“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7, NKJV). The Lord God formed man of dust and his divine breath. A man was created out of the material and immaterial, the visible and the invisible, the earthly and the divine. This is the nature of a man – a combination of the two elements. God’s Divine Mysteries were set for the Sanctification of man’s spirit and body, hence the abidance between God and mankind. Like Jesus said “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:4, NKJV). Let us investigate whether the Holy Sacraments are Scriptural.
The Sacrament of Baptism
The Sacrament of Baptism has the primacy among the Seven Holy Sacraments for it is the door through which the individual is gifted by the Holy Spirit, becomes part of Christ, enters the Church, and is given the right to partake of the rest of the Sacraments. Lord Jesus Christ instituted this Sacrament after His blessed resurrection, having completed our redemption and having made salvation available, He said to His disciples, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:18-19, NKJV), and “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16, NKJV).
Baptism is indeed necessary for salvation as the Lord indicated, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (John 3:5, NKJV). In his catechetical lectures, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem began his lectures with Baptism:
“Make you a new heart and a new spirit, that there may be gladness among the inhabitants of heaven: for if over one sinner that repents there is joy, according to the Gospel, how much more shall the salvation of so many souls move the inhabitants of heaven to gladness. As you have entered upon a good and most glorious path, run with reverence the race of godliness. For the Only-begotten Son of God is present here most ready to redeem you, saying, Come unto Me all that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”.
In Baptism, the Holy Spirit resembles the divine part that dwells within us through the water wash which is the material part of the Mystery.
The Sacrament of Chrismation (Confirmation)
“You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” (Psalms 45:7, NKJV). The Holy Spirit that dwells inside us, is a spirit of guidance and enlightenment through which we can receive God’s Grace that sends many more free gifts, on the Mystery of Chrismation or the Sacrament of Confirmation or the seal of the union. We are anointed by the sacred oil which has been formed out of collected myrrh oil that was put on the body of Christ after the cross. An oil for the sanctification of our body and senses to guard us from the works of Satan. In the Mystery of Confirmation, the seal is the divine that comes through the divine sacred oil which is the material part.
The Sacrament of Repentance and Confession
Regarding our weaknesses, God had set the Sacrament of repentance and confession. Repentance and Confession to the Father is the sacrament of forgiveness of our sins, For God had delegated the authority to the disciples and apostles saying “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:22-23, NKJV).
Saint John Chrysostom in his 14th Homily on the Gospel of Saint Matthew said:
“Let us now, I pray you, take courage in His love to man, and let us show forth an anxious repentance, before the day come on, which permits us not to profit thereby. For as yet all depends on us, then He that judges has alone control over the sentence. “Let us therefore come before His face with confession;” let us wail, let us mourn. For if we should be able to prevail upon the Judge before the appointed day to forgive us our sins, then we need not so much as enter into the court; as on the other hand, if this be not done, He will hear us publicly in the presence of the world, and we shall no longer have any hope of pardon.”
The Sacrament of the Eucharist (Communion)
The Mystery of the Eucharist, the abiding in Lord Jesus Christ: “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6:56, NKJV). In the Eucharist, the bread is Sanctified to be the real flesh of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, likewise is the wine which is transformed to be the blood of the Lord that was shed for the forgiveness of our sins.
Saint Ignatius of Antioch (AD 108) in his epistle to the Philadelphians, had reassured the faith in his statement:
“Take ye heed, then, to have but one Eucharist. For there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ and one cup to show forth the unity of His blood; one altar; as there is one bishop, along with the presbytery and deacons, my fellow servants: that so, whatsoever you do, you may do it according to the will of God.”
The material bread through the immaterial Grace of God becomes his own divine flesh as well as the wine that becomes his own divine blood. The mystery was instituted by the Lord as a new covenant on the covenant Thursday, according to the Holy Gospel of Saint Matthew “He took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat; this is My body. Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28, NKJV).
The Sacrament of Priesthood
The Mystery of Priesthood is by which the Bishop lays his hand on the called candidate in order for the Holy Spirit to descend on this person to grant him one of the priesthood. As a result, the ordained person is granted the authority to perform the ministries of the Church, whether the Holy Mysteries, teaching or others. This process is called “Laying of hands” or “Ordination.” Lord Jesus Christ instituted this Mystery when He chose the twelve as His followers and consecrated them for ministry, “He called His disciples to Him, and from them, He chose twelve whom He also named apostles” (Luke 6:13, NKJV). He gave them the authority of absolution and binding, “He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:22-23, NKJV).
Saint Ignatius of Antioch in his epistle to Magnesians wrote:
“I exhort you to study to do all things with a divine harmony, while your bishop presides in the place of God, and your presbyters in the place of the assembly of the apostles, along with your deacons, who are most dear to me, and are entrusted with the ministry of Jesus Christ”.
The Sacrament of Healing
The priests are also gifted with the mystery of anointing the sick which is anointing the sick with prayers asking God for healing. According to the Gospel of Saint Mark, “And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.” (Mark 6:13, NKJV). The mystery was instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ, “Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” (Luke 10:8-9, NKJV).
Saint John Chrysostom in his Homilies on Saint Matthew’s Gospel said:
“For oil does not so strengthen a body, as benevolence at once strengthens a soul, and makes it invincible to all and impregnable to the devil. For wherever he may seize us, his hold then slips, this oil not suffering his grasp to fix on our back. With this oil therefore let us anoint ourselves continually. For it is the cause of health, and a supply of light, and a source of cheerfulness”.
Conclusion
As you can see, not only are the Holy Sacraments/Mysteries scriptural, but they have been part of the early church tradition right from the 2nd Century.
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Category: Sacraments
