Christianity and Church Essays

Christianity and Church Essays Christianity and Church Essay Christianity and Church Essay A sacrament can be defined as a visible sign of an invisible grace or an outward sign of an inward grace. Through the visible there is invisible. For example: The Eucharist – Bread and Wine are visible and the Life of Christ is invisible. It is a sign of Gods grace, a visible sign, something we are able to see. Therefore the church stands as a visible sign; the invisible grace is Gods presence. Hence sacraments make Gods presence more real and understandable for us as believers. The church is needed to build up unity among all of us, to bring us together as a community to share in Gods life just as God wants. The church is a sign and instrument of unity with God. Gods love for us reconciles us to God and to each other and brings us together in unity. The church reminds us and is a symbol of what God has done for us and what he will do for us. According to Walter Kasper the unity of the church is grounded in salvation. As a community of Christians we all come together in the church. We share in the church and this makes our bond to each other and God stronger. However within this unity we may see diversity. For example the Trinity is made up of three divine spirits, the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. They make up one person. Church is made one with the unity of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Trinity makes up one person, we as Christians work for each other and build up the church together. We make up one body, Jesus Christ and one church. Just as the church is a sacrament of communion, a sign and instrument of unity among all men, this one sacrament is built up upon the seven sacraments. Christ is the sacrament of God, he is a visible sign of Gods invisible grace, the church is then a sacrament of Christ, the church is to us a sign of Gods grace. It is an instrument in its role to bring us together as a community. The church has a role to play in our lives just as we have a role to play in the life of the church become living symbols of divine love and beacons of hope in the world. The church wants to bring us together at the end of time in the Kingdom of God. We experience Gods love through his words, through his teachings, his miracles and especially through his passion, death and resurrection. He sacrificed everything for us. The church therefore is a sacrament of salvation. A central sacrament of the church is the Eucharist. This reminds us of what God has done for us and what he will do for us. The church takes us back in time and we remember and worship God for his sacrifices on our behalf. The Eucharist also directs us to the future and what God asks of us, to come together in unity in the Kingdom of God. The visible aspects will disappear and we come face to face with God in heaven. Salvation is achieving through Christ, through the church, his visible sign to us. By worshiping God we achieve salvation; we share in his divine life. By being saved, by being forgiven from our sins we will experience salvation. By worshiping the church we can also find salvation as the church worships on our behalf. The church says yes to God on our behalf. The church forms a bond or link with God. The church is a sign of the world and a community should be. The church as a sacrament because it offers us all seven sacraments which brings us to unity with God, we love and worship him and through these sacraments we reach salvation. God saves us by uniting to himself. God saves us through the church because it is a sacrament of salvation. The church is a universal sacrament. She is there for everyone. We experience the sacraments when we come into this world when we are born we are baptised. God Christ Church The church is the source of the seven sacraments: Baptism (when we are born), Eucharist (grow in the life of God), Penance, Confirmation (stand up for ourselves in God), Marriage (share in Gods love), Holy Order and Sacrament of the sick. The sacraments aid us and guide us in reaching salvation. Gods mission is to bring us together, share in his life and experience his live. He sacrificed his life for us so that we could live happy lives and he will be there to lead us on our lives and help us live a good life just as he did. We are called to be holy and be an intimate friend of Christ. The church communicates the salvation of Jesus Christ. The church is not only a sacrament of Christ, but a sacrament of man and of the world. The church as a sacrament reveals union of men with God or each other. The Church points back to Christ and what he has done for us and to the future to the Kingdom, what he will do for us. Salvation comes from the Messiah. We are all part of a local church in which are a community. Together as we join in unity we all form the universal Church. By worshiping God in the Church we find salvation. By worshiping the church, the church worships on our behalf. The church makes sacrifices for us. ‘So the church’s sacrifice in communion with Christ is vicarious by nature as the sacrament of Christ’s sacrifice and so also on behalf of the world of mankind’. We are all called to unity not just the church. We cannot reach salvation until we embrace God’s love. It is a sign of communion to all humanity. At the end of time we will have the Kingdom of God. The church has the task to get all humanity to the end. The church is the link between humanity and Good. The church makes God visible. The church is a communion that is needed to create unity among all men. Unity is rooted in Jesus Christ. Sharing in the church helps to create community with one another. Since every local church exists by sharing in the same baptism and the same Eucharist, none can exist in isolation’. Just as we as members and believers of the church are in community with each other, the local church’s are also in communion with each other. They make up one universal church. We make sacrifices in the church and this aids us towards the universal church. By being closer to God we become united with him and we reach salvation. God saves us through the church. [ 2 ]. The church as Sacrament of the World, Jan Groot, Pg. 30 [ 3 ]. The Church as Sacrament of Unity, Walter Kasper, pg. 8