiology, The Means of Grace, Eschatology. Lexham Press, 2016, p. 103.

There are two sacraments in the New Testament:¹²In contrast, the Roman Catholic Church lists seven sacraments! In addition to baptism and Lord’s supper, they also include confirmation, penance, holy orders, marriage, and extreme unction. The later five are not accepted by the Reformed, as these were not instituted by Christ as means of grace. baptism and the Lord’s supper.¹³WLC Q164: How many sacraments hath Christ instituted in his church under the New Testament? A: Under the New Testament Christ hath instituted in his church only two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord’s supper. These correspond to circumcision and the Passover in the Old Testament (cf. Col. 2:11-12; Mt. 26:26-29; Lk. 22:14-23). Accordingly, circumcision and Passover pointed forward to Christ, particularly his death (cf. Jn. 1:29), whereas baptism and Lord’s supper draw our attention back to Christ, especially to His victory over death and resurrection (Rom. 6:2-5; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).¹⁴Correspondingly, the sacraments of the New Testament are also bloodless.

Baptism is to be administered once, but the Lord’s supper to be partaken of repeatedly. This is because baptism is a sign and seal of the new birth, an event that occurs only once. The Lord’s supper, however, is a sign and seal of spiritual growth in Christ that takes place throughout the Christian life.¹⁵Vos, Johannes Geerhardus. The Westminster Larger Catechism: A Commentary. P&R Publishing, 2002, pp. 510-511. The Larger Catechism additionally lists five points of commonality along with two major differences between the two sacraments of the New Testament:¹⁶WLC Q176: Wherein do the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper agree? A: The sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper agree, in that the author of both is God; the spiritual part of both is Christ and his benefits; both are seals of the same covenant, are to be dispensed by ministers of the gospel, and by none other; and to be continued in the church of Christ until his second coming.

WLC Q177: Wherein do the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper differ? A: The sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper differ, in that baptism is to be administered but once, with water, to be a sign and seal of our regeneration and ingrafting into Christ, and that even to infants; whereas the Lord’s supper is to be administered often, in the elements of bread and wine, to represent and exhibit Christ as spiritual nourishment to the soul, and to confirm our continuance and growth in him, and that only to such as are of years and ability to examine themselves.

How the Sacraments are Made Effectual

The efficacy of the sacraments depends entirely on the Holy Spirit’s work and the blessing of Christ (1 Pet. 3:21; Acts 8:13, 23; 1 Cor. 3:6-7; 12:13).¹⁷WLC Q161: How do the sacraments become effectual means of salvation? A: The sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not by any power in themselves, or any virtue derived from the piety or intention of him by whom they are administered, but only by the working of the Holy Ghost, and the blessing of Christ, by whom they are instituted. The saving benefits conferred by the sacraments do not derive from any human power. These do not confer grace simply by virtue of being administered outwardly. Rather, the sacraments are made effectual by divine power according to the working of the Holy Spirit in the souls of those who receive the sacraments by faith. 

Insofar as the sacraments are connected to the Word, they are real means of grace. If administered apart from the Word, however, the sacraments become empty rituals, indistinguishable from any other washing or meal, and have no ability to confer grace to its recipients.¹⁸The sacraments are subordinate to the Word. These have no meaning or power apart from that Word. Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, p. 444; and Fesko, J.V. Word, Water, and Spirit: A Reformed Perspective on Baptism. Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage, 2010, p. 276. The “words of institution” associated with the sacraments are important because they explain the connection between the sign and the thing signified. These words must be directed towards the recipients, so that they understand the meaning of the sacraments.¹⁹In contrast, Roman Catholics believe that the “words of institution” actually change the sign into the thing signified. To them, the “words of institution” take on a magical character, such that the priest can even whisper these in Latin and they can be effective. For the Roman Catholics, the words are not for instructing the recipients, but to transform the elements into something substantially different. Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, p. 481. For this reason, the preached word (verbum praedicatum) must accompany the sacraments.²⁰Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion, 4.14.4.

While the Word and sacraments share many similarities, they remain distinct means of grace with the Word being primary and the sacraments being secondary:²¹Vos, Geerhardus. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 5: Ecclesiology, The Means of Grace, Eschatology. Lexham Press, 2016, p. 91.

