Notable Quote: C.G. Kirkby
C.G. Kirkby on the sacraments . . .
Only two sacraments are known and administered by the Church in the New Testament era – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These are both equally signs and seals and intended to be attached to the Word. The word “sacrament” comes from the Latin term SACRAMENTUM and is equivalent to the Greek term MYSTERION which in the New Testament denotes the divine plan of salvation hidden in past ages but now brought to light in the preaching of the Word (Rom. 16:25, 26). They are called “mysteries” or “sacraments” because they have enabled men to participate in the mysterious union of God and man through the atoning death and resurrection of Christ.
It was Augustine who first gave the general definition of a sacrament, which later became traditional, as “an outward and temporal sign of an inward and enduring grace.” Accordingly to the catechism of the Book of Common Prayer, a sacrament is “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.” The Reformers insisted that the sacraments were given to the Word of God. This predominant purpose of a sacrament is for a sign and a seal. It is to declare to us what God has done for us and to us and within us..
Signs and Seals of the Covenant
Labels: Quotes, Sacraments
posted by The Catechizer and The Deacon | 5:30 AM
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