The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation

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.


“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).


Brief biblical facts:

1. 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).


Brief biblical facts:

1. Purpose: A. Declare Jesus’ death (I Cor. 11:

26). B. Keep alive spiritually (I Cor. 11:

29, 30). C. Keep Christ in memory.


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 andConsubstantiation.


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.”


Jesus did say:

“26: And as they were eating, Jesus took bread,and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to thedisciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27:And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave itto them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28: For this is myblood of the new testament, which is shed formany for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26).


A viewed supporting text:

“53: Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, Isay unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Sonof man, and drink his blood, ye have no life inYou” (John 6, see vs. 27-58).


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).


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).


Jesus told them to eat of his body anddrink of his blood when he was physically standing before them (Matt. 26: 26-29).As they partook, he did not physicallydiminish!

Metonymy: “The use of the name of oneobject or concept for that of another towhich it is related, or of which it is a part”(RHCD).

Matt. 26: 29

Cp. I Cor. 15: 50


“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....”


“…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).


“Agar” stood for Mount Sinai in Arabia (Gal.4: 25, see vs. 21-31). After a similar fashion, the unleavened bread and the fruitof the vine stand for Jesus’ body and blood. The properties of the unleavened bread areindicative of purity and lack of “corruption.” The blood of the grape is the life of thegrape and is pure and also without leavenor fermentation. Hence, perfectrepresentation.


Transubstantiation, its origin:

The formal belief of transubstantiation (whenterm used) appeared in the twelfth century andwas initially associated with Hildebert.


Conclusion:

The unleavened bread and the fruit of the vineappropriately stand for the body and blood ofJesus. As the Christian partakes of eachemblem, he is reminded of Jesus’ death. Tomake any more of the elements is to add to theteaching and introduce irreconcilable doctrinalconflicts between such verses as Matthew 26:27, 28 and Acts 15: 29.

The Lord’s Supper and Transubstantiation

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