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8.04.2004

Marriage

When at Calvin, I was quizzing Aaron on the catechism and we got to the question on "What is a Sacrament?" the answer is "A Sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ and the benefits of the new covenant are represented, sealed, and applied to believers." So I was looking over a list of sacraments and saw only Baptism and the Lord's Supper. So we were wondering why marriage was not included. Is it not a holy ordinance? Was it not instituted by Christ? And are not the benefits of the new covenenat (in that we as a church shall be the bride of Christ) represented in it? So my question is "Why do you think it should or should not be a sacrament?"

5 Comments:

At 11:36 a.m., Blogger Brian said...

Good question Josh, but I don't have any idea what to say. I would tend to agree with you that it is a Sacrament, why couldn't it be? It fits all the requirements.

 
At 5:08 p.m., Anonymous Anonymous said...

Marriage is not a sacrament because it is not.
Posted by Ross, who will remain anonymous.

 
At 7:57 p.m., Blogger Josh said...

Good comment anonymous ross. I did some studying on the question and I may have found an answer, but I will wait to see if anyone else has a better one before I stick my foot in my mouth. (like I did on the ark issue)

 
At 10:27 p.m., Blogger Pastor Brad Johnston said...

Josh, socks taste really nasty. No feet in the mouth! Give me a day, and I'll pull out my trusty systematic theology books. It's a great question, and has many implications. Why not foot washing? Why not confession? Penance? Last rites? I'll get back to you....

 
At 8:16 p.m., Blogger Pastor Brad Johnston said...

Dear Josh et al:

How do THE SCRIPTURES present the sacraments (by the way, from a Latin word that means 'mystery')as different from other practice such as Scripture reading or prayer, which are not sacramental?

Reformed theologians assert there are four elements that constitute a sacrament (remember, Shorter Catechism is for "children and the infirm of mind," right?).

1. A sacrament is commanded by Christ Himself.
I think even this basic criteria would disqualify marriage as a sacrament, as in was the Triune God (Gen 2) that instituted marriage, not the divine-human Messiah who was born of the virgin. In contrast, both baptism (Mt. 28:19,20) and communion (3 synoptics and 1 Cor. 11:23-28)are specifically commanded by Jesus, the God-Man.

2. The sacraments are ordinances in which MATERIAL ELEMENTS are used as material signs of God's blessing.
Think about it: the water and the wine and the bread are themselves SIGNS and SEALS. There is no material element in marriage, which is a covenantal commitment.

3. The sacraments are a means of grace.


4. The sacraments are SEALS, CERTIFICATIONS, or CONFIRMATIONS to us of the grace they signify.
Again, marriage does not SEAL anything, but is itself sealed by a promise.

In short, I think that marriage is indeed a high mystery, and when you guys are on the OTHER side of the wedding day you'll know more of what I'm saying. Marriage images the RELATIONSHIP God has with us, but is not itself a confirmation or seal of grace.

That's a first stab. Email me if I've muddied the waters: brjusa@aol.com

 

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