Journal: Reformed Presbyterian Theological Journal
Volume: RPTJ 09:1 (Fall 2022)
Article: The Sacraments As A Mark Of The Church
Author: Barry J. York

RPTJ 9:1 (Fall 2022) p. 4

The Sacraments As A Mark Of The Church

Barry J. York

President and Professor of Pastoral Theology and Homiletics Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:11–12, ESV)

Introduction: Westminster’s Crowning Declaration On Sacramental Necessity

As the Reformation spread like wildfire across European countries and into the British Isles in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, it left in its aftermath the published evidence of its transforming influence, doctrinal clarification, and unifying power in the form of confessions and catechisms. Cities, regions, and even nations produced statements of the Christian faith and conduct. Though often churches and denominations are noted for their differences from one another, a studied comparison of these documents reveals a remarkable degree of similar treatment of common foci and agreement in what is stated.1

Most notably on this occasion, much ink was spilled in the confessions in instructing the church on the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Whether the 1536 Geneva Confession, the First and Second Helvetic Confessions (Switzerland) of 1536 and 1566, respectively, the French Confession (Gallic) of 1559, the 1560 Scottish Confession of John Knox, the Belgic Confession of 1561 in the Netherlands, or our own Westminster Confession of 1643, chapters on the sacraments in general, and often individual chapters on baptism and the Lord’s Supper in particular, are found.

The same emphasis is seen in the catechisms. Remarkably, John Calvin’s Geneva Catechism contained a total of 373 questions, with the fifth and final section on the sacraments devoting 65 questions to this topic! Later catechisms significantly pared down the number of questions, even as they distilled and clarified the truths regarding the sacraments. For instance, the Heidelberg Catechism has eighteen of its 129 questions devoted to the sacraments; the Westminster Shorter Catechism has seven of its 107 questions; and the Westminster Larger Catechism has seventeen of 196. The Anglican church’s 1549 Book of Common Prayer was revised in 1662 to add a section on the sacraments and included thirteen questions on the subject.

Certa...