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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
"Sacraments are outward signs of inward grace, instituted by Christ for our sanctification" (taken from the Catholic Encyclopedia). The Roman Catholic Church teaches that while God gives grace to m...
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Bud Zack
Supporter
To understand the Roman Catholic sacraments, let's look at them individually... Baptism. Aka "baby sprinkling." Is not Biblical. In being baptized, the baptized must first repent of their sin. A baby can not do this, thus it is no more than a Roman dedication. Penance. Aka Confession. We are told to be accountable to each other, so in a secondary way, confession is good. However, repentance is only to be given to the One who was sinned against, which is God. (See Psalm 51 where David says "Only against You have I sinned.") The priest claims to be equal to Christ, in forgiving sin. The Eucharist. Aka Communion. The main issue here is the doctrine of Transubstantiation, where the bread and wine are literally changed into the actual body and blood of Jesus. This is not Biblical. It did not become Roman dogma until 1215 A.D. at the 4th Lateran Council by Pope Innocent III. (who loved to make up rules.) Also the priest claims to be able to reach into heaven and pull Jesus down to sacrifice Him every mass. And if you don't believe this the Council of Trent #15 (see also #22) pronounces you anathema. (cast violently into hell.) Confirmation- This is simply a Roman dedication. The issue here is that they believe the Roman Church is what makes up the true Church... Actually it is the individually saved person who is the part of the whole of Christ's Church. Anointing of the sick- last rights. The anointing is mostly the ongoing problem of the priest taking equal authority as Christ. On Larry King live, one priest actually declared "how wonderful It is to be another Christ." This is truly what they believe. Last rights is another of their "works" based rituals. There is a real issue with how long after one dies that they can still receive the last rights, or it is straight to (the imaginary) purgatory. At one time it was 3 hours. Then 3 days. I think it is up to 3 months now, but that is not certain. What is certain is that we are saved once for all time, so it is a useless ceremony. Holy Orders. The problem of the amount of authority is the main issue here. Matrimony. I simply call this marriage, and let it go. So, by my count, 6 of the 7 are not Biblical.
Vincent Mercado
Supporter
Yes. ALL seven sacraments of the Catholic Church are biblical. 1. Baptism - John 3:5 2. Penance - John 20:23 3. Eucharist - Luke 22:19 4. Confirmation - Acts 10:38 5. Anointing of the sick - James 5:14 6) Holy Orders - John 13:8 7) Matrimony - Matthew 19:6
Marlin Vrbas
Supporter
What does it mean to be "Biblical?" What is Biblical is that the early Church, at the time of the Apostles, showed that matters of doctrine were to be decided by Councils made up of Church representatives, i.e. Bishops. It was a Council that decided which books would be included in the Canon. Those books say that Jesus did many things that were not written down in the Bible or anywhere else, and that believers are to hold on to the traditions, which includes things that were not written down but have been handed down by Apostolic succession. I have found it useful to take the same questions that I used to ask in a skeptical way during my years as a fundamentalist, and ask them in a positive way to get answers from people who know. So now I have scripture, sacraments AND salvation!
Peter ANDERSON
Supporter
I say they are all biblical but the manner of baptism can certainly be questioned. This is an area where more evangelical churches would seem to be more biblical -- full immersion for individuals have knowingly accepted Christ as their savior. However, they drove me back to the R.C. church for reasons I will not elaborate upon out of consideration for others. We will spend eternity together so we should learn to get along now!
Todd Rushing
Supporter
It is clear based on one passage alone that the seven Catholic "sacraments" are not Biblical. Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches us that, "For by grace are you saved, through faith, and not of works lest any man should boast." Each of the "sacraments" are works, and not necessary for salvation. Romans 10:9-13 is very clear about this: "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, and you believe in your heart God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved." So, it is clear that "sacraments" are not necessary for salvation, but are evidence of salvation. The Bible says "faith without works is dead." But the Catholic church has gotten some of them wrong. Baptism is a word that comes from the Greeks (baptidzo), used to describe a ship sinking under the water. Baptism by immersion paints a picture of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Baptism of infants is not scriptural because it's not until you reach an age where you understand that the result of your sins is your eventual death by sin that you should choose to be baptized. Infants don't have that cognition. Confessing sins to a priest is unscriptural. At the moment of death for Christ, the temple veil was torn top to bottom, showing that no longer was it necessary for a priest to atone for the people's sins. During communion (Eucharist), you are not literally consuming the body and blood of Christ. He teaches us that, "As often as you do this, do this in remembrance of me." Christ did not say you were consuming his flesh and blood. He often used symbolism to teach a lesson. He said, "After He broke the bread, he said, take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you." Christ clearly described the bread and new wine as tools of remembrance. Joining a church, any church, is not necessary for salvation. The Bible teaches that "Where two or three are gathered together, there am I in the midst." This doesn't describe any typical hierarchy of a church. Anointing the sick with oil is scriptural, but is an outward demonstration of an inward faith in the healing power of God. There are many other things that the Catholic church has gotten wrong, but I won't go into them here.
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