Published: 10 May 2025

What Is a Sacrament (and Are They Even Real)?

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Sacrament

What is a sacrament? Most people have heard the word, but few can define it clearly. What counts as a sacrament, and why do churches call certain rites by that name? Where did the term come from—and is it even in the Bible?

While many Christians treat sacraments as essential to church life, the concept is a post-biblical invention that emerged centuries after the inspired authors completed the New Testament. Sacraments emerged centuries later as church leaders sought to codify certain church rituals. It wasn’t until the 12th century AD that the Catholic Church formalized the seven sacraments they now recognize.1

What is a sacrament?

Although not formally codified until the 12th century, sacraments entered the picture much earlier. However, before looking at the history of sacraments, let’s define them. 

One popular definition is “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.”2 This description characterizes sacraments as sacred rituals that convey divine grace to the participant.

Catholics recognize seven sacraments:

  1. Baptism
  2. Confirmation
  3. Holy Eucharist
  4. Penance
  5. Extreme unction
  6. Holy Orders
  7. Matrimony3

Protestant denominations typically embrace only two of these: baptism and communion. Some Protestants are uncomfortable with the term and instead refer to baptism and communion as “ordinances.” However, this is a distinction without a difference. The terms sacrament and ordinance are interchangeable.4 This change in language doesn’t alter the underlying concept.

Regardless of which sacraments people observe, the idea is that a sacrament is a means of being blessed by God (i.e., receiving grace) through a physical action. For example, in baptism one receives the blessing of the forgiveness of sins and union with Christ.

Why are certain practices considered sacraments?

Historically, the church applied three main criteria to identify sacraments. First, Christ must have instituted it. Second, it must involve physical elements with spiritual meaning. Third, it must identify the participant with the Christian community.

These criteria supposedly elevate baptism and communion above other Christian practices. This distinction creates a special category of actions that allegedly transmit grace in unique ways.

The missing biblical foundation

Here’s the problem: the New Testament never mentions “sacraments.” The word simply doesn’t appear anywhere in scripture. This absence should immediately raise questions. Of course, the absence of the word ‘sacrament’ doesn’t automatically invalidate the concept it describes. So, do we see the concept described in the New Testament?

The New Testament contains no criteria for what constitutes a sacrament. No passage distinguishes certain practices as belonging to a special category. The apostles never developed a system to classify Christian practices this way.

Paul wrote extensively about justification, faith, and church life. He explained both simple and complex theological concepts with great detail. Yet he never once developed a theology of sacraments. This silence speaks volumes.

Jesus taught extensively about the kingdom of God. He gave detailed instructions on prayer, giving, and relationships. He never taught a sacramental system or highlighted certain practices as uniquely grace-giving.

Origins of the word “sacrament”

The term “sacrament” emerged through a fascinating linguistic shift. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia says this about the word’s etymology:

“The word ‘sacrament’ does not occur in the English Bible. It derives, however, from Latin sacramentum, which the Latin Bible selected as a rendering of Greek mysterion. In itself sacramentum had the sense of something sacred. In secular Latin it commonly denoted a deposit, and very frequently it stood for an oath, particularly the military pledge of allegiance.”5  (emphasis in original)

The Greek word “mysterion” means something quite different in the New Testament. It refers to previously hidden truths now revealed in Christ. Paul used it to describe the gospel itself and God’s plan for salvation which in ages past He had kept hidden.

The original meaning has little, if any, connection to ritual acts. “Mysterion” emphasized revelation of truth, not performance of ceremony. The shift from “revealed truth” to “sacred ritual” happened gradually after the apostolic age. The linguistic shift took root over time. By the 3rd century, we find early Christian writers adapting the term sacramentum.

“Sacrament” in the 3rd century

Tertullian first used “sacramentum” in Christian theology during the early third century.6 Later, Latin-speaking Christians developed their own vocabulary, influenced by earlier Greek terms.

