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210 results for “The Sacraments and Means of Grace”
WCF
Westminster Confession of Faith
56
Of the Sacraments
The grace which is exhibited in or by the sacraments rightly used, is not conferred by any power …
Of the Sacraments
Sacraments are holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace, immediately instituted by God, to represent Christ …
Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation
This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may …
Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation
True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as, by negligence …
Of the Sacraments
There is in every sacrament a spiritual relation, or sacramental union, between the sign and the thing signified: …
Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation
Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes, and carnal presumptions of being …
Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation
This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion, grounded upon a fallible hope; but an infallible …
Of the Sacraments
There are only two sacraments ordained by Christ our Lord in the Gospel; that is to say, Baptism …
Of the Sacraments
The sacraments of the Old Testament, in regard to the spiritual things thereby signified and exhibited, were, for …
Of Baptism
Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission …
Of Providence
As for those wicked and ungodly men whom God, as a righteous Judge, for former sins, doth blind …
Of God’s Covenant with Man
Under the gospel, when Christ, the substance, was exhibited, the ordinances in which this covenant is dispensed are …
Of Saving Faith
The grace of faith, whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls, is …
Of the Perseverance of the Saints
Nevertheless, they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in …
Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day
The reading of the Scriptures with godly fear, the sound preaching and conscionable hearing of the Word, in …
Of God’s Eternal Decree
Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according …
Of Free Will
When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, He freeth him from his …
Of Effectual Calling
All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased in His appointed and …
Of Effectual Calling
This effectual call is of God’s free and special grace alone, not from anything at all foreseen in …
Of Justification
Christ, by His obedience and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those that are thus justified, …
Of Adoption
All those that are justified, God vouchsafeth, in and for His only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers …
Of Good Works
Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves, but wholly from the Spirit of …
Of the Communion of the Saints
All saints, that are united to Jesus Christ their Head by His Spirit and by faith, have fellowship …
Of Baptism
The efficacy of Baptism is not tied to that moment of time wherein it is administered; yet notwithstanding, …
Of the Lord’s Supper
Private masses, or receiving this sacrament by a priest or any other alone; as likewise, the denial of …
Of the Lord’s Supper
The outward elements in this sacrament, duly set apart to the uses ordained by Christ, have such relation …
Of the Holy Scripture
All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all: yet those things …
Of God, and of the Holy Trinity
There is but one only, living, and true God: who is infinite in being and perfection, a most …
Of God’s Eternal Decree
As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so hath He, by the eternal and most free purpose …
Of Providence
God in His ordinary providence maketh use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against …
Of God’s Covenant with Man
Man by his fall having made himself incapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to …
Of God’s Covenant with Man
This covenant of grace is frequently set forth in Scripture by the name of a Testament, in reference …
Of Christ the Mediator
The Lord Jesus, in His human nature thus united to the divine, was sanctified and anointed with the …
Of Justification
Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification; yet is …
Of Sanctification
They who are once effectually called and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in …
Of Sanctification
In which war, although the remaining corruption, for a time, may much prevail; yet through the continual supply …
Of Saving Faith
By this faith, a Christian believeth to be true whatsoever is revealed in the Word, for the authority …
Of Repentance unto Life
Repentance unto life is an evangelical grace, the doctrine whereof is to be preached by every minister of …
Of Repentance unto Life
Although repentance be not to be rested in, as any satisfaction for sin, or any cause of the …
Of Good Works
Works done by unregenerate men, although, for the matter of them, they may be things which God commands, …
Of the Perseverance of the Saints
They, whom God hath accepted in His Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally, …
Of the Perseverance of the Saints
This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the …
Of the Law of God
Beside this law, commonly called moral, God was pleased to give to the people of Israel, as a …
Of the Law of God
Although true believers be not under the law, as a covenant of works, to be thereby justified, or …
Of the Law of God
Neither are the forementioned uses of the law contrary to the grace of the Gospel, but do sweetly …
Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience
The liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the Gospel consists in their freedom from the guilt …
Of the Civil Magistrate
The civil magistrate may not assume to himself the administration of the Word and sacraments, or the power …
Of Baptism
The outward element to be used in this sacrament is water, wherewith the party is to be baptized, …
Of Baptism
Although it be a great sin to contemn or neglect this ordinance, yet grace and salvation are not …
Of Baptism
The sacrament of Baptism is but once to be administered unto any person.
