The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation

1. The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation The Lord’s Supper is the greatest memorial ever given to man. It is a celebration of the death of the sinless Son of God and the declared anticipation of His return.

2. The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation “26: And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27: And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28: For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29: But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom” (Matt. 26).

3. The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation Brief biblical facts: Instituted by Jesus (Matt. 26: 26-30). 2. Observance set forth (I Cor. 11: 23-26). A. In remembrance (Luke 22: 19). B. With anticipation (I Cor. 11: 26). C. Self-examination (I Cor. 11: 28). D. Worthily (I Cor. 11: 27). 3. Place and time (Luke 22: 29, 30; Acts 20: 7).

4. The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation Brief biblical facts: Purpose: A. Declare Jesus’ death (I Cor. 11: 26). B. Keep alive spiritually (I Cor. 11: 29, 30). C. Keep Christ in memory.

5. The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation Division regarding the Lord’s Supper. It is regrettable that there is division over Jesus’ Memorial. 1. Division over frequency of observance. 2. Division over “cup” versus “cups.” 3.Division over “open” and “closed.” 4. Division over fermented/unfermented juice. 5. Division regarding transubstantiation and Consubstantiation.

6. The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation Transubstantiation defined: “…the Roman Catholic doctrine that the whole substance of the bread and the wine changes into the substance of the body and blood of Christ when consecrated in the Eucharist.”

7. The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation Jesus did say: “26: And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27: And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28: For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26).

8. The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation A viewed supporting text: “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” (John 6, see vs. 27-58).

9. The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation The consumption of blood forbidden. “19: Wherefore my sentence is, that we Trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: 20: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood” (Acts 15).

10. The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation Is there a contradiction between Matthew 26: 28 and Acts 15: 29? Consider: 22: For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman….25: For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children” (Gal.4).

11. The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation Matt. 26: 29 Cp. I Cor. 15: 50 Jesus told them to eat of his body and drink of his blood when he was physically standing before them (Matt. 26: 26-29). As they partook, he did not physically diminish! Metonymy: “The use of the name of one object or concept for that of another to which it is related, or of which it is a part” (RHCD).

12. The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation “The Metaphor. …Webster says of it: ‘A short similitude; a similitude reduced to a single word; or a word expressing similitude with the signs of comparison. Thus, that man is a fox, is a metaphor; but that man is like a fox, is a simile, similitude, or comparison’ (Luke 13: 32, dm). When the Saviour gave the institution of the supper, He did it in the most beautiful of metaphorical language (Matt. 26: 26-28)….Paul presents this thought without the use of the metaphor (I Cor. 10: 16)….But in 11: 23-25 he employs the same figure that the Lord did in Instituting it....”

13. The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation “…To say this is the communion of the body and blood of Christ, is metonymy of the agent; to say that these are like the body and blood, would be a simile, but the beauty and strength would have been removed in that way; hence the Master chose the form of the metaphor as the most expressive…” (Hermeneutics, pg. 252-254, by D. R. Dungan).

14. The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation “Agar” stood for Mount Sinai in Arabia (Gal. 4: 25, see vs. 21-31). After a similar fashion, the unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine stand for Jesus’ body and blood. The properties of the unleavened bread are indicative of purity and lack of “corruption.” The blood of the grape is the life of the grape and is pure and also without leaven or fermentation. Hence, perfect representation.

15. The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation Transubstantiation, its origin: The formal belief of transubstantiation (when term used) appeared in the twelfth century and was initially associated with Hildebert.

16. The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation Conclusion: The unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine appropriately stand for the body and blood of Jesus. As the Christian partakes of each emblem, he is reminded of Jesus’ death. To make any more of the elements is to add to the teaching and introduce irreconcilable doctrinal conflicts between such verses as Matthew 26: 27, 28 and Acts 15: 29.