The Lutheran faith defines a sacrament as being, “A sacred act instituted by God, in which God Himself has joined His Word of promise to a visible element, and by which he offers, gives, and seals the forgiveness of sins earned by Christ.” With this narrow description of a sacrament within the Lutheran church, Dr. Martin Luther constricted the number of sacraments from seven, which was what the Roman Catholic Church had taught, to two; The Lord’s Supper and Holy Baptism. Luther put a heavy emphasis on reading the Bible and the two sacraments that the Lutheran tradition holds are both clearly present and strongly supported within the text of the Bible. The additional five Roman Catholic sacraments that Luther left out included; Confirmation, Confession, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the skin. Luther did not feel as though these five “sacraments” were supported by the Bible and because the Bible was and still is the sacred word of God himself, Luther did not believe these five extra sacraments to be as important as Holy Baptism and The Lord’s Supper. Within the Lutheran faith, the sacraments are considered Means of Grace given to us by God and along with the Word of God lay the foundation for the Lutheran religion. Because these two sacraments are a Means of Grace given to us by God, Lutherans believe that The Lord’s Supper and Holy Baptism are ‘gifts’ from God and we cannot do anything within our power to receive this gift. It is all in God’s Grace that we as sinners receive these gifts for our forgiveness, resurrection from death, and the promise of eternal life. Through the means of a called and ordained servant of God, a Pastor, we receive this give of Holy Baptism so that we may receive Christ and live t...
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...n to the Lutheran Confessions. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Publishers.
Luther, M. (1991). Luther's Small Catechism with Explanation. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.
The Lutheran church of the Missouri synod. (2011). Retrieved from
http://www.lcms.org/results.asp?q=baptism
The use of the means of grace. (1997). [ELCA]. Retrieved from http://www.elca.org/Growing-In-Faith/Worship/Learning-Center/The-Use-of-the-Means-of-Grace.aspx
Interviews:
Costar, Lois. Interview, March 9, 2011 Omaha, NE (LCMS)
Melang, Jim Associate Pastor. Interview, March 4, 2011. Sinai Lutheran Church (ELCA) Fremont, NE
Olson, Lori. Interview, March 9, 2011 Granite Falls, MN (LCMS)
Ostrom, Mike Pastor. Interview, March 3, 2011. Sinai Lutheran Church (ELCA) Fremont, NE
Schmitt, Thomas Pastor. Interview, March 3, 2011. Zion Lutheran Church (LCMS) Omaha, NE
In the Lutheran Hymnal, are principles of Lutheran Theology according to the Missouri Synod. There are ceremonies for Baptism, Confirmation as well as Divine services. The Divine Service is from Lutheran tradition and is the same service that Lutherans practice today. There are also prayers, chants, psalms with music, and Luther's Small Catechism. There are hymns which span the entire year including: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Passion Week, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. There are also hymns for other times of service and year: Trinity, Morning, Evening, Beginning of Service, Close of Service, Holy Baptism, and The Lord's Supper. This was all based on the practices that Martin Luther created during the Reformation.
Benton reminds his readers that the work that is done here on earth is only a brief period of training for the life that is to come. The only difference is the work that is performed on earth can prepare you for eternal joy or everlasting torment. Luther takes on a vow to God that he will be obedient, with the call from Heaven that he had received from God to obey his will in Luther’s life. Bainton also reminds his readers of the sacrifices that Luther made to be the man of God that he was. Bainton questions his readers on what have they done to maintain along with increasing their spiritual lives before God. Bainton also brings his readers into the struggles that Luther went through in his life along with the issues that he had maintaining his faith in God. Bainton skillfully guides his readers through the story of Luther’s life, above all Bainton brings his readers into the mindset that Luther is a man of prayer and strict obedience to the will and way of God. He instructs followers to pray by acknowledging God as their father, so that it is understood by the readers that they are in a personal relationship with God. Bainton strongly emphasizes Luther’s transformation of the Holy Spirit guiding him into the reformation of the church. Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses placed the church on notice of their spiritual and natural misrepresentation of the people of
One of the most debated topics within the Christian churches today is baptism. This debate began during the 16th Century reformation, where on the base of Scripture many theologians separated from the Catholic Church. A prime example of this debated topic can be seen in The Augsburg Confession, "Concerning Baptism." "Concerning baptism they teach that it is necessary for salvation, that the grace of God is offered through baptism, and that children should be baptized... They condemn the Anabaptists who disapprove of the baptism of children and assert that children are saved without baptism." Luther centered his baptism theology on the salvations promises of God. He stressed forgiveness of sins received by baptism when the believer puts his or her trust in that promise. Luther's emphasis on the saving work of Christ Jesus, and his belief that the Church of Rome still had some things right, led him to accept the baptism of infants. Luther saw baptism as a sign of the covenant God had made with us at Calvary. The understanding and acceptance of infant baptism is seen widely throughout by modern Christian denominations such as: Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, and Episcopalians. The idea of infant baptism is contested by some denominations as well including Baptists and many Church of Christ congregations.