Of the Lord’s Supper
Our Lord Jesus, in the night wherein He was betrayed, instituted the sacrament of His body and blood, …
Of the Lord’s Supper
In this sacrament, Christ is not offered up to His Father; nor any real sacrifice made at all …
Of the Lord’s Supper
That doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of bread and wine into the substance of Christ’s …
Of the Lord’s Supper
Worthy receivers outwardly partaking of the visible elements in this sacrament, do then also, inwardly by faith, really …
Of the Lord’s Supper
Although ignorant and wicked men receive the outward elements in this sacrament: yet they receive not the thing …
Of Church Censures
For the better attaining of these ends, the officers of the Church are to proceed by admonition; suspension …
WLC
Westminster Larger Catechism
77
How do the sacraments become effectual means of salvation?
The sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not by any power in themselves, or any virtue derived from …
What are the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits …
The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to his church the benefits of his mediation, are all …
What is required of them that receive the sacrament of the Lord's …
It is required of them that receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper, that, during the time of …
What is a sacrament?
A sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ in his church, to signify, seal, and exhibit unto …
How is the covenant of grace administered under the New Testament?
Under the New Testament, when Christ the substance was exhibited, the same covenant of grace was and still …
What are the parts of a sacrament?
The parts of a sacrament are two; the one an outward and sensible sign, used according to Christ's …
How are they that receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper to …
They that receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper are, before they come, to prepare themselves thereunto, by …
How is the grace of God manifested in the second covenant?
The grace of God is manifested in the second covenant, in that he freely provideth and offereth to …
Can true believers be infallibly assured that they are in the estate …
Such as truly believe in Christ, and endeavor to walk in all good conscience before him, may, without …
What is the duty of Christians, after they have received the sacrament …
The duty of Christians, after they have received the sacrament of the Lord's supper, is seriously to consider …
With whom was the covenant of grace made?
The covenant of grace was made with Christ as the second Adam, and in him with all the …
Was the covenant of grace always administered after one and the same …
The covenant of grace was not always administered after the same manner, but the administrations of it under …
How was the covenant of grace administered under the Old Testament?
The covenant of grace was administered under the Old Testament, by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the passover, and …
Who is the Mediator of the covenant of grace?
The only Mediator of the covenant of grace is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son …
What is the communion in grace which the members of the invisible …
The communion in grace which the members of the invisible church have with Christ, is their partaking of …
How is justification an act of God's free grace?
Although Christ, by his obedience and death, did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God's justice …
May not true believers, by reason of their imperfections, and the many …
True believers, by reason of the unchangeable love of God, and his decree and covenant to give them …
Are all true believers at all times assured of their present being …
Assurance of grace and salvation not being of the essence of faith, true believers may wait long before …
How many sacraments hath Christ instituted in his church under the New …
Under the New Testament Christ hath instituted in his church only two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord's supper.
How hath Christ appointed bread and wine to be given and received …
Christ hath appointed the ministers of his word, in the administration of this sacrament of the Lord's Supper, …
Wherein do the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper agree?
The sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper agree, in that the author of both is God; the …
Wherein do the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper differ?
The sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper differ, in that baptism is to be administered but once, …
What are those aggravations that make some sins more heinous than others?
Sins receive their aggravations, 1. From the persons offending: if they be of riper age, greater experience or …
How is the word made effectual to salvation?
The Spirit of God makes the reading, but especially the preaching of the word, an effectual means of …
What are the sins forbidden in the ninth commandment?
The sins forbidden in the ninth commandment are, all prejudicing the truth, and the good name of our …
Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?
No man is able, either of himself, or by any grace received in this life, perfectly to keep …
What doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath …
That we may escape the wrath and curse of God due to us by reason of the transgression …
How is our Baptism to be improved by us?
The needful but much neglected duty of improving our Baptism, is to be performed by us all our …
What hath God especially decreed concerning angels and men?
God, by an eternal and immutable decree, out of his mere love, for the praise of his glorious …
What are the special privileges of the visible church?
