3 A Sacrament of Good News
A Sacrament of Good News
I am awake, after what seems a long sleep. I open my eyes, but all is dark. I realize that I have no idea where I am. I seem to be alone, and whatever is under me is uneven and slippery. Moving will be hazardous, for I can see nothing. Maybe there is nowhere to go; but how can I just stay still? Nothing has meaning. Hopelessness makes me feel sick—small, weak, and scared. But I think I hear a voice in the distance: “come, there is light here.” I cannot locate the voice with certainty as yet, but I know that the only thing for me is to try to grope towards it as best I can.
Voice in the Dark
The adult convert has been described as a phenomenon of our times, and many adults now Christians began their pilgrimage in a state of mind describable in these terms. No wonder! For the starting- point of Bible Christianity is precisely a voice in the dark, a call from God to the benighted, a word which is not truly heard, familiar though its theme may be, till one knows that one is spiritually in the dark, alone and lost. It is by inducing this knowledge that the Holy Spirit enables adults to hear what God is saying.
“Word of God” is a description belonging to both Jesus Christ and the Bible, since both reveal God’s mind; but “word of God” in the New Testament usually denotes the gospel—that is, the good news (which is what “gospel” means) concerning God’s love to the lost. This is the word which God himself speaks into the dark chaos of our consciousness.
Out of Darkness
What does God say in the gospel? He announces the most staggering free gift of all time. He offers total rescue (that is, salvation) from the rebellious nonconformity to himself which is the root of all our guilt, misery, and frustration, and whose Bible name is sin. He promises a new, endless life of pardon, peace, moral power, and joyful purpose to all who are humble enough not to try and earn it, but simply to receive it.
How can God make this offer? Through Christ’s death as a sacrifice for sins. How do we receive this life? By renouncing rebellion, and embracing the risen Savior as our Master; the life is found within that relationship. What happens then? Increasingly we prove the truth of Jesus’ words, “He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Reflected Glory
Many today see baptism as an ecclesiastical formality, significant only for naming a child, and some Christians, dreading ideas of regenerative magic, deliberately play baptism down; but the church Fathers celebrated it as something wonderful and precious. When they extolled baptism as the gate of life, were they carrying over the pagan notion that rituals correctly performed harness supernatural powers? No—though their language has often been taken this way. But they were really celebrating the magnificent meaning of baptism, as guaranteeing to the believer fulfillment of the magnificent gospel promise of salvation. The glory of baptism was to them, as it should be to us, the reflected glory of the gospel.
Confirming solemn promises by visible, tangible tokens—documents signed and sealed, gifts, handshakes, shared meals or drinks—is the most natural thing in the world, and if what is promised is exciting, receiving and possessing the token will bring delight. Ask a happily married woman what thoughts a glance at her wedding ring triggers off! So, too, baptism expresses a lover’s commitment—God’s!—guaranteeing endless happiness, and receiving and reflecting on baptism is meant to bring us joy.
For it was the Savior himself who, to confirm the promise of salvation, instituted the two gospel sacraments, baptism and the Supper. The Eastern church called them “mysteries,” meaning disclosures of what was previously hidden (the word was used for initiation into cults). The Western church called them “sacraments,” meaning solemn pledges (the word was used for the Roman soldier’s oath of loyalty). Nowadays Baptists and many evangelicals call them “ordinances,” because Christ commanded the church to observe them. Both baptism and the Lord’s Supper are visual aids to understanding and visible incentives to trusting, and both need to be viewed in both these ways if their true glory is to be seen.
Do you see it now?
Further Bible Study
God confirming his promises:
the covenant, confirmed by circumcision—Genesis 17
the hope of glory, confirmed by oath—Hebrews 6:11-20
forgiveness of sins, confirmed by the cup—Matthew 26:20-29
Questions for Thought and Discussion
Why are both the Bible and Jesus Christ referred to as the “Word of God”?
What does it mean to say that “the glory of baptism was . . . the reflected glory of the gospel”?
What did the Eastern church mean by “mysteries” and the Western church by “sacraments,” and what do both words tell us about baptism?