Perpetually -Continually; repeatedly
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Do any of the scriptural references to the Lord's Supper refer to tables, altars, ministers, or priests? What lesson can we learn from this? |
Venial sins -Sins classified by the Roman Catholic Church as forgivable; pardonable
Mortal sins -Sins classified by the Roman Catholic Church as unforgivable; earning the penalty of eternal condemnation
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How do the following texts contradict the practice of only the .priest drinking the wine in the celebration of the Lord's Supper?
-Matthew 26:27 And He took the cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them: and they all drank of it. -Mark 14:23 |
The mistaken belief of transubstantiation (change of substance) in the Lord's Supper promoted the Roman Catholic practice of the Holy Eucharist. The Roman Catholic Eucharist consists of two parts -mass and communion.
In the Mass, according to Roman Catholicism, the bread and wine are changed into the actual body and blood of Christ upon the priest's pronouncement of the special words of consecration. The entire Christ is present in each particle of the changed substance. The changed bread is termed "the host." Christ is present in the host, and therefore the host is to be held on high, adored, bowed down to, and worshipped. In this way, Jesus is perpetually sacrificed; He is repeatedly offered on an altar by a priest.
Communion is the distribution and consumption of the host by the people. Due to each particle of the changed bread and wine containing the full Christ, only the priest drinks the wine and the bread is baked into a firm cracker called a "wafer." The priest places a wafer upon the tongue of each participant. In this way, the risk of spilling "the blood of Christ" and dropping crumbs of "the body of Christ" can best be avoided. This method also avoids the touching of the "holy host" by the unholy hands of the participants; only the priest is pure enough to touch the host. The recipients of the host receive the whole Christ into their bodies and this gives them an increase of sanctifying grace, forgiveness of venial sins, preservation from mortal sins, and a confident hope of eternal salvation.
The doctrine of the Eucharist, with its belief in transubstantiation, developed during the Middle Ages. It was first formally proposed in 818 A.D., but was strongly resisted. Transubstantiation was clearly defined by Hildebert of Tours in 1134 A.D. and officially adopted as true doctrine by the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215. The Eucharist's complete formulation and explanation was given by the Council of Trent (1545-1563).
All Protestant denominations oppose the doctrine of transubstantiation and the Roman Catholic Eucharist for the following reasons:
1. It is unbiblical- The Word of God never speaks of altars, priests, change of substances, worshipping of bread or wine, or of