The visible church hath the privilege of being under God's special care and government; of being protected and …
Are all transgressions of the law of God equally heinous in themselves, …
All transgressions of the law of God are not equally heinous; but some sins in themselves, and by …
What doth every sin deserve at the hands of God?
Every sin, even the least, being against the sovereignty, goodness, and holiness of God, and against his righteous …
Is the word of God to be read by all?
Although all are not to be permitted to read the word publicly to the congregation, yet all sorts …
How is the word of God to be read?
The holy scriptures are to be read with an high and reverent esteem of them; with a firm …
By whom is the word of God to be preached?
The word of God is to be preached only by such as are sufficiently gifted, and also duly …
How is the word of God to be preached by those that …
They that are called to labor in the ministry of the word, are to preach sound doctrine, diligently, …
What is required of those that hear the word preached?
It is required of those that hear the word preached, that they attend upon it with diligence, preparation, …
What is the Lord's supper?
The Lord's supper is a sacrament of the New Testament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine …
What do we pray for in the sixth petition?
In the sixth petition (which is, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,) acknowledging, …
What is sanctification?
Sanctification is a work of God's grace, whereby they whom God hath, before the foundation of the world, …
What is effectual calling?
Effectual calling is the work of God's almighty power and grace, whereby (out of his free and special …
How doth faith justify a sinner in the sight of God?
Faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God, not because of those other graces which do always …
What are the sins forbidden in the first commandment?
The sins forbidden in the first commandment are, atheism, in denying or not having a God; Idolatry, in …
May one who doubteth of his being in Christ, or of his …
One who doubteth of his being in Christ, or of his due preparation to the sacrament of the …
What do we pray for in the fifth petition?
In the fifth petition (which is, Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,) acknowledging, that we …
Doth God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin …
God doth not leave all men to perish in the estate of sin and misery, into which they …
Why was it requisite that the Mediator should be man?
It was requisite that the Mediator should be man, that he might advance our nature, perform obedience to …
How doth Christ execute the office of a king?
Christ executeth the office of a king, in calling out of the world a people to himself, and …
How was Christ exalted in his resurrection?
Christ was exalted in his resurrection, in that, not having seen corruption in death (of which it was …
How is Christ exalted in his sitting at the right hand of …
Christ is exalted in his sitting at the right hand of God, in that as God-man he is …
How doth Christ make intercession?
Christ maketh intercession, by his appearing in our nature continually before the Father in heaven, in the merit …
What benefits hath Christ procured by his mediation?
Christ, by his mediation, hath procured redemption, with all other benefits of the covenant of grace.
What special benefits do the members of the invisible church enjoy by …
The members of the invisible church by Christ enjoy union and communion with him in grace and glory.
What is that union which the elect have with Christ?
The union which the elect have with Christ is the work of God's grace, whereby they are spiritually …
Are the elect only effectually called?
All the elect, and they only, are effectually called; although others may be, and often are, outwardly called …
What is justification?
Justification is an act of God's free grace unto sinners, in which he pardoneth all their sins, accepteth …
What is justifying faith?
Justifying faith is a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and word …
What is adoption?
Adoption is an act of the free grace of God, in and for his only Son Jesus Christ, …
What is repentance unto life?
Repentance unto life is a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and …
Wherein do justification and sanctification differ?
Although sanctification be inseparably joined with justification, yet they differ, in that God in justification imputeth the righteousness …
What rules are to be observed for the right understanding of the …
For the right understanding of the ten commandments, these rules are to be observed: 1. That the law …
What are the duties required in the second commandment?
The duties required in the second commandment are, the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such …
What is required in the third commandment?
The third commandment requires, That the name of God, his titles, attributes, ordinances, the word, sacraments, prayer, oaths, …
What are the sins forbidden in the third commandment?
The sins forbidden in the third commandment are, the not using of God's name as is required; and …
What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to …
The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to enforce it, are taken from the equity of …
What is the honor that inferiors owe to their superiors?
The honor which inferiors owe to their superiors is, all due reverence in heart, word, and behavior; prayer …
What are the sins forbidden in the sixth commandment?
The sins forbidden in the sixth commandment are, all taking away the life of ourselves, or of others, …
What are the duties required in the eighth commandment?
The duties required in the eighth commandment are, truth, faithfulness, and justice in contracts and commerce between man …
What are the duties required in the ninth commandment?
