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Sacramental Life or Life in the Spirit of Christ

In the English Church (Anglican) Tradition, there are 7 sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Holy Communion, Marriage, Anointing, and Holy Orders.  If we take the base meaning of the word, we are saying there are 7 Church oaths, or signs. 

To give a little background on sacraments in general, it is necessary to look into Church history.

While Holy Communion (the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper), Baptism, Confession of Sin, Marriages, Burials, Anointing and Ordination  were observed from the earliest days of the Church, centuries elapsed before  sacramental theology  rites of Christian burial, penance (confession of sin), marriage and the others were given regular forms and differentiated from sacramentals.  The number of sacraments was disputed for over 1000 years.

The Council of Lyons, 1274 AD affirmed seven sacraments.  Since this was 200 years before the Protestant Reformation, this definition was passed on to the whole Church and has been accepted by some, though not all Protestants as well as the Anglican, Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Communions.  The next paragraph comes from that council. 

The same Holy Roman Church also holds and teaches that there are seven sacraments of the Church: one is baptism, which has been mentioned above; another is the sacrament of confirmation which bishops confer by the laying on of hands while they anoint the reborn; then penance, the Eucharist, the sacrament of order, matrimony and extreme unction which, according to the doctrine of the Blessed James, [James 5:14-15] is administered to the sick. The same Roman Church performs (conficit) the sacrament of the Eucharist with unleavened bread; she holds and teaches that in this sacrament the bread is truly transubstantiated into the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the wine into His blood. As regards matrimony, she holds that neither is a man allowed to have several wives at the same time nor a woman several husbands. But, when a legitimate marriage is dissolved by the death of one of the spouses, she declares that a second and afterwards a third wedding are successively licit, if no other canonical impediment goes against it for any reason.nst it for any reason.

Source: The Christian Faith in the Doctrinal Documents of the Catholic Church, rev ed., ed. J. Neusner and J Dupuis, (New York: Alba House, 1982), no. 28 (p. 19) [ Denzinger-Schönmetzer, Enchiridion, 860]

Now that I have quoted from what is perceived by those from Protestant backgrounds as a Roman Catholic document, we have our work cut out for us to define terms, not only as we understand them today, but as they were understood by the Church in the Middle Ages, by the Church in the time of the Early Church Fathers, and more importantly, by Jesus Christ and the Apostles.

The English derived the word sacrament from the Latin word sacramentum.  A sacrament is an oath.   The word sacramentum was early applied to Baptism in connection with its establishing of a “new covenant” between a human being and God.

The many quotes below from Paul, John, Peter, James and Jesus should make it clear that the life of the spirit, the sacramental life, begins with baptism that is a re-enactment of Jesus Christ’s death burial and resurrection.  Baptism is a sign meaning a person is being born anew, of water and spirit.  It means that the old life is dead and a new person has been created in the image of God.  The sacrament, the oath or covenant part of this is that Jesus Christ said it is so and he promised to be with us always. 

The various metaphysical explanations invented by theologians in other ages may be a distraction to us.  Perhaps we shouldn’t worry so much about the how that we cannot see, but should accept as true and commit our lives to the reality.  The oath is that God will give grace to accomplish his purpose in our lives if we are “in Christ.”

How does this sacrament of baptism work?  Perhaps one should look to the sayings and  parables of Jesus.  The mustard seed, the leaven and the salt and light sayings give us a clue.

The words of Jesus are planted.  The examples of Christians “lights in the world” are seen.  The uncomplaining sufferings and sacrificial service rendered by Christians are observed along with blessings rather than cursings.  The Gospel story is told and eventually some come to the incarnation of God in this world, are born a new and are changed.  This is a great mystery, a revelation of God, long hidden from the world.

 The book of Acts records how the Spirit came as Jesus had promised, on Pentecost Day.  Those who were baptized, according to the book of Acts, did receive this gift of the Spirit.  In the New Testament, sometimes the Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of Christ.  So, the abiding presence, the real presence of Christ in the Church is the principle meaning of sacrament.  From the first days of the Church, baptism was recognized as the means by which a person realized this abiding presence, became the recipients of the benefits of the oath.

In the Gospel of Mark (Mk 16:16) it is clear that belief is the required attitude of a person approaching entry into Christ.  As Hebrews says, “Without faith, it is impossible to please him.”  Those who would divide Christian obedience (works demonstrating faith) from faith (belief accompanied by trusting obedience) are “putting asunder” matters our Lord has joined together.

To illustrate what I mean, consider Hebrews chapters 11-12.  In that great role call of the faithful from beginning to end the formula is “By faith Abel offered God a greater sacrifice. . .he was commended as righteous. . . through his faith he still speaks.”

“By faith Enoch was taken up . . .before his removal he had been commended as having pleased God.  Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

By faith Noah . . .reverently constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family.  Through faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out. . . he went. . .By faith he lived. . .he was looking forward to the city with firm foundations. . .By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac.  Yet he was ready to offer up his own son. . . .”

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob. . . By faith,.Jacob. . .blessed each of the sons of Joseph.

By faith, Moses’ parents were not afraid of Pharoah’s edict.

