http://www.bereanbeacon.org/articles/sorted/01_On_Catholicism/Salvation_and_the_Sacraments.pdf
This article begins by describing his understanding of the concept of "justification". I pointed out his errors on that in my blog entry http://americanberean.blogspot.com/2010/12/salvation-gods-graciousness-in-christ.html.
Now, on to the Sacraments. Mr Bennett believes they are merely rituals of men which blaspheme God by claiming Godly power to dispense grace. But they are more than empty rituals and do convey grace (by God's power, not man's). The catechism describes them as "outward signs instituted by Christ to give grace". I think it was Augustine who called them "visible signs of an invisible reality". As Scott Hahn summarized it: "The sacraments are God's tools for our sanctification. They are not magical and they are not mechanical. They are powerful because Christ is the one who has instituted them because Christ is the sacrament. Christ is the oath that God has sworn for our salvation. "
Here's a good summary of the Sacraments:
http://www.jesuschristsavior.net/Sacraments.html
Here's the Catholic Encyclopedia on the Sacraments:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13295a.htm.
Here's a summary description of the system of Sacraments:
http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/sacraments_sacramentals.htm
Scott Hahn lectures on the Sacraments:
http://zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk/~vgg/rc/aplgtc/hahn/m5/Mod5.html
Mr Bennett doesn't believe the Church of Jesus possesses a world-wide, visible, organized aspect. It's natural, then, that he doesn't accept the idea of God's spiritual grace being distributed through material means. But when one accepts the material aspect of the Church along with the spiritual aspect, sacraments are obviously part and parcel of God's management of His kingdom. Look at Jesus (and ourselves, as well): He possesses material and spiritual aspects. So does His Church and so do the Sacraments. This article describes the visible vs. the invisible Church: http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/vatican_says_protestants_not_churches.htm.
The New Covenant is the fulfillment, transformation and perfection of the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant included verbal oaths ( greek: orchia; latin: sacramentum) between God and men. Good things were promised for obedience and curses for disobedience. The men (ie Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David) failed to live up to their side of the covenants, thus bringing down curses upon the people of God. But God always promised a redeemer. Eventually, God accepted the curses of disobedience upon Himself by allowing his only begotten son to be tortured and killed despite His innocence. In this way, He redeemed all who call upon His name for salvation. So Jesus Himself is a sacrament (oath); actually THE sacrament from which all the other sacraments get their power.
Even rituals of the Old Covenant can have their perfect New Covenant fulfillment. For example, the Old Covenant Passover finds its fulfillment, transformation and perfection in the ritual instituted at the Last Supper. Here Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The event was a Passover meal which required, at the end, consuming a sacrificial lamb. There was no baby sheep present in the upper room. Jesus is known as the Lamb of God. Jesus said (to paraphrase) "take this and eat it, this is my body, this is my blood, do this in memory of me", referring to the bread and wine and its consumption. These four points, along with the "bread of life" discourse in John 6, and numerous Old Testament pre-figurements (ie Melchizedek), lead to the inescapable conclusion that the bread and wine became His true flesh and blood (even though it's not detectable to our material senses). Three lectures by Scott Hahn really shed light on the Eucharist (these are each stand-alone, not dependent on each other):
The Lamb's Supper:
http://zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk/~vgg/rc/aplgtc/hahn/m5/lmbsp.html
The Fourth Cup:
http://zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk/~vgg/rc/aplgtc/hahn/m4/4cp.html
The Meal of Melchizedek:
http://zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk/~vgg/rc/aplgtc/hahn/m4/ech.html
John's Gospel is replete with "sacramental" actions. John calls the Jesus' actions "signs". Those actions both symbolized (being visible signs) and caused the transmission of grace to heal. http://www.salvationhistory.com/documents/scripture/04_Hahn_9-12.pdf
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Baptism:
Mr Bennett states "Faith is so indispensable that though one be baptized yet believes not, he shall be damned. The sinner is condemned because of his sin nature and his personal sin. God’s divine justice is upon him, nothing can propitiate God’s justice but saving faith in Christ."
He's right. And that is what Catholicism teaches. Nothing matters if we have not faith in the first place. But he goes on "This faith by God grace brings instantly God’s act of justification." Yes and No. If we died right then, we'd get in to heaven. But if we continued on in this world but refused to be baptized while knowing we should be, we'd no longer have that justification. Baptism is not a mere act of obedience. It is the New Covenant fulfillment, transformation and perfection of the Old Covenant sign, circumcision. That circumcision has been transformed in to a new ritual which is more than symbol. It brings about true spiritual cleansing. The outward signs of water on the person (whether full immersion or sprinkling) and the invocation of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit together are the cause and indication that God's Sanctifying grace is poured in to that person. The ritual is the cause, not by the ritual's inherent power (which is none, of course), but by the reason that that is how Jesus told us to initiate the believer into the family of God and so He uses that ritual to be the moment He infuses His sanctifying grace into the new family member. Then he is justified, made righteous, due to God's life now in him.
