“also their children and their children’s children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day”
(2 Kings 17:43, NKJV)
The twelve myth of the contemporary church might be a very controversial one to some believers, and is concerned with the sacraments. It is not possible to formulate the myth without firstly mapping out a few qualifiers and terms of such a discussion.
The word sacrament is not found in the Bible. (This word was firstly used in a formal church context in the Council of Nicaea in 325 BC.) The original Latin word from which it is derived, is sacramentum, which is “used in two chief senses: (1) as a legal term to denote the sum of money deposited by two parties to a suit which was forfeited by the loser and appropriated to sacred uses; (2) as a military term to designate the oath of obedience taken by newly enlisted soldiers” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia). Far removed from the meaning of the word, there is no concept in the entire New Testament that embodies this idea, “nor does the earliest history of Christianity afford any trace of the application of the term to certain rites of the church” (Ibid.).
Yet, in The Reformed Church’s evangelical publication, Quo Vadis? (no 217, Aug. 1987), Ds. Nico Ligthelm defines the term in the light of the root meaning of the word: “The rites of baptism and communion are gathered under the collective term of sacraments. It is a word from the Latin, which literally means “holy method” or “method of dedication”. In Roman times a soldier who reported for duty, would be sacramented, initiated, and after that he was considered as an integral part of the army, who cannot be separated from it. In the baptism and communion we find the same idea, namely that a church member who shares in the sacraments is an integral part of Jesus Christ, and cannot be separated from Him.”
One can already see the danger signs here. Ds Ligthelm then continues his explanation: “For in the sacraments the following things come to the fore in a practical and concrete manner: the promises of God in Christ, and the embodiment of Christianity – thus the sacraments are a visible way of spreading the Word – you can taste it and touch it, not only hear it. Therefore we can say that the sacraments are a visual manifestation of God’s Word. And as a user of these sacraments, you become part of Jesus Christ …”
This view of the sacrament becomes immensely problematic – it is easy to perform a rite (to even unknowingly perform it, as in the case of the baptism of infants, or when an unbeliever uses communion) without it being a truth for the person. Is the baptised baby now part of the Body of Christ based on the decision of his parents, even though he may choose to become an atheist later in his life? Do the unbelievers who partake in the ritual of communion, thus become part of the Body of Christ? Impossible.
In a few classic Biblical translations (like the 1899 Douay-Rheims Bible) the word mystery in Eph. 5:32 is interestingly enough translated as sacrament, but in other places (like 1 Tim. 3:16; Rev. 1:20; 17:7) it is not. And our contemporary understanding of sacrament is very far removed from the term mystery. Yet we find within this an explanation of the mythical-mystical view of certain sacraments, that in receiving it something supernatural happens to the person. It is primarily seen as a work of God, independent of the receiver. Thus we find that Hexam’s Concise Dictionary of Religion defining a sacrament as follows: “a Rite in which GOD (or Gods) is (are) uniquely active.”
The question that follows from this is equally valid: does God only manifest himself through the sacraments? Clearly not. The handkerchiefs or aprons that were on Paul’s body and were lain over the sick, so that their illnesses and evil spirits could depart from them (Acts 19:12) were mighty deeds of God (verse 11), but did not gain sacramental status.
The Council of Trent’s important formulation in 1563 of what can be considered as a sacrament, thus also doesn’t cut it in that light: “A Sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible grace.” John Calvin, father of the Reformation, also used this as his point of departure, despite the fact that there is actually broad consensus amongst experts that it is actually a definition first coined by St Augustine (354 – 430 BC).
Some faith groups not only link the working of the sacraments to God, but specifically to Jesus. The Anglican Book of Common Prayer for instance defines a sacrament as “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us, ordained by Christ himself, as a means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof”. Gros, Best & Fuchs (eds.) formulate the Baptist position on sacraments even more definitively in their book Growth in Agreement III: International Dialogue Texts and Agreed Statements: “practices ordained by Christ to be permanently observed by the church”.
Based on this wide confusion within church groups about what exactly a sacrament is, almost every denomination has a different set of things that are considered as such. Communion is for the most part the only collective sacrament. The baptism is then also considered a sacrament, but the type of baptism and way of baptising differs, with Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Methodist and Protestant theology on the one side and Baptist, Pentecostal and Charismatic theology on the other. The baptism of the infant versus that of the adult are two completely different rituals.
