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Date:         Thu, 24 Aug 1995 14:26:53 +0200
Reply-To: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel 
Sender: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel 
From: Teus Benschop 
Subject:      Catechism, 31
To: Multiple recipients of list CHR-EXP 

Q. What is the outward sign in the Lord's Supper?
A. The broken bread that we eat, and the poured out wine which we drink,
in remembrance of the sufferings and death of Christ.

In the Lord's Supper, we use two outward signs:
1. Bread;that is broken.
2. Wine;  that is poured out.
We  eat  the bread, and drink the wine, while we remember the sufferings
and  death of Christ. We think about His terrible sufferings,  which  He
underwent  to save sinners from those torments. We remember  His  death,
which  He underwent to save the sinners from the eternal death,  due  to
their sins. When we see the minister taking the bread, and breaking  it,
we  think about the breaking of Christ's body, on the cross. When we see
the minister pouring out the wine, we think of Jesus Christ, whose blood
was shed for us.


Q. What is thereby signified and sealed?
A.  That  Christ,  with  his crucified body and shed  blood,  feeds  and
nourishes our souls to everlasting life.

The  bread and wine in the Lord's supper have the capability to feed and
nourish  our  bodies.  As bread and wine feed us, in  like  manner  does
Christ's body and His shed blood, nourish our souls. The nourishment  of
the body through bread and wine signify the spiritual nourishment of our
souls. Christ, through His sufferings and death, earned eternal life for
us.  Instead of dying through sin, our souls will live through  Christ's
righteousness.  Without  feeding, our souls would  perish,  but  through
Christ's crucified body and shed blood, our souls are nourished, so that
they may life.
     Paul  says,  that  the cup with wine is the communion  of  Christ's
blood.  Also,  that the broken bread is the communion of Christ's  body.
"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?" (1 Corinthians 10:16) And Christ  Himself  says,
that,  who eats His flesh, and drinks His blood, will have eternal life.
"Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and  I
will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:54) This eating must not  be
understood  literally,  but  spiritually. Who  eats  of  His  flesh  has
communion with Him. Likewise, who drinks of His blood. This is shown  in
the Supper, when we eat of the broken bread, and drink of the shed wine.
      The  broken  bread  and  shed  blood  not  only  signify  Christ's
sufferings for us, but they also seal it. That means, as sure as we  see
that  the  bread  is broken before our eyes, so sure  is  Christ's  body
broken  for  us,  so that we have eternal life. And as sure  as  we  see
before  our  eyes that the wine is shed into the cup, so  sure  is  also
Christ's  blood  shed on Golgotha, for us. The signs of bread  and  wine
seal,  that this is an eternal truth. All doubt has to vanish, for these
things are as true as God is the Truth.


Q. Where has Christ promised such things to us?
A.  In the institution of the Lord's Supper, which is thus expressed, by
St.  Paul, 1 Cor. 11: 23, 24, 25, 26: "For I have received of the  Lord,
that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night
in  which  he  was betrayed, took bread; and when he had  given  thanks,
brake it, and said. take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you;
this  do  in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he  took  the
cup,  when  he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament  in  my
blood:  this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For  as
often  as  ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the  Lord's
death till he come."

For I have  received  of the Lord,  -  Paul has not invented  something,
         but  he  has received the institution of the Lord's  Supper  of
         the Lord.
that which  also I delivered unto you,  -  As a faithful minister,  Paul
         passes on what he has received from the Lord, so that they  may
         be assured, that they receive nothing but the Lord's truth.
that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed,  -  In  the
         night,  wherein Jesus was betrayed, just for His death, He  has
         instituted this Supper.
took bread;  and when he had given thanks, brake it,  -  The first sign,
         the  broken bread. After Christ thanked the Lord, he broke  the
         bread, as a sign of the coming breaking of His body.
and said,  take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you;   -   He
         gave the bread to His disciples, and said that they had to  eat
         it.  "It is my body", He said, but we know that such a mode  of
         speaking means: "It signifies and seals my body". As the  bread
         was  broken  for  the communicants, likewise is  Christ's  body
         broken for them.
this do in  remembrance  of  me.  -  That means,  do  this  always,  and
         remember  Me.  Remember My sufferings and  death  for  you,  in
         order that you might live.
After the  same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped,  -  The
         second sign, namely the cup of wine.
saying, this  cup is the new testament in my blood:  -  This is the  new
         testament, or the new covenant, which is founded on My blood.
this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.  -  As often as
         you   drink  the  wine  in  the  Lord's  Supper,  do  that   in
         remembrance of Me. I am the centre of the Supper, and I am  the
         cause  of  your  salvation. As often as you  drink  this  wine,
         remember Me.
For as often  as  ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show  the
         Lord's  death  till he come.  -   We have to  keep  the  Lord's
         Supper,  until He comes back to judge the quick and  the  dead.
         Till  He comes again (which day we expect with great longings),
         we have to show His death.


Q.  Is the bread changed into the body of Christ, and the wine into  his
blood?
A.  No;  no more than the water in baptism is changed into the blood  of
Christ.

Bread  is  not changed into Christ's body. Bread remains bread,  and  it
becomes  no flesh; it does not change. Who thinks this, is in error.  It
is  the  same with the wine. Also wine remains wine, and is not changed.
As  the  water  in  baptism does not become red, so as  to  change  into
Christ's blood, likewise are the bread and the wine not changed. Let  us
reject such a unspiritual and unnatural view of the bread and wine.


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Teus Benschop  --  t.benschop@pobox.ruu.nl
Listowner of chr-exp@nic.surfnet.nl
"A Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel"
Institute Practical Bible-education
Web:  http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/ipb-e/ipbe-home.html
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