Debate:Is Holy Communion the True Body and Precious Blood of Jesus Christ

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This page is to debate the question (Q) Is Holy Communion the True Body and Precious Blood of Jesus Christ? The possible answers are (1) Yes, Holy Communion or the Holy Eucharistic (Greek for Thanksgiving) Sacrifice is indeed a Memorial Offering and is truly Communion with the Holy Body and Real Blood of Jesus Christ Our Lord and God, our King and Savior. And (2) No, Holy Communion is only a symbolic reminder, or the Last Supper is only symbolic.

Yes, Holy Communion is the True Body and Precious Blood of Jesus Christ

User:Nishant Xavier

Jn 6:48-58 Our Lord is the Living Bread. His Flesh is True Food. His Blood is True Drink.

Our Lord Jesus plainly enough declares that (1) He is the Living Bread Who came down from Heaven (2) That He will give His Flesh to eat as the Life of the World (3) That unless we eat His Flesh and drink His Blood we have no life in us (4) That whoever eats His Flesh will have everlasting Life.

Jn 6:48: I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the Living Bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the Bread that I will give is My Flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us His Flesh to eat?

53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My Flesh is meat indeed, and My Blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My Blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

1 Cor 10:16-18 The Bread and Chalice which is Blessed is Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ

St. Paul the Apostle plainly teaches that the Bread that is blessed is the Communion of the Body of Christ. In like manner, the Chalice of Blessing that is blessing is the Communion of the Blood of Christ. St. Paul the Apostle makes the comparison, do not they who eat of the Sacrifices partake of the Altar in Israel? For they eat the flesh of the lambs and thereby partake of the sacrifice. We eat the Flesh of Christ, the Lamb of God, and thereby partake of His Paschal Sacrifice. There is no Supper without Sacrifice. We partake of His Body and His Blood because He sacrificed It for us.

1 Cor 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. 18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?

1 Cor 11:23-30 To partake unworthily is to become guilty of the Blood of Christ. Impossible if symbolic

St. Paul the Apostle once more reiterates that (1) Holy Communion is the True Body and Blood of Christ, as proved by the Words of Institution. Our Lord did not say "This is a bare and empty symbol of my body", but rather "This is My Body" and "This is the Chalice of My Blood". (2) St. Paul says those who drink unworthily are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord (literally: of slaying Jesus and being responsible for His Blood). This is simply impossible if Holy Communion is only a symbol, and proves infallibly that it is literally the real Body and real Blood of Jesus Christ Our Lord. (3) St. Paul says a man must examine his conscience before eating and drinking. That is why Catholics have Confession before Communion. (4) St. Paul says whoever eats without discerning the Lord's Body eats unworthily. This proves that eating without faith in the Real Presence is unworthy. We must discern the Lord's Body literally means we must recognize the Lord's True Body is set before us, and not recognizing it is a grave sin (5) St. Paul mentions that several of the Corinthians are sick and have been subject to chastisement by the Lord because they did not observe all this rightly.

1 Cor 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

No, Holy Communion is only a symbolic reminder

User:RobSmith

To receive communion in the Roman Catholic church, one must be in a "state of grace". Here the sin, confession, absolution, communion, wash, rinse, repeat cycle is doctrine. Grace is meted out in short measure. The scripture says however,

  • Romans 5:17 - For if by one man's offence [Adam] death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

When we pass from death to life - born again[1] - we have received an abundance of grace. We don't need to be "refueled", so to speak.

Christ died once for all.[2] He separated us from our sins as far as he east is from the west.[3] If any man sin we have an advocate with the Father.[4] We don't need to pay the last farthing cause Christ has made us free from the law of sin and death.[5] We have been resurrected from death to life.[6] We don't need an intermediary to grant us absolution in the confessional booth to "restore us to grace" because we have direct access into the Holy of Holies through our Advocate with the Father. This is the abundance of grace we have already received and now possess in Christ.

Grace is not meted out bit-by-bit at "the box and the rail".[7]

My body is meat indeed

  • John 6:53,55 - Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you....55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
  • John 6:60 - This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
Hebrews chapter 10 is one place this doctrine is expounded. Excerpted:

4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.....10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;....14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified....18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. 19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;...

  • John 6:63 - It is the spirit that quickeneth [gives life]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Comment: the flesh profiteth nothing cancels out my body is meat indeed ("meat" as understood by the carnal mind). Jesus is simply saying that his body and blood is an acceptable sacrifice to God for the sins of the world. We of course know how this all ends, with Christ's body and blood being offered as an acceptable sacrifice; the hearers and followers when he spoke this had no idea what he was talking about. Hence their confusion.

1 Cor. 10 - behold Israel after the flesh

Above we have from the protagonists an extensive reading from John 6:48-58 addressed to Israel after the flesh, and leaves out the spiritual context Jesus applies from verses 60-64. This is quite common in Roman Catholic doctrine, and more evidence of their Pharisaical tradition. Again, in 1 Corinthians 10 Paul clearly is speaking of examples (verse 6), examples which some of our Catholic brethren have struggled with in these Debates, for example, Was the gospel preached to Israel in the wilderness? which is clearly corroborated, again in the opening verses:

Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.[8]

A spiritual Rock. Hmmm, elsewhere Roman protagonists argue that spiritual rock is not Christ, but Peter.

  • Verse 6 - Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
  • Verse 9 - Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

More evidence the gospel was preached to Israel in the wilderness and Christ was with them.

  • Verse 11 - Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Again, examples. Why was Israel overthrown in the wilderness? Because they did not mix the word with faith.

  • Verse 15 - I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.
  • Pr. 9:10 - The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
  • 1 Cor. 1:19 - I will destroy the wisdom of the wise [carnal wisdom], and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
  • 1 Cor. 2:12-14 - Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man [carnal mind] receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
  • 1 Cor. 3:19 - For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.
  • James 1:5 - If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Transubstantiation lacks the wisdom of God, and is based upon the wisdom or understanding of men. It is wholly the teaching of the natural man and carnal mind that has not experienced the new birth or spiritual birth, and new life in Christ.

unworthily

Fortunately for carnal believers, there may be a loophole. Christ says, Do this in memory of me. He doesn't say, "Do this to restore you to a 'state of grace' until the metabolic processes expel out into the draught my presence".

I would encourage students to study the ordinances of the Passover (when I see the blood I will pass over).

See also

References

  1. ↑ John 3:3
  2. ↑ 1 Peter 3:18
  3. ↑ Psalm 103:12
  4. ↑ 1 John 2:1
  5. ↑ Romans 8:2
  6. ↑ John 5:4. Note, Jesus is speaking in the present tense, and not of a future event after death of the flesh.
  7. ↑ The confessional booth and the communion railing
  8. ↑ 1 Cor. 10:1-4
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