By faith Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. . . .He regarded abuse suffered for Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt. . .By faith he left Egypt without fearing the king’s anger. . .By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood. . .By faith they crossed  the Red Sea.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell after the people marched as the Lord had directed them to do.

By faith Rahab. . .escaped. . .because she welcomed the Israelite spies in peace.

Through faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, gained what was promised, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the dge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, put foreign armies to flight, and women received back their dead raised to life…experienced mocking, and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. . .were stoned, sawed apart. . .murdered. . .were destitute, afflicted, ill treated. . .wandered in deserts and mountains and caves.

AND THESE WERE ALL COMMENDED FOR THEIR FAITH  (Hebrews 11:38)

Evidently a great deal more was involved in the active faith of these witnesses (martyrs) than belief; there was also a committed life to service and if necessary, a martyr’s death.  The record put forth in Hebrews 11 is the work that was the evidence of the trust, the active faith these witnesses had in God’s oath (sacrament, covenant).  As James says, the Devils believe and tremble.  The Saints, however, believe and have faith, live faithfully act faithfully, have a life and if necessary a death that shows their belief, hence they are called witnesses (martyrs).

The Christian then, is urged to do more than simply give intellectual assent to the possibility of God.  We “must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out before us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.  For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.  Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up.  You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed in your struggle against sin.  (Hebrews 12).

The entire 12th and 13th chapters of Hebrews exhorts the Christian to faithful obedience and productive lives.  Following the examples of the Hebrews of faith whose work has been laid out in chapter 11, Paul (or a Pauline disciple) exhorts in 13:1 “Brotherly love must continue.  Do not neglect hospitality, . . .Remember those in prison. . .Marriage must be honored. .. your conduct must be free from the love of money. . . .imitate the faith of your leaders (those who worked and suffered in the faith).

The writer of Hebrews further exhorts Christians to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God (through Christ). . .and do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.”   (Hebrews 13:16)  He closes with action words, “Obey. . . .submit. . . .pray.”

There is no division of faith and works in either the teaching of Jesus Christ or the apostles.  The formula is always “believe and do…..”.That believing and doing is faith; the faith of Jesus Christ, who for the joy set before him (belief) endured the  cross, disregarding its shame.”   He is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith and as St. Peter says, we are to follow in his steps. (I Peter 2:19-21.)  “For this finds God’s favor, if because of conscience toward God someone endures hardships in suffering unjustly, for what credit is it if you sin and are mistreated and endure it?  But if you do good and suffer and so endure, this finds favor with God.  For to this you were called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in his steps.”

As Bonhoeffer observed, there is no “cheap grace.”  Finding grace, (favor) In I Peter 2:19-21 demands an active faith that suffers. 

Now all of this about active faith, or faith and works, is not talking about meriting salvation.  But somehow, in the mystery of salvation, in the mystery of faith, righteousness of the individual Christian enters the mix.  True, in Romans 5 Paul declares that no amount of works of the law will make it possible for a person to be justified before God.  We are indeed, all sinners.  To my knowledge, no Christian, whether Anglican, Orthodox, Roman Catholic or Protestant denies “All have sinned.”  To my knowledge all those Protestants who still believe in Jesus Christ as well as believing Anglicans, Orthodox and Roman Catholics accept that “Christ died for our sins” and “was raised for our justification.”

How is it then that there is a division in understanding regarding justification by faith.  Why do some seem to put part of St. Paul’s teaching (Romans 5 and Galatians 3) in opposition to Hebrews 11-13 (possibly a writing of St. Paul, James, I Peter and even Romans 6:15.

Paul is no anti-nomian.  I think the failure of the “faith only” groups is that they stop short in their reading of St. Paul at Romans 5:1  “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”   In Galatians 3:23-26 we are advised that in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.”

Those are strong words, hopeful words to we who acknowledge we can do nothing to be worthy of the love of God by our own strength.

But consider the writings of St. Paul that follow both Romans 5 and Galatians 3.  The matter of Christ dying for our sins and being our righteousness is only the beginning of the story, not the end.

Read Galatians 3:26 and 27 together.  “For in Christ Jesus you are sons of God through faith.  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

What is this?  You believed. . .you are sons of God through faith. . .you have put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ.”  What does that mean?

The rest of Galatians explains the meaning of Galatians 3:27.  Putting on Christ means that you are an heir to the promises of Abraham, and you have the ‘Spirit’ so that you can call God “Father.”  You no longer have to prove yourself by circumcision or try to be righteous by your obedience to the “whole law” referring to the more than 400 commands of Judaism at the time of St. Paul.  I said that Paul is not anti-nomian.  He is not because he teaches the higher law.  (Galatians 5:14) “For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”  . . . .I say live by the spirit. . . .the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. . . .Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit.  (Galatians 5:13-25)

Paul doesn’t believe “once saved always saved” for he advises the Galatians to “restore the person in a spirit of gentleness” who has fallen into sin (which by Paul’s definition is separation from God.) 

Paul further advises, “Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you fulfill the law of Christ. . . .the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.  So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up.  So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith.”  (Galatians 6:1-6)

Obviously the works that St. Paul says is required of those “in Christ” are much more demanding than the works of the law.  No longer is a person required to look after himself and live righteously, he must spend his life in service. How is this possible?
The answer is in the formula “in Christ.” 

