The Means of Grace

[DialecticSkeptic]

Taken from a conversation about Reformed theology elsewhere:

I need a little instruction. If Sproul considers the sacraments as a means of grace, and seals, what are you saying there? How are they a means of grace, and to what extent? How do the sacraments make any difference as to seals? What does that even mean?

Means of Grace​

In Reformed theology, the means of grace are the external and ordinary God-ordained instruments through which (media gratiae) he conveys and strengthens faith in believers in a covenantal context (covenant of grace). "In his grace and in his wisdom," R. C. Sproul explained, "God has provided ways by which we can regularly have our faith in his promises fortified. Historically, we have referred to these ways of strengthening our faith as the ordinary means of grace" (emphasis mine).

As Geerhardus Vos observed, what makes something a means of grace is "only the specific connection with the regenerating, effectual, converting, justifying, sanctifying grace of God" in the covenant of grace. "If something is not connected with that in one way or another, it may not be called a means of grace," whereby he distinguishes this from common grace.

There are three principal means of grace: (1) The Word (preaching and reading of scripture), (2) the sacraments (baptism and the Lord's supper), and (3) prayer, "all of which are made effectual to the elect for salvation" (Westminster Shorter Catechism). They are designed for (1) the gathering and perfecting of the saints, (2) nourishing and sustaining faith, and (3) communicating the benefits of Christ's redemption. They "help us understand more clearly and certify to us that, on account of Christ's one sacrifice finished on the cross, God grants to us by grace alone the forgiveness of sins and eternal life" (Bavinck).

And they do not work automatically (i.e., ex opere operato, by the mere act of performing them), but rather they function by the blessing of Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit in those who have faith. (This indicates and rejects the Roman Catholic error.)

In the sacrament, God first comes to believers to signify and seal his benefits. He assures them with visible pledges that he is their God and the God of their children. He [adds] seals to his Word to strengthen their faith in that Word (Gen. 9:11–15; 17:11; Exod. 12:13; Mark 1:4; 16:16; Luke 22:19; Rom. 4:11; and so forth). ... God freely binds the distribution of his grace to the church of Christ, which is the communion and hence also the mother of believers. God establishes his covenant with the parents and in them with their children. He distributes his benefits in the way of the covenant. ... God instituted the sacraments in order that by seeing those signs we might gain a better insight into his benefits, receive a stronger confirmation of his promises, and thus be supported and strengthened in our faith. The sacraments do not work faith but reinforce it, as a wedding ring reinforces love. They confer the whole Christ, whom believers already possess by the Word, in a different way, renew the believers' covenant with God, strengthen them in the communion of Christ, join them more closely to each other, set them apart from the world, and witness to angels and their fellow human beings, [showing] that they are the people of God, the church of Christ, the communion of the saints.

Show in what respects Word and sacraments agree and in what respects they differ from each other.

They agree:

a) In the author, God, who is the one who institutes both.

b) In the content, Christ, who is brought to us in both Word and sacrament. This is a point to which attention must be given. In the Word Christ is wholly present, and in the sacrament Christ is wholly present—as in 1 Corinthians 1:30 He is called our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and complete redemption; the Christ, who is the same yesterday, and today, and forever [Heb 13:8].

c) In the manner in which the content or the object is received. For both Word and sacrament this is faith. Without faith we cannot share in the thing signified by the sacraments. But also without faith we have no enjoyment of Christ, who is presented in the Word.
​

They differ:

a) In their necessity; the Word is absolutely necessary, the sacraments are not absolutely necessary. ...

b) In their purpose; the Word serves to produce faith, the sacraments serve to strengthen faith.

c) In their extent; the Word of God is brought and comes to everyone we are able to reach with it, the sacrament is a seal of the covenant and comes only to those who belong to the covenant.
​

Signs and Seals​

In the context of the means of grace, particularly the sacraments, the word "seal" refers to a confirmation, ratification, and testimony of God's promises. Just as a physical seal in ancient times was used to authenticate documents, signifying and giving assurance of their validity and authority, so too sacraments serve as divine assurances that God's promises are true and effectual for the believer. Calvin viewed sacraments as instruments through which God strengthens the faith of believers by providing a tangible authentication of the spiritual realities they signify. Bavinck argued that they are "seals of covenantal promise: ‘I am your God and the God of your children.’ They present to our senses both that which he declares to us by his Word and that which he works inwardly in our hearts, thereby confirming in us the salvation he imparts to us." Through these external, visible signs, God seals or ratifies his promises in the hearts and minds of believers, offering them assurance and deepening their trust in his salvific grace. The sacrament does not create the promise but confirms and strengthens faith in it.

