Your Cart

Your cart is empty.

The Sacraments According to the Thirty-Nine Articles

Rev. C•D•F• Warrington, M.Div.
By Rev. C•D•F• Warrington, M.Div.

Ordained Minister, M.Div.

April 25, 2026

2 min read

sacraments
Sacraments of baptism and communion according to the Thirty-Nine Articles

Few topics generated more heat in the sixteenth century than the sacraments. The Thirty-Nine Articles navigate the controversy with considerable theological care, staking out a distinctively Anglican position that affirms the sacraments as real means of grace while rejecting both Roman Catholic sacramentalism and the bare memorialism of some radical Protestants.

Two Sacraments Ordained by Christ

Article XXV defines sacraments as "certain sure witnesses, and effectual signs of grace, and God's good will towards us, by the which he doth work invisibly in us." Crucially, the Articles recognize only two sacraments ordained by Christ himself in the Gospel: Baptism and the Supper of the Lord. The other five rites claimed as sacraments by Rome — confirmation, penance, orders, matrimony, and extreme unction — are not counted as sacraments in the same sense because they were not ordained by Christ with a specific outward sign and promise.

Baptism: New Birth and the Covenant Sign

Article XXVII describes Baptism as "a sign of Regeneration or new Birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church; the promises of the forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed." The Article also affirms infant baptism as consistent with the institution of Christ.

The Lord's Supper: Real Presence Without Transubstantiation

Article XXVIII addresses the Lord's Supper with careful precision. Transubstantiation — the Roman doctrine that the bread and wine become the physical body and blood of Christ — is rejected as contrary to Scripture and giving rise to superstitions. Yet the Article insists that the body of Christ is "given, taken, and eaten" in the Supper, but "only after an heavenly and spiritual manner." The worthy receiver truly feeds on Christ, though the mode is spiritual rather than carnal.

A Via Media on the Sacraments

The Anglican sacramental theology of the Thirty-Nine Articles is genuinely a middle way. It takes the sacraments seriously as means of grace — more than mere symbols — while rejecting the mechanical ex opere operato sacramentalism of Rome. It is a position that has generated continuing debate within Anglicanism, but it reflects the Articles' broader commitment to being grounded in Scripture while honoring the genuine insights of the catholic tradition.

Tags:sacramentsthirty nine articlesbaptismlords supper

Frequently Asked Questions

What do the Thirty-Nine Articles teach about the sacraments?

The Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England (1563) define sacraments in Article XXV as 'effectual signs of grace' ordained by Christ as sure witnesses and effectual signs of grace. The articles recognize only two Gospel sacraments—baptism and the Lord's Supper—as ordained by Christ himself, while identifying five other rites (confirmation, penance, orders, matrimony, and extreme unction) as not having 'the like nature of Sacraments.' The articles insist that sacraments are only effective when received by faith, rejecting any mechanical or automatic conferral of grace.

How do the Thirty-Nine Articles explain the Lord's Supper?

Article XXVIII of the Thirty-Nine Articles explicitly rejects the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, calling it 'repugnant to the plain words of Scripture' and 'the nature of a Sacrament.' The body and blood of Christ are said to be 'given, taken, and eaten' in the Supper 'only after a heavenly and spiritual manner,' a formulation deliberately crafted to be compatible with both Calvinist receptionism and a moderate Lutheran sacramental presence. The articles also reject the practice of reserving, carrying about, or adoring the sacramental bread and wine.

What do the Thirty-Nine Articles teach about baptism?

Article XXVII of the Thirty-Nine Articles describes baptism as 'a sign of Regeneration or new Birth' through which those who receive baptism rightly are grafted into the church. The article explicitly states that the baptism of young children is 'most agreeable with the institution of Christ,' affirming infant baptism as the Anglican norm. Anglican theology has historically allowed a range of interpretations of baptismal efficacy, from the high sacramentalism of the Oxford Movement to the Calvinist view that only the elect truly receive grace through the sign.

Why do the Thirty-Nine Articles reject five of the seven Catholic sacraments?

The Thirty-Nine Articles reject confirmation, penance, holy orders, matrimony, and extreme unction as sacraments in the full Gospel sense because, following Reformation theology, they were not directly instituted by Christ with a specific outward sign and promise of forgiveness. Article XXV acknowledges these rites as 'states of life allowed in the scriptures' but distinguishes them from the two sacraments ordained by Christ 'as necessary to salvation.' This two-sacrament position was shared by Luther, Calvin, and the other major Reformers and remains common across Protestant traditions.

How have Anglicans debated sacramental theology since the Thirty-Nine Articles were written?

Since the Elizabethan era, Anglican sacramental theology has been internally contested along a spectrum from high-church to low-church positions. The Oxford Movement of the 1830s–1840s, led by John Henry Newman, Edward Pusey, and John Keble, pushed for a more Catholic understanding of sacramental efficacy, with some leaders like Newman ultimately converting to Rome. Evangelical Anglicans, drawing on the Articles and Cranmer's theology, have maintained a more Reformed understanding of the sacraments as signs and seals of covenant promises. This ongoing tension remains a defining feature of Anglican ecclesial identity.

← Back to all articles

Free Creed Study Resources

Sign up for our occasional email: Christian Creed Study Resources. Get exclusive study guides, book lists, and updates from our academic network.