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Sacraments vs Ordinances in Baptist Reformed Theology

In Baptist Reformed theology, the terms "sacrament" and "ordinance" refer to divinely appointed rites, but the understanding of their efficacy and number differs significantly from other Christian traditions. While many traditions use "sacrament" to denote a means of grace, Baptist Reformed thought often prefers "ordinance" to emphasize human obedience and the symbolic nature of the rites, rather than an inherent power to confer grace [1, 6].

The Reformed tradition, as articulated by Charles Hodge, defines sacraments as divine appointments that serve as means of grace. Their efficacy, however, does not stem from any intrinsic power within the rites themselves or the administrator, but rather from the accompanying influence of the Holy Spirit [1]. Furthermore, their effectiveness is not bound to the specific moment of their administration [1]. This perspective contrasts with Roman Catholic and Lutheran views, which often hold that sacraments are necessary means of grace, implying that the grace they signify is not received apart from their use [2]. For instance, Roman Catholic theology posits that a sacrament possesses an inherent power to confer the grace it signifies [6].

A key distinction in Baptist Reformed theology concerns the number of these rites. Protestants generally recognize only two sacraments under the Christian dispensation: Baptism and the Lord's Supper [4]. This is because these two alone meet the criteria of being divine ordinances characterized by specific conditions [4]. The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, an Anglican confession, similarly states that five commonly called sacraments—Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme Unction—are not to be counted as "Sacraments of the Gospel" because they lack a visible sign or ceremony ordained by God, unlike Baptism and the Lord's Supper [9]. In contrast, Roman Catholic theology, as seen in Aquinas, identifies seven sacraments, each serving a specific purpose in the spiritual life, such as birth (Baptism), strengthening (Confirmation), nourishment (Lord's Supper), recovery from illness (Penance), propagation of the Church (Matrimony), and providing legitimate authority (Orders) [7, 10].

The Reformed understanding emphasizes that the benefits signified by these ordinances are not so strictly tied to their use that they cannot be obtained otherwise. Forgiveness of sins, regeneration, and salvation can occur even if an individual has not received either sacrament [2]. This stands in opposition to the Lutheran and Roman Catholic positions, which often maintain that the grace signified by the sacraments is not received apart from their use [2]. The Reformed view also highlights that the sanctifying power of these rites comes from the attending influences of the Spirit, rather than any inherent supernatural quality within the elements themselves, a point of difference with Lutheran theology [8].

The validity of these ordinances, in the Reformed view, depends on their conformity to biblical prescriptions. This includes using the elements Christ ordained, following the manner of administration He directed, and ensuring the ordinance is administered by a duly authorized minister [5]. Early Reformers like Zwingli, while denying the Romish doctrine of inherent power in the sacraments, were sometimes seen as holding a "lowest doctrine" concerning their efficacy, viewing them more as memorials than as active means of grace [11]. However, the broader Reformed consensus, as represented by Hodge, affirms them as real means of grace, albeit with efficacy dependent on the Spirit and conditioned on the recipient's faith [3].

