MLJ's Ring Analogy And The Sacraments

[Bryan]

I'm a big fan of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, as if you can't tell by my picture

In his book Great Doctrines of The Bible he uses an analogy of a wedding ring to explain how grace is given through the sacraments.

"Take the use of an engagment ring or a wedding ring. Why does anybody ever give or recieve a ring? It is not essential, but it is the custome, and there is something in this practice. The importance of the ring is that it is a seal. It seals the statment that has already been made. It does not add to the statment, it simply tells the same thing in a different way, yet there is value in it. The person who has the ring can look at it and be reminded of what that ring repersents. But what I want to emphasise is that the act of giving of putting on that ring is an action on the part of a person who is sealing a promise to another person.....Let us return to the case of a young man becoming engaged to a young woman. He has already expressed his love plainly and clearly, he has repeated it, he has shown emotion. Yes, but is it not true to say that when the young woman recieves the engagment ring, she feels she has recieved something additional, soemthing extra? Now in a fundamental sense she has not. She already has that man's love, and he has not given her any more love. yet recieving the ring is a recieving of love in a special way, in a way which she has not already recieved it. Similarly, Protestant [Reformed] teaching says that the elemts are actually means of conveying grace to us. In other words, as we have already seen, the ring is a kind of seal and every time she looks at it, that young woman finds assurance there to confirm what she already believes and knows....When we recieve any of these sacraments, we must realise that it is not merely some external representation, but is truly a means of grace, and we should be conscious of recieving something which only comes to us in that special way"

Now comming from an evangelical background outside of the Reformed tradtion and trying to understand how the means of grace work MLJ's explination makes sense, but I haven't read anyone else use that example yet (but I've only begun to look at this). Is his analogy accurate? I know what he says is correct that the sacraments are a means of grace, but as to how they are is he within the Biblical and Reformed tradition?

Bryan
SDG

 

[Arch2k]

I enjoyed reading that quote. I have often used the same analogy for the sacraments. Another analogy would be a picture of the thing vs. the thing itself.

You ask "How are the sacraments a means of grace?"

They convey knowledge and increase our faith by remembering the what God has done for us in his work of saving us.

The Westminster Larger Catechism is helpful here.

Question 161: How do the sacraments become effectual means of salvation?
Answer: The sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not by any power in themselves, or any virtue derived from the piety or intention of him by whom they are administered, but only by the working of the Holy Ghost, and the blessing of Christ, by whom they are instituted.

Question 162: What is a sacrament?
Answer: A sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ in his church, to signify, seal, and exhibit unto those that are within the covenant of grace, the benefits of his mediation; to strengthen and increase their faith, and all other graces; to oblige them to obedience; to testify and cherish their love and communion one with another; and to distinguish them from those that are without.

See the quote by Edwards at the bottom of my signature.

 

[Scott]

I think the Jones quote is true in part. Certainly the sacraments have the benefits he mentions - basically they are tokens to remind us of God's love. However, his limitations may be a bit off. For example, he suggests that the giving of the ring does not "add anything."

The Holy Spirit operates in and through the sacraments to confer grace in a supernatural way. This goes beyond merely using the sacraments to remember what God has done (but certainly this is an important use).

Here are some excerpts from Michael Horton that Me Died Blue posted awhile back.

It was for this reason that the Protestant Reformers followed such great church fathers as St. Augustine in calling the sacraments "God's visible Word." The sacraments serve the same purpose as the Word itself, not only offering or exhibiting God's promise, but actually conferring his saving grace by linking us, through faith, to Christ and his benefits.

Someone will doubtless ask, "But if we're justified once and for all, why do we need to continue receiving forgiveness and grace through the sacraments?" It is interesting that we do not ask this question in relation to the Word. We know that we need to hear the gospel preached more than once in our lives, that we need to continually hear God's assurance of forgiveness and pardon extended to us in our weakness and doubt. The sacraments serve precisely the same purpose.

Does Baptism actually save, then, if so many who are baptized fail to believe? If the sacraments serve the same purpose as the Word"”that is, if they are means of grace"”then we can ask the same question of the Word: Does the preached Word actually save, if so many fail to believe? Most of us have no hesitation in answering, "[Of course.] God offers eternal life"”but if we reject it, we have no one to blame but ourselves. If we accept it, we have no one to praise but God." The same is true of baptism. If God offers eternal life to everyone, even to those outside the covenant of grace, then how much more will he hold us responsible for rejecting his saving grace sealed to us by his Spirit through the Word and baptism?

 

[Scott]

This quote from the Larger Catechism is helpful:

Q. 163. What are the parts of a sacrament?
A. The parts of a sacrament are two; the one an outward and sensible sign, used according to Christ´s own appointment; the other an inward and spiritual grace thereby signified.

Note that a sacrament, by definition, has two parts - the outward sign and the inward gare signified by the sign. So, to partake of communion is to partake of the bread/wine ouwardly and the life of Christ inwardly. Definitionally, a sacrament is more than a pneumonic device.