If you recall, the Roman Catholic Church distinctly teaches that grace is a material substance that is infusedinto those who receive the sacraments.²⁴The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the sacraments infuse grace into the recipients by the physical act of participation (ex opere operato), even apart from faith. According to the Roman Catholic Church, grace is something material and imparted by the sacraments. To them, the Word produces nothing more than a historical faith that is insufficient for salvation, but needs to be further “augmented with love” (i.e., needs to be infused by the grace received in the sacraments). For this reason, the Roman Catholic Church places a greater emphasis on its sacraments than the Word. “The sacrament, accordingly, works physically and magically by virtue of a power granted to the priest by God, as an instrument in his hand.” Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, p. 468. According to them, grace is physically contained in the sacraments themselves and transferred to every recipient, as long as he/she does not positively resist it.²⁵Roman Catholics broadly define the sacraments as “a visible form of an invisible grace” and that they “contain grace within themselves” and communicate it “through the act performed” (ex opere operato). The sacraments are necessary for salvation, such that without them, justifying grace cannot be obtained. Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, pp. 467, 473, 491. It is taught that a person can even be ignorant about God and lack faith, but still receive the grace of the sacraments!²⁶See the Council of Trent, session 7, canons 6 and 8. Furthermore, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that the efficacy of the sacraments depends on the intention of the priest at the time they are administered, as per the Council of Trent, session 7, canon 11. If a priest has the right intention, then the sacrament conveys grace to the recipient automatically! This teaching is obviously unscriptural and should be rejected.²⁷“Note Acts 8:13, 23, where it is stated that Simon the Sorcerer ‘was baptized’ and then soon afterwards the apostle Peter said to him ‘thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.’ If baptism of itself confers regeneration, as an opus operatum [as an ‘operation performed’], Simon would have been regenerated by his baptism: he would have been a new creature in Christ Jesus; but as a matter of fact he was still in the bond of iniquity. Clearly baptism did not convey any grace to Simon the Sorcerer. The whole idea that the sacraments of themselves confer grace is contrary to the Bible’s emphasis on faith as necessary for salvation.” Vos, Johannes Geerhardus. The Westminster Larger Catechism: A Commentary. P&R Publishing, 2002, p. 461.

While we may be tempted to dismiss the Roman Catholic view of the sacraments as foolish superstition, we should be aware that many Protestants (even those in Reformed churches) practically hold to the Roman Catholic view of the efficacy of the sacraments! Many people think that they will receive some sort of spiritual blessing from their baptism or participation in the Lord’s supper, even though they continue to live ungodly lives without any real repentance or genuine faith in Christ. Many eagerly partake in communion, but neglect the preached Word from week to week, thinking that the sacrament confers something “better.” 

Addressing this, we need to avoid the error of the Roman Catholic Church, remembering that the sacraments do not have inherent power in themselves. The sacraments are subordinate to the Word of God and are only made efficacious by the work of the Holy Spirit and the blessing of Christ. On the other hand, we should be guarded against the opposite error of denying the importance of the sacraments as means of grace altogether. Many Protestants relegate baptism as a simple rite or dedication, or the Lord’s supper as a mere memorial. But the sacraments are much more than that. We need to acknowledge the sacraments for what they are: true means of grace if received by faith according to the Holy Spirit’s power. 

We should be wary of misusing the Word and sacraments. As mentioned in a previous class, these are not always means of grace, but can sometimes be means of judgment too when handled lightly or treated with disdain. It is possible to participate in the external administration of the sacraments, yet not of its internal substance. John Owen observed:²⁸Owen, John. John Owen’s Exposition of Hebrews: Hebrews 6 (emphasis mine); cf. Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion, 4.15.9; Ursinus, Zacharias. Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism. Eerdmans, 1956, pp. 360-361.

In the visible professing church, all things outwardly seemed to be equal. There are the same ordinances administered unto all, the same profession of faith is made by all, the same outward duties are attended unto, and scandalous offenses are by all avoided. But yet things are not internally equal. In a great house, there are vessels of wood and stone, as well as of gold and silver. All that eat outwardly of the bread of life, do not feed on the hidden manna. All that have their names enrolled in the church’s book, may yet not have them written in the Lamb’s book.

Just as it is possible to sit under the faithful preaching of the Word of God and not believe, so it too is possible to receive the external sacrament without obtaining its invisible benefits.

