If Holy Communion Is Symbolic...?

Question

Then how do we obey Jesus' command to eat His flesh and drink His blood?

Answer 1

Good point.

Notice that when he says this he says: "Amen, Amen I say to you...." Whenever Christ said "Amen, Amen" He meant, 'this is the truth, this is serious, listen up folks'

Also notice that He doesn't run after those who leave and say "Hey guys I was just joking, I mean symbolically". Those people that left understood exactly what he was saying but didn't understand how it could occur.

As with everything in the Bible there is a parrallel. In Genesis 14 we notice Melchizedeck, king of Jerusalem and "High Priest of the God Most High" very ellusive guy wasn't he?? Anyhow he rushes in to save Abram, He blesses Abraham (indicating a position of authority), who gave him a "tenth of everything." And what does this High Priest of the God Most High, this King of Righteousness, this man who deigns to bless Abraham offer? Bread and wine. An unbloody sacrificial offering.

Then on to Hebrews, Ch. 7 v. 11 that says that Our Lord is a priest of that order, Melchizedeck forever. " If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedeck, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law." Here we can see that the priesthood still exists -- but it is changed and is now after the order of Melchizedeck.

Coolness or what??

Some Protestants claim that this part of John 6, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing" proves that Jesus was speaking only symbolically. But how can He mean BOTH

"Amen, Amen, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him."

AND

"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing"

How can both of these verses be true if understood in the sense that Protestants understand them? Is He schizophrenic? A liar? A contradicter of His own words? Did He change His mind in between verses 58 and 63?

He sure didn't.

It's so sad, and so infuriating, that Catholics are accused of "worshipping bread." Yes, the Blessed Sacrament looks like bread and tastes like bread. If one were to walk into a Catholic Mass. --- but the Creator of the Universe said that it is not bread but His very Flesh, which is meat indeed.

What God Almighty, Who made the earth and the moon and stars says, is. Once God, through the priest, has changed the bread and wine into the Body and Blood, they should never, ever be referred to as "bread and wine"; they are the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ Jesus. In other words, we don't worship bread; we worship Christ!

Bottom line: one either reads Scripture, listens to the Church, and intellectually assents to what they've taught for two thousand years, in spite of one's "feelings," in spite of the accidents (the appearances) of "bread" and "wine," or one doesn't. To those who not only don't, but feel compelled to mock, well, mock on. They scorned Jesus, too. Just know that you are in bad company; many walked away in the 1st century, too, when hearing these "hard sayings":

John 6:58, 60, 66

"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... Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?... From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him."

2 John 1:7

"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. "

Blessings to you!

Answer 2

Catholics position the most emphasis on Communion than the different Christian denomination. they believe that the bread and wine is switched over into Jesus' body and blood; the bread and wine go away and they acquire purely body and blood. Catholics are obligated to acquire it a minimum of once a week. Their theology is "transubstantiation". Anglican/Episcopalian in all probability are available second with their volume of emphasis. the truthfully theology varies between their sects, yet maximum human beings believe that the bread and wine "coexist" (for lack of a extra valuable time period), so that you acquire both the bread and wine and the body and blood jointly. They frequently celebrate it weekly and their theology has different words. In 0.33 position are the Lutherans, who've the same perception because the Anglicans. the purely large distinction is the Lutherans say that they don't attempt to describe the nature of Communion, and that it comes certainly because the words of Consecration (bible passage of Jesus employer Communion) are stated. They frequently celebrate weekly and their theology is usual as both "consubstantiation" or "sacramental union". Methodists in all probability come next, yet their theology varies from sect to sect. finally all different Protestants (Baptists, Church of Christ, etc.) believe that no transformation takes position. (there could be exceptions, yet it really is the common perception) The bread and wine are symbols of Jesus' body and blood. This theology is often called "memorialism".

Answer 3

That is the problem with symbolic.

Paraphrased Jesus said; "this is my body and this is my blood. Unless you eat of it you have no life in you." How can this be misinterpreted? Or how was this rejected in various biblical interpretations?

So the symbolic people have to deal with the real version of the written word and are living with a water-down version of the biblical passages. Sadly some people are missing out on the full communion of Jesus becoming part of their weekly activities. Are they saved? I would hope God judges us on what we know and what we don't know. Remember God is PERFECT and knows our souls. So pray for our symbolic brothers and sisters and those that don't believe in anything and God will sort it out.

Answer 4

The catholic church and many other divisions do not believe that communion is 'just symbolic'. They believe in trans-substantiation. In some mystical way the mass transforms the elements into the actual blood and body of christ.
As a protestant I can't see this at all. In no way is there any reason that we WOULD really eat anyone's flesh and blood so it HAS to be symbolic.

Answer 5

Mass is the term used to describe celebration of the Eucharist.....



That the Mass commemorates and continues in a mystical way the One Eternal Sacrifice that Jesus Christ instituted in a ceremonial way at the Last Supper and consummated in a supreme manner by giving up His life on the Cross. "As often as you shall eat this bread and drink the chalice you shall show forth the death of the Lord till He comes" (1 Cor. 11:26).

The Mass Is a Sacrifice of Adoration—Glorifying Almighty God:

The Mass Is a Sacrifice of Thanksgiving—For Benefits Natural and Supernatural:

The Mass Is a Sacrifice of Prayer—For Mercy and Forgiveness:

The Mass Is a Sacrifice of Expiation—Satisfaction of God's Justice.


The Eucharist—the clean oblation—is at once a sacrifice offered up to God in the Mass, the true sacrifice of the New Law, and a Sacrament of Christ's love for us unto eternal life. As a sacrifice, the Eucharist immolates in an unbloody manner Christ, who shed His sacred blood on Calvary and died on the Cross for us. As a Sacrament, it sanctifies and nourishes our souls with the Bread of Life.

Answer 6

To say that Holy Communion is symbolic would be adding to the Bible. Jesus said "this is My Body...this is My Blood..." Nowhere did He say "pretend this is My Body..." or "this symbolized My Body."

God bless,
Stanbo

Answer 7

By eating the bread and drinking the wine. He said to the disciples that the bread was "His body" and the wine was "His blood". When we partake of this part of the ritual, we're reaffirming our commitment to Christ and remembering the sanctity of His sacrifice!

Answer 8

He was speaking symbolically. He wasnt literally commanding us to eat him and drink his blood. He was saying to take part of him spiritually.

Answer 9

Communion is not the literal eating of Christs' flesh & blood...

That's transubstantiation....a catholic belief.

The emblems have no saving value.