The Greek mysterion combined ideas of the sacred, hidden, and initiatory, but Latin lacked an exact equivalent. Latin writers borrowed mysterium but treated it as distinct from sacramentum. Due to the fact that pagans also used the word mysterion, Tertullian viewed mysteria as demonic. Therefore, he sharply contrasted mysterion with sacramenta. Early Latin Christians likely preferred sacramentum because it avoided pagan associations.7

Later developments

By the latter half of the 4th century, a distinction had developed between sacramentum and mysterium. Church leaders viewed sacraments as what Christians can see and touch in worship, like the bread and wine. In contrast, mysterion was the invisible grace God brings about through sacraments. They considered the visible elements to be important, but they pointed to a deeper, unseen reality—the saving work of Christ. This distinction was the basis for the later idea that what Christians experience outwardly carries a hidden spiritual truth.8

At this point, these sacraments, or “outward signs,” began to multiply. Augustine of Hippo wrote about the sacraments of exorcisms, marriage, charity, and various ceremonies.9 Ultimately, the number was officially restricted to seven by Peter Lombard in the 12th century.10

A post-biblical framework

The concept of sacraments developed centuries after the completion of the New Testament writings. Early church theologians began categorizing Christian practices which later evolved into formal sacramental theology. What many Christians accept as biblical truth actually represents later theological developments. The church gradually constructed this framework and then read it back into scripture. It amounts to scriptural revisionism.

Christopher Keisling asked a valid question: “If the seven sacraments are so important for the church and Christian life, why did it take twelve centuries to become explicitly aware of them?”11

The New Testament presents various practices as meaningful expressions of faith. Nevertheless, it never creates a hierarchy where certain acts transmit grace while others don’t. All faithful obedience connects us to God. When we embrace non-biblical frameworks, we risk misunderstanding scripture’s true message. We add distinctions God never made and complicate what He intended to be simple.

The Bible does not teach sacramental theology

Are there outward or physical acts which result in divine blessing? Yes, of course there are, but this doesn’t make them sacraments. Sacraments are a man-made concept. There is no such thing in the New Testament.

Scripture itself should determine our theological categories. We should resist importing later concepts into the biblical text. The New Testament emphasizes faith, obedience, and community without sacramental distinctions.

This doesn’t diminish baptism or communion. These practices remain important scriptural commands. They simply function within the same framework as other acts of faithful obedience.

Respect for scriptural authority

In the end, sacraments—as a distinct category of grace-transmitting rituals—have no foundation in the New Testament. They arose after the apostolic era, shaped by evolving language and church tradition.

Baptism and communion are scriptural commands. They are sacred and meaningful. But they don’t belong in a special class of rituals that uniquely convey grace. Scripture doesn’t teach this system. The church created it.

If we want to honor God’s Word, we must let it shape our theology—not retrofit it to suit later traditions.

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References

  1. Kiesling, Christopher. “How Many Sacraments.” Worship 44, no. 5 (May 1970): 269.
  2. Sadler, Albert William. “Sacrament: An Experiment in Definition.” The Journal of Religious Thought 21, no. 2 (1964): 115.
  3. https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/sacraments.
  4. Grudem, Wayne A., Jeff Purswell, and Wayne A. Grudem. Bible Doctrine: Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 1999. 376.
  5. R. S. WALLACE, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Revised), s.v. “S,” 4:256.
  6. Slyke, Daniel G. Van. “The Changing Meanings of Sacramentum: Historical Sketches.” Antiphon: A Journal for Liturgical Renewal, January 1, 2007. 249.
  7. Slyke, Daniel G. Van. “The Changing Meanings of Sacramentum: Historical Sketches.” Antiphon: A Journal for Liturgical Renewal, January 1, 2007. 250-251.
  8. Slyke, Daniel G. Van. “The Changing Meanings of Sacramentum: Historical Sketches.” Antiphon: A Journal for Liturgical Renewal, January 1, 2007. 260-264.
  9. Slyke, Daniel G. Van. “The Changing Meanings of Sacramentum: Historical Sketches.” Antiphon: A Journal for Liturgical Renewal, January 1, 2007. 265-266.
  10. R. S. WALLACE, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Revised), s.v. “S,” 4:257.
  11. Kiesling, Christopher. “How Many Sacraments.” Worship 44, no. 5 (May 1970): 269.