The duties required in the ninth commandment are, the preserving and promoting of truth between man and man, …
What is Baptism?
Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, wherein Christ hath ordained the washing with water in the …
How do they that worthily communicate in the Lord's supper feed upon …
As the body and blood of Christ are not corporally or carnally present in, with, or under the …
May any who profess the faith, and desire to come to the …
Such as are found to be ignorant or scandalous, notwithstanding their profession of the faith, and desire to …
How doth the Spirit help us to pray?
We not knowing: What to pray for as we ought, the Spirit helps our infirmities, by enabling us …
How is the Lord's prayer to be used?
The Lord's prayer is not only for direction, as a pattern, according to which we are to make …
What do we pray for in the first petition?
In the first petition (which is, Hallowed be thy name,) acknowledging the utter inability and indisposition that is …
What do we pray for in the third petition?
In the third petition (which is, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven,) acknowledging, …
What do we pray for in the fourth petition?
In the fourth petition (which is, Give us this day our daily bread,) acknowledging, that in Adam, and …
WSC
Westminster Shorter Catechism
21
How do the sacraments become effectual means of salvation?
The sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not from any virtue in them, or in him that doth …
What are the outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us …
The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption are, his ordinances, especially …
What is a sacrament?
A sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and the benefits of …
Which are the sacraments of the New Testament?
The sacraments of the New Testament are, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper.
What is Baptism?
Baptism is a sacrament, wherein the washing with water in the name of the Father, and of the …
What is the Lord's Supper?
The Lord's Supper is a sacrament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to Christ's appointment, …
What doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath …
To escape the wrath and curse of God, due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith …
What is faith in Jesus Christ?
Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, …
What is repentance unto life?
Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, …
How is the Word made effectual to salvation?
The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word, an effectual means of …
Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin …
God having, out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life did enter …
What is justification?
Justification is an act of God's free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as …
What is adoption?
Adoption is an act of God's free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a …
What is sanctification?
Sanctification is the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the …
What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow …
The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are, assurance of …
How is the Word to be read and heard, that it may …
That the Word may become effectual to salvation, we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation, and prayer; receive …
To whom is Baptism to be administered?
Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, till they profess …
What is required for the worthy receiving of the Lord's Supper?
It is required of them that would worthily partake of the Lord's Supper, that they examine themselves of …
What do we pray for in the second petition?
In the second petition, which is, Thy kingdom come, we pray, that Satan's kingdom may be destroyed; and …
What do we pray for in the third petition?
In the third petition, which is, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven, we …
What do we pray for in the fifth petition?
In the fifth petition, which is, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, we pray …
BCO
Book of Church Order (PCA)
56
56-4
56-4. Before baptism, the minister is to use some words of instruction, touching the institution, nature, use, and …
36-5
36-5. Indefinite suspension from office or the Sacraments should be administered after the manner prescribed for definite suspension, …
56-5
56-5. The minister shall then read the covenant promises: For to you is the promise, and to your …
8-5
8-5. When a man is called to labor as a teaching elder, it belongs to his order, in …
21-4
21-4. Ordination Requirements and Procedures a. An intern applying for ordination shall be required to present a diploma …
52-2
52-2. Then, after singing a psalm, or hymn, it is proper that, before the sermon, there should be …
58-7
58-7. The minister may, in a few words, put the communicants in mind: Of the grace of God, …
60-1
60-1. The power of the prayer of faith is great, and Christians therefore should make entreaty for the …
30-3
30-3. Suspension from Sacraments is the temporary exclusion from those ordinances, and is indefinite as to its duration. …
37-3
37-3. When the court shall be satisfied as to the reality of the repentance of an indefinitely suspended …
31-5
