What Is The Purpose Of Taking Communion ?

Webers_Home said:

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People who fail to correctly consume the Lord's flesh and blood are lifeless; viz: dead.

†. John 6:53 . . Jesus said to them: I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the
Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

People without life in them are eo ipso omitted from the book of life. Consequently; they
will be terminated in a special reservoir of liquefied flame.

†. Rev 20:15 . . If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown
into the lake of fire.

That information is reported in the grammatical past tense because John was given a
glimpse into the future and saw for himself the lifeless dead being executed by a method
somewhat akin to burning at the stake-- and all because they failed to correctly consume
the Lord's flesh and blood.

Buen Camino
/

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First of all , you haven't a clue on how to interpret the Book of Daniel or the Book of Revelation, because both these Books are apocalyptic writings
.In order for you to understand the Book of Revelation [ which is the most misunderstood Book of the Bible ] you first have to understand the " conventions" which this style of writing employs.Otherwise you will mistake a convention of the form for a statement of fact or belief and thus misunderstand the intent of the author.
John 6: 53-54 the word "eats": the verb used in these verses is not the classical Greek verb used of human eating, but that of animal eating: "munch", "gnaw". This is part of John's emphasis on the reality of the flesh and blood of Jesus [ cf John 6: 55 ] but the same verb eventually became the ordinary verb in Greek meaning "eat".

Scripture makes dear that Christ's finished work on the cross paid the price of salvation, thankfully it's not left up to me (or you) by anything we might do, but rests soley on the finished work of Christ:

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.


“Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name”
(Isa. 43:1).

What gracious assurance is here given to the child of God! Let us notice its basis “I
have redeemed thee”. Let us pause over this statement. First, our assurance is secure
because it depends not upon ourselves but the Lord, “I have”.

We are not to look for our security, at our goodness, our frames of mind, but look away to Him Who quickeneth the dead, Who chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Praise God! He has not left us to the doubtful issues of human strength, but says
“Fear not for I have”. Secondly, assurance rests upon the finished Work of Christ.

Until sin has been dealt with, until the awful debt has been paid and justice satisfied,
we have every reason to fear, but when once in infinite mercy the Lord reveals to us
the Saviour, the spotless Sin offering, bearing our sins and providing us with righteousness, from that moment we hear the words “Fear not for I have redeemed thee”. Thirdly, “I have called thee by thy name”.

The child of God has here another ground of assurance. He is known individually; he is
redeemed as a known sinner; he is called by name. He has no fear of being lost in the
mass, for the Lord knows all His. The final note of cheer is “thou art Mine”.

Redemption has paid the price, Grace has quickened us to life and led us to Christ and
now that we belong to Him, surely we have every reason to rejoice and to “Fear not”.

epouraniois said:

Scripture makes dear that Christ's finished work on the cross paid the price of salvation, thankfully it's not left up to me (or you) by anything we might do, but rests soley on the finished work of Christ:

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.


“Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name”
(Isa. 43:1).

What gracious assurance is here given to the child of God! Let us notice its basis “I
have redeemed thee”. Let us pause over this statement. First, our assurance is secure
because it depends not upon ourselves but the Lord, “I have”.

We are not to look for our security, at our goodness, our frames of mind, but look away to Him Who quickeneth the dead, Who chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Praise God! He has not left us to the doubtful issues of human strength, but says
“Fear not for I have”. Secondly, assurance rests upon the finished Work of Christ.

Until sin has been dealt with, until the awful debt has been paid and justice satisfied,
we have every reason to fear, but when once in infinite mercy the Lord reveals to us
the Saviour, the spotless Sin offering, bearing our sins and providing us with righteousness, from that moment we hear the words “Fear not for I have redeemed thee”. Thirdly, “I have called thee by thy name”.

The child of God has here another ground of assurance. He is known individually; he is
redeemed as a known sinner; he is called by name. He has no fear of being lost in the
mass, for the Lord knows all His. The final note of cheer is “thou art Mine”.

Redemption has paid the price, Grace has quickened us to life and led us to Christ and
now that we belong to Him, surely we have every reason to rejoice and to “Fear not”.

