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What are the church sacraments?


Introduction. Involved in the idea of "church sacraments" is the believed action of spiritual empowerment. The so-called sacraments are perceived as special and of unusual spiritual efficacy.

The "seven church sacraments". The theology responsible for the church sacraments thinking is totally Catholic in origin and nature. The seven sacraments are: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Holy Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme Unction. The interesting fact about these so-called church sacraments is that they were unknown until several centuries after the inception of the Catholic Church.

The sacraments and biblical authority. The Christian is very concerned regarding pleasing the Lord (Luke 6: 46, Heb. 5: 8, 9). He knows that his beliefs and practices must have a-thus-saith-the-Lord (Col. 3: 17, Matt. 7: 21-23). God's laws, all of them, must be respected and obeyed (Jas. 2: 10). The scriptures also teach that Jesus is the head of the church, not the Pope (Eph. 1: 22, 23). Jesus possesses all authority in both heaven and earth (Matt. 28: 18). Jesus never uttered a word about "church sacraments." Such acts and concepts as confirmation, penance, and extreme unction are not mentioned or even hinted at in the Bible. Water baptism, the Lord's Supper, and marriage are taught, but not in the sense of Catholicism.

Conclusion. The seven church sacraments are a good example of the uninspired active imaginations of men who freely add and take away from the Bible (Rev. 22: 18, 19). The church sacrament of marriage is so strongly taught that it is believed that marriage that does not meet Catholic requirements is simply concubinage (Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, 1, Life of Leo XIII, pg. 332). How can one "speak as the oracles of God" and advance the notion of church sacraments (1 Pet. 4: 11)?

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