Our (Reformed) view is that Sacraments are those acts commanded by Christ and are means of Grace. Baptism and communion are both Sacraments. I don’t think we have the distinction of sacramentals.
Means of Grace are not “for us not a means for attaining grace, but for receiving grace. They are not rituals through which we proclaim our willing and running, but through which God proclaims his willing and running.” Michael Horton
Thanks for the explanation!
Our (Reformed) view is that Sacraments are those acts commanded by Christ and are means of Grace. Baptism and communion are both Sacraments. I don’t think we have the distinction of sacramentals.
Ah...I see. Well, let me ask this then--because I know this was a point of contention in the Reformation. Does the sacrament of baptism in your understanding infallibly produce its effect? In other words, does the actual washing of water and Spirit remit sins and induct one into the Body of Christ? Or is it more that a person who is *already* a believer goes through the sacrament to sort of confirm that fact? Are sacraments symbolic only, or symbolic and real at the same time?