Replies

“For I myself have received from the Lord what I also delivered to you [note that this is tradition], that the Lord Jesus, on the night in which He was betrayed took bread, and giving thanks broke, and said, ‘This is My Body which shall be given up for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’” (I Cor. 11:23 ff.).

Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, says: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you shall not have life in you. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has life everlasting and I will raise Him up on the last day.” (John 6:54-55).

“They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, and which the Father, of His goodness, raised up again." (Ignatius, died c. 105)

Without Apostolic succession, there cannot be the Eucharist and therefore no Church (ecclesial communities, yes, but not the Church).

Take 10 minutes to watch Neil Babcox, once a nondenominational Pastor and then a Presbyterean Pastor for over 30 years, speak on the Eucharist.

God bless you all…..

“Without Apostolic succession, there cannot be the Eucharist and therefore no Church”

That is pure unadulterated nonsense. The 1 Cor. 11 passage and the 1 Cor. 10 passage concerning communion was written to the church at Corinth to critique their practice. There is no mention of who can serve or even “consecrating” the elements. There was a simple prayer of thanks (our grace at the table) for the elements and then a partaking of them. It is a memorial service service pure and simple and it imparts no salvific grace.

This critique was writtten to a church that was abusing the memorial and Paul still calls them a church.

Thank you for sharing your testimony!

However, John 6 is not speaking of the Last Supper. It is speaking a Spiritual truth. Namely, that we must take Christ in, hunger for the living Word of God and let Him satisfy us, make Him part of ourselves - really, not symbolically. He is our life and light.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. - John 1:1-4

When Adam ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, he took it into himself. It became part of him. It could not be removed. God warned him in the day he ate of it, he would surely die. Indeed, as Jesus explained to Nicodemus in John 3 - we must be born again.

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. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. - John 3:5-6

Conversely – and in a like manner - when we take Christ in, He becomes part of us, and we will surely live.

Here is the full reading, emphasis mine:

The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?

Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life.

Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?

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. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.

Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard [this], said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? [What] and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life. – John 6:41-63