most theologians agree on how christ is present in the lord’s supper. course hero

Defining the Means of Grace

Before we discuss the means, we must understand grace. The grace which we are speaking of is the unmerited favor of God which has been procured for us by Christ through His death, resurrection, and ascension and is communicated to us in time using God’s ordained means.

The Word as a Means of Grace

Both Word and Sacrament are means of grace. Word ministry (together with prayer) was the apostles’ primary concern:

The Sacraments as Means of Grace

For many, the word "sacrament" carries a lot of negative baggage from Roman Catholicism. Rome teaches that the sacraments in and of themselves literally convey grace. In their view, Baptism regenerates man ex opere operato (from the work worked) and the Eucharist raises his spiritual life to a higher level.

What Happens in the Lord's Supper

It is not rare to find churches that understand Baptism to be a sign of a person's initiation into union with Christ. Don't get me wrong, churches in the 21st century could certainly use a more robust doctrine of Baptism as a means of grace. But more often, we forget that the Lord's Supper is also a sign.

The Supper is for Believers Only

Worthy recipients who outwardly partake of the visible elements in this ordinance also by faith inwardly receive and feed on Christ crucified and all the benefits of his death. They do so really and truly, yet not physically and bodily but spiritually.

Christ's Edifying Presence in the Lord's Supper

What could be greater than this promise? If this doesn’t compel us to enjoy the Lord’s Supper (however we are able to in our own contexts), nothing else will.

When we come to the Lord's Table, the human nature of Christ is not in the room with us but is

Coram Deo. When we come to the Lord’s Table, the human nature of Christ is not in the room with us but is in heaven. However, because Christ is spiritually present, we nevertheless also commune with His humanity. We are lifted up to heaven, as it were, to fellowship with the whole Christ.

Why is Christ omnipresent?

The person of Christ is omnipresent on account of His divine nature. His human nature remains localized in heaven, but because Christ is also truly God, He is omnipresent and ever with us due to His divine nature. And, because God is spirit (John 4:24), the nature of Christ’s omnipresence is spiritual. Thus, we affirm that Christ is truly and ...

What is the human nature of Christ?

Since each nature retains its own properties, Christ’s human nature possesses all of the non-sinful limitations that are de nitional of humanity. This is evident in the Gospels, which tell us, for example, that Christ experienced human limitations such as hunger (Mark 11:12). But even in His glorified state, the human nature ...

What does the Westminster Confession 29.7 say about Jesus?

By faith, as Westminster Confession 29.7 states, we feed on Christ spiritually, and both His humanity and His deity nourish us. His presence is spiritual, but via that spiritual presence, we commune with Jesus in all His humanity and deity.

Why do we have to commune with God?

We are communing with a person, and to commune with the divine person of the Son of God, because He has a truly human and truly divine nature, means that we are communing with the God-man. His human body and soul remain in heaven, but we have access to the whole Christ because we are communing in the supper with the divine person in whom both ...

How does Paul explain Christ's presence at the Lord's Supper?

How Paul Explains Christ’s Presence at The Lord’s Supper. Christians from across time and space have affirmed that Christ becomes present to us at the Lord’s Supper through which we receive spiritual nourishment. Yet while most Christians have affirmed this basic idea, the particulars of how Christ becomes present have proved divisive.

What do Lutherans believe about the supper?

Views on the Supper. Reformed believers tend to say that Christ becomes present by the Spirit. Lutherans may affirm this but also claim that Christ truly and really appears bodily within the bread. Roman Catholics define presence as transubstantiation.

What is the purpose of the Supper?

Lastly, a common belief today among evangelicals is that the Supper functions to bring Christ’s past work and God’s grace to mind —it is a memorial in this sense.

What does Paul say about eating with demons?

A major point of his argument involves eating with demons versus eating at the Lord’s Table. Consider his words here, albeit paraphrased to clarify the apostle’s meaning: “So my beloved, flee from idolatry.

Who said "If anyone by the term "presence" understands the grasping by faith whereby we answer

Martyr wrote, “If anyone by the term ‘presence’ understands the grasping by faith whereby we ourselves ascend into heaven and lay hold on Christ in His majesty with our mind and our spirit, then I am in agreement with him.”. I cannot help but agree.

How does Paul combat personal communion with demons?

Paul combats personal communion with demons which occurs through eating food offered to idols by showing how eating meals with spiritual beings entails spiritual communion. But the only valid spiritual communion is one with the Messiah. The Messiah personally communes with the bread and cup.

Views on The Supper

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1 Corinthians 10:16–22

What Does Paul Mean?

So Which View of The Supper Should We take?