What Makes a Sacrament—and Why These Five Fail | John Calvin

Deep Dive into Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin - The Five Other Ceremonies, Falsely Termed Sacraments; Although Commonly Considered Sacraments Hitherto, They Are Proved Not to Be Such, and Their Real Nature Is ShownIn his treatise, John Calvin refutes the Roman Catholic doctrine of seven sacraments, arguing that only Baptism and the Lord's Supper are valid because they alone were instituted by God. He asserts that a true sacrament requires both a divine command and a specific promise of grace, criteria the five alleged sacraments—confirmation, penance, extreme unction, holy orders, and marriage—fail to meet.Regarding confirmation, Calvin rejects the use of oil as a human invention lacking scriptural warrant. He argues this rite effectively insults baptism by implying that baptism alone does not sufficiently equip Christians with the Holy Spirit for spiritual battle. Instead, he advocates restoring the ancient practice of catechizing youth followed by a laying on of hands as a form of blessing.Calvin dismisses penance as a sacrament, noting that the ancient church used the laying on of hands merely to reconcile penitents, not as a sacramental sign. He argues that baptism itself is the true sacrament of repentance and that forgiveness is mediated through the preaching of the Gospel rather than priestly absolution.Extreme unction is rejected as a corruption of the temporary apostolic gift of healing. Calvin notes that the Roman rite involves anointing the dying rather than healing the sick as described in James 5, proving it lacks divine authorization for the present age.Calvin mocks the hierarchy of holy orders, arguing the seven ranks were unknown to the early church. He condemns the Roman priesthood for claiming to offer sacrifices, which usurps Christ's unique role as the eternal priest.Finally, Calvin denies marriage is a sacrament, attributing the error to a mistranslation of the word mystery in Ephesians 5:32. He highlights the contradiction of calling marriage a sacrament while simultaneously banning it for the clergy as carnal pollution.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReformedExplainerSpotify Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1t5dz4vEgvHqUknYQfwpRI?si=e-tDRFR2Qf6By1sAcMdkdwhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730