What do you think, do the elements of bread and wine at communion turn into the literal body and blood of Christ?

God’s Presence Is Nowhere to Be Found

Ultimately, I hope that every person who believes in God wants to have a personal relationship with Him. Do you? This would involve a two-way street, like a marriage. We talk to each other. We work as a team. We have each other’s spiritual welfare in mind. And at various times, God shows up. A verse from the book of Acts reminds us of this.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

When God comes into a person’s life, we’re told that there will be times of refreshing that will come from His presence. These words refer to the blessings God gives here below to all genuine believers, peace, love, joy, and communion with himself52). Have you experienced God’s love, joy, or peace in your life?

Here’s another verse from the book of Romans that talks about the kind of intimacy that we should have with God if, indeed, He has come into our life.

Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

The Holy Spirit gives us witness (evidence) of His presence with our spirit (human spirit; minds) in a joint testimony to the fact that [we’re] a child of God53 by producing in [us] the appropriate effects of his influence. Such as to renew the [heart; sanctify] the soul; to produce “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.”54This is further exemplified ‘in His comforting us, His stirring us up to prayer, His reproof of our sins, His drawing us to works of love, to bear testimony before the world, etc.’55



Has what has been said resonated with you?

Before a person can grow spiritually, they must become a new creation, i.e., a child of God. There are two avenues, each presenting a different perspective on the protocol that brings about inward transformation.



Option #1:

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Being baptized in water accompanied by the presence of the Holy Spirit causes one’s sins to be forgiven, which causes a person to become a child of God and enter the kingdom of God.



Option #2:

Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

2 Thess 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Acknowledging, confessing one’s sins, and believing in Christ as to who He is and what He’s accomplished causes a person to become a child of God, receive the Holy Spirit, and enter the kingdom of God. This is otherwise known as the gospel of Christ. The word water in John 3:5 is figurative of the gospel and corresponds to the phrase belief of the truth in 2 Thessalonians 2:13. If someone responds to this approach, then something similar to the following pronouncement would be made and reiterated by the recipient.

God the Father, I’m a sinner. I acknowledge that I’ve sinned in many areas, such as slandering others; having sexual relations outside of marriage; being jealous; having participated in alcohol or drug abuse; having sex with others of the same gender; having committed adultery; having taken money from others in a deceitful manner; having committed rape; having engaged in pedophilia; etc.

I believe in your Son, Jesus, one of the members of the Trinity, the others being God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, who left heaven and came to earth, God incarnate (God come in the flesh), deity (possessing a divine nature), being born of a virgin, that lived a sinless life, died on a cross paying for and forgiving me of all my sins, rose again after three days never to die again, and ascended into heaven.

Colossians 1:26-27 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Romans 8:9-10 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

If you have said this prayer, the Holy Spirit, not Jesus, has come into your life.

We’ve also learned that there are two avenues, each of which alleges will cause a person to grow spiritually.



Option #1:

John 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

Keep the tenets of the faith and consistently partake of the elements of the bread and wine at communion, causing the body and blood of Christ to permeate within the physical body and provide spiritual nourishment that will evidence Christlike qualities toward others.



Option #2:

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Ephesians 4:22-23 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

1 John 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

Learn the doctrines of the faith, confess known sin, renew the mind, and the Spirit’s fruit (Christlike elements of character) will be developed and expressed toward others.

And by the way, according to this perspective, whether the elements of communion become the body and blood of Christ (transubstantiation) or they’re spiritually His flesh and blood (Christ is present in them), thus remaining as bread and wine (consubstantiation), isn’t the issue.

Ephesians 5:18b And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

1 Corinthians 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

Instead, the matter has to do with Christ’s presence operating within the believer, i.e., by analogy, whether they’re filled with the Holy Spirit. This should be the same protocol in prayer, going to church, giving financially, and, for that matter, in our everyday lives.

There we have it. I desire that you’ve enjoyed this study. I hope you don’t think I wrote this book to disparage any faith. I composed it because I realized there’s such divergence not only as to what constitutes someone becoming a child of God but also over what partaking of communion means and its relevance to a person’s spiritual growth.

As you’ve become aware, I’ve presented two entirely different views on the elements of the Lord’s Supper. However, this question remains. At communion, does the bread and wine become literally or spiritually the body and blood of Christ, or are they symbolic of proclaiming the reality of His death on the cross?

I expect that you’ve been enriched spiritually, whereby God has become your best friend, you’re becoming like Him, and you’ve realized that your eternal destiny is secure.



Endnotes

52Adam Clarke’s Commentary.

53Weust’s Word Studies.

54Barnes.

55Wuest's Word Studies.



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