Evangelicals are the descendants of the Protestant Reformation. We believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Among other things, the Reformers rejected the Catholic Church’s sacramental system, which misconstrued baptism and the Lord’s Supper as instrumental for salvation.
However, just because Protestants rejected the ordinances as instrumental for salvation doesn’t mean they’re not necessary in the Christian life. We believe the Lord Jesus instituted the ordinances for the people of God to observe when they gather for worship. They’re a sign of the Christian’s union both with Christ and with one another.
And so, we believe the ordinances really do change people. Let me give you three reasons why.
1. The ordinances are the Word made visible.
The ordinances are inherently tied to the Word of God. Furthermore, it’s by the Word of God that unbelievers come to faith (Rom 10:13–17) and Christians become like Jesus (John 17:17). As the church gathers for worship, the Word stands at the center of our gatherings—through our praying and preaching, our reading and our singing, and through our practice of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These ordinances are the Word made visible.
Our Lord Jesus instituted both
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