Prev | Current Page 256 | Next

Stump, Joseph

"An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism"

And we say of the Sacrament of the Altar, that
IT IS THE TRUE BODY AND BLOOD OF OUR LORD CHRIST, UNDER (along with) THE
BREAD AND WINE, GIVES UNTO US CHRISTIANS TO EAT TO AS IT WAS INSTITUTED
BY HIMSELF. The bread and wine _do not simply represent_ the body and
blood of Christ (Zwingli's view). The bread and wine are _not changed
into_ the body and blood of Christ (the Roman Catholic view, or
transubstantiation). The bread and wine are not united with the body
and blood of Christ into a third substance different from both
(consubstantiation). The bread and wine remain real bread and wine
throughout the administration of the Lord's Supper. [I Cor. 11:28] But
there is a communion of the bread and wine with the body and blood of
Christ, [I Cor. 10:16+] so that when the communicant receives the bread
he receives also the body of Christ, and when he receives the wine, he
receives also the blood of Christ. The bread and wine are the earthly
vehicles through which the heavenly gift of Christ's body and blood,
which were given, and shed for us for the remission of sins, are
communicated to us.


Pages:
244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268