Friday, August 18, 2006

Communion - A Symbol Not A Sacrament (part 2)

The Lord Jesus Christ is the originator of this ordinance (I Cor. 11:23) and the church is the only institution in the New Testament whereby Communion is observed (Acts 2:42; Acts 20:7; I Cor. 11:20). Therefore, it is worthless to partake of the bread and cup, when one has not by faith partaken of the true Bread of Life, Jesus Christ.

In John 6:47 the Lord explained in very simple terms what He meant by partaking of His flesh and blood - “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” The language used by Jesus (i.e. ’Bread of Life’) is one of many metaphors used to describe the significance of Christ alone as being the only way of salvation (other metaphors of Christ include Jn. 8:12 ‘Light’; 10:9 ‘Door’; 10:11 ‘Shepherd’; 15:1 ‘Vine’).

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