Two Graces or One Grace Through Two Means? (Gen. 17; Rom. 4:11; LD 25)
The means of grace, the preaching of the Gospel, and the sacraments are means that God uses to nourish Christians. They are not the source of life, but the means to being nourished by life. Sacraments communicate the visible gospel. While the sacraments are important, they should not be elevated above Christ or the preaching of the Gospel. They are given to us because we are weak in our faith. They nourish us in the same grace that the Gospel communicates. Ultimately, we are nourished and living in Christ.
Paul emphasizes the centrality of the gospel message in salvation, highlighting the preaching of the Gospel as a means of the Lord’s power to unite believers with Christ and receive Christ’s blessings. Paul appeals to Abraham to show that the sacrament is not a sign of Abraham’s faith, but a seal of the promise declared in the Gospel. Abraham receives the sign because he doubts the Lord’s gospel promise. The Lord gives him the sign and seal of circumcision because Abraham doubts that the Lord really can bring life from death. Abraham doubts that the Lord will continue his victorious line through a barren couple.
Sacraments are given to us because we fail to heed the Lord’s word or see His power. The Lord continues to work in us through His means, even if we don’t understand how. The preaching of the gospel is the priority because it is the preaching of the gospel that proclaims the Lord’s gospel promise. The sacraments merely communicate the same message, but visibly before our eyes. Let us never doubt the life-give power that is ours in the Spirit who preserved God’s people throughout the ages, and raised Christ from the dead.