It is because of this true cleansing/regenerating effect that babies are baptized and the stain of the sin of Adam (Original Sin) is removed from them, thus justifying them. They are brought in to God's family by this efficacious ritual. Later in life that child will decide whether or not to remain in God's family.
The New Covenant's Baptism also supercedes John's Baptism. His was a baptism of repentance and the washing in water was just a sign of the person's faith and repentance.
With the coming of Christ the Holy Spirit is now available to indwell all believers. The New Baptism is a sign which is used by God to make us His children. Upon our baptism the spirit indwells us and God declares to the world "This is my son (or daughter)." This can happen to the infant who is baptized even without their having declared Jesus their savior. But for anyone capable of discerning a choice, he must have faith, and believe, for baptism to save him.
Summary of Scriptural and Patristic references to baptism:
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/baptism.html
Scott Hahn on Baptism:
http://zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk/~vgg/rc/aplgtc/hahn/m5/scmnt3.html
Why Baptize Babies?:
http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/infant_baptism.htm
Church Fathers on Infant Baptism:
http://www.cin.org/users/jgallegos/infant.htm
Church Fathers on Born Again:
http://www.cin.org/users/jgallegos/borna.htm
Church Fathers on Triune formula, immersion/sprinkling, etc.:
http://www.cin.org/users/jgallegos/tribap.htm
Catholic Encyclopedia:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02258b.htm
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Confirmation:
When we are old enough to choose our destiny (ie to follow Jesus or not) we are "confirmed" through the laying-on of hands by our bishop. The sacrament results in the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit into us to strengthen us as we grow into young men and women and become more involved in the wide world. We need the extra grace we receive through this sacrament to be effective soldiers of Christ in the spiritual warfare of this fallen world.
Think of this as the Catholic version of the "Altar Call" of the evangelical Christians.
The recipient of this Sacrament publicly proclaims his accepting Jesus by his coming up to the altar where the bishop will lay his hands upon him and anoint him with oil. Sound familiar? Scripture abounds with events of laying on hands and anointing with oil.
Tim Sullivon describes Confirmation, providing the Old and New Testament context for the present doctrine:
http://www.ewtn.com/library/CATECHSM/CONFIRM1.HTM
The Catholic Encyclopedia:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04215b.htm
Summary of Scriptural and Patristic references to confirmation:
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/confirmation.html
Scott Hahn on Confirmation:
http://zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk/~vgg/rc/aplgtc/hahn/m5/scmnt3.html
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Eucharist:
I described this in a paragraph above, for the purpose of illustrating a reality of the New Covenant. Here are some more supporting links:
Here is a video rebuttal of Mr Bennett on the Eucharist, by gnrhead:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUoah7McAvI
Summary of Scriptural and Patristic references:
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/the_eucharist.html
Real Presence:
http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/eucharist.htm
Church Fathers on the Real Presence:
http://www.cin.org/users/jgallegos/realp.htm
Church Fathers on Transubstantiation:
http://www.cin.org/users/jgallegos/trans.htm
The Catholic Encyclopedia:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05572c.htm
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Penance (or Reconciliation or Confession):
Christ empowered (indeed, commanded) His ministers to forgive sins in His name (John 20:19-23). James 5:16 tells us to confess our sins to another. Proverbs 28:13 states "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." This is all what this sacrament is all about. Jesus gave us this sacrament so a believer who has fallen in to mortal sin can have a means to come back to His family. John mentions mortal sins and venial sins in 1John 5:16-17 "If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly." So, deadly (mortal) sin (which is intentional and serious) separates us from our inheritance, but non-deadly (venial) sin does not.
We are called to confess our sins and ask forgiveness, not just once, at the time of our "salvation moment" when we first call to Jesus to save our soul, but for every sin we commit after that salvation moment. We all are still sinners, some of us to the extent that we evict the Holy Spirit from ourselves (through mortal sin). Proverbs 28:13 is apt here. The non-mortal (venial) sins we commit don't sever our relationship with God, but do harm us spiritually. With unrepented & unconfessed venial sins in our hearts, we are more susceptible to temptation and can sin in progressively more serious ways. It can be a snowball effect, or a slippery slope, with the end result of mortal sin and loss of our inheritance. But by regularly repenting of, and confessing, even our venial sins, we grow in Spirit and become more resistant to temptations thus preventing any potential sin-snowball effect.