When Calvin says the sacraments seal God's promises, he is primarily focusing on their function as:

• A confirmation and assurance to the believer (strengthening faith).
  
  ​
• A guarantee and ratification of God's covenant (establishing divine commitment).
  
  ​
• A testimony both to God and the watching world (public profession of God's faithfulness and the believer's trust therein).

---

Sources: Belgic Confession of Faith, articles 2 and 33; Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A66; Westminster Confession of Faith, chap. 14, sec. 1; Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q&A 88-99; Herman Bavinck, "The Spirit's Means of Grace," in Reformed Dogmatics: Abridged in One Volume, ed. John Bolt (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011), pp. 643–690; Geerhardus Vos, Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 5: Ecclesiology, the Means of Grace, Eschatology, trans. and ed. Richard B. Gaffin Jr., with Kim Batteau and Allan Janssen (Lexham Press, 2016).

 

[makesends]

Taken from a conversation about Reformed theology elsewhere:

Means of Grace​

In Reformed theology, the means of grace are the external and ordinary God-ordained instruments through which (media gratiae) he conveys and strengthens faith in believers in a covenantal context (covenant of grace). "In his grace and in his wisdom," R. C. Sproul explained, "God has provided ways by which we can regularly have our faith in his promises fortified. Historically, we have referred to these ways of strengthening our faith as the ordinary means of grace" (emphasis mine).

As Geerhardus Vos observed, what makes something a means of grace is "only the specific connection with the regenerating, effectual, converting, justifying, sanctifying grace of God" in the covenant of grace. "If something is not connected with that in one way or another, it may not be called a means of grace," whereby he distinguishes this from common grace.

There are three principal means of grace: (1) The Word (preaching and reading of scripture), (2) the sacraments (baptism and the Lord's supper), and (3) prayer, "all of which are made effectual to the elect for salvation" (Westminster Shorter Catechism). They are designed for (1) the gathering and perfecting of the saints, (2) nourishing and sustaining faith, and (3) communicating the benefits of Christ's redemption. They "help us understand more clearly and certify to us that, on account of Christ's one sacrifice finished on the cross, God grants to us by grace alone the forgiveness of sins and eternal life" (Bavinck).

And they do not work automatically (i.e., ex opere operato, by the mere act of performing them), but rather they function by the blessing of Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit in those who have faith. (This indicates and rejects the Roman Catholic error.)

Signs and Seals​

In the context of the means of grace, particularly the sacraments, the word "seal" refers to a confirmation, ratification, and testimony of God's promises. Just as a physical seal in ancient times was used to authenticate documents, signifying and giving assurance of their validity and authority, so too sacraments serve as divine assurances that God's promises are true and effectual for the believer. Calvin viewed sacraments as instruments through which God strengthens the faith of believers by providing a tangible authentication of the spiritual realities they signify. Bavinck argued that they are "seals of covenantal promise: ‘I am your God and the God of your children.’ They present to our senses both that which he declares to us by his Word and that which he works inwardly in our hearts, thereby confirming in us the salvation he imparts to us." Through these external, visible signs, God seals or ratifies his promises in the hearts and minds of believers, offering them assurance and deepening their trust in his salvific grace. The sacrament does not create the promise but confirms and strengthens faith in it.

When Calvin says the sacraments seal God's promises, he is primarily focusing on their function as:

• A confirmation and assurance to the believer (strengthening faith).
  
  ​
• A guarantee and ratification of God's covenant (establishing divine commitment).
  
  ​
• A testimony both to God and the watching world (public profession of God's faithfulness and the believer's trust therein).

---

Sources: Belgic Confession of Faith, articles 2 and 33; Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A66; Westminster Confession of Faith, chap. 14, sec. 1; Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q&A 88-99; Herman Bavinck, "The Spirit's Means of Grace," in Reformed Dogmatics: Abridged in One Volume, ed. John Bolt (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011), pp. 643–690; Geerhardus Vos, Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 5: Ecclesiology, the Means of Grace, Eschatology, trans. and ed. Richard B. Gaffin Jr., with Kim Batteau and Allan Janssen (Lexham Press, 2016).

Ok, so Sproul is not saying that these are practical means of accomplishing that which we consider The Grace of God, as in "The Doctrines of Grace" or, particularly, "the grace by which we are saved", or the grace by which we are given faith. They are, rather, common grace, in this case, a means to giving encouragement, instruction and understanding, and 'seals' as in providing testimony to the fact of God's promises, and, I would add, his purposes and his nature, (though, admittedly, those two may be extraneous, or tangential.)

Very good. And thank you.

