Questions on ex opere operato from a Protestant

[Greenham]

1. 
   *]Which of the seven sacraments are ex opere operato? All of them?
   *]In what ways do you understand Protestant (particularly Lutheran and Presbyterian) sacramental theologies to differ from the principle of ex opere operato? (Note that I’m not referring to Baptist/Anabaptist theology which entirely denies the sacraments’ efficacy as means of grace.)

 

[boomerang]

1. 
   *]Which of the seven sacraments are ex opere operato? All of them?
   *]In what ways do you understand Protestant (particularly Lutheran and Presbyterian) sacramental theologies to differ from the principle of ex opere operato? (Note that I’m not referring to Baptist/Anabaptist theology which entirely denies the sacraments’ efficacy as means of grace.)

1. 
   My understanding is that all of the sacraments are efficacious independent of the worthiness of the priest (or lay person) administering it. For instance, baptism can be performed by anyone, even a non-believer. The sacrament imparts grace all by itself. Is this what you are asking? I’m not familiar with protestant theology concerning sacraments.

 

[Ad_Orientem]

1. All sacraments work ex opere operato, meaning they always give grace (assuming valid form, matter, intention, jurisdiction, etc). How much we benefit from that grace, however, depends a great deal on our dispositions. We have to cooperate with grace. In other words, the sacraments are not magic. Ex opere operato does NOT mean, for example, that baptism requires no faith, or that confession requires no contrition or repentance. In fact, the lack of those dispositions invalidate the sacrament. (Babies are a special case; their parents exercise faith in their name.)
2. You said it, “Protestant theologies” (plural). There are so many, and they differ in varying degrees. Without a doubt there are “high church” Protestants who have beliefs very similar to ours, but some Protestants do not believe in sacraments at all; and many of those who do are opposed to the idea of sacraments giving grace at all, and believe rather that they are merely symbols of the reception of grace.

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

All sacraments work ex opere operato; this is part of the nature of a sacrament, and what distinguishes a sacrament from a sacramental, which works ex opere operantis (from the work of the worker).

It has been too long since I studied any Reformation theology, but I think Protestants who still affirm some notion of sacramentality would articulate sacraments’ efficacy in terms of the recipient’s response of faith. So in the Eucharist, for instance, the recipient is presented with God’s promise of salvation through the sacrifice of Christ - for Calvin, those who place their faith in this promise are led to feed spiritually upon Christ, for Luther (who does not have a single, systematic articulation of the Eucharist), the recipients who place their faith in this promise receive Christ’s Body and Blood present in the elements, whereas those who do not receive in faith do not receive that Body and Blood. In both cases, the effect of the sacrament depends not upon the work itself but upon the dispositions of the recipient, so we could call this theory similar to that of a Catholic sacramental (except in this case they work ex fide recipientis, not ex opere operantis).

 

[zz912]

The seven sacraments confer grace no matter how sinful the person who administers them. But how much grace is received depends on the disposition of the one receiving it.

An example: A horrible, sinful and evil priest, with all the blackness of hell on his soul, can still confect the Eucharist properly and perfectly. The person who receives the Eucharist can either benefit greatly if properly disposed and in a state of grace, OR they can eat/drink damnation on themselves if not in a state of grace.