Footnotes

• 1
  The term “sacrament” was likely adopted by Christians in the second century. Two possible origins are commonly proposed: first, sacramentum is the Latin translation of the Greek word mystērion (μυστηριον) or “mystery.” While the New Testament uses the term “mystery” to describe the acts of God that were formerly hidden but now revealed (e.g., Rom. 16:25; 1 Cor. 15:51; Eph. 5:32), the word took on a different meaning in the early church and was instead applied to the rituals of baptism and the Lord’s supper. Second, the word sacramentumwas also used by the Romans to describe the military oath taken by soldiers to bind themselves in obedience to their commanders. It is possible that Christians took on the term for this reason, seeing that “we are called to military service of the living God” (as per the Church Father, Tertullian). Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, pp. 464-465, 472; Vos, Geerhardus. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 5: Ecclesiology, The Means of Grace, Eschatology. Lexham Press, 2016, pp. 92-93; Vos, Johannes Geerhardus. The Westminster Larger Catechism: A Commentary. P&R Publishing, 2002, p. 437.
• 2
  Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, p. 473; cf. Calvin, John.Institutes of the Christian Religion, 4.14.1. A similar definition is provided in the WLC Q162: What is a sacrament? A: A sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ in his church, to signify, seal, and exhibit unto those that are within the covenant of grace, the benefits of his mediation; to strengthen and increase their faith, and all other graces; to oblige them to obedience; to testify and cherish their love and communion one with another; and to distinguish them from those that are without.
• 3
  Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, pp. 473-477.
• 4
  “Because we are not [disembodied] spirits but sensuous earthly creatures who can only understand spiritual things when they come to us in humanly perceptible forms, God instituted the sacraments in order that by seeing those signs we might gain a better insight into his benefits, receive a stronger confirmation of his promises, and thus be supported and strengthened in our faith. The sacraments do not work faith but reinforce it, as a wedding ring reinforces love. They do not infuse a physical grace but confer the whole Christ, whom believers already possess by the Word. They bestow on them that same Christ in another way and by another road and so strengthen the faith. Furthermore, they renew the believers’ covenant with God, [and] strengthen them in the communion of Christ.” Ibid, p. 489.
• 5
  “In the sacrament God first comes to believers to signify and seal his benefits. He assures them with visible pledges that he is their God and the God of their children. He attaches seals to his Word to strengthen their faith in that Word (Gen. 9:11–15; 17:11; Exod. 12:13; Mark 1:4; 16:16; Luke 22:19; Rom. 4:11)… Aside from being signs, sacraments are also seals that God attaches to his word in order to highlight its trustworthiness… for our benefit and to our mind.” Ibid, pp. 475-477.
• 6
  “Every observance of the sacrament is an act of covenant renewal, a vow of faithfulness, an oath that obligates those who take it to engage in the service of Christ (Mark 1:5; 16:16; Acts 2:41; 8:37; Rom. 6:3ff.; 1 Cor. 10:16ff.)” Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, pp. 475-476. Also, Vos, Johannes Geerhardus. The Westminster Larger Catechism: A Commentary. P&R Publishing, 2002, p. 437.
• 7
  WLC Q163: What are the parts of a sacrament? A: The parts of a sacrament are two; the one an outward and sensible sign, used according to Christ’s own appointment; the other an inward and spiritual grace thereby signified.
• 8
  Those who use the sacraments wrongly only partake of the outward form without receiving the spiritual benefits.
• 9
  Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 27, paragraphs 2 and 3.
• 10
  Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 27, paragraph 5; cf. chapter 7, paragraphs 5 and 6.
• 11
  Vos, Geerhardus. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 5: Ecclesiology, The Means of Grace, Eschatology. Lexham Press, 2016, p. 103.
• 12
  In contrast, the Roman Catholic Church lists seven sacraments! In addition to baptism and Lord’s supper, they also include confirmation, penance, holy orders, marriage, and extreme unction. The later five are not accepted by the Reformed, as these were not instituted by Christ as means of grace.
• 13
  WLC Q164: How many sacraments hath Christ instituted in his church under the New Testament? A: Under the New Testament Christ hath instituted in his church only two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord’s supper.
• 14
  Correspondingly, the sacraments of the New Testament are also bloodless.
• 15
  Vos, Johannes Geerhardus. The Westminster Larger Catechism: A Commentary. P&R Publishing, 2002, pp. 510-511.
• 16
  WLC Q176: Wherein do the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper agree? A: The sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper agree, in that the author of both is God; the spiritual part of both is Christ and his benefits; both are seals of the same covenant, are to be dispensed by ministers of the gospel, and by none other; and to be continued in the church of Christ until his second coming.
  
