The
Lord's Supper
The
Lord's Supper is a Means of Grace
There are
different views of the Lord's Supper among Christians. As
you continue on Lutheran
101, here is
information on how Lutherans understand the Lord's
supper.
The
Christian Cyclopedia
defines
the Lord's Supper as:
"*
Names of this Sacrament.
Names by which this Sacrament is known are derived partly
from Scripture (Breaking of Bread, Mt 26:26 and 1 Co
10:16; Holy Communion, 1 Co 10:16–17; Lord's Table, 1 Co
10:21; Lord's* Supper, 1 Co 11:20; Eucharist [from Gk.
eucharistesas, “when He had given thanks”], 1 Co 11:24),
partly from ch. usage (e.g., Sacrament of the Altar).
* Institution of the Lord's Supper:
Mt 26:17–28; Mk 14:22–24; Lk 22:19–20; 1 Co 11:23–25.
These accounts agree in all essentials, but supplement
each other in details. All quote Christ's words: “This is
My body.” With regard to the cup, Mt and Mk emphasize the
blood of the NT, given with the cup; Lk and Paul stress
the blessing given with the cup, the forgiveness of the
new covenant, procured by the blood of Christ, which is
offered to the communicant in the Sacrament.
*
Real Presence.
The words of institution, “Take, eat; this is My body,”
clearly state: “With this bread I give you My body.” So
these words are explained 1 Co 10:16. There is no
transubstantiation* of the bread and wine into the body
and blood of Christ, nor any consubstantiation* or
impanation.* In, with, and under the bread and wine a
communicant, also an unbelieving communicant (1 Co
11:27–29), receives Christ's true body, given into death,
and His true blood, shed for sins. This is the point of
controversy bet. Luths. and Ref. The question is not
whether Christ is present acc. to His divine nature in
the Sacrament, or whether the soul by faith is united
with Christ (spiritual eating and drinking), or whether
the believing communicant receives the merits of Christ's
shed blood by faith (all of which is acknowledged as true
by both Luths. and Ref.). In Luth. terminology the eating
and drinking of Christ's body and blood in, with, and
under the bread and wine is called sacramental eating and
drinking. The Ref. deny that the words of instit. should
be taken in a literal sense, or that in, with, and under
the bread and wine the true body and blood of Christ are
really present. The Ref. teach instead the real absence
of Christ's body and blood in the Sacrament by resorting
to a figurative, or symbolical, interpretation. Karlstadt
sought the figure in “this,” H. Zwingli* in “is” (making
“is” mean “represents”), J. Calvin* and others in “body”
(making “body” mean “the sign of My body”), and others
(e.g., W. Bucanus, B. Keckermann, and H. Zanchi) in the
entire statement. The multifarious attempts to pervert
the proper sense of the words are but so many evidences
of the persistent refusal of the words to yield to
perversion.
*
Elements in the Sacrament.
The heavenly elements in the Sacrament are the true body
and the true blood of Christ; the earthly elements are
true bread and true wine, for which no substitutes should
be used, since the use of any substitute makes void, or
at least renders uncertain, the Sacrament (Mt 26:29; Mk
14:25; Lk 22:18; 1 Co 11:21). Jesus used not unfermented
grape juice but wine, used in the OT on festive occasions
(Gn 14:18; Jb 1:13; Is 5:12). Bread and wine are received
in a natural manner; the body and blood of Christ, though
received orally, are received in an incomprehensible,
supernatural manner. The Sacrament should be received by
all communicants sub utraque specie (“under both kinds”),
acc. to Christ's instit. In RC practice the celebrating
priest receives the bread and wine, other communicants
usually only bread (sub una specie, “under 1 kind”).
*
Purpose of the Lord's Supper.
The Lord's Supper is essentially an application of the
Gospel, with all its spiritual blessings, in a sacred
act. It offers, conveys, and seals to the communicant
forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation; strengthens
faith; promotes sanctification through strengthening of
faith; increases love toward God and the neighbor;
affords patience in tribulation; confirms hope of eternal
life; and deepens union with Christ and His mystical
body, the ch. (1 Co 10:17). It also serves a confessional
purpose (Acts 2:42; 1 Co 10:20–21; 11:26). All these
blessings are mediated through the Gospel-promise in the
Sacrament (“Given and shed for you for the remission of
sins”) and are apprehended by faith in the divine
promise. The words “This do in remembrance of Me” do not
mean merely that the communicant is to remember the
absent Christ, who atoned for his sins; they invite the
communicant to accept the forgiveness offered in the
Sacrament (“Do this in remembrance of Me” means: remember
Christ's blessings and accept them by faith). The Lord's
Supper differs from the preaching of the Gospel, which is
addressed to all hearers, believers and unbelievers, and
from Absolution, which is individually addressed to
believers, to the believers as a penitent group, in that
the Sacrament offers forgiveness of sins, life, and
salvation individually to each communicant under pledge
of Christ's body and blood, received with the bread and
wine. Since the Sacrament may be received unto damnation
(or judgment; 1 Co 11:29), close Communion should be
observed, the pastor as the steward of the mysteries of
God (1 Co 4:1) admitting only such as are able to examine
themselves (1 Co 11:28)."
Articles:
Responding to "Real Absence"
Arguments
More Responding to Real Absence
Arguments
The Holy Supper of Our Lord Jesus
Christ
Which Churches Have the Lord's Supper?
Which Churches Do Not?
Early Church on the Bodily
Presence
It's Not Ours But the Lord's
Supper!
Lord's Supper: We are not ashamed of
their ardent struggle
The Real Presence of Our Lord's Body
and Blood in the Sacrament: It's benefit as the
"Medicine of Immortality"
Visit
The Wittenberg Trail Online
Community
Are the Bread and Wine really Jesus' body and
blood?
Rev. Ernie
Lassman, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Seattle,
WA, posted this video on both his
church website and
on
YouTube.
Are the Bread and Wine merely symbols?
Rev. Ernie
Lassman, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Seattle,
WA, posted this video on both his
church website and
on
YouTube.
What does the "real presence" mean?
Rev. Ernie
Lassman, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Seattle,
WA, posted this video on both his
church website and
on
YouTube.
What do we physically receive in the Lord's
Supper?
Rev. Ernie
Lassman, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Seattle,
WA, posted this video on both his
church website and
on
YouTube.
How is the Passover related to the Lord's
Supper?
Rev. Ernie
Lassman, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Seattle,
WA, posted this video on both his
church website and
on
YouTube.
What is close/closed Communion?
Rev. Ernie
Lassman, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Seattle,
WA, posted this video on both his
church website and
on
YouTube.
How should one prepare for the Lord's
Supper?
Rev. Ernie
Lassman, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Seattle,
WA, posted this video on both his
church website and
on
YouTube.