And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still
uncircumcised… -Romans 4:11a
This morning we look at Question 162 of the Larger Catechism, which asks, “What is a
sacrament?” It gives the answer, “A sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ in his
church, to signify, seal, and exhibit unto those that are within the covenant of grace, the benefits
of his mediation, to strengthen and increase their faith, and all other graces; to oblige them to
obedience; to testify and cherish their love and communion one with another; and to distinguish
them from those that are without.”
Ordinances are laws. When someone violates the city ordinance, it means they have broken the
law. In the Great Commission, which is the mission statement for the Church until He returns,
Jesus gave the command to “Make disciples of all nations,” and He explained how we are to do
that: by going into all the world and “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” Thus, Jesus
summarized all the work of the church as one of obedience to His commands. Therefore, in
today’s question, the sacraments obligate us to obedience, for to participate in the sacraments is
to call Jesus Lord. And to call Him Lord and not seek to obey Him is hypocrisy, making our use of
His sacraments a lie. Finally, because the church is the family of God, the sacraments are not just
laws (ordinances) but holy laws. For they are given in a relationship of (and for the end of)
holiness. Thus to partake of the sacraments brings about a holy obligation to obey God as Savior.
The first use or purpose of the Sacraments mentioned by the Catechism is that they “signify, seal,
and exhibit… the benefits of [Christ’s] mediation. To signify is to sign or to picture. In the
sacraments we have a picture of the whole salvation purchased for us by Christ, who died to
cleanse us of sin and to make us holy. To seal means to guarantee and certify. The sacraments are
given to assure believing participants that the salvation Christ purchased for them is really and
truly theirs. Exhibiting refers to showing forth. The sacraments show forth to all observers that
Christ will certainly, fully, and everlastingly save all those who come to him by faith.
Accordingly, sacraments are given to “strengthen and increase [our] faith” and not to produce or
create it. This faith IS IN Jesus Christ and the word of His gospel of salvation, it is NOT IN the
sacraments themselves, or in the corporeal partaking of them, as if they were magic potions that
had the inherent power to wash away sins or produce righteousness. According to the
Catechism they “signify, seal, and exhibit,” they DO NOT produce, transfer, or create “the benefits
of [Christ’s] mediation” and “all other graces.” Moreover, they “oblige,” “testify and cherish,” and
“distinguish,” they DO NOT achieve, give and make, or cause. The sacraments are God-given
witnesses to the gospel promise of the Word of God, that Jesus most certainly will save all those
who believe in Him. But they DO NOT and cannot create faith or generate the new nature given
by God alone—not in the sacraments—but in effectual calling alone (Larger Catechism 66, 67).
Because the sacraments are given by God to His church to “strengthen and increase their faith
and all other graces” every believer in Christ, by a right use of the sacraments, as signs and seals,
can be more assured and certain that Christ died for me, earned salvation for me, has and will
save me everlastingly, is with me and will help me in this world. They are His guarantee (seal) that
He will keep His Word to everyone who believes. And as my faith in Him is encouraged by the
sacraments, so all other graces such as love, hope, obedience, thankfulness, etc., will likewise be
strengthened. The unity and fellowship I have with all other Christians should be enhanced as I
participate in the sacraments. We who believe in Christ are part of one another as the “baptized.”
We willingly claim and bear His name individually and corporately. We place the sign and seal of
it also on our children, according to His command (Gen. 17), even before they can express their
faith, for the promise is to believers and to their children (Acts 2:39). So also the children of
believers are federally holy, when even just one parent believes (1Cor. 7:14).
Likewise, we who have confirmed our interest in Him by self-examination and judgment, and by
discerning and accepting our responsibility to be an active part of and serve the whole body that
is the church, regularly take the sign and seal of his body and blood in the Lord’s Supper, wherein
we commune with one another. And we commune with Christ as we remember what He did for
us and confess that He alone is the only spiritual sustenance that can sustain and prosper our
lives of faith in Him. And as each one remembers the salvation Christ purchased for him, the
Supper is a powerful witness and reminder that yes Jesus is in me and will strengthen me and
enable me to live for Him in every situation—not by the Supper but by faith. The Supper also
continually assures us of the worthiness of Christ’s blood and body to forgive us of all the sins we
continue to commit. May God grant us a right use of the sacraments, that we do not make them
causative counterfeits of Christ, nor neglect them as if we had no need of such helps, but may we
be strengthened in our faith in Christ by these God-given signs and seals of the gospel.
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