  WLC Q177: Wherein do the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper differ? A: The sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper differ, in that baptism is to be administered but once, with water, to be a sign and seal of our regeneration and ingrafting into Christ, and that even to infants; whereas the Lord’s supper is to be administered often, in the elements of bread and wine, to represent and exhibit Christ as spiritual nourishment to the soul, and to confirm our continuance and growth in him, and that only to such as are of years and ability to examine themselves.
• 17
  WLC Q161: How do the sacraments become effectual means of salvation? A: The sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not by any power in themselves, or any virtue derived from the piety or intention of him by whom they are administered, but only by the working of the Holy Ghost, and the blessing of Christ, by whom they are instituted.
• 18
  The sacraments are subordinate to the Word. These have no meaning or power apart from that Word. Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, p. 444; and Fesko, J.V. Word, Water, and Spirit: A Reformed Perspective on Baptism. Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage, 2010, p. 276.
• 19
  In contrast, Roman Catholics believe that the “words of institution” actually change the sign into the thing signified. To them, the “words of institution” take on a magical character, such that the priest can even whisper these in Latin and they can be effective. For the Roman Catholics, the words are not for instructing the recipients, but to transform the elements into something substantially different. Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, p. 481.
• 20
  Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion, 4.14.4.
• 21
  Vos, Geerhardus. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 5: Ecclesiology, The Means of Grace, Eschatology. Lexham Press, 2016, p. 91.
• 22
  The Word and sacraments communicate the same grace. “There is not a single benefit of grace that, withheld from us in the Word, is now imparted to believers in a special way by the sacrament… The content of Word and sacrament is completely identical. The two contain the same Mediator, the same covenant, the same benefits, the same salvation, the same fellowship with God. They are even the same in mode and instrument of reception, for also in the sacrament Christ is enjoyed spiritually, not physically, by faith, not by the mouth. They only differ in the external form, in the manner in which they offer the same Christ to us… The Word signifies and seals Christ to us by the sense of hearing; the sacrament signifies and seals Christ to us by the sense of sight.” Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, p. 479.
• 23
  “The Word, accordingly, is something, even much, without the sacrament, but the sacrament is nothing without the Word and in that case has neither value nor power. It is nothing less but also nothing more than the Word made visible. All the benefits of salvation can be obtained from the Word and by faith alone, while there is not a single benefit that could be obtained without the Word and without faith from the sacrament alone… [Its only function is] to strengthen the faith of believers.” Ibid, p. 479. “Apart from the Word, the sacraments are empty symbols indistinguishable from any other washing or meal. The preaching of the Word with the explanation of the symbolism of the sacraments sets the washing with water and the meal of bread and wine apart as sacraments, as means of grace.” Fesko, J.V. Word, Water, and Spirit: A Reformed Perspective on Baptism. Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage, 2010, p. 276. “According to the Reformed, the sacraments are necessary with a necessity of command. Contempt for them and neglect of their use is a sin… But they are not absolutely necessary for salvation. Not the outward sign but the inward grace that is signified is indispensable (Mk 16:16; Jn. 3:5)… Only the Word is absolutely necessary for salvation.” Vos, Geerhardus. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 5: Ecclesiology, The Means of Grace, Eschatology. Lexham Press, 2016, p. 102.
• 24
  The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the sacraments infuse grace into the recipients by the physical act of participation (ex opere operato), even apart from faith. According to the Roman Catholic Church, grace is something material and imparted by the sacraments. To them, the Word produces nothing more than a historical faith that is insufficient for salvation, but needs to be further “augmented with love” (i.e., needs to be infused by the grace received in the sacraments). For this reason, the Roman Catholic Church places a greater emphasis on its sacraments than the Word. “The sacrament, accordingly, works physically and magically by virtue of a power granted to the priest by God, as an instrument in his hand.” Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, p. 468.
• 25
  Roman Catholics broadly define the sacraments as “a visible form of an invisible grace” and that they “contain grace within themselves” and communicate it “through the act performed” (ex opere operato). The sacraments are necessary for salvation, such that without them, justifying grace cannot be obtained. Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Baker Academic, 2008, pp. 467, 473, 491.
• 26
  See the Council of Trent, session 7, canons 6 and 8. Furthermore, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that the efficacy of the sacraments depends on the intention of the priest at the time they are administered, as per the Council of Trent, session 7, canon 11. If a priest has the right intention, then the sacrament conveys grace to the recipient automatically!
• 27
  “Note Acts 8:13, 23, where it is stated that Simon the Sorcerer ‘was baptized’ and then soon afterwards the apostle Peter said to him ‘thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.’ If baptism of itself confers regeneration, as an opus operatum [as an ‘operation performed’], Simon would have been regenerated by his baptism: he would have been a new creature in Christ Jesus; but as a matter of fact he was still in the bond of iniquity. Clearly baptism did not convey any grace to Simon the Sorcerer. The whole idea that the sacraments of themselves confer grace is contrary to the Bible’s emphasis on faith as necessary for salvation.” Vos, Johannes Geerhardus. The Westminster Larger Catechism: A Commentary. P&R Publishing, 2002, p. 461.
• 28
  Owen, John. John Owen’s Exposition of Hebrews: Hebrews 6 (emphasis mine); cf. Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion, 4.15.9; Ursinus, Zacharias. Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism. Eerdmans, 1956, pp. 360-361.