Monday, February 05, 2007

Its all Sacramental in a sense

Based on: Bromiley, G. W., Sacramental Teaching and Practice in the Reformation Churches (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1957)

"Sacrament" is a Latin term for an oath engaging a soldier to obedience, which “merely describes an aspect of what is involved in these means of grace.” (p11)

A sacrament is “a divine act that carries with it a specific meaning or grace.” (p11)

There was “a period of confusion, when the word sacrament had been applied generally to all kinds of signs or actions with a certain spiritual significance” before the Western church defined 7 (p12).

“… it has always been admitted that we may give the word [sacrament] a more extended meaning in which it may cover all the material things which speak to us of God and His actions, so that ultimately the universe itself can be regarded as sacramental by the Christian.” (p12).

These 2 sacraments, baptism and supper: instituted and commanded by Christ “stand in close relation to the saving work of Jesus Christ in a way which cannot be said of any other observances that may be termed sacramental in a loose and extended sense.” (p13)

No comments: