Its just an Adjective!

It was whilst reading a blog concerning the Salvationists' view on Communion and Baptism, that I was struck by the four letter word, just! Was it a mere adjective of little consequence or was it a loaded interjector. The phrase that set me thinking was, "Sacraments are just an outward sign of an inward emotion." Besides being an interesting spin on the well known orthodox phrase, Sacraments are outward signs of inward grace, instituted by Christ for our sanctification (Catechismus concil. Trident., n. 4, exSt. Augustine, "De Catechizandis rudibus"), I wondered what the writer was meaning behind the loaded word?

It is interesting that the the offending word is one of extremes. Just can mean 'barely', 'at this very instant', 'no more than', or 'exactly'. I wonder which meaning was in the mind of the writer? Was it an intensifier or a simple truth indicating just a in righteousness.

We use so many words on a daily basis without almost recognising their meaning. Or, we use a term intending to emphasis one meaning whilst the one that has been heard or read, produces a completely different understanding.

The writer's use of the word 'just' in the offending phrase seems to say a lot about his theological perspective. Within the Christian Church there are groups who reject the orthodox theology of sacrament, to name two the Salvation Army and the Society of Friends. They would say the Outward Sign has become too important and takes away the meaning of inner grace and God does not need outward signs to do his work. But is this a mere overstatement? O dear, there goes another loaded four letter word.

If a sacrament is an outward sign of God's grace at work, it follows that all life could be thought of as a sacrament, God with us in Jesus, ‘The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us'. Incarnation is indeed sacrament. We can come to know there are many signs of God at work in things that are happening in the world around us. In this sense, is it just as legitimate to say that a sacrament is not just an grace or even emotion of an outward sign. In other words how important is the sign?

The Greek Orthodx church think of signs as, "The material elements, signs and gestures used...are living symbols that relate to the realities of our human experiences...material things are made into vehicles of the Spirit" (The Sacramental Life of the Orthodox Church).

In other words, God uses the physical world, such as bread, wine, water, and oil, as signs of His activity in our lives.

At the heart of sacramental theology is the Incarnation, that is, God becoming flesh in Jesus Christ. The Incarnation is the most complete, and final, revelation of God to mankind. When the invisible God became visible, he sanctified all of creation, making it a fitting vehicle for his work. Thus, all sacraments derive their power and grace from the person of Jesus. The Incarnation is a key component of sacramental theology, because it demonstrates that God uses the created world to reveal himself to us. St. John of Damascus (730 AD) describes the value of material things in knowing the invisible God:

For the invisible things of God since the creation of the world are made visible through images. We see images in creation which remind us faintly of God, as when, for instance, we speak of the holy and adorable Trinity, imaged by the sun, or light, or burning rays, or by a running fountain, or a full river, or by the mind, speech, or the spirit within us, or by a rose tree, or a sprouting flower, or a sweet fragrance.

In coming to understand Wesley's explanation of how grace might be channeled, the sacrament of Eucharist or the Lord's Supper is particularly enlightening. The Eucharist, primarily a communal act, connects individuals to each other and to the grace available through the work of the Holy Spirit in our taking the bread and cup. What makes the Lord's Supper such a powerful introduction to the means of grace is it's ability to operate at different levels of meaning: as a memorial; as an immediate divine presence; and as an eschatalogical promise.

The second aspect of the Lord's Supper is the immediate availability of grace. In an earlier dispute, certain Moravian quietists, were stressing that, since salvation came by faith alone, they were not "bound or obliged" to practice the ordinances of grace, including the Eucharist. Wesley, as noted in his journal from June 22 to July 20, 1740, opposed this viewpoint and ultimately he, along with eighteen or nineteen others, left the society.14 The heart of Wesley's argument was that the power of the Lord's Supper includes its actively and immediately conveying grace. For instance:

Sat. 28 (1740). I showed at large that the Lord's Supper was ordained by God to be a means of conveying to men either preventing or lefting, or sanctifying grace, according to their several necessities; that the persons for whom it was ordained are all those who know and feel that they want the grace of God, either to "restrain" them from sin, or to show their sins forgiven, or to renew their souls in the image of God; that inasmuch as we come to his table, not to give him anything but to receive whatsoever he sees best for us, there is previous preparation indispensably necessary but desire to receive whatsoever he pleases to give; and that fitness is not required at the time of communicating but sense of our "state", of our utter sinfulness and helplessness; every one who knows he is fit for hell be just fit to come to Christ, in this as well as all other ways of his appointment.

The question remains if it is the actual elements, the bread and cup, which convey divine grace. Wesley would say no as He draws from a variation of the Reformed doctrine of virtualism: "that the elements remained unchanged but Christ is nonetheless present through the Holy Spirit."

It should not be surprising that Wesley believed "it is the duty of every Christian to receive the Lord's Supper as often as he can." Wesley admonished his ministers and laity that communion be served "every Sunday and holiday of the year." Wesley himself participated on the average of once every four or five days. He did this not only because it was "a plain command of Christ," but also because of the Supper's ability to empower the spiritual life. "This is food for our souls: This gives strength to perform our duty and leads us on to perfection."

The sacrament is just that, incarnational.