How sacraments affect Christians

Most Christians affirm the idea that sacraments are a significant part of the life of a Christian, but the roles of the sacrament itself and the faith of the person taking it differ greatly. Catholics believe that God uses the gift of the sacrament to distribute saving grace to Christians in a very literal, physical sense. They believe that the sacramental act itself has real power packed into it, which God uses to transform a person’s heart. In contrast, most Protestants view ordinances as an outward sign of a change that has already happened inside of a person. 

A smaller minority of Protestant denominations, such as the Quakers and Salvation Army, dismiss the belief that sacraments play any role in the life of a Christian and therefore don’t observe any sacraments at all. 

To Catholics, the sacrament causes a transformation inside an individual. To Protestants, an individual’s inner change is the motivation that prompts him or her to participate in the sacrament. See Figure 8-1. 

What role sacraments play in salvation

Considering that Christians debate over whether ordinances are the cause or effect of God’s grace, you may expect two different perspectives on the role that sacraments play in salvation. (See Chapter 3 for more on salvation.) 

Because Catholics believe that the sacraments are the means that God uses to give his saving grace, they believe that sacraments are required in order for a person to receive salvation. They allow for some exceptions, however. For instance, if you were on your way to be baptized and died in a car accident, Catholics believe that you fulfilled your obligation. Similarly, unbaptized babies go to and remain in limbo (a location on the outer rim of purgatory where they neither suffer nor enjoy bliss), not hell. Further, for negligence in partaking in sacraments other than baptism, the consequence is more likely additional time in purgatory (see Chapter 9) than the loss of salvation. 

From a Protestant perspective, the Catholic Church strays from biblical teaching (see Acts 16:31, Romans 3:28, Ephesians 2:8-10), because it ends up leaving the role of a person’s faith in salvation as secondary. Protestants further disagree with Catholics, saying that no matter their significance, ordinances don’t put a person’s eternal future at stake. From a Catholic perspective, Protestants overlook the traditional role of the Church as administrator of the sacraments and ignore such biblical references as John 3:5 (which I discuss in the section, “Exploring the relationship between baptism and salvation,” later in this chapter).

 

In summary, Catholics believe you receive saving grace by practicing the sacraments, but Protestants believe you receive saving grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ.