Expert: Dean Gade - 8/26/2006

Question
How can Protestant churches say they believe the Bible literally most of the time (Jesus walking on water, multiplication of loaves, healing people) and then when Jesus says in no uncertain terms "This is my body" it isn't considered literal any more?  The Catholics say it is His Body and they have been saying that exact same thing for 2,000 years.  

Answer
You probably can't consider me a "Protestant" because I believe that the bread and wine ARE the body and blood of Christ.  

Our churches don't claim to understand it, but since Jesus said that (the bread and wine)"THIS IS by body and blood", then IT IS!

We don't try to make it logical or magical.  We have the bread and we have His body.  We have the wine and we have His blood. And we eat and drink with this faith in His word.

1 Cor 10:16
16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
(from New International Version)


1 Cor 11:27-32

27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
(from New International Version)