What the Early Christians Believed About Communion

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Did the early Christians view communion as merely a symbol, or did they believe that Christ was truly present in the bread and wine?

[wjm]

Ignatius letter to the Smyrneans quotes "They hold heterodox opinions and abstain from the Eucharist since they do not profess that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of our lord Jesus Christ"

[AZtrueflow]

you guys should talk about what the early church believed about being anointed

[diegobarragan]

Good video, but I’m wondering at 29:55 why you said Yahuwshuwa is “not a flesh and blood being, he is a spirit being right now “. Neither scriptures nor the earliest church fathers claim he is a spirit being. He told his disciples he was flesh and bones and NOT a spirit. So I don’t know why you said that

[sandrapenello]

If my church doesn't have communion every Sunday can I take it by myself at home?

[urawesome]

I think there is way more that ties into this. First, I recommend looking at it from the Jewish perspective. Look at their history, Moses, manna, then died. How did the disciples understand Jesus food?

“But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” Jesus *said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.”
‭‭John‬ ‭4:32-34‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

They understood His food is to do His work when they asked;

“Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.””
‭‭John‬ ‭6:26-29‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Jesus also said;

“But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘M AN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’ ””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:4‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

So is Jesus present at the Lords Supper? Yes, the body of believers have Christ in them. It is a full meal which includes the bread and wine. It is a time of Christ like fellowship. It was done in the homes and tent (by Paul). When Jesus said “This is my body”, He was speaking both singular and corporately. Remember He said “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” on the cross. We now have many born again believers. This is spiritual. It is parallel to the loaf of bread, where each disciple tore from a piece of it. We are one body. However bread is perishable, we are to work for the food the endures to eternal life. Just like Jesus and the disciples talked about in the above passages.

Communion entails every word that comes from the mouth of God, not just a handful of verses.

“In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5:7-14‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2:1-3‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

[stephenmac]

In the video, Bercot said that the Catholic Church taught that Christ was resacrifice during communion in the Middle Ages. Does anyone know any source or support for this claim? I tend to believe it but someone is asking me for sources.

[claytonlenhart]

Also in what context and setting was the last supper given?

[claytonlenhart]

Based on Dueteronomy 4:2 and a few other scriptures can Jesus or the apostles add new commandments or ordinances??

[manuelsonora]

Excellent theology! That's what Mexican Anglicans believe. We discourage worhispping the consecrated elements, because that is a very common practice in Roman Catholic Churches. But we state the Eucharist has been united all time to the verbs "eat" and "drink" not whorship. We reserve the Sacrament not for woshipping but for counsumming it by aged and sick people. I'like to have this material in Spanish.

[jesusstudentbrett]

I believe all quotes read harmonize with what Justin Martyr said and you read, together with 1 Cor 10, 11 and Matt 26, Mark, Luke and John 6 etc. Justin said our flesh and blood is nourished with the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ who as the apostle John said became flesh for our Salvation. You have to add a lot to this to come up with Transsubstantiation. Justin said there is a change but DID NOT say WHEN that change takes place. As David shows in his teaching THE TRIPARTIDE NATURE OF MAN, humans have a body made of flesh, a soul and a spirit. They are all created. Hebrews 1 says angels are ministering spirits and are created beings too. These are all created spirits yet the Logos aka Word that became flesh is the Spirit uncreated Spirit but BEGOTTEN from His Father, eternal Spirit not finite or mortal like our's but His Spirit, the Word that Romans 8 calls the Spirit of Christ who all true christians have. Acts 2 points to Psalm 16 saying Jesus' soul would not be left in Hades (not Hell) nor body see decay (in the grave). The OT says the "psuche" is in the blood most often translated as SOUL but in this passage they translate it as LIFE. So if we get Jesus' soul via drinking his blood, his flesh body via the bread and his Spirit at baptism... then we are fully clothed with Jesus. John 6 Jesus warns us IF WE DO NOT eat his FLESH and DRINK his blood, WE HAVE NO LIFE IN US. So since we must clothe ourselves with Christ that Galatians 3:25-27 says happens at baptism, which Acts 2:38-39 says we get his Spirit, seems like we get his flesh through the bread, his soul thru the blood.
WHEN does the TRANSMUTATION miracle take place that Justin Martyr spoke of? I believe Paul said the change happens at the last trumpet in a twinkling of an eye, we will be changed. 1 cor 15, See what 1 john 3:1-3 says too.