Sources

  1. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 65: § 12. Efficacy of Baptism. Doctrine of the Reformed Churches. In the section which treats of the efficacy of the sacraments in general, it was shown that according to the Reformed Church the sacraments (1.) Are ordinances of divine appointment. (2.) That they are means of grace, and therefore are not to be undervalued or neglected. (3.) That their efficacy does not depend upon any virtue in them or in him by whom they are administered, but upon the attending influence of the Holy Spirit. (4.) That their efficacy is not tied to the time of”
  2. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 58: without them. The benefits which they signify and which they are the means of signifying, sealing, and applying to believers, are not so tied to their use that those benefits cannot be secured without them. Sins may be forgiven, and the soul 517 regenerated and saved, though neither sacrament has ever been received. The Lutherans and Romanists, on the other hand, hold that the sacraments are necessary means of grace, in the sense that the grace which they signify is not received otherwise than in their use. There is no remission of sin or”
  3. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 57: sunt, ant vacua: nec ad nos decipiendos aut frustrandos instituta. ” These symbols of the Reformed Churches on the continent of Europe agree with those of our own Church, not only in representing the sacraments as real means of grace, but also in denying that their efficacy is due to their inherent virtue, or to him who administers them, and in affirming that it is due to the attending operation of the Spirit, and is conditioned on the presence of faith in the recipient. This is plain from the quotations already made, which might be multi”
  4. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 56: § 3. Nnmber of the Sacraments. If the word sacrament be taken in the wide sense in which it was used in the early Church for any significant religious rite, it is obvious that no definite limit can be set to their number. If the word be confined to such divine ordinances as answer the conditions which characterize baptism and the Lord’s Supper, then it is evident that they are the only sacraments under the Christian dispensation; and such is the view taken by all Protestants. It is true that in the Apology for the Augsburg Confession it i”
  5. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 59: § 6. Validity of the Sacraments. That is valid which avails for the end intended. The question, therefore, as to the validity of the sacraments is a question as to what is necessary to their being that which they purport to be. The answer to this question is that they must conform to the prescriptions given in the Bible concerning them. The elements employed must be those which Christ ordained. The form, or the manner in which those elements are given and received, must be in accordance with his directions; and the ordinance must be admin”
  6. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 55: 221, a. According to Romanists, therefore, a sacrament is a divine ordinance which has the inherent or intrinsic power of conferring the grace which it signifies. Remonstrant Doctrine. It has already been shown that it was the tendency of the Remonstrants to eliminate, as far as possible, the supernatural element from Christianity. They therefore regarded the sacraments not properly as means of grace, but as significant rites intended to bring the truth vividly before the mind, which truth exerted its moral influence on the heart. “ Sacra”
  7. theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Number of the Sacraments, Art. 2: Article: Whether the order of the sacraments, as given above, is becoming? I answer that, The reason of the order among the sacraments appears from what has been said above (Article [1]). For just as unity precedes multitude, so those sacraments which are intended for the perfection of the individual, naturally precede those which are intended for the perfection of the multitude; and consequently the last place among the sacraments is given to order and Matrimony, which are intended for the perfection”
  8. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 57: however, is not the Word. In the case of the eucharist, for example, it is the real body and blood of Christ, and these being inseparably united with his soul and divinity, it is this marvellous gift, and not the Word, which makes the Lord’s Supper the life-sustaining food of the soul. So far as the efficacy of the sacraments is concerned, the main point of difference between the Lutherans and the Reformed is, that the latter attribute their sanctifying power to the attending influences of the Spirit; the former to the inherent, supernatu”
  9. Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican) “Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican, 1571), Section 263: Those five commonly called Sacraments, that is to say, Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and extreme Unction, are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel, being such as have grown partly of the corrupt following of the Apostles, partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures; but yet have not like nature of Sacraments with Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, for that they have not any visible sign or ceremony ordained of God.”
  10. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 56: natural and spiritual life of man. He is born; he is strengthened; he is nourished; he needs means of recovery from illness; he needs to propagate his race; to live under the guidance of legitimate authority; and to be prepared for his departure from this world. The sacraments provide for all these necessities of his spiritual life. He is born in baptism; strengthened by confirmation; nourished by the Lord’s Supper; recovered from spiritual illness by penance; the Church is continued by holy matrimony; the sacrament of orders provides for”
  11. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 57: 70; Niemeyer, vol. i. p. 49. that the sacraments as other memorials can 499 only produce historical, but not religious faith. Zwingle in the use of such language, had doubtless more a negative, than an affirmative object before his mind. He was more intent on denying the Romish doctrine of the inherent power of the sacraments, than of asserting anything of their real efficacy. Nevertheless it is true that Zwingle has ever been regarded as holding the lowest doctrine concerning the sacraments of any of the Reformers. They were to him no mo”
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