IV. Des sacrements — Le 48e dimanche
The Two Sacraments
The catechism identifies Baptism and the Lord's Supper as the two sacraments instituted by Christ.
The number of the Sacraments. Minister: How many Sacraments are there in the Christian Church? Student: There are only two common ones that the Lord Jesus instituted for the whole company of the faithful.1 Baptism and the Lord's Supper 322. Minister: Which ones? Examiner: Specifically, Baptism and the Holy Supper.
Signification of the Sacraments
Baptism signifies our entry into God's household, while the Supper signifies our ongoing spiritual nourishment.
On Baptism 323. Minister: What are the similarities and differences between them?2 Examiner: Baptism is like an entrance into the Church of God for us, because it testifies that God receives us as members of his household, even though we were once strangers to him.3 The Supper is a testimony that God wants to nourish and feed us, just as a good head of a household takes care to feed and refresh those in his house.4 The meaning of baptism
The Meaning of Baptism
Baptism is defined by its two parts: the remission of sins and spiritual regeneration.
324. Minister: So that we can understand both more clearly, let's talk about each one separately. First, what does baptism mean? Student: It has two parts. For in it the Lord sets before us the remission of our sins (Ephesians 5:26-27), and then our regeneration, or spiritual renewal (Romans 6:4).
Read the original Latin
Du nombre des sacrements 321. M : Combien y a-t-il de sacrements en l'Église chrétienne? E : Il n'y en a que deux communs que le Seigneur Jésus ait institués pour toute la compagnie des fidèles.
Le baptême et la cène 322. M : Quels? E : A savoir le baptême et la sainte cène.
Du baptême 323. M : Quelle convenance et différence y a-t-il de l'un à l'autre? E : Le baptême nous est comme une entrée en l'Église de Dieu, car il nous testifie que Dieu, au lieu que nous étions étrangers de lui, nous reçoit pour ses domestiques. La cène nous est témoignage que Dieu nous veut nourrir et repaître, comme un bon père de famille a le soin de nourrir et réfectionner ceux de sa maison. Signification du baptême
324. M : Pour avoir plus claire intelligence de l'un et l'autre, disons de chacun à part. Premièrement, quelle est la signification du baptême? E : Elle a deux parties. Car le Seigneur nous y représente la rémission de nos péchés (Éphésiens 5:26-27), et puis notre régénération, ou renouvellement spirituel (Romains 6:4).
Notes
- 1 ↩French «communs» marks the two sacraments shared by all believers (as the next section names baptism and the holy supper), not a generic sense of «ordinary».
- 2 ↩French convenance means agreement, affinity, or correspondence—what the two sacraments have in common—not mere social propriety.
- 3 ↩domestiques is household language (those of the house), not mere hired servants; rendered as members of his household to keep the biblical household sense.
- 4 ↩cène is the Reformed Lord's Supper (la sainte cène in the previous section). Kept as Supper for consistency with the catechism's own pairing of baptism and the Supper.
Catechism of the Church of Geneva (Le catéchisme de l'Église de Genève) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit