[PresbyRev]

John's Gospel is rife with symbolism and allegory. One of the currents in the Gospel is the stubborn blindness of the religious leaders as they continually stumble upon Christ's words, adhering to a rigid and wooden literalism and missing Christ's meaning entirely. I think one can argue from John here for a spiritual conception of the Eucharist, a real means of grace and a real spiritual presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

Gosh, you sound like a Presbyterian Reverend, or sumthin'. (grin)

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

John's Gospel is rife with symbolism and allegory. One of the currents in the Gospel is the stubborn blindness of the religious leaders as they continually stumble upon Christ's words, adhering to a rigid and wooden literalism and missing Christ's meaning entirely. I think one can argue from John here for a spiritual conception of the Eucharist, a real means of grace and a real spiritual presence of Christ in the Eucharist. 210 posted on 10/3/02 4:44 PM Pacific by PresbyRev

Incidentally, your post does illustrate a difference of treatment between Baptists and Presbyterians on the nature of the Supper. Baptists will tend to emphasize its nature as a Symbolic "Ordinance" and Presbyterians will tend to emphasize its nature as a spiritual "Sacrament".

I've always considered this more of a difference of emphasis than the more substantial differences we have with consubstantiationist Lutherans and Anglicans. Frankly, I have no doubt in my mind that when regenerate and penitent Baptists conduct a proper Supper, Jesus Christ is indeed really present with that Ekklesia in spirit as they partake; and I have no doubt that when regenerate and penitent Presbyterians conduct a proper Supper, that Ekklesia is performing a symbolic Ordinance of the Church.

Baptists might prefer the term "Ordinance" and Presbyterians might prefer the term "Sacrament" (well, actually, we use the terms "sacrament" and "ordinance" interchangeably in our Westminster XXIX, "Of the Lord's Supper"), but one of our distinguishing agreements as Churches is the fact that we agree that the Supper is not a Carnament.