Call no Man Father?:
http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/priests_forgive_sins_call_no_man_father.htm
A "Punishing" God?:
http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/punishment.htm
Scripture and Church fathers:
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/confession.html
Holy Healing:
http://zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk/~vgg/rc/aplgtc/hahn/m5/scmnt5.html
Catholic Encyclopedia:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11618c.htm
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Anointing of the Sick (aka Extreme Unction):
This sacrament is for the seriously ill person. It provides healing of the soul and sometimes healing of the body. The following links provide the description and Scriptural origin. (Unction just means the act of anointing).
Scripture and Church fathers:
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/anointing_of_the_sick.html
Holy Healing:
http://zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk/~vgg/rc/aplgtc/hahn/m5/scmnt5.html
Catholic Encyclopedia:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05716a.htm
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Matrimony:
Yes, the marriage event is a sacrament. This is the New Covenant fulfillment, transformation and perfection of the Old Covenant "creation ordinance", as Mr Bennett calls it. Christian marriage is a covenant and has God as the bonding agent and helper, providing the grace the man and woman need to have a good marriage. Assuming Christ established a visible, organized Church (which Mr Bennett does not), one can see that the Church would then be the authority to guide Christians in the matters of marriage. Without an authority to pronounce definitively on such matters, Christians will tend to interpret Scripture as they see fit (consciously or not) in order to justify their behavior in their marriage. Honest, sincere Christians often have opposing interpretations of Scripture (in general as well as in marriage matters), despite each claiming to be led be the Spirit in their interpretation. Mr Bennett is just another person claiming the true interpretation. He claims the Catholic Church contradicts Scripture in her teachings and manipulations of her followers' marriages yet gives no examples of un-Scriptural doctrines. The Catholic Church does not base the whole marriage-sacrament doctrine on the one verse found in Eph 5:32. The sacramental nature of marriage is found from the beginning of Scripture (Genesis) to the end (Revelation). Here's Fulton Sheen writing on this sacrament:
Marriage: A Symbol of the Nuptials of Christ and the Church Marriage as a sacrament belongs to an entirely different order than the mere union of man and woman through a civil contract. It basically regards a husband and wife as symbols of another marriage; namely, the nuptials of Christ and His Church. The analogy of the heavenly nuptials goes back to the Old Testament, where God appears as the bridegroom, and Israel appears as the bride. When God becomes incarnate in Christ, He called Himself, and was called, the Bridegroom; it is the new Israel, or the Church, which be- comes His bride or His spouse. It is often forgotten that our Blessed Lord called Himself a Bridegroom. When Our Lord was asked why the dis- ciples of John fasted, but His own did not, He answered: "Can you expect the men of the bridegroom's company to go fasting, while the bridegroom is still with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot be expected to fast" (Mark 2:19). John the Baptist called himself "the friend of the bridegroom," or what might be, in modern language, the "best man." The title of Bridegroom, which belonged to Christ, was shared by no other, as John himself said: "The bride is for the bridegroom; but the bridegroom's friend, who stands by and listens to him, rejoices too, rejoices at hearing the bridegroom's voice" (John 3:29). On the other hand, the wife's relationship to the husband is the rela- tionship of the Church to Christ. That is why when St. Paul speaks of marriage he says, "Those words are a high mystery...applying...to Christ and His Church" (Eph. 5:32). The ultimate consummation of this espousal of Christ and His Church will be after the resurrection, when the Church "without spot or wrinkle" will appear as a bride adorned for her husband or as the "spouse of the Lamb" (Apoc 21:2, 9:1, 22:17). The Sacrament of Matrimony is not a pious extra added to the marriage contract; it is rather the elevation of a natural marriage contract to the order of grace, in which the husband loves the wife, as Christ loves the Church, and the wife loves the husband as the Church loves Christ. The husband and wife are not just a symbol of the union of Christ and the Church; they enjoy a real participation in that union. As Christ lives in the Church and the Church in Christ, so the husband lives in the wife and the wife in the husband, and the two are in one flesh.
...
As further evidence of how seriously the Church takes marriage as the symbol of Christ and the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas makes a distinction between a marriage that is merely ratified at the altar, and a marriage that is ratified and consummated, when husband and wife become two in one flesh. The Church has always made this distinction in her Canon Law concerning marriage. A marriage that is merely ratified at the altar, but not consummated, represents the union of Christ with the soul through grace. A marriage ratified at the altar and consummated in the marriage act symbolizes the union of Christ and the Church. The marriage that is ratified only, is a symbol of a personal union of the soul with Christ through grace. This union can be broken by sin. If, therefore, a husband and wife separated immediately after the marriage at the church door, and never consummated their marriage, that marriage would be breakable under certain conditions, because it is only the symbol of the union of the soul and grace. But the marriage bond of a baptized husband and wife which has been consummated is absolutely unbreakable, as the union of Christ and the Church is unbreakable.
