In areas of
theological discourse between various Christian traditions, Baptism and the
Lord’s Supper perhaps hold some of the most disparate approaches. While
non-Baptist traditions frequently utilize the term, “sacrament,’ to refer to
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, contemporary Baptist traditions usually employ
ordinance. Differences of view regularly regard what is believed to occur
during the sacred acts: either the impartation of grace or an act of cognitive
remembrance. Few would likely disagree with the truth that the acts are
ordinances in that they were ordained and instituted by Jesus Christ himself
(Mark 14:22-24, 1 Cor 11:23-26, Matt 26:26-30, Luke 22:14-23); yet, the notion
that Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are sacraments leads to disagreement between
contemporary Baptist and non-Baptist traditions. Nonetheless, a careful survey
of the meaning of sacrament and its implications can bring greater
compatibility between Baptists and non-Baptists.[1]
Baptist teaching and worship practice often
prides itself on the doctrine of grace alone. Often unrealized in Baptist
teaching, however, is the fact that sacrament is also built upon grace alone.
In fact, sacramental theology is founded upon the work of God rather than the
work of humankind. The word, “sacrament,” is derived from the church’s union
and participation with Christ. The church’s present union and participation
with Christ necessitates a recovery of sacramental theology in Baptist worship
practice. This paper defends the need for the recovery of sacramental theology
in Baptist worship practice on a fourfold basis:
1)
an
explanation of sacrament’s essence,
2)
the
foundation of sacramental theology in church history,
3)
the
awareness of God’s place as subject over object in worship, and
4)
the
groundwork of grace alone upon which sacramental theology subsists.
[1] “Christians throughout
history have generally accepted Augustine of Hippo’s definition of a sacrament as ‘the visible
form of invisible grace’ (‘On
the Catechism of the Uninstructed,’
26.50). However, different Christian churches and
traditions vary in their understanding of how the visible sign relates to the
divine grace. There are two general understandings:
1.
The sign bestows or contains the grace.
2.
The sign depicts, represents, or symbolizes the grace”
(Eugene
R. Schlesinger, “Sacraments,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible
Dictionary, Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
