How to eat Lord Jesus' flesh and drink his blood?

[LayHong_Loves_Christ]

I feel that it is difficult to understand these verses, did Jesus say that figuratively? Or is he serious we must eat his flesh and drink his blood?
Protestant said the cup and bread of Lord's Supper only symbolize Jesus' sacrifice.
But Catholic said the Eucharist really transforms the bread and wine into Jesus' flesh and blood, you are eating his flesh and drinking his blood.
What did Paul say about this?

John 6:
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

 

[HTacianas]

I feel that it is difficult to understand these verses, did Jesus say that figuratively? Or is he serious we must eat his flesh and drink his blood?
Protestant said the cup and bread of Lord's Supper only symbolize Jesus' sacrifice.
But Catholic said the Eucharist really transforms the bread and wine into Jesus' flesh and blood, you are eating his flesh and drinking his blood.
What did Paul say about this?

John 6:
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

First, it is not Catholics who say the Eucharist is the flesh and blood of Christ. It is Christianity that holds that the Eucharist is the flesh and blood of Christ. That has been the belief of Christianity since the beginning. The only dissenters from that belief are those groups who came along much, much later.

As to what Paul said about it:

1Co 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

1Co 11:27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

1Co 11:29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

 

[jas3]

Protestant said the cup and bread of Lord's Supper only symbolize Jesus' sacrifice.

Actually, Lutherans and Anglicans, as well as denominations associated with those, say that the Eucharist truly becomes the body and blood of Christ. Denominations deriving from the Calvinist tradition profess belief in an actual spiritual presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It is only a small minority of newer denominations that profess the symbolic view; it's hard to overstate how much of an innovation the symbolic view is, or how utterly falsified it is by the writings of the early Christians.

 

[LayHong_Loves_Christ]

Are we saved effectively by Faith alone or we need to eat the Lord's Supper Bread and Wine in order to be saved?
Jesus could mean that "flesh = his body torn on the cross", "blood = his blood poured out on the cross" for our redemption.
Eating his flesh and drinking his blood means "having faith in his redemptive act on cross".
Do you agree?

 

[LayHong_Loves_Christ]

Jesus was resurrected, he has a new immortal body, he was ascended to Heaven,
he is no longer bleeding, why should we still be drinking his blood?

 

[jas3]

Are we saved effectively by Faith alone or we need to eat the Lord's Supper Bread and Wine in order to be saved?

We are told that "a man is justified by works and not by faith alone" (James 2:24) and that "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day" (John 6:53-54). So, barring extreme circumstances like the last-minute repentance of the thief on the cross or deathbed conversions where most of the normal Christian life would be impossible to live out, our Lord tells us that we have to eat His flesh and drink His blood for salvation.

Less traditional Protestants - I say this having been one myself for a long time - might cringe at the idea if having to "do" something to be saved, but the salvific effect of the sacraments is not in us doing something, it's in God bestowing grace on us.

Jesus could mean that "flesh = his body torn on the cross", "blood = his blood poured out on the cross" for our redemption.

Yes, "this is My body, broken for you" and "this is My blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

Eating his flesh and drinking his blood means "having faith in his redemptive act on cross".

No, there is no evidence for this interpretation.

Jesus was resurrected, he has a new immortal body, he was ascended to Heaven,
he is no longer bleeding, why should we still be drinking his blood?

Because when our Lord established the Eucharist He said "as often as you do this," indicating that it was supposed to be an ongoing sacrament, and that's how it was understood by the Apostles, as Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 11:23-32.

 

[LayHong_Loves_Christ]

So it is the duty of a living Christian to always have Eucharist in Church?
Can a Christian family, the father as the head of family, conduct the Lord's Supper at home?

 

[jas3]

So it is the duty of a living Christian to always have Eucharist in Church?

Correct, the Eucharist has always been central in Christian corporate worship - that is, in church. One very accessible description of early Christian worship is Justin Martyr's First Apology, which you can read here:

CHURCH FATHERS: The First Apology (St. Justin Martyr)

Featuring the Church Fathers, Catholic Encyclopedia, Summa Theologica and more.

www.newadvent.org

The relevant part is chapters 65-67.

Can a Christian family, the father as the head of family, conduct the Lord's Supper at home?

No, because the father hasn't been given the authority to do that. This is another understanding of the doctrine of the Eucharist that has been present since the beginning; we read in Ignatius of Antioch's letter to the Smyrnaeans (around 100 AD):

"Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is [administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God, so that everything that is done may be secure and valid."

So the only person who can properly celebrate the Eucharist or Lord's Supper is a bishop or "one to whom he has entrusted" that authority, which are priests. This authority is the "spiritual gift" given to Timothy (1 Tim. 4:14) by the laying on of hands.