Luther’s Church would later be called Lutheran and opposed the authority of the Roman Church. This brings up the meaning behind Luther’s sermon in 1512. Luther’s anger and bias enraged him so much that nothing that the Roman Church did was good and the Roman Church needed to be destroyed. This is a far cry from a controversy on indulgences. Luther’s intent is seen clearly in his sermon when he says, “You say your Psalter, you pray your rosary, , you pray all kinds of other prayers, and say a lot of words; you say Mass, you kneel before the alter, you read confessions, you go mumbling and maundering; and all the while you think you are free from sin.” (Discovering,
Ellen Charry says that we as Christians are weak and forgetful when called to do other things, yet “The grace conveyed to the believer in sacraments is the presence of God symbolized by water, oil or food, from which the believer takes strength and comfort.” Sacraments are a way for us to refocus on our beliefs, understand the grace of God given to us, and a way for us to refocus our lives. The basis behind a sacrament is that Jesus is the One True Sacrament. For an action to be considered a sacrament, it must be a practice clearly instituted by Christ and the apostles, show the reality of the Word, the work of the Spirit, and has an element of faithful response. By understanding the basics of a sacrament, we can partake communion and baptism more fully. Partaking in a sacrament is a visible sign of our faith for God, and learning the truth in the church, bible, and the
When discussing sacramentality, it is crucial to remember that Christ is the originator of all sacramentality. It is revealed that material reality can have infinite meaning, through God becoming incarnate through Christ in a material, human, historical life. Moreover, there is no limit to what material reality can signify.
Martin Luther was not fond of the practices the Roman Catholic church of indulgences. Indulgences are a practice where worshippers would pay their priest which granted remission for their sins (“Indulgences."). This practice became increasingly corrupt. In the 95 Theses, Luther, became prominent in the Protestant Reformation due to its humble and academic tone (A&E Television Networks, LLC.). For example, in the second theses he states, “The word cannot be properly understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, i.e. confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy.” This means that only god can give salvation, not a priest. He is questioning why we must pay to re...
Analysis of a Major Sacramental Prayer - Option 1: Blessing and Invocation of God over Baptismal Water (Rite of Baptism for One Child)
The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church recognizes two sacraments only. They are the Sacrament of Baptism and The Lord’s Supper. “Sacraments, ordained of Christ, are not only badges or tokens of Christian men’s profession, but rather they are certain signs of grace and God’s good will toward us, by . . . invisibly in us, and . . . quicken, but also . . . confirm, our faith in, Him.” Baptism is not only a flag of declaration and stamp of separation by which Christians
He goes as far as to completely discredit Luther’s entire movement against the Catholic Church on the basis that Luther contradicts everyone, even himself. In light of the ideas presented in this source, it is evident that King Henry VIII holds the Roman Catholic Church in the highest esteem, and sees the seven sacraments as something worth defending against men such as Luther who seek reform within the Church. Although the title of this work leads readers to believe that the most important matter to the author is protecting the traditions and beliefs of the clergy, the majority of the treatise focuses on demoralising Luther himself; he pleads with the reader to remain loyal to the Holy Catholic Church and to reject the “sacrilegious opinions” of Martin Luther (King Henry
The Pagan Servitude of the Church – Composed in 1520, this work by Luther is one of his most important contributions to Christian history and theology. In the Pagan Servitude of the Church, Luther addresses critical issues that surround the seven sacraments that the Roman Catholic Church practices, but for this session, only the sacrament of the Eucharist is covered. Luther does not start gently, as he immediately contradicts the norm by advocating for the administration of both elements of the Lord’s Supper to the laity. His argument brings to light opposing comments from other theologians and leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, but Luther overcomes them all with a simple redirection to Scripture. He uses a combination of his interpretation of Scripture from the Gospels and Paul’s epistles along with logic and common sense to declare that the laity should have the right and privilege to partake in both the bread and the wine elements.
During Luther’s early life he faced a severe inner crisis. When he sinned he looked for comfort in confession and followed the penance, the fasting, prayer and observances that the church directed him. But, he found no peace of mind and worried about his salvation. But reading St. Paul’s letters he came to believe that salvation came though faith in Christ. Faith is a free gift, he discovered, it cannot be earned. His studies led him to a conclusion that, “Christ was the only mediator between God and a man and that forgiveness of sin and salvation are given by god’s grace alone” (Martin Luther, 01). Historians agree that, “this approach to theology led to a clash between Luther and the Church officials, precipitating the dramatic events of Reformation”.
Early reformers had some hesitation when considering challenging the church, however, neither Carlstadt nor Zwingli had scruples for separating from the unanimity of the Roman Catholic Church. Both Carlstadt and Zwingli began establishing further differing reforms or changes to the views of Martin Luther. Both evangelical and reformed traditions agreed that the church had instituted to unnecessary sacraments upon the laity especially given that the Bible only stated two sacraments, therefore both of these traditions rejected the superfluous sacraments while keeping the sacraments supported by the Bible. Carlstadt, who vehemently supported Luther’s attack on the church and the sale and purchase of indulgencies, began radical reforms within Germany. Such reforms that Carlstadt initiated included not elevating certain elements in regards to communion, wearing secular clothing during services, abolition of the mass, and condemning iconoclasm thus instituting a church without visual illustrations of God. Zwingli additionally called for further reform than Luther. Zwingli believed that unless the Bible stated a certain ceremony, ritual, symbol, or sacrament then it should be abolished from the church services. Though Zwingli believed that transubstantiation should be upheld, much like Luther, he did not believe that
THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM AND COMMUNION The Sacrament of Baptism is a gift of grace that brings us into union with God, the church, and the Christian community. God’s plan since the foundation of the of the earth to enter into a covenant with all inhabitants, in order to bless them. The New Testament Covenant is established through Jesus Christ and consist of baptism by water and the spirit. Gayle Carlton Felton wrote a book, by Water And The Spirit, and she shares about the tradition of Baptism in the United Methodist Church.
The Meaning and Significance of Baptism for Christians Today. Baptism is a sacred action in which the Christian community comes. together to celebrate the day. This sacrament is a symbol of God's care for. us, and by carrying it out we bring ourselves closer to the Lord.