It is not humanly possible to be Christ in this world, except through the gifts of the Spirit.  The Christian life, the righteousness of Christ is not some otherworldly invisible. Intangible seen only by God, it is the visible proof that Christ is in the world:  “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.”  The impossible dream of which St. Paul speaks is the incarnation of God and His image into this world.  The Christian is baptized “into Christ” is clothed with Christ, has put on Christ. 

St. John put the same truth a little differently in his Evangel.  Jesus encountered and said to him, “You must be born from above, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.  St. John, commenting on this event wrote,  “What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Jesus explained to Nicodemus that Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (Numbers 21:5-9) so that those who would obey God and look at it would be saved from the effects of the poisonous snakes.  He then prophesied his own death and its meaning, that “the Son of Man” must also be lifted up so that people would look to Him and live.

After Jesus informed Nicodemus that “the Son of Man” must be lifted up so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life, John offered more catechetical instruction in John 3:16-21
John, in concert with St. Paul, preached the Gospel and stressed belief in John 3:16.  But he also coupled belief with action: “the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God.”  John, who recorded Jesus saying, “I am the way, the truth and the life”; “I am this worlds light” make it clear that coming to the light and accomplishing deeds done “in God” is expected.

John is slower than the other evangelists in laying out the ethical demands;  this worldly demands on the faithful followers of Christ.  He showed what is expected by Jesus’ example in John 13:1. 

Just before the Passover feast, Jesus knew that his time had come to depart from this world to the Father.  Having loved his own who were in the world, he now loved them to the very end. . . .he got up from the meal, removed his outer clothes, took a towel and tied it around himself.  He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel he had wrapped around himself. . . . .If I do not wash you, you have no share with me. . . .So when Jesus had washed their feet and put his outer clothing back on, he took his place at the table again and said to them, “Do you understand what I have done for you?  You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and do so correctly, for that is what I am.  If  I then, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you too ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have given you an example—you should do just as I have done for you.  I tell you the solemn truth, the slave is not greater than his master, nor is the one who is sent as a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  If you understand these things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 13:1-17).

Thus John uses the example of Jesus as well as his words to tell us that the followers of Jesus are to live the servant life.  He quotes Jesus in John 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.  Then I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever –the Spirit of truth. . .you know him because he resides with you and will be in you.  I will not abandon you as orphans, I will come to you. You will know at that time that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you. The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me.  The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him.”

We can see that Johanine mysticism and Pauline mysticism are going in the same direction.  Paul, after talking of justification by faith in Romans 5, talks of “being baptized into Christ’s death and rising to walk in a new life” in Romans 6.

Paul used the language of Jesus, the language of slave and master in the 6th chapter of Romans (see verses 15-23).  Paul emphasized that “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”    Too many evangelicals have understood this gift of eternal life as something that begins after a person has died.  Not so, the gift of eternal life begins at baptism.  As the person arises from immersion in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, he rises to walk in a new life in Christ.  

There is no escaping that the language of John, Paul, James and Peter is incarnational.  Being in Christ is putting on Christ.  The works demanded are more strenuous than the works of the law – the work is that of recreating humanity in the image of God.  The person is no longer walking in darkness and doing dark deeds, he is walking in light, the Spirit is enlightening and enabling him to have love, joy, peace, patience. 

The first chapter of I Peter echoes the language of St. Paul’s expression about the fruit of the Spirit and that patience produces endurance.  Peter said, “. . .by God’s power you are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials.  Such trial show the proven character of your faith which is much more valuable than gold . . .and will bring praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  You have not seen him, but you love him.  You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, because you are attaining the goal of your faith – the salvation of your souls. . . .Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges you used to follow in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your conduct, for it is written, “You shall be holy, because I am holy.”  . . . .You  have purified your souls by obeying the truth in order to show sincere mutual love.  So love one another earnestly from a pure heart.  You have been born anew. . .not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.”  (I Peter 1:1-2:4)  Peter continues through his entire book to urge Christians to righteous living to follow Jesus example in all things, and to do that which is impossible without the grace of God, “be holy.”

And so, in regard to baptism, we have at last arrived at the beginning place of this treatise.  Jesus said, (Matthew 28:19-20) “Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Pauline mysticism is summed up in the message of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:11-6:13)  The idea is that God is recreating the world through the work of Christ’s body in the world today. Christ’s love working through this incarnation of Christ in humanity is recreating the world.   This is a bold view of sacrament.  Our baptism into Christ means we are in a new existence.  II Cor 5:17 “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come!.   And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation.  In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation.  . .We plead with you on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God” 

The new heavens, the new earth, the new humanity spoken of in the epistles and the Book of Revelation are a result of the work, the faithful work or work in faith wrought by Christians, people who are “in Christ.”  Christ works through his present day body saying the same things the apostles said, “Behold I make all things new.”  “If any man is in Christ, there is a new creation.”  There is a place of new beginnings for all people.

Sacraments are signs that say God is working in our midst. 

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