Our food or His food?

1whirlwind

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Paul had just stated that those he was addressing "come together not for the better, but for the worse." Although Paul was addressing those in Corinth, it is to all of us, everywhere, for all time. That sets the stage for his lesson....



  • 1 Corinthians 11:18-20 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you: and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. When ye come together therefore into one place, this is NOT TO EAT THE LORD'S SUPPