Why Sacraments Are Not Efficacious
Why are the Sacraments Efficacious?
St. Augustine wrote in his book Works that “The spiritual virtue of a sacrament is like
light; although it passes among the impure, it is not polluted.” Though there are many different
Christian religions and groups, all of these sects share the tradition of practicing sacraments. But,
different religions have practice different sacraments, or rather exclude practicing certain
sacraments, there are seven Sacraments that are practiced throughout the word today: Baptism,
Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Healing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders.
These seven sacraments are all believed to have an effect, or be efficacious by at least one
Christian religion. These can be categorized …show more content…
Baptism is the first sacrament many Christians experience. Christians believe that this is
the coming of the Holy Spirit to wash away the stain of original sin from the soul of the person
being baptized. This is symbolized by the use of water either by dunking the person into water or
pouring water over their head. Christians believe that since Adam and Eve, every human has
been born with original sin, with the exception of Mary and Jesus. If one still has the stain of
original sin on their soul, one cannot enter heaven, which is the ultimate goal of life. So to
Christians, Baptism is necessary and efficacious through its wiping away of original sin. The
next sacramental progression is Confirmation, for the Christian religions that practice it.
Confirmation is the sacrament in which Christians believe the Holy Spirit comes down upon
John Cooper: world
them like it did to the Apostles when they were locked in the upper room after Jesus’ death. In
the Bible, the Holy Spirit took the form of fire and was distributed straight from God. In modern
times, sacramental oil called chrism is put on the forehead of each Confirmation …show more content…
The last group of sacraments is the sacraments of duty.
There are two sacraments of duty: Matrimony and Holy Orders. Matrimony gives you a
duty to your spouse and to God, because the seventh commandment is to not commit adultery.
This sacrament is not necessarily universally efficacious, but rather its efficaciousness is
dependant on the two people entering into this commitment together. When done right,
Matrimony is efficacious in the bond it creates between two people and the families they bring
together and expand. The other sacrament of duty is Holy Orders. This is a calling from God that
some people feel and when acted upon, allows them to become priests, deacons, ministers,
reverends, monks or nuns. Every religion has at least one of these types of spiritual leaders, but
some religions do not see this as a sacrament. For those religions that do see Holy Orders as a
sacrament, the efficaciousness comes from the relationship with God that allows these select few
to perform and administer the other
St. Augustine wrote in his book Works that “The spiritual virtue of a sacrament is like
light; although it passes among the impure, it is not polluted.” Though there are many different
Christian religions and groups, all of these sects share the tradition of practicing sacraments. But,
different religions have practice different sacraments, or rather exclude practicing certain
sacraments, there are seven Sacraments that are practiced throughout the word today: Baptism,
Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Healing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders.
These seven sacraments are all believed to have an effect, or be efficacious by at least one
Christian religion. These can be categorized …show more content…
Baptism is the first sacrament many Christians experience. Christians believe that this is
the coming of the Holy Spirit to wash away the stain of original sin from the soul of the person
being baptized. This is symbolized by the use of water either by dunking the person into water or
pouring water over their head. Christians believe that since Adam and Eve, every human has
been born with original sin, with the exception of Mary and Jesus. If one still has the stain of
original sin on their soul, one cannot enter heaven, which is the ultimate goal of life. So to
Christians, Baptism is necessary and efficacious through its wiping away of original sin. The
next sacramental progression is Confirmation, for the Christian religions that practice it.
Confirmation is the sacrament in which Christians believe the Holy Spirit comes down upon
John Cooper: world
them like it did to the Apostles when they were locked in the upper room after Jesus’ death. In
the Bible, the Holy Spirit took the form of fire and was distributed straight from God. In modern
times, sacramental oil called chrism is put on the forehead of each Confirmation …show more content…
The last group of sacraments is the sacraments of duty.
There are two sacraments of duty: Matrimony and Holy Orders. Matrimony gives you a
duty to your spouse and to God, because the seventh commandment is to not commit adultery.
This sacrament is not necessarily universally efficacious, but rather its efficaciousness is
dependant on the two people entering into this commitment together. When done right,
Matrimony is efficacious in the bond it creates between two people and the families they bring
together and expand. The other sacrament of duty is Holy Orders. This is a calling from God that
some people feel and when acted upon, allows them to become priests, deacons, ministers,
reverends, monks or nuns. Every religion has at least one of these types of spiritual leaders, but
some religions do not see this as a sacrament. For those religions that do see Holy Orders as a
sacrament, the efficaciousness comes from the relationship with God that allows these select few
to perform and administer the other