Where most denominations only keep two sacraments, the Roman Catholic church has seven, as is set out in their Catechisms of the Roman Catholic Church: the baptism of babies; the acceptance of believers (after confirmation classes); communion (the so-called Eucharist); marriage; ordination (of people in clerical positions); confession, as well as anointing (of the sick, of people in specific church positions, or as a last rite).
But certain denominations add to this list. The washing of feet is considered a sacrament by the Anabaptists, the Schwarzenau Brethren and the German Baptists, whilst the Polish National Catholic Church of America for instance considers the preaching of the Word as a sacrament. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (more widely known as the Mormons) also consider the following things as sacraments: ministering to the sick; naming and anointing of a child; dedicating a grave; fatherly blessing and various other blessings of comfort and advice-giving. (We’re not even covering the truly strange sacraments, like for instance the ordination to the priesthood of Aaron or Melchizedek for men, the temple gifts and heavenly/spiritual marriages.)
It then comes as no surprise that the Eastern Orthodox church places no restriction on the amount of sacraments that can exist – “anything the Church does as Church is in some sense sacramental”.
This perspective is in itself problematic, as the following practical illustration makes clear. On their website www.parkkruin.co.za the following information about the baptism of babies is provided by the Dutch Reformed Church of Parkkruin, Johannesburg: “The sacrament of the Baptism is celebrated in a festive manner in Parkkruin. That the Lord God links himself to the children is a highlight for the congregation, again and again. We thus aim to make the baptism an unforgettable event for the parents, the children and the entire church. We introduce the parents to the congregation in the traditional manner, but also follow three important accompanying symbolic practices that are particular to Parkkruin. The child’s footprint in clay. Before the service the children’s’ footprints are preserved in clay. These prints are then placed in the foyer of the church, along with the child’s name and date of baptism. In this way every baptised child becomes part of the story and grace-filled history of the church. The Alpha-moment. The Alpha-moment is the event during which we welcome the child as baptised member of the church. This welcome is celebrated with music. We make use of a wide variety of instruments to ensure that the Alpha-moment is extra special. The baptism-candle. After the baptism we present the parents with a baptism candle. The parents light this candle during the service. It will burn for 16 hours. The first hour is in the church, during the service. After this the parents need to burn it for one hour every year on the anniversary of the child’s baptism. After 16 years the candle is burnt out, and the child is able to conclude his spiritual journey through confirmation.” And then there is the easy option: Click here to download the baptism application forms.
I suppose in itself there is nothing wrong with having such tender memories of a great ritual act surrounding a non-Scriptural baptism, but the problem is created when this tradition gains sacramental importance over time. THIS IS HOW MOST SACRAMENTS COME INTO BEING – THEY ARE DERIVED FROM HUMAN TRADITION AND FLESHLY ORDINANCES, DEVOID OF ANY BIBLICAL GROUNDS.
The twelfth myth of the contemporary church is thus – sacraments are a Biblical ordination.
From this study we have seen how widely the term sacrament is used, and that it is not even a Biblical one. Added to this is the fact that by granting it an elevated connotation, the normal assignments that Jesus gave his followers are often far removed from the “priesthood of all believers”, and can only be handled by Godly-ordained people such as reverends, priests or pastors. It basically becomes a norm that only the clergy may minister the sacraments. This is in no way Biblical.
How should we then view certain clear Biblical commands, such as the baptism of believers, the laying-on of hands, communion, the washing of feet (for the sceptical: John 13:8; 1 Tim. 5:10), etc? Not as sacraments, but as commands set out by Jesus to his followers. The mandate of Jesus to his Body is clear, and throughout the gospels we find this unambiguous assignment:
- “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21)
- “Behold, I send you out …” (Matt. 10:16)
- “Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes …” (Matt. 23:34)
- “behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves” (Luke 10:3)
- “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” (John 13:20)
- “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” (John 17:18)
- “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:20-21).
This myth is clear – there aren’t sacraments, it is a concoction devised by the clergy to retain control of the church system. The twelfth myth of the contemporary church is thus clear: sacraments are a Biblical ordination.
- Selah: Explain the term ‘sacrament’ to someone, as well as the argument against it.
- Read: 2 Sam. 22-23; Ps. 57; 95; 97-99; 1 Chr. 21-22; 2 Sam 24; Ps. 30.
- Memorise 42:1.
- For a more in-depth understanding: Read any of the books or articles mentioned in the teaching.