 

[DialecticSkeptic]

Okay, so Sproul is not saying that these are practical means of accomplishing that which we consider the grace of God, ...

I appreciate your thoughts, but I think there may be some confusion here. Grace is an essential attribute of God's nature. It is not something anyone "accomplishes"—by any means.

Again, the means of grace are "the external and ordinary God-ordained instruments through which (media gratiae) he conveys and strengthens faith in believers in a covenantal context" (emphasis added).

Additionally, I encourage you to revisit the section where I quoted Vos at length, who clearly states that "the Word serves to produce faith, the sacraments serve to strengthen faith" (emphasis added). The idea that there could be a means of grace "by which we are given faith" (as you put it) does align with those scriptures where we read, for example:

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Rom 10:17).

"He chose to give us birth through the word of truth" (Jas 1:18).

"You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God" (1 Pet 1:23).
​

So, yes, Sproul and other Reformed theologians are indeed talking about salvific grace—"as in the doctrines of grace, or particularly the grace by which we are saved, or the grace by which we are given faith."

They are, rather, common grace, ...

I believe there’s a misunderstanding here. As I noted in my opening post answering your question, Vos explicitly distinguished the means of grace from common grace. In other words, common grace is NOT what "the means of grace" is referring to, but rather salvific grace.

 

[makesends]

I appreciate your thoughts, but I think there may be some confusion here. Grace is an essential attribute of God's nature. It is not something anyone "accomplishes"—by any means.

Again, the means of grace are "the external and ordinary God-ordained instruments through which (media gratiae) he conveys and strengthens faith in believers in a covenantal context" (emphasis added).

Additionally, I encourage you to revisit the section where I quoted Vos at length, who clearly states that "the Word serves to produce faith, the sacraments serve to strengthen faith" (emphasis added). The idea that there could be a means of grace "by which we are given faith" (as you put it) does align with those scriptures where we read, for example:

​

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Rom 10:17).​

​

"He chose to give us birth through the word of truth" (Jas 1:18).​

​

"You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God" (1 Pet 1:23).​

​

So, yes, Sproul and other Reformed theologians are indeed talking about salvific grace—"as in the doctrines of grace, or particularly the grace by which we are saved, or the grace by which we are given faith."




I believe there’s a misunderstanding here. As I noted in my opening post answering your question, Vos explicitly distinguished the means of grace from common grace. In other words, common grace is NOT what "the means of grace" is referring to, but rather salvific grace.

Terminology. I can see this can quickly be getting into the weeds. "The more the words, the less the meaning", lol. What I mean by grace, as far as I can tell, is pretty much the same thing you mean by it. What I was trying to do was to ascertain what Sproul, in particular, was referring to, since he, (as far as I have seen/heard), believes pretty much what I do about it. Something he said sounded off, and I wanted clarification.

And, no, what I mean by common grace is not salvific grace. Common grace is (to me) the sort of grace common toward all mankind, such as the restraint of evil in the world, and in the force of will of the individuals in the world, and such as "the Lord makes it to rain on the just and the unjust alike".

 

[Arial]

Ok, so Sproul is not saying that these are practical means of accomplishing that which we consider The Grace of God, as in "The Doctrines of Grace" or, particularly, "the grace by which we are saved", or the grace by which we are given faith. They are, rather, common grace, in this case, a means to giving encouragement, instruction and understanding, and 'seals' as in providing testimony to the fact of God's promises, and, I would add, his purposes and his nature, (though, admittedly, those two may be extraneous, or tangential.)

Very good. And thank you.

They are not "common grace". Common grace is the grace that keeps the world turning. It is the grace that feeds the wild beasts, and provides the needs of mankind. All comes from God's hands.

The grace Sproul speaks of in relation to baptism and communion are graces given to the covenant community alone. IOW an unbeliever being baptized or partaking of communion, will not receive the grace of salvation from those things and neither will they receive the graces of encouragement, instruction and understanding etc. Baptism and communion do not produce salvation.The Doctrines of Grace do not produce salvation but are an expression of the means of salvation.

 

[makesends]

They are not "common grace". Common grace is the grace that keeps the world turning. It is the grace that feeds the wild beasts, and provides the needs of mankind. All comes from God's hands.

The grace Sproul speaks of in relation to baptism and communion are graces given to the covenant community alone. IOW an unbeliever being baptized or partaking of communion, will not receive the grace of salvation from those things and neither will they receive the graces of encouragement, instruction and understanding etc. Baptism and communion do not produce salvation.The Doctrines of Grace do not produce salvation but are an expression of the means of salvation.

Agreed, but he isn't talking about, in particular, that grace of giving us the faith through which we are saved. Those sacraments do not produce that.