Subject: Raven and John Reformed, Baptism? |
Bible Note: Hank, Yes, we do view the sacraments as salvific in that they are encounters with Christ. Baptism is is called a sacrament of the dead because it conveys the grace of God which bring us from spiritual death to new life in Christ. In the old Baltimore cathecism a sacrament is defined as "a sign instituted by God to give grace." It is not just a symbol but a symbol that effects what it symbolizes by the action of God's grace. Another example that makes this explicitly clear is the Annointing of the Sick and Confession is in James 5:14-16 14: Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15: and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16: Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects. It is important to note that it is the work of God and his grace through the sacraments that saves us not our work in the sacrament. We are to be disposed by prayer and repentence to receive God's grace. And even that disposition is a work of grace. Emmaus |