77 圣礼——基督设立了两个圣约的印记Sacraments - Christ institutedtwo seals of God's covenant

《简明神学》Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs，巴刻（J. I. Packer）著/張麟至译，更新传道会，2007年。

https://yibaniba.blogspot.com/2020/01/blog-post_98.html
http://www.geocities.ws/gary_bee_za/packer/obedience.htm

77 圣礼——基督设立了两个圣约的印记

Sacraments - Christ instituted two seals of God's covenant

[亚伯拉罕]受了割礼的记号，作他受到割礼的时候因信称义的印证。（罗4:11）

基督设立了两个礼仪，要跟随祂的人遵守；洗礼和主的晚餐。前者是给初信者一次且永远有效的礼仪（太28:19；加3:27），后者是定期记念主的礼仪（林前11:23-26）。这些礼仪在西方教会称为[圣礼]。在东正教教会中则称为[奥秘]，而有一些更正教徒则认为以上两个字眼都染有无益的联想，因此称之为[仪式]。圣经对这两个礼仪并没有一个总类的名称。它们在旧约圣经中相对应的礼仪有二：一是男子所受的割礼，这是一种入会仪式（创17:9-14,23-27）；另一是一年一度的逾越节，则属记念性的礼仪（出12:1-27）。不过，圣经的教训是将它们都归类为与神发生恩约关系的记号与印记。

圣礼（Sacrament）一字出自拉丁文Sacramenturn，通指一种神圣的仪式，但也可专用来指军人效忠时所发的神圣誓言。研究这些仪式本身可带给我们以下这个观念：圣礼乃是基督所设立的一种仪式，信徒在其中籍着感官所感受到的讯号，明瞭神已将在基督里的恩典与祂恩约的祝福赐给我们，这些圣礼将那些祝福告之信徒，打上印记、

并使他们确知自己已经得着了；信徒则籍着领受这圣礼，来表达他们对神的信心与顺服，领受圣礼的意义乃是要[叫属于教会的人和世上其他人，有明显的分别；并使属教会的人能严肃地按着祂的话，在基督里侍奉神。]《西敏斯特信仰告白》XXVII.1

将其他另外五种礼仪（坚信礼，忏悔礼、婚礼、按立礼、以及临终抹油礼）也列为圣礼，是一项从中世纪开始的错误。它们既不是与神立约关系的印记，也[未具像洗礼和主餐那种圣礼的性质，因为他们没有任何神所设定、明显的记号货仪式。]圣公会《三十九信条》XXV

这些圣礼被视为得恩典的途径是对的，因为神用它们作为通往信心的方法，使用他们来强化人对祂应许的信靠，并引出信心的行为，好得着圣礼象征的美好恩赐。圣礼要达到此印效，绝不是靠实行者的信心或美德，而全在于曾赐下这些圣礼、又乐于使用他们之神的信实。基督和使徒既明乎此，当他们论圣礼的表记时，就不只是说到它是实物的象征，也说到领受作为表记的前者就如同领受后者一样（如，太26:26-28；林前10:15-21；彼前3:21-22）。正如神道德传扬怎么样使福音叫人听见，圣礼也使人得以看见福音；神籍着这两种圣礼激励人的信心。

圣礼将基督徒的信仰与我们感官的见证联系起来，从而坚固我们的信心。《爱德堡要理问答》在第七十五问里将这道理表明出来，其论字是[其真确正如]：

基督命令我们.....要吃这劈开的饼、喝这杯，为的是记念祂；于是祂就保证我们：第一，祂的身体在十字架上为我......舍了，而且祂的血为我而流出，[其真确正如]我凭自己的双眼看见为我劈开的......饼和递给我的杯。尤有进者，祂自己以钉十字架的身体和流出的血，喂养滋润我的灵魂知道永生，[其真确正如]我拿起并口尝这饼、这杯......这些[真确正如]基督身体与血的信物，是神赐给我的。

圣礼不折不扣地按着[眼见为（如，引向）凭]的原则，发挥它为施恩方法的功能。

SACRAMENTS

CHRIST INSTITUTED TWO SEALS OF GOD’S COVENANT

[Abraham]... received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. ROMANS 4:11

Christ instituted two rites that his followers were to observe: baptism, a once-for-all rite of initiation (Matt. 28:19; Gal. 3:27), and the Lord’s Supper, a regular rite of remembrance (1 Cor. 11:23-26). These are called “sacraments” in the Western church, “mysteries” in the Eastern Orthodox church, and “ordinances” by some Protestants who see the other two words as tainted with unhelpful associations. Scripture has no category-word for these two rites and their Old Testament counterparts, namely circumcision of males as a rite of initiation (Gen. 17:9-14, 23-27) and the annual Passover as a rite of remembrance (Exod. 12:1-27). Biblical teaching, however, warrants classifying them all together as signs and seals of a covenant relationship with God.

Sacrament is from the Latin word sacramentum, meaning a holy rite in general and in particular a soldier’s sacred oath of allegiance. Study of the rites themselves yields the concept of a sacrament as a ritual action instituted by Christ in which signs perceived through the senses set forth to us the grace of God in Christ and the blessings of his covenant. They communicate, seal, and confirm possession of those blessings to believers, who by responsively receiving the sacraments give expression to their faith and allegiance to God. The effect of receiving the sacraments is “to put a visible difference between those that belong unto the church and the rest of the world, and solemnly to engage them to the service of God in Christ, according to his word” (Westminster Confession XXVII.1).

It was a medieval mistake to classify as sacraments five more rites (confirmation, penance, marriage, ordination, and extreme unction). In addition to their not being seals of a covenant relationship with God, they “have not like nature of sacraments with Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, for that they have not any visible sign or ceremony ordained of God” (Thirty-Nine Articles XXV).

The sacraments are rightly viewed as means of grace, for God makes them means to faith, using them to strengthen faith’s confidence in his promises and to call forth acts of faith for receiving the good gifts signified. The efficacy of the sacraments to this end resides not in the faith or virtue of the minister but in the faithfulness of God, who, having given the signs, is now pleased to use them. Knowing this, Christ and the apostles not only speak of the sign as if it were the thing signified but speak too as if receiving the former is the same as receiving the latter (e.g., Matt. 26:26-28; 1 Cor. 10:15-21; 1 Pet. 3:21-22). As the preaching of the Word makes the gospel audible, so the sacraments make it visible, and God stirs up faith by both means.

Sacraments strengthen faith by correlating Christian beliefs with the testimony of our senses. The Heidelberg Catechism illustrates this in its answer to Question 75. The key words are as sure as.

Christ has commanded me... to eat of this broken bread and to drink of this cup in memory of him, and therewith has given assurance: first, that his body was... broken on the cross for me, and his blood shed for me, as sure as I see with my eyes the bread... broken for me and the cup communicated to me; and, further, that with his crucified body and shed blood he himself feeds and nourishes my soul to eternal life, as sure as I take and taste the bread and cup... which are given me as sure tokens of the body and blood of Christ.

Sacraments function as means of grace on the principle that, literally, seeing is (i.e., leads to) believing.