58: What Is a Sacrament (and Are They Even Real?)

What exactly is a sacrament, and does the Bible teach anything about them? In this episode, we explore the history behind the concept of sacraments—where the word came from, how it evolved, and why so many churches treat certain rituals as uniquely grace-giving.

You’ll learn why the New Testament never mentions sacraments, how the early church adopted the term sacramentum, and why the seven-sacrament system wasn’t formalized until the 12th century. We’ll also compare how Protestants and Catholics use the term differently—and why that distinction may be more semantic than biblical.

If you’ve ever wondered whether sacraments are essential or even scriptural, this episode will help you separate tradition from truth and rethink how we honor God through obedience.

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
(Music)
Welcome to the Ready for Eternity
podcast, a podcast and blog dedicated to
inquisitive Bible students exploring
biblical truths that might not be fully
explored in typical sermons or Bible
studies. My name is Eddie Lawrence. What

(00:23):
is a sacrament? Most people have heard
the word, but few can define it. What
counts as a sacrament and why do churches
call certain rites by that name? Where
did the term come from
and is it even in the Bible?
(Music) While many Christians treat

(00:45):
sacraments as essential to church life,
the concept is a post-biblical invention
that emerged centuries after the inspired
authors completed the New Testament.
Sacraments emerged centuries later as
church leaders sought to codify certain
church rituals. It wasn't until the 12th

(01:08):
century AD that the Catholic Church
formalized the seven sacraments they now
recognize. What is a sacrament? Although
not formally codified until the 12th
century, sacraments entered the picture
much earlier. However, before looking at
the history of sacraments, let's define

(01:29):
them. One popular definition is an
outward and visible sign of an inward and
spiritual grace. This description
characterizes sacraments as sacred
rituals that convey divine grace to the
participant. Catholics recognize seven

(01:49):
sacraments, baptism, confirmation, holy
Eucharist, penance, extreme unction, holy
orders, and matrimony. Protestant
denominations typically embrace only two
of these, baptism and communion. Some
Protestants are uncomfortable with the

(02:11):
term sacrament and instead refer to
baptism and communion as ordinances.
However, this is a distinction without a
difference. The terms sacrament and
ordinance are interchangeable. The change
in terminology doesn't alter the
underlying concept. Regardless of which

(02:34):
sacraments people observe, the idea is
that a sacrament is a means of being
blessed by God, that is receiving grace,
through a physical action. For example,
in baptism one receives the blessing of
the forgiveness of sins
and union with Christ.

(02:58):
Why are certain practices considered
sacraments? Historically, the Church has
applied three main criteria to identify
sacraments. First, Christ must have
instituted it. Second, it must involve
physical elements with spiritual meaning.
And third, it must identify the

(03:20):
participant with the Christian community.
These criteria supposedly elevate baptism
and communion above other Christian
practices. This distinction creates a
special category of actions that
allegedly transmit grace in unique ways.
But here's the problem. The New Testament

(03:42):
never mentions sacraments.
The word simply doesn't appear anywhere
in Scripture. This absence should
immediately raise questions. Now, of
course, the absence of the word sacrament
doesn't automatically invalidate the
concept it describes. So do we see the

(04:02):
concept described in the New Testament?
Well, the New Testament contains no
criteria for what constitutes a
sacrament. No passage distinguishes
certain practices as belonging to a
special category. The apostles never
developed a system to classify Christian

(04:24):
practices this way. Paul wrote
extensively about justification, faith,
and church life. He explained both simple
and complex theological concepts with
great detail. Yet he never once developed
a theology of sacraments.
This silence speaks volumes.

