Human beings are physical creatures. We do not just think with our minds; we see, hear, taste, and touch. Because God created us this way, He does not only speak His Gospel to us in invisible, abstract ideas. In His immense kindness, He has also given us a Gospel we can see, feel, and taste. We call these the Sacraments.
Throughout church history, Christians have frequently fallen into two distinct errors regarding the sacraments. The Roman Catholic Church errs by confusing the physical sign with the spiritual reality it signifies, teaching that the physical elements inherently contain and confer saving grace. On the other hand, many modern evangelicals err by totally disconnecting the sign from the thing it signifies, reducing them to “bare memorials”—mere visual aids or acts of human obedience that do nothing spiritually.
In Chapter 27, the Westminster Confession does not merely try to find a balance between these two errors. Instead, it offers an entirely different, deeply biblical paradigm: a rich, robust, and profoundly spiritual theology of the sacraments.
The Confession teaches that sacraments are holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace, instituted directly by God; that there is a spiritual union between the physical sign and the spiritual reality; that their power comes entirely from the Holy Spirit rather than the elements or the minister; that there are only two (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper); and that they point to the exact same Christ as the Old Testament sacraments.
What is a Sacrament? (WCF 27.1)
The Confession defines sacraments as “holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace.” This twofold definition is crucial:
- Signs: A sign points to a reality beyond itself. Smoke is a sign of fire; a wedding ring is a sign of a marriage. The water, bread, and wine visually represent Christ and His benefits (washing, feeding, sustaining).
- Seals: A seal does more than point; it authenticates and guarantees. Think of a king’s wax seal on a royal decree, or the notary stamp on a legal document. The seal guarantees that the promises within the document are genuine and legally binding. In the sacraments, God visibly stamps His Gospel promises upon us, confirming our “interest in Him.”
The divines note two other purposes for the sacraments. First, they “put a visible difference” between the Church and the world. They are the boundary markers of God’s covenant community. Second, they solemnly engage believers to “the service of God in Christ.” When we receive them, we are swearing an oath of allegiance to our King.
The Sacramental Union (WCF 27.2)
Have you ever wondered why Jesus holds up a piece of bread and says, “This is my body”? Or why the Apostle Peter can write, “Baptism… now saves you” (1 Pet. 3:21)?
The Confession explains this striking biblical language through the doctrine of Sacramental Union. There is a “spiritual relation” between the physical sign (water/bread) and the thing signified (Christ’s blood/Spirit). Because God has so tightly joined the physical sign to the spiritual reality in the covenant, “the names and effects of the one are attributed to the other.”
When Jesus says “This is my body,” He is speaking sacramentally. The bread does not physically transform into human flesh, nor is it just an empty metaphor. Because the sign and the reality are spiritually united, Jesus can give the name of the reality (“my body”) to the sign (“the bread”).
Crucially, the very concept of a sacramental union logically excludes errors like Baptismal Regeneration or Transubstantiation. Why? Because a “union” requires two distinct things. You cannot unite a thing to itself. If the sign actually becomes or is confused with the thing it signifies, the union is destroyed because the sign has been swallowed up by the reality. Sacramental union creates an effectual, covenantal relationship between the sign and the reality, but it never blurs, merges, or confuses them. The water remains water; the bread remains bread.
Where is the Power? (WCF 27.3)
If the sacraments really seal God’s grace to us, how do they actually work? The Confession protects us from two ancient errors by explaining where the power does not come from, and where it does:
- Not from the elements: The grace is “not conferred by any power in them.” The water of baptism has no intrinsic power to wash away sins. The bread has no inherent power to feed the soul. This rejects the Roman Catholic doctrine of ex opere operato (the idea that the sacrament works automatically by the mere doing of it).
