Sacraments

Grace is not grace if it is dependent on us. Sacraments were the tangible means for the church to channel God’s grace to the people. But grace was then conceived in the likes of a substance rather than a personal, relational expression of love. The whole economy of salvation was thought of in measures of goodness imparted through sacraments. Indeed, the Roman Catholic Church had seven sacraments, serving as the levers by which sinners could obtain tokens of grace needed to save their souls. Sacraments were representative of the medieval means of a justification. But with the rediscovery of justification by faith alone, the whole economy of church controlled merit distribution via sacraments collapsed. The Reformation transformed the church’s understanding of grace and the purpose of Christ’s ordinances. It also transformed the people’s view of Christ’s church and her roles and responsibilities.