From its earliest days, the Christian church was characterized by a dynamic interplay between the proclamation of the gospel (the Word) and the celebration of sacred rituals (the Sacraments, or Ordinances, depending on your denomination). In Acts 2:42, the disciples are described as devoted to “the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers,” indicating a church that upheld both preaching and the Eucharist. Early Christian writings by figures such as Justin Martyr (in his First Apology) and Tertullian (in works like On Baptism) confirm the equal importance of theological instruction and sacramental participation. These early testimonies highlight how the Word provided doctrinal grounding while the Sacraments offered tangible expressions of Christ’s presence and grace among believers.
The Early Church: Word and Sacrament in Harmony
The earliest Christians, drawing on Jewish worship traditions that combined the reading of Scripture with ritual meals, saw these as complementary facets of one unified faith. Origen of Alexandria, in his homilies, stressed the indispensable role of Scriptural instruction in nourishing the believer’s understanding, while also affirming the power of the Eucharist to make present the reality of Christ’s saving work. Likewise, the Didache (a late-first or early-second-century Christian document) underscores both sound teaching and sacramental fellowship as essential marks of a properly ordered community. For these believers, the Word was never divorced from sacramental practice, and the Sacraments were never approached without the guiding light of the Word.
The Rise of Sacramentalism in the Medieval Period
As the church moved into the Middle Ages, the sacramental life became ever more prominent in Christian practice and theology. Augustine of Hippo offered an understanding of the Sacraments as “visible words,” suggesting that they were an extension of the gospel itself, declaring God’s grace in a tangible form. However, as centuries passed and theological rigor shifted in the broader church, the laity’s direct encounter with Scripture lessened. Sermons in many places grew infrequent or were delivered in Latin, which most people could not understand.
This situation contributed to a heightened focus on the Eucharist as the primary means of receiving God’s grace. The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) dogmatically taught the doctrine that would develop into transubstantiation, reflecting how central and almost exclusive the Eucharist had become in popular devotion. Thomas Aquinas later provided a rich theological framework for understanding Christ’s presence in the elements, reinforcing the church’s deeply sacramental orientation. Yet this emphasis—beautiful and mysterious as it was—resulted in an imbalance: the Word, which should continually interpret and undergird the Sacraments, drifted into the background of congregational life.
The Reformation: Restoring the Centrality of the Word
By the 16th century, the Reformers perceived that the sacraments had, in effect, overshadowed biblical preaching and personal engagement with Scripture. Martin Luther argued that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17), making the preached Word fundamental to true faith. However, he never abandoned the Sacraments; rather, he insisted they should be received in faith, grounded in God’s promises as revealed in Scripture. Thus, Luther retained a high view of the Eucharist and Baptism while placing renewed emphasis on the believer’s encounter with the Word.
John Calvin likewise held the Sacraments in high esteem, calling them “visible signs” that seal the promises offered in Scripture. In his Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin explained how the Word and Sacraments “mutually sustain and strengthen each other,” safeguarding the church from any distortion that might occur if one were unduly elevated above the other. The balanced approach of the Reformation sought to ensure that the faithful would receive the grace of God through Word and Sacrament in union, revitalizing Christian worship in ways that are still felt today.
The Contemporary Shift: From Word to Entertainment
In the modern era, many churches have unwittingly returned to an imbalance, but in a reverse form. While the Reformers rightly restored the prominence of Scripture, some contemporary contexts have placed such weight on preaching alone that the Sacraments are frequently neglected. In these churches, the sermon can become the functional “sacrament”—the single focus of the worship service.
As the desire to attract larger congregations has grown, many services have pivoted away from robust preaching of the Word and meaningful sacramental observance toward entertainment-driven formats. Elaborate stage productions, high-energy music, and motivational speeches sometimes overshadow the historic rhythms of Christian worship. Here, neither Word nor Sacrament is adequately honored: the sermon risks becoming mere self-help advice, and the Eucharist is sidelined or diminished to an optional ceremony observed sporadically, if at all.
Restoring the Balance: A Call to the Church
The witness of Christian history and theology—from Justin Martyr and Tertullian through Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, and Calvin—calls the church to restore the fullness of both Word and Sacrament. In this holistic approach, the gospel is proclaimed, explained, and expounded upon in sermons, while the Sacraments nourish and confirm the grace that the Word announces. Believers are then formed in a cycle of learning and living out Christ’s presence, with both the mind and the heart engaged.
Recovering this balance means giving sermons the depth and theological substance that shape believers in holiness, while also celebrating the Sacraments regularly as genuine encounters with the risen Christ. Rather than allowing entertainment to become its own “sacrament,” the church must, as the early Christians did, devote itself to the apostles’ teaching and the breaking of bread in unity. By re-embracing the centuries-long tradition that honors both the Word and the Sacraments, the church will be renewed, fed, and empowered to carry out its mission of proclaiming the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Comments