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In answer to your verses I give you the following-

Eph. 2:8-9 - we have been saved by grace through faith, not because of "works," lest anyone boast. This much-quoted verse by Protestants refers to the "works" of the Mosaic law or any works performed in a legalistic sense, where we view God as a debtor to us, and not as our heavenly Father. Paul is teaching us that, with the coming of Christ, we are now saved by grace through faith, not by Mosaic or legal works.
This is why Paul refers to “works of ourselves” and so we can’t “boast.” Paul says the same thing about “works” Rom. 4:2,4 – if Abraham was justified by “works,” he would have something to “boast” about. Here, the wages are not counted as grace, but debt. “Boasting” does not attribute works to God, but to oneself. But good works done in faith are necessary for justification (James 2:24, etc.) because we receive rewards by grace, not by legal obligation, and we attribute these works to God, not ourselves.
Eph. 2:10 - in quoting Ephesians 2:8-9, Protestants invariably ignore the very next verse. Right after Paul's teaching on "works" referring to Mosaic law, Paul says we are created in Christ for "good works" - a clear distinction between "works of law" (Mosaic law/legal payment) and "good works" (law of Christ/reward of grace).
Eph. 2:11-16 - this section further explains Paul's reference to "works" which relates to following the Jewish legal ordinances.
Eph. 3:17 - Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, but we also must be rooted and grounded in love.

This much-quoted verse by Protestants refers to the "works" of the Mosaic law

No it doesn't, this is written to Gentiles. Study the epistle. Abraham is given exatly, zero mention. This letter reveals a newly created church body. We read Christ melted the wall of partition in the creation of this church body. I don't know what your deal is against Protestants, I only study SCripture and don't actually know what one is. They may use this quote, why would that be a problem for you? I ask a retorical question.

Eph. 2:11-16 - this section further explains Paul's reference to "works" which relates to following the Jewish legal ordinances.

Again, this is not what is being said at all, not even close. This referrs to the decrees made in chapter 15 of Acts, again, because these very verses state, God is creating one new man out of the twain. It is a new creation. The apostle goes on to explain what he already explained in ch1, that this was not revealed to man before this letter, before this new creation, that it was a secret hid in God. With this letter, OT quotes all but vanish. It is the 1st of the prison epistles, all written to gentiles, the apostle claims. Do we believe him and his Holy Spirit inspired message? Paul claims that this message was not made known unto the sons of men, but was hid in God from ages and from generations. If this is so, then it is about something different.

And it is in these letters where we find the instructions now are to rightly divide the word of truth. Truth now has to be divided because it is different.

A more full expansion of the apostles message regarding the passages you quote are given here:
http://www.christian...-are-different/

In that thread are Scripture to show the differences in teachings regarding that which is prophetic and that which was a mystery but now is made known unto the gentiles. It is my contention that they are important enough to restate. I hope it's not against the rules to do so. If it is, then the moderators may delete it, as I am going to restate these MIGHT DIFFERENCES in a new thread

