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III. The Sacraments in General
A. RELATION BETWEEN THE WORD AND THE SACRAMENTS.
In distinction from the Roman Catholic Church, the Churches of the Reformation emphasize the
priority of the Word of God. While the former proceeds on the assumption that the sacraments
contain all that is necessary for the salvation of sinners, need no interpretation, and therefore
render the Word quite superfluous as a means of grace, the latter regard the Word as
absolutely essential, and merely raise the question, why the sacraments should be added to it.
Some of the Lutherans claim that a specific grace, differing from that which is wrought by the
Word, is conveyed by the sacraments. This is all but universally denied by the Reformed, a few
Scottish theologians and Dr. Kuyper forming exceptions to the rule. They point to the fact that
God has so created man that he obtains knowledge particularly through the avenues of the
senses of sight and hearing. The Word is adapted to the ear, and the sacraments to the eye.
And since the eye is more sensuous than the ear, it may be said that God, by adding the
sacraments to the Word, comes to the aid of sinful man. The truth addressed to the ear in the
Word, is symbolically represented to the eye in the sacraments. It should be borne in mind,
however, that, while the Word can exist and is also complete without the sacraments, the
sacraments are never complete without the Word. There are points of similarity and points of
difference between the Word and the sacraments.
1. POINTS OF SIMILARITY.
They agree: (a) in author, since God instituted both as means of
grace; (b) in contents, for Christ is the central content of the one as well as of the other; and (c)
in the manner in which the contents are appropriated, namely, by faith. This is the only way in
which the sinner can become a participant of the grace that is offered in the Word and in the
sacraments.
2. POINTS OF DIFFERENCE.
They differ: (a) in their necessity, the Word being indispensable,
while the sacraments are not; (b) in their purpose, since the Word is intended to engender and
to strengthen faith, while the sacraments serve only to strengthen it; and (c) in their extension,
since the Word goes out into all the world, while the sacraments are administered only to those
who are in the Church.
B. ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THE WORD “SACRAMENT”.
The word “sacrament” is not found in Scripture. It is derived from the Latin sacramentum,
which originally denoted a sum of money deposited by two parties in litigation. After the
decision of the court the winner’s money was returned, while that of the loser was forfeited.
This seems to have been called a sacramentum, because it was intended to be a sort of
propitiatory offering to the gods. The transition to the Christian use of the term is probably to