Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20050116.htm

APPLYING OUR CHURCH'S STATEMENT OF BIBLICAL FAITH
Article III, Part IX Of The Nepaug Bible Church Bylaws: The Ordinances
C. Why We Hold The Ordinance Of The Lord's Supper To Be Only For Believers And Symbolic
(1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Leviticus 7:26-27; Ephesians 2:8-9 and John 6:53-63)
  1. Introduction
    1. Various views exist in Christendom on the Lord's Table: (1) Roman Catholics teach transubstantiation, that the bread and wine are spiritually changed into the actual body and blood of Christ so that one is bound to worship the elements as Christ Himself, and that the ingestion of them at least once a year works to save the soul, "The Council of Trent: Session XIII, Chapters 4-5; Session XXII" in Henry Bettenson's, Documents of the Christian Chch. , 2nd ed., p. 371-373; (2) Luther and Calvin held to consubstantiation, that Christ was spiritually present in the elements so that ingesting them conveys the spirit of Christ, making communion a means of salvation, cf. Augustus H. Strong, Systematic Theology, 1970, p. 968-969.
    2. Yet, Article III, Part IX of our Church's Bylaws states: "We believe that the Lord's Supper was ordained by Christ for His Body, consisting of all who are believers; who have followed the injunction to examine themselves for spiritual qualification through confession of sins to partake of the elements. We believe that the elements in the bread and cup are mere symbols of Christ's body and blood with no spiritual or actual presence of the Lord in these elements; as such, partaking of the elements shows forth our Lord's death till He comes." We view Scripture passages that led to the forming of this belief as follows:
  2. Why We Hold The Ordinance Of The Lord's Supper To Be Only For Believers And Symbolic.
    1. Salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone apart from our merit or work, Ephesians 2:8-9. Thus, the elements of the Lord's Table can NOT BECOME Christ's actual body and blood as transubstantiation asserts, NOR can these elements CONVEY His SPIRITUAL PRESENCE as consubstantiation claims!
    2. Also, the disciples to whom Jesus gave the cup were Hebrews who would have been excommunicated for partaking of blood, Lev. 7:26-27. They must have seen the cup's contents as a symbol of His blood, so the beliefs of transubstantiation and consubstantiation both err!
    3. Then, to hold that the elements become the actual body and blood of Christ so that they are to be worshipped as Christ as in transubstantiation is idolatry that is forbidden in Ex. 20:3-5a and 1 John 5:21.
    4. Additionally, the view in consubstantiation that the elements convey Christ's spiritual presence so that their ingestion conveys Christ's spirit to the participant is to violate the Gospel of salvation by grace alone (Romans 3:24-28), an excommunicable offense according to Galatians 1:8-9; cf. Strong, Ibid., p. 968.
    5. We then explain John 6:53-63 [that has been used to support transubstantiation and consubstantiation]:
      1. When Christ said in John 6:53-58 that unless one ate and drank of His body and blood respectively, he would have no eternal life in him, the Last Supper had not occurred; thus, He did not speak of it here.
      2. Rather, Jesus spoke in a figurative sense as He Himself explained in the SAME context in John 6:33:
        1. Jesus said the "flesh profiteth nothing" so even ingesting His actual body would not save the soul!
        2. Rather, Jesus claimed "the words that I speak . . . they are spirit and they are life." (emphases ours)
      3. Thus, Jesus' John 6:53-58 words are a figurative way to express how we "personally appropriate" Christ by faith to have eternal life, Bib. Kno. Com. N. T., p. 297. [Note how this interpretation fits His earlier comments where Jesus critiqued these same hearers for their previous false faith in Him, John 6:26; their faith errantly rested in His material provision and not in Himself for salvation, John 6:27!]
    6. Thus, the Lord's Table merely symbolizes Christ's body and blood, and it is only for believers who are cleansed from sin and qualified to participate to worship God Who is in heaven, 1 Corinthians 11:23-31!
Lesson: We believe that the elements in the Lord's Table are but SYMBOLS of Christ's body and blood so that their ingestion has NO INTRINSIC spiritual benefits. Rather, it is our INVOLVEMENT in the ordinance that HONORS CHRIST, making the institution SIGNIFICANT to the Father; thus, we must QUALIFY as PURE BELIEVERS prior to partaking of the elements!

Application: May we continue to RESIST the errors of transubstantiation and consubstantiation in support of worshiping God alone and in support of the true Gospel, and hold to the SYMBOLIC view of the Lord's Table in worshiping and adoring our wonderful Lord Who is in HEAVEN!