What Are Sacraments?

The sacraments of the church are of integral importance. They are one of the main ways in which grace is bestowed upon the believer through blessings of the Holy Spirit. Grace is a gift of God’s undeserved blessing and help. In the fourth century, St Augustine of Hippo described the sacraments as “an outward and visible sign for an inward and invisible grace”.¹ God’s gift of grace is not limited only to the seven sacraments. However, these sacraments are a consistent and reliable way to seek out and to receive God’s grace.

A sacrament combines two elements, one visible, the other invisible – one can be seen, or tasted, or touched, or heard while the other remains unseen to the eyes of the flesh. This is similar to how when our Lord Jesus Christ walked the earth, He used His human nature as the instrument of divinity and used material things as means to confer His grace; For example clay and water in the case of the born blind (Jn 9:11). The church now uses other human natures (priests) and material things (water, bread and wine, oil) as instruments for the communication of the same divine life (grace).²

There are seven sacraments in the Church. They are;

Baptism	The liturgical service of immersing the new believer in water for spiritual birth and admission to the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Chrismation	The liturgical service of anointing of the new believer with Holy Myron (Oil) to impart the Holy Spirit on the new believer.
The Eucharist	The liturgical service where bread is wine is changed into the Body and Blood of Christ to be consumed by the believers.
Repentance and Confession	The believer repents and confesses their sins, seeking forgiveness and absolution.
Unction of the Sick	The liturgical service where the physically, physiologically, or spiritually sick believers are anointed with Oil.
Matrimony	The liturgical service where a couple is crowned in marriage.
Priesthood	The liturgical service for the ordination of deacons, priests, or bishops.

The first four of these, namely; Baptism, Chrismation, Repentance and Confession and the Eucharist, are considered redemptive and thus necessary for a believer’s eternal salvation. Every believer should practice them in order to gain eternal Salvation. The remaining 3 sacraments, namely; Unction of the sick, Matrimony and Priesthood are not considered redemptive and not required for a believer’s eternal salvation.³

These seven sacraments were established by the Lord Christ himself based on the actions and events from His life as recorded in the Bible.⁴

How each sacrament was instituted

Baptism	Jesus instituted Baptism by saying: “Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God… Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3) “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).⁵
Chrismation	Jesus instituted Baptism by saying: “If anyone thirsts let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37-39). “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (John 14:25-26)⁶
The Eucharist	Instituted by the Lord Jesus in the upper room in Zion, on the night of His passion when He took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to His disciples saying, “Take eat, this is My Body. Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it and He said to them “This is My Blood of the new covenant which is shed for many” (Mark 14:22-24).⁷
Repentance and Confession	Instituted by the Lord Jesus when He said to His pure disciples: “Assuredly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18), and after Resurrection He said, “As the Father has sent me, I also send you and when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them, if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:21-22).⁸
Unction of the Sick	Instituted by the Lord Jesus when He said to His disciples, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers” (Matthew 10:8), and, “Whatever city you enter … heal the sick who are there” (Luke 10:8). The Apostles then put the Lord’s words into practice: “They anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them” (Mark 6:13).⁹
Matrimony	Instituted by the Lord Jesus who blessed the Sacrament of Matrimony by attending the wedding of Cana of Galilee, where, “He manifested His glory and His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:1-11).¹⁰ As well Jesus re-establishing the marriage from the Old testament. “And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”” (Matthew 19:4-6)
Priesthood	Instituted by the Lord Jesus when He chose His twelve disciples among many of His followers, and called them Apostles. The selection was accomplished after a whole night of prayer, when the Lord Jesus went out to the mountain to pray (Luke 6:12-13), and then sent them to preach saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:7). The Lord said to them, “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain” (John 15:16). He gave them the authority saying, “Assuredly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18). After the resurrection, the Lord, “Breathed on them and said to them: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 2:23).¹¹

There are a few conditions for a sacrament to be administered.

The appropriate physical substance. (Water, oil, bread/wine, etc.)
The sacrament should be presided by a member of the clergy, that is a Priest, or Bishop
Invocation of the Holy Spirit by the priest.

How each sacrament was instituted

الحواشي