Are baptism and communion means of grace?

Answer

Simply put, baptism and communion are distinct from grace and do not serve as a means to it. The ceremonies of the church do not bestow grace, nor can they earn salvation. It would be more accurate to describe the ordinances as symbols of grace, rather than channels of grace.

Water baptism is not a method of grace; it is the external manifestation of an internal transformation. It is an act of obedience following the experience of salvation. Instances of water baptism in the Bible all indicate that baptism took place after the individual was spiritually reborn (e.g., Acts 8:26-39). Being immersed in water (or sprinkled with water) does not alter a person’s inner being; that is the work of the Spirit. “The Spirit gives life” «who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. », (2 Corinthians 3:6). Essential to our salvation is faith in the heart, not water on the skin.

Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is not a means of grace; it is a commemoration of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice and a representation of our communion with Him. During the Last Supper, when Jesus shared the Passover meal with His disciples, He said, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” «And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. », (Luke 22:19). Jesus was instructing them (and us) not to forget His sacrifice on the cross. It was through Christ’s death that humanity’s sins were forgiven. Nowhere in Scripture is it mentioned that forgiveness or saving grace is imparted through partaking in communion.

Paul also confirms theFact that communion is a memorial and not a means of grace: “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” «For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. », (1 Corinthians 11:26). Eating the bread and drinking the cup are acts of obedience to the Lord, but they are not a means of grace.

Grace, by definition, is free. It cannot be earned «For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.», (Romans 6:23). The danger in saying that God’s grace comes to us through a “means” or a “channel” of human activity is that it subtly mixes works with grace, something Paul warned against in Romans 11:6. The teaching that grace comes through baptism or communion is a sacramental view of the ordinances, and it undermines the meaning of grace. Grace is a free gift bestowed on the undeserving. Sacramentalism says, “Unless you do these things, you don’t get the grace.” And that’s tantamount to saying you must earn salvation.

The Roman Catholic Church claims to teach salvation by grace; however, Catholicism tempers that doctrine by also teaching that God’s grace is channeled through the sacraments. In other words, baptism and the Eucharist are two of the means of grace—through those rituals God gives the grace to eventually save a person. Receiving the sacraments will merit God’s grace; no sacraments, no grace.

To teach that we are saved by grace is biblical. But to then qualify that teaching by requiring a ceremonial “means of grace” is double-talk. The biblical definition of grace specifically excludes human effort: “If by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace” «And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it is by works, then it is no longer considered grace; otherwise, work is no longer work.” , (Romans 11:6). If grace is solely attained through religious deeds we perform, then it cannot genuinely be labeled as “grace.” Whenever we incorporate human effort into Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, we suggest that Jesus’ death was to some extent inadequate for salvation.

Therefore, grace and works are inherently incompatible. Baptism is categorized as a work. Partaking in communion is also a work. We are not justified by works «For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God», (Ephesians 2:8). Those who have been justified by grace will follow the Lord—justified individuals will be baptized, and they will partake in communion. In this manner, the sacraments serve as “symbols of grace”—indications of a transformed life. They do not serve as a means of grace.

Religion always looks for tasks to accomplish. However, Jesus is our repose (Matthew 11:28;Hebrews 4:10). His completed work on the cross and the renewal by the Holy Spirit in the heart are what bring salvation. Once, some individuals approached Jesus and inquired, “What must we do to perform the works God requires?” «Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”», (John 6:28). Jesus did not instruct them to be baptized or to partake in communion. Instead, Jesus emphasized faith as the sole “means of grace”: “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” «Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”», (John 6:29).