Article 25
“The sacraments instituted by Christ are not only badges or tokens of the profession of Christians but are also sure witnesses and effectual signs of God’s grace and good will towards us. Through them he works invisibly within us, both bringing to life and also strengthening and confirming our faith in him.
“There are two sacraments instituted by Christ our Lord in the Gospel – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
“The five that are commonly called sacraments (confirmation, penance, ordination, marriage, and extreme unction) are not to be regarded as Gospel sacraments. This is because they are either a corruption of apostolic practice or states of life as allowed in the Scriptures. They are not of the same nature as the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper since they do not have any visible sign or ceremony instituted by God.
“The sacraments were not instituted by Christ to be gazed at or carried about but to be used properly. It is only in those who receive them worthily that they have a beneficial effect or operation. As Paul the apostle says, those who receive them in an unworthy manner bring condemnation upon themselves.”
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Before I was married, I had never worn a ring. In those first days and weeks after our wedding, I was very conscious of the gold band on my finger. Although I knew perfectly well that I was now a husband, the ring was a physical, solid reminder of that reality. Although I would not be any less married without it, it is a sign both to me and to everyone around me that I have a wife.
Baptism and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper (otherwise known as Holy Communion or the Eucharist) are similarly signs that someone is a Christian. The church has traditionally used the word “sacrament” to describe these steps in the Christian life. When someone becomes a Christian, they are baptized to symbolize the washing away of their sin and their new life in Christ. As someone lives as a Christian, they share in the Lord’s Supper to remember Jesus’ death for them on the cross and to symbolize their ongoing dependence on him.
The 39 Articles say that these two sacraments are “not only badges or tokens of the profession of Christians but are also sure witnesses and effectual signs of God’s grace and good will towards us.” It has also been put it like this: “Sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace.”
However, these outward and visible signs cannot make us something we are not. If, before I was married, I had gone out and bought a wedding ring and put it on my finger, that would not have made me a married man – even though anyone who saw me wearing the ring would assume I was. Similarly, being baptized or sharing in the Lord’s Supper does not make anyone a Christian. As the Article goes on to say: “It is only in those who receive them worthily that they have a beneficial effect or operation.” Let’s be sure we live not only with the signs of Christianity, but with the reality of a true Christian faith!
