Mar 23

I Corinthians 11:23
Memorise I Corinthians 11:23
“For I have received of the Lord…”

As we come towards the end of this series on Reformed Theology, we will be studying in the next few days the doctrine of the sacraments. The first question we have to ask is: What is a sacrament? It comes from 2 Latin words meaning “to hallow, consecrate” and “instrument or medium of”. The Westminster Larger Catechism defines it as “an holy ordinance instituted by Christ in His church”. An ordinance is simply something that is ordained by God, ie. something that is decreed or established by God, such as the Bible and marriage. The Bible is full of ordinances. But what, then, makes a sacrament so unique and special that there are only 2 of them in the entire history of Christianity? Read the definition again – a sacrament is “instituted by Christ”. Throughout Christ’s life on earth, there are only 2 occasions when He instituted an ordinance. The first is the Lord’s Supper, which He instituted during the Passover feast right before His crucifixion. Hence Paul describes it as such in today’s reading – it was not something which man had come up with, but it had been “received of the Lord”. Christ Himself established it. The second sacrament is Baptism, which Jesus commanded His disciples to do right before His ascension into heaven (Matthew 28:19).

As we study the 2 sacraments in the coming days, remember that the sacraments are unique and significant in that they are ordained by God, and instituted by Christ. That is the only basis for which we practice them. They are not created from the imagination of man, nor do they come forth from any worldly background or influence. They are of deep spiritual significance and value in the life of every believer. Dear teen, may you thus gain a deep understanding and appreciation of the sacraments, that you may be able to practice them with full understanding and thankfulness.

Thought: The significance of the sacraments lies in their Author.
Prayer: Lord, teach me and grant me understanding on Your sacraments