The rest of his commentary can be found here: http://www.ewtn.com/library/DOCTRINE/SACRAMEN.TXT
Going on Vocation:
http://zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk/~vgg/rc/aplgtc/hahn/m5/scmnt6.html
Church Fathers on Matrimony:
http://www.cin.org/users/jgallegos/marry.htm
Catholic Encyclopedia:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09707a.htm
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Holy Orders:
Christ instituted this sacrament to empower men to perform the priestly duties (such as pastoring the believers, and offering the Covenant Renewal event, aka the Eucharistic meal) He delegated to them. He would depart from Earth to ascend to Heaven in order that he might send his Holy Spirit down to us. Thenceforth the Spirit was available to indwell God's children and guide us, to guide us not just as a non-material entity interfacing directly to our minds & souls, but also (perhaps primarily?) through corporeal means, through men He blesses and empowers with His authority to preach and teach His truths. These men do not replace Christ in His office of High Priest. He is indeed the last and forever and only High Priest. His priesthood is not transferred to men, but instead, He delegates some of his authority and the power to exercise such authority in His name. (Because His body is in Heaven.)
Here's how Fulton Sheen begins his description of this sacrament:
Because man lives in a society of free men, there must be some government and order to make justice prevail. Since there is the order of grace above creature, it too must have degrees, order, hierarchy, and government; this Christ supplied in the Sacrament of Holy Orders with its three ascending levels of deaconship, priesthood, and episcopacy. Our Blessed Lord is the Mediator between God and Man, being both God and man. But in order to meditate His redemption, He desires human instruments between Himself and the world, each of whom will be "the minister and dispenser of the Mysteries of God" (I Corinth. 4:1). And so, some men are appointed by God to deliver the sacraments to others, just as in human societies one group serves and ministers to another: "The purpose for which any high priest is chosen from among his fellow- men, and made a representative of men in their dealings with God, is to offer gifts and sacrifices in expiation of their sins. (Heb. 5:11)
The rest of his writing is at this link, scroll down to "The Sacrament of Holy Orders": http://www.ewtn.com/library/DOCTRINE/SACRAMEN.TXT
Scripture teaches us that Christ empowered the Apostles with his grace to preach and to teach and to heal and to forgive sins, all in His name. They commissioned other men as priests ("presbyters") through laying on hands. Since Christ is in Heaven bodily, he provides the grace for men to be His hands and feet on Earth. All Christians are priests, but not in the full sense (ie, not in the pastoral sense). We are priests to the extent that we all have direct access to the Father in Heaven and we are priests in the sense that we can offer our own sacrifices to Him. Only a few men are called to be priests in the fullest, pastoral (ministerial), sense. And it is only they whom God has charged with certain duties (such as dispensing certain sacraments).
The priesthood (especially the papacy) is not a political or legal office, it is a liturgical (public ritual worship) office.
Here is a document demonstrating how the Church is the fulfillment, transformation and perfection of the Davidic Kingdom: http://www.salvationhistory.com/documents/scripture/KingdomChurchInLukeActs.pdf . The Church Christ founded is the Kingdom of Heaven or Kingdom of God. Jesus covenanted to the Apostles rulership over this kingdom (Luke 22:29,30). This means they had liturgical, moral, spiritual authority over all Christians. They ordained (by laying on hands) their successors and those successors were called priests (the root word of priest is presbyter) and bishops (greek: episcopos).
Call no Man Father?:
http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/priests_forgive_sins_call_no_man_father.htm
Going on Vocation:
http://zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk/~vgg/rc/aplgtc/hahn/m5/scmnt6.html
Church Fathers on Holy Orders:
http://www.cin.org/users/jgallegos/hlyord.htm
Church Fathers on Priesthood and Women (ie Deaconess: Yes; Priestess: No):
http://www.cin.org/users/jgallegos/priest.htm
Catholic Encyclopedia:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11279a.htm
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Other Links:
Fulton Sheen: These are the Sacraments:
http://www.ewtn.com/library/DOCTRINE/SACRAMEN.TXT
Scott Hahn's Lectures on Sacraments:
http://zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk/~vgg/rc/aplgtc/hahn/m5/Mod5.html