epouraniois, in reference to your above misunderstanding of "works". Jesus taught His Apostles and they taught that Works are Necessary for Justification
Matt. 5:2-11 - Jesus' teaching of the beatitudes goes beyond faith - being pure, merciful, and peacemakers are all good works. They are acts of the will that are necessary for a right relationship with God.
Matt. 5:16 - Jesus confirms this by teaching, "let your light shine before men that they may see your 'good works' and give glory to God." Good works glorify God and increase our justification before the Father.
Matt. 5:39-42 - give your striker the other cheek, give away your cloak, and go with him two miles. This faith in action, not faith alone.
Matt. 5:44-47 - this means even loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us. Love is a good work, an act of the will.
Matt. 6:12 - forgive us our sins, not by how much faith we have, but as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Matt. 7:19-23 - just saying "Lord, Lord" and accepting Jesus as personal Savior is not enough. We must also bear the fruit of good works.
Matt. 19:16-22 - Jesus teaches the man to sell all he has and give it to the poor. It is not just about accepting Jesus as personal Lord and Savior. We also need good works by keeping Jesus' commandments.
Matt. 22:39; Mark 12:31 - Jesus says You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love is a good work - an act of the intellect and will.
Mark 9:39 - Jesus said no one who does good works in His name will be able to soon after speak evil of Him. Good works justify us before God.
Luke 6:46-47 - the Lord asks us to do what he tells us, and that is to keep His commandments, not just "accept" Him as personal Lord and Savior.
Luke 6:20-38 - again, beatitudes, the love of enemies, giving to the needy, forgiving, bearing fruit - all these good works justify a man before God.
Luke 8:21 - Jesus says that His mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.
John 5:24 - note that "eternal life" here means sanctifying grace (the life of God within us). We can choose to fall from this grace.
John 5:36, 10:37-38 - Jesus emphasizes that His works testify to who He is. We must imitate Christ's works to be more fully united with Him.
John 5:39-42 - knowing the Scriptures is not enough if you do not have love in your heart.
John 8:31-32 - Jesus requires works even from those who believe in Him. Mere belief is not enough.
John 13:34-35 - Jesus gives us a new commandment, that we love one another as He loves us. He commands love which is an act of our will.
John 14:15 - Jesus says, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." This requires works, not just faith (and not faith alone).
John 14:21 – he who hears my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. This is doing good works for others.
John 15:8 – Jesus requires us to bear the good fruit of works if we are to be His disciples. These fruits are merits in Catholic teaching, all borne from God’s unmerited gift of grace.
John 15:10 - if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, as I have kept the Father's commandments.
John 15:12 - this is My commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Love is both a cause and the fruit of our justification.
Rom. 12:10 - Paul commands us to love one another. Love is a good work, an act of the intellect and will, not just a feeling.
1 Cor. 3:8 – Paul teaches that he who plants and he who waters are equal, and each shall receive his wages according to his labor.
1 Cor. 13:2 – Paul teaches that if our faith moves mountains, but we have not the works of love, we are nothing indeed.
1 Cor. 13:13 - abide in faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Love is the greatest work which justifies us (not faith, and most importantly, not faith alone!)
1 Tim. 6:18-19 - we are to do good and be rich in good works thus laying up a good foundation for a chance at eternal life.
Titus 1:16 - people claim to know God, but their deeds deny Him. Like Jesus, it is our works that testify to our faith in Christ.
1 John 2:3-5 - and by this we may be sure that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. This requires good works, not faith alone.
1 John 3:23 - God's commandment is to believe in His Son Jesus and love one another. Belief is not enough, but good works to perfect that belief.
1 John 4:7-21 - and this commandment we have from Him, that he who loves God should love his brother also. John gives us repeated exhortations to love one another.
1 John 5:2-3 - we know we love God and God's children when we keep His commandments. We need to love which is manifested in good works and not faith alone.
2 John 6 - we must love one another and keep Jesus' commandments. We must cooperate with Christ's grace.

I agree, the Lord, in His earthly ministry, definately expected the Hebrew people to produce good works, to repent, to get others to repent, to the intent that all Israel be saved and receive the kingdom promised to their fathers and go forth blessing the nations. Every Acts peroid writer writes of this and they all expected that Israel would repent and that the kingdom would come in their very own lifetimes. But that's not what happened is it? They din't agree, they didn't fulfill that portion of Scripture, rather, they fulfilled the Lo Ammi prophecy and were blnded at the end of Acts; THEIR promised kingdom in abayance.

Something else happened, and only one apostle was it given to, and that by revelation, whom did record it and make it known, an entirely new message that God had hid in Himself, where no tracks of it are to be found in the OT. It's what the apostle instructed in his latter letters, that now truth must be rightly divided.

If we are to cooperate and keep the Lord's commandments, then we must honor His Words where He says, 'But Now'...
Certianly it is not by our works, the finished work of Chirst is sufficient, nost certainly, Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

This entire board seems like an endless Catholic vs. Protestant debate. Is that true, or am I just getting a distorted view? If it is true, it's really not a place for me because I have no need to lead any Catholic away from their Church, nor do I want to be constantly proseletyzed to over the Catholic claims. I'll stick around a while longer, but this is beginning to concern me. Not that what I think is necessarily important, just sharing my thoughts, that's all.

Brother James said:

This entire board seems like an endless Catholic vs. Protestant debate. Is that true, or am I just getting a distorted view? If it is true, it's really not a place for me because I have no need to lead any Catholic away from their Church, nor do I want to be constantly proseletyzed to over the Catholic claims. I'll stick around a while longer, but this is beginning to concern me. Not that what I think is necessarily important, just sharing my thoughts, that's all.

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Agreed! Let's change the subject.

Brother James said:

This entire board seems like an endless Catholic vs. Protestant debate. Is that true, or am I just getting a distorted view? If it is true, it's really not a place for me because I have no need to lead any Catholic away from their Church, nor do I want to be constantly proseletyzed to over the Catholic claims. I'll stick around a while longer, but this is beginning to concern me. Not that what I think is necessarily important, just sharing my thoughts, that's all.

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I think entire board is perhaps a tad over the top.

But I take your point and that is why I have dropped out of some threads I started posting in.

Mungo said:

I think entire board is perhaps a tad over the top.

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Yeah, okay. I'm prone to hyperbole now and then. Did I mention that?

John 13

34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”​

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