31-5. An injured party shall not become a prosecutor of personal offenses without having tried the means of …
36-7
36-7. The censure of deposition shall be administered by the moderator in the words following: Whereas, ____________________, a …
37-8
37-8. In the restoration of a minister who is under indefinite suspension from the Sacraments, and/or his office, …
38-3
38-3. a. When a member or officer in the Presbyterian Church in America shall attempt to withdraw from …
Preliminary Principles
II. PRELIMINARY PRINCIPLES The Presbyterian Church in America, in setting forth the form of government founded upon and …
1-2
1-2. The Church which the Lord Jesus Christ has erected in this world for the gathering and perfecting …
2-2
2-2. This visible unity of the body of Christ, though obscured, is not destroyed by its division into …
3-2
3-2. Ecclesiastical power, which is wholly spiritual, is twofold. The officers exercise it sometimes severally, as in preaching …
4-4
4-4. The ordinances established by Christ, the Head, in His Church are prayer; singing praises; reading, expounding and …
5-10
5-10. Upon organization, the newly elected session should meet as soon as is practicable to elect a stated …
8-6
8-6. When a teaching elder is appointed to the work of an evangelist in foreign countries or where …
9-2
9-2. It is the duty of the deacons to minister to those who are in need, to the …
11-2
11-2. The jurisdiction of Church courts is only ministerial and declarative, and relates to the doctrines and precepts …
12-5
12-5. The church Session is charged with maintaining the spiritual government of the church, for which purpose it …
13-6
13-6. Ministers seeking admission to a Presbytery from other Presbyteries in the Presbyterian Church in America shall be …
13-9
13-9. The Presbytery has power to receive and issue* appeals, complaints, and references brought before it in an …
14-1
14-1. The General Assembly is the highest court of this Church, and represents in one body all the …
14-6
14-6. The General Assembly shall have power: a. To receive and issue* all appeals, references, and complaints regularly …
18-3
18-3. The applicant shall appear before the Presbytery in person, and shall be examined by the Presbytery on …
19-1
19-1. To preserve the purity of the preaching of the Gospel, no man is permitted to preach in …
19-10
19-10. When an applicant is approved for internship, the moderator of the Presbytery shall offer a prayer suitable …
19-15
19-15. Restrictions. The intern may be asked by the moderator of a Session temporarily to chair the meeting …
21-5
21-5. The day appointed for the ordination having come, and the Presbytery being convened, a sermon suitable for …
21-9
21-9. In the installation of an ordained minister, the following questions are to be substituted for those addressed …
24-1
24-1. Every church shall elect persons to the offices of ruling elder and deacon in the following manner: …
24-6
24-6. The day having arrived, and the Session being convened in the presence of the congregation, a sermon …
28-3
28-3. The Church should maintain constant and sympathetic relations with the children. It also should encourage them, on …
30-1
30-1. The censures, which may be inflicted by church courts, are admonition, suspension from the Sacraments, excommunication, suspension …
30-4
30-4. Excommunication is the excision of an offender from the communion of the Church. This censure is to …
32-8
32-8. When the offense with which an accused person stands charged took place at a distance, and it …
33-2
33-2. When an accused person is found contumacious (cf. 32-6), he shall be immediately suspended from the sacraments …
34-4
34-4. a. When a minister accused of an offense is found contumacious (cf. 32-6), he shall be immediately …
35-3
35-3. A court may, at the request of either party, or at its own initiative, make reasonable accommodation …
35-9
35-9. All testimony shall be recorded (transcription, audiotape, videotape, or some other electronic means) and witnesses informed of …
36-6
36-6. Excommunication is to be administered according to one or other of the two modes laid down for …
37-2
37-2. After any person has been indefinitely suspended from the Sacraments, it is proper that the rulers of …
37-4
37-4. When an excommunicated person shall be so affected with his state as to be brought to repentance, …
40-4
40-4. Courts may sometimes entirely neglect to perform their duty, by which neglect heretical opinions or corrupt practices …
47-9
47-9. The Bible teaches that the following are proper elements of worship service: reading of Holy Scripture, singing …
53-2
53-2. The subject of a sermon should be some verse or verses of Scripture, and its object, to …
54-2
54-2. It is both a privilege and a duty, plainly enjoined in the Bible, to make regular, weekly, …
57-5
57-5. The time having come for the making of a public profession, and those who have been approved …
58-4
58-4. On the day of the observance of the Lord's Supper, when the sermon is ended, the minister …
58-8
58-8. As past custom has been found in many parts of the Presbyterian Church, our congregations are urged …
59-1
59-1. Marriage is a divine institution though not a sacrament, nor peculiar to the Church of Christ. It …
61-1
61-1. The services proper for such an occasion are: a. The singing of appropriate psalms or hymns; b. …