In continuing this discussion of Holy Communion, I want to say that it has been a privilege and an honor to engage with my fellow interlocutor. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting into the minutiae of the topic at hand. For me I have gained a much greater appreciation for the symbolic, and its depth. There really is more in common than what sets our positions apart. That being said, there are still some nontrivial differences between the spiritual presence and memorialist view. With that out of the way, let’s continue digging.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. – 1 Corinthians 11:27-32 (ESV)

Looking at the passage above, we see that partaking in Holy Communion incorrectly is not good for one’s soul. This should not shock any believer. What may be more surprising is that the result of eating in an unworthy manner is not abstract, but rather concrete. Many have died and became ill as a result of their sin. This draws attention to our lives being filled with mystery and real life consequences. To partake in an unworthy manner is not just bad theoretically, but physically. If one does not check their heart, there will be real and tangible consequences. Communion is not a sacrament that should be taken lightly. There needs to be reverence when one is approaching the table, otherwise the result very well will be illness and death for those who do not.

If we keep this idea of reverence and the lack thereof having consequences, there is a ‘smoking gun’ so to speak from this epistle of Paul is in the first verse: Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. – 1 Corinthians 11:27 (ESV). To summarize and simplify, any who partake in Communion in an unworthy manner is specifically guilty concerning the body and blood of Christ. I am not sure how one could unspiritualize this passage. Paul is very explicit that an unworthy partaking of the elements makes one guilty in regard of the body and blood. Here I think Paul is not mincing his words, and if one holds the real presence in Communion, there is no issue here. How can someone be guilty concerning the body and blood, if the elements are not the body and blood, but only a symbol done in remembrance? I would say that for what Paul is saying to make sense, there has to be some level of real presence in Communion; i.e. spiritual presence.

On a different note, I appreciate the thought and care given to my (really Luther’s) charge of “is means is”. In my fiery use of is, I was then and am still now genuinely looking for an in depth explanation as to what is actually means. I maintain that is correlates with the greek word: εἰμί (eimi) which is the verb; to be. My use of this verb is not in an aspirational attempt to be like Ken Ham, but rather completely and entirely earnest. I believe that when Jesus says “this is my body” he is explicitly saying that the bread is His body, and the wine is His blood. Now, the only caveat I would throw in is that by the elements being Him, I do not believe that has to be physical, but can be spiritual. In fact, I would go so far to say that Jesus’ spiritual presence is true in many other instances as well.

In John chapter 6 it is assumed by many that when Jesus is talking about the necessity in eating His flesh and drinking His blood, that of course this could not be literal, this must just be symbolic. But what if this was spiritually true? By reading on I think we can get a clearer picture of what this means.

Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.  – John 6:56 (ESV). When one becomes a believer does not the Holy Spirit abide in him? And with the Holy Spirit being present in the believer, is that person’s will not subjected and in line with the Father’s will? Sure, a physical eating of flesh is a little weird, but if we extrapolate this out to means that whoever has faith in Jesus’ death on the cross and partakes in Holy Communion in a worthy manner has the Holy Spirit in him, and he is with Jesus. Does this not work? In fact, I would say that spiritually, this is water tight.

Let’s now talk about being born again. Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. – John 3:3 (ESV). While any disagreement with a spiritual presence in John 6 is understandable, it would be a lot harder to say that here. Two millennia of church history has proven that in John 3, Nicodemus is taking Jesus’ statement too literally and that obviously nobody is going to be reborn from his mother’s womb again. However, we do understand that a spiritual rebirth is a requirement. Believers are not symbolically born again, but spiritually born again. Our old heart has been thrown away, and a new one has been put in.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

There is a deep spiritual truth present in his ‘I am’ statements. In John 10 Jesus says that  “I am the door of the sheep” and in John 15 He says “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” While there is an obvious metaphor here, why could Jesus not spiritually be a doorway, a gate, or a vine? I think that in a sense, possibly spiritually and symbolically, Jesus truly is all of these things, just not physically. For the sake of argument, let’s say that Jesus can be thought of as a spiritual gate or vine, in so far as He is the only way to the Father and the source of life and nourishment for believers and the church. If we are happy enough with this statement, then it is not a stretch to assume that the elements of Holy Communion are indewelled spiritually with Jesus, or in other words that the Holy Spirit is present in Communion. At this point, I can hear a detractor saying that what I am describing as ‘spiritual’ is very nearly the same as ‘symbolic’. To which I would respond that arguing the semantics of this debate is the entire idea. The difference between these two concepts are very slight.

It is hard for our rationalist and western minds to accept concepts that are messy, understandably. We want everything to fit in nice boxes and statements. Our God is so much more beyond us than we can imagine. Therefore I am much more inclined to assume his spiritual presence in all of life, rather than harder parts of the Bible being mere symbols so that their difficulty can be obfuscated.

I am hopeful that now we have all been buttered up enough to talk about the thief on the cross. With this story, there is a lot that we know, but more that does not make sense. The thief was told he would be in paradise with Jesus, and seems to have been saved in his last few moments of life. We also know that he was never baptized, nor did he ever partake in Communion. God is unchanging and baptism saves, so how does this all work together?

One of my favorite sayings is “the exception that proves the rule.” The thief on the cross embodies this perfectly. At the end of the day it is Christ alone who saves. And while sacraments, works, and sacrifice are all vital for justification, sanctification, and for the flourishing of the believer and of the church. It is Christ alone who ultimately saves us from our sin. Taking Holy Communion with a correct heart is important, but is it required for salvation? Evidently not technically, but this exception applies to very few people in practice. Generally, every believer needs to be baptized and take Communion. The sacraments are of the utmost importance for salvation.

As we get to the end, I would like to quote the 1689 Baptist Confession, which I think offers a very pithy summary of what Communion truly is and means: “The supper of the Lord Jesus was instituted by him the same night he was betrayed. It is to be observed in his churches to the end of the age as a perpetual remembrance and display of the sacrifice of himself in his death. It is given for the confirmation of the faith of believers in all the benefits of Christ’s death, their spiritual nourishment and growth in him, and their further engagement in and to all the duties they owe him. The supper is to be a bond and pledge of their communion with Christ and each other.

Worthy recipients who outwardly partake of the visible elements in this ordinance also by faith inwardly receive and feed on Christ crucified and all the benefits of his death. They do so really and truly, yet not physically and bodily but spiritually. The body and blood of Christ are not present bodily or physically in the ordinance but spiritually to the faith of believers, just as the elements themselves are present to their outward senses.” – 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, Chapter 30, Paragraph 1 and 7

When all the dust is settled, and all the Presbyterians, Baptists, and Anglicans have put down their swords of the spirit, here is what I think is beneficial to keep in mind: Ultimately the believer is asked and commanded to do many things for his God and for his church. While debating the very specific differences about the sacraments is important and can help all of us grow in sanctification, these conversations should not lead us to forget the center of everything; Jesus. As long as we have Christ as our God, savior, and Lord, this discussion on Holy Communion can be a great time to really think and reflect on the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. Two profound and mysterious events that have shaped not only our faith, but the whole of human history.

Soli Deo Gloria.

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. – Matthew 26:26-28 (KJV)