 

[LayHong_Loves_Christ]

Church's tradition does not mean the stance of Bible. A Father can pray in the name of Jesus Christ and make the bread and wine holy and administer them to his wife and children at home. It is Christ who saves us, not the bread or wine. Christ wants us to do this to remember his sacrifice for us so that we will not betray our faith as Judas did.

 

[jas3]

A Father can pray in the name of Jesus Christ and make the bread and wine holy and administer them to his wife and children at home.

Is that the stance of the Bible? If so, where does it say that?

It is Christ who saves us, not the bread or wine.

Correct. The bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ.

Christ wants us to do this to remember his sacrifice for us so that we will not betray our faith as Judas did.

That is certainly one function of the Eucharist, but if we're going by what Jesus said, it's for us to have eternal life.

 

[LayHong_Loves_Christ]

We have lives, but bread and wine have no life in them.
Christ died for us, his body caned and his blood flowing.
The Bible never says the wine and bread will transform into his body and blood.
Wine and bread are symbols of Jesus sacrifice, we respect the Lord's Supper is not because of bread and wine, but treasure the sacrifice of Jesus.
Jesus suffered on behalf of us so that we will not suffer the punishment of sin eternally.
This is the only point Jesus set up the Lord's Supper.
So that we will always remember his sacrifice and keep our Faith perpetually.

 

[LayHong_Loves_Christ]

Luke 22
14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”

17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.[a] 21 But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. 22 The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” 23 They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.

Lord Jesus said it clearly, we are to remember his sacrifice, not about eating bread and drinking wine.
He said he will not eat/drink again until the Kingdom comes.
He is now in Heaven beside Father, his hands carry the mark of crucifixion , but he will not bleed and be caned again.
He established a new Covenant - which is to Love God and love among ourselves the elects - children of God.
The new covenant is all about Love, for God is Love.
God loves us and saves us with His most wise and powerful way, through His only Son Jesus Christ.
Do you understand?

 

[jas3]

We have lives, but bread and wine have no life in them.

Right, which is why I said the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, the Bread of Life.

The Bible never says the wine and bread will transform into his body and blood.

Actually, Jesus explicitly says that: "this is My body."

 

[LayHong_Loves_Christ]

Jesus is not so dumb to mistake wine as his blood

Leviticus 17:
12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.”

God says "you cannot eat blood".
The bread and wine symbolize Christ's sacrifice of his body and bleeding until death to accomplish the Salvation Work.
When you look at the Flag of your country, you may say "this is my country".
Nothing wrong to say that, but indeed your country is not a flag.
Do u understand?

 

[jas3]

Your last reply doesn't respond to anything I said and only contains assertions, so I don't know what you want me to respond to.

 

[LayHong_Loves_Christ]

In Revelation Chapter 22, we will have chance to eat again the fruits of Tree of Life,
not to eat flesh or drink blood.
Flesh and Blood were over.
Now our Lord Jesus is a Perfect Resurrected Human indwelt with The Spirit of The Son of God,
he no longer needs to sacrifice his flesh and blood for us, it was done.

John 19:
30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Finished, completion of his atonement work.
Catholic teaching wrong about the significance of Eucharist.

 

[Dan Perez]

In Revelation Chapter 22, we will have chance to eat again the fruits of Tree of Life,
not to eat flesh or drink blood.
Flesh and Blood were over.
Now our Lord Jesus is a Perfect Resurrected Human indwelt with The Spirit of The Son of God,
he no longer needs to sacrifice his flesh and blood for us, it was done.

John 19:
30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Finished, completion of his atonement work.
Catholic teaching wrong about the significance of Eucharist.

I feel that it is difficult to understand these verses, did Jesus say that figuratively? Or is he serious we must eat his flesh and drink his blood?
Protestant said the cup and bread of Lord's Supper only symbolize Jesus' sacrifice.
But Catholic said the Eucharist really transforms the bread and wine into Jesus' flesh and blood, you are eating his flesh and drinking his blood.
What did Paul say about this?

John 6:
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

I say it is easy , if anyone reads Matt 26:29 .

But I say unto you , I will NOT // ME is a DISJUNCATIVE PARTICLE NEGATIVE and means that Christ will NEVER have a drink henceforth of this fruit of the VINE , until that day when I drink it a new with you ( means the 12 apostles ) in my FATHERS KINGDOM .

And verse 28 reads For this is my BLOOD of the NEW TESTAMENT // DIATHEKE , meaning the New Covenant ,''

This means you will all have to wait for the MILLENNIAL KINGDOM , and 2000 years have already gone by and still counting ..

dan p

 

[concretecamper]

First, it is not Catholics who say the Eucharist is the flesh and blood of Christ. It is Christianity that holds that the Eucharist is the flesh and blood of Christ.

Christianity, Catholic, same thing

 

[Dan Perez]

Christianity, Catholic, same thing

So you believe that Christianity and Catholic , is the same thing ?

Be glad to see a verse , please ??

danp