(04:46):
Jesus taught extensively about the
kingdom of God. He gave detailed
instructions on prayer, giving, and
relationships. Yet he never taught a
sacramental system or highlighted certain
practices as uniquely grace-giving. The
term sacrament emerged through a

(05:06):
fascinating linguistic shift. The
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
says this about the word's etymology.
The word sacrament does not occur in the
English Bible. It derives, however, from
Latin sacramentum, which the Latin Bible
selected as a rendering of Greek
mysterion. In itself, sacramentum had the

(05:29):
sense of something sacred. In secular
Latin, it commonly denoted a deposit, and
very frequently, it stood for an oath,
particularly the
military pledge of allegiance.
The Greek word "mysterion" means
something quite different in the New
Testament. It refers to previously hidden

(05:50):
truths now revealed in Christ. Paul used
it to describe the gospel itself and
God's plan for salvation, which in ages
past God had kept secret. The original
meaning has little, if any, connection to
ritual acts. Mysterion emphasized

(06:11):
revelation of truth, not performance of
ceremony. The shift from revealed truth
to sacred ritual happened gradually after
the Apostolic Age. The linguistic shift
took root over time. By the third
century, we find early Christian writers

(06:33):
adapting the term sacramentum. Tertullian
first used sacramentum in Christian
theology during the early third century.
Later, Latin-speaking Christians
developed their own vocabulary influenced
by earlier Greek terms. The Greek word

(06:54):
"mysterion" combined ideas of the sacred,
hidden, and initiatory, but Latin lacked
an exact equivalent. Latin writers
borrowed mysterium but treated it as
distinct from sacramentum. Due to the
fact that pagans also used the word
mysterion, Tertullian viewed mysteria as

(07:18):
demonic. Therefore, he sharply contrasted
mysterion with sacramenta. Early Latin
Christians likely preferred sacramentum
because it avoided pagan associations. By
the latter half of the fourth century, a
distinction had developed between

(07:39):
sacramentum and mysterium. Church leaders
viewed sacraments as what Christians can
see and touch and worship, like the bread
and wine and communion. In contrast,
mysterion was the invisible grace God
brings through the sacraments. They

(07:59):
considered the visible elements to be
important, but they pointed to a deeper,
unseen reality, the saving work of
Christ. This distinction was the basis
for the later idea that what Christians
experience outwardly carries a hidden
spiritual truth. At this point in
history, these sacraments or outward

(08:21):
signs began to multiply. Augustine of
Hippo wrote about the sacraments of
exorcisms, marriage, charity, and various
ceremonies. Ultimately, the number was
officially restricted to seven by Peter
Lombard in the 12th century. The concept
of sacraments developed centuries after

(08:44):
the completion of the New Testament
writings. Early church theologians began
categorizing Christian practices, which
later evolved into a formal sacramental
theology. What many Christians accept as
biblical truth actually represents much
later theological developments. The

(09:06):
church gradually constructed this
framework and then read it back into
Scripture. It amounts to Scriptural
revisionism. Christopher Kiesling asked a
valid question. If the seven sacraments
are so important for the church and
Christian life, why did it take 12

(09:28):
centuries to become explicitly aware of
them? The New Testament presents various
practices as meaningful expressions of
faith. Nevertheless, it never creates a
hierarchy where certain acts transmit
grace while others don't. All faithful

(09:48):
obedience connects us to God. When we
embrace non-biblical frameworks, we risk
misunderstanding Scripture's true
message. We add distinctions God never
made and complicate what he intended to
be simple. Are there outward or physical

(10:08):
acts which result in divine blessing?
Yes, of course there are, but this
doesn't make them sacraments.
Sacraments are a man-made concept.
There's no such thing
in the New Testament.
Scripture itself should determine our
theological categories. We should resist

(10:29):
importing later concepts into the
biblical text. The New Testament
emphasizes faith,
obedience, and community
without sacramental distinctions. This
doesn't diminish baptism or communion.
These practices remain important
Scriptural commands. They simply function

(10:53):
within the same framework as other acts
of faithful obedience. In the end,
sacraments as a distinct category of
grace-transmitting rituals have no
foundation in the New Testament. They
arose long after the Apostolic Era,
shaped by evolving language and church

(11:15):
tradition. Baptism and communion are
Scriptural commands. They are sacred and
they are meaningful, but they don't
belong in a special class of rituals that
uniquely convey grace. Scripture doesn't
teach this system. The church created it.

(11:37):
If we want to honor God's Word, we must
let it shape our theology,
not retrofit it to suit later traditions.
Thanks for listening to the podcast. We
hope this episode has deepened your
understanding of Scripture. If you found

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this content valuable, please share it
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studying your Bible, growing closer to
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