Expert: Mrs. Priscilla Lyons - 8/26/2006

Question
Protestant vs. Catholic perspectives   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
Dear Randall,
   Good question!  But how can we believe Hebrews 10:10 "the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all",  10:12 "after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever",  10:14 "For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.",  10:18 "Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.",  10:26 "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.", if we consider Matthew 26:26 and I Corinthians 11:24 "This is my body" to be Jesus' PHYSICAL body instead of it being a "remembrance of Me."???
   Romans 6:9-10 "Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. (which is why a person shouldn't give prominence to a crucifix portraying Jesus as dead)   For in that He died, He died unto sin ONCE" (not over and over again as in a Mass)
   In John 10:9 Jesus says, "I am the door" but does He mean a physical, wooden or metal structure 3' x 6'8", or something like that?
   The key verse to understand "This is my body" is John 6:63 "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."  He had just said in the verses right before that, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, ye have no life in you."
   We are to consider ourselves "buried with Him by baptism into death" Romans 6:4  Physical life is a temporary reality compared to the eternal reality of spiritual life. (II Corinthians 4:18 "The things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." vs. 16 "Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.")
   Luke 9:23 "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."  We are to die daily to our own will because we trust God's will more than our own.  To take it "literally" as you imply, would mean to physical kill yourself daily.
   It sometimes seems easier to focus on outward, physical things, but Colossians 2:16-17 says, "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days; which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."  Christians "are the body of Christ." I Corinthians 12:27  So we must surrender ourselves to His will for our spirits even more than for our physical bodies, but not excluding our physical bodies.  Colossians 2:19 says it's wrong to "not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God."  
   Our lives are meant to reflect the glorious image of God, not reflect our own glory.  "Let Us make man in Our own image." Genesis 1:26  "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."   We can only do that if we feed our spirits daily on His Word. "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:63  That chapter (John 6) tells us that when Jesus multiplied the bread, they wanted to make Him King by force so they could be kept fed physically.  Jesus said, "Labour not for the meat which perishes, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall GIVE unto you." "This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent."  "I am the bread of life."  
   See what I mean?  Jesus isn't saying He is physical bread that perishes, but instead, He is the spiritual Bread that must sustain a person spiritually every day, just like physical food sustains us physically every day.  We must want God to be the Source, the Center of our life, because we trust Him more than we trust ourself or anyone else.
    I pray that you have asked Jesus to forgive your sins and trust Him enough to let Him control your life for His glory.  If you have, please encourage anyone you can, Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish, whatever name they claim, to also accept God's plan of salvation.
   I hope I haven't completely overwhelmed you with my reply.  Thank you for your time writing and reading.
   Sincerely,
   Priscilla