Term
Sacrament
A rite signifying God's grace. Protestants recognize two (baptism and the Lord's Supper) as signs of continuing grace, while Catholics recognize seven as necessary means of saving grace.
Filed underEcclesiology
Definition
In Protestant teaching, a ceremony or rite that the church observes as a sign of God's grace and as one means by which those who are already justified receive God's continuing grace in their lives. The two Protestant sacraments are baptism and the Lord's Supper. In Roman Catholic teaching, there are seven sacraments, and they are understood as a necessary means of conveying saving grace.
Connections
Follow this entry through the Lexicon.
- Broader than
- Extreme UnctionTerm
- holy ordersTerm
- Sacrament of PenanceTerm
- Synonym of
- See also
- sacramentalismTerm
Sources
- 1.Wayne A. Grudem Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. 2nd ed.. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020). 48A; 49Original citation: Grudem, Wayne A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020, 48A; 49.
Last revised August 14, 2026