Consider the analogy of a stop sign. A red octagon with white letters has no intrinsic, physical power to force your vehicle to halt, nor is the metal sign somehow the abstract concept of “STOP” itself. Furthermore, the authority to mandate that you stop does not come from the metal itself, but from the governing authority who established the law; the sign acts as an official seal of that authority. Rather, when you believe that this collection of symbols represents a lawful command, and you participate in the sign by pressing on the brakes, the reality of stopping your car transpires.
- Not from the minister: The efficacy does not depend upon the “piety or intention of him that doth administer it.” To return to the stop sign analogy: if it later turns out that the mayor who authorized the sign was a corrupt scoundrel, the legal authority of the seal (promising you a ticket if you fail to stop) does not disappear. The authority rests in the government, not the moral purity of the official. Likewise, if you discover years later that the pastor who baptized you was a secret unbeliever, your baptism is still entirely valid. The power of the sacrament does not depend on the holiness of the man holding the water. (This rejects an ancient heresy known as Donatism).
Where, then, is the power? It rests entirely “upon the work of the Spirit, and the word of institution.” The physical elements are not magic, but neither are they empty. The sacraments “work” when the Holy Spirit takes the physical elements, combined with the promises of God’s Word, and powerfully applies them to the hearts of “worthy receivers” by faith.
Only Two, Lawfully Administered (WCF 27.4)
The medieval Roman Catholic Church expanded the number of sacraments to seven (adding confirmation, penance, extreme unction, holy orders, and matrimony). The Reformers rightly scaled this back to the biblical foundation: “There be only two sacraments ordained by Christ our Lord in the Gospel; that is to say, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord.” Only these two were directly instituted by Jesus with a command to continue them until He returns.
Furthermore, these two may only be dispensed by “a minister of the Word lawfully ordained.” Why? Because sacraments are not private, individualistic exercises; they are official ordinances of the visible church. And because they are official ordinances, it logically follows that only official church officers may administer them. Just as God has entrusted the preaching of the audible Word and the exercise of church discipline (the keys of the kingdom) to called and ordained elders, He has entrusted the administration of the visible Word to them as well.
Old and New (WCF 27.5)
Finally, the Confession affirms the deep unity of the Bible. While the outward ceremonies have changed, the inward reality has not.
“The sacraments of the old testament… were, for substance, the same with those of the new.” Circumcision and the Passover meal looked forward to the coming Christ; Baptism and the Lord’s Supper look backward to the finished work of Christ. But the “substance” of all four is exactly the same: the Lord Jesus Christ and His saving grace.
Conclusion
The sacraments are a profound kindness from our Creator. Knowing that our faith is often weak, our memories short, and our doubts strong, God did not just give us a Gospel to hear. He gave us a Gospel we can wash in, eat, and drink. When the Word is preached, we hear God’s promise; when the sacraments are administered, we see God physically sealing that exact same promise to our souls.
Key Terms / Concepts
- Sacrament: A holy ordinance instituted by Christ, wherein physical elements are used as signs and seals of the covenant of grace, representing Christ and His benefits.
- Sign: A physical element or action (water, bread, wine) that points to a spiritual reality (cleansing, spiritual nourishment, Christ’s atonement).
- Seal: A guarantee or authentication. In the sacraments, God visibly confirms, ratifies, and stamps His covenant promises upon the believer.
- Sacramental Union: The spiritual, covenantal relationship between the physical sign and the spiritual reality it signifies, allowing Scripture to sometimes speak of the sign as if it were the reality itself (e.g., “This is my body”).
- Baptismal Regeneration: The unbiblical belief that the physical act of water baptism inherently and automatically causes the spiritual reality of being born again.
- Ex Opere Operato: A Latin phrase meaning “from the work performed.” It is the rejected Roman Catholic belief that sacraments automatically convey saving grace simply by the physical act being performed, regardless of the recipient’s faith.
- Donatism: An ancient heresy (rejected by the Confession) which taught that the validity and power of a sacrament depended upon the moral purity and genuine faith of the minister performing it.