What Are the Sacraments?

The sacraments are holy ordinances instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ as visible, tangible means by which the grace of God is signified and sealed to believers. Though the word 'sacrament' does not appear in Scripture, the realities it describes are woven throughout the New Testament. Christ commanded the first sacrament, baptism, in Matthew 28:19: '...baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.' This rite of water signifies the washing away of sin and the believer's union with Christ in His death and resurrection, as Paul declares in Romans 6:4: '...we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.' The second sacrament, the Lord's Supper, was instituted on the night of Christ's betrayal. As recorded in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25, He took the bread and said, '...This is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me,' and likewise the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.' Together, these two ordinances serve as the church's ongoing proclamation of the gospel in visible form — baptism marking entrance into the covenant community, and the Supper sustaining and nourishing believers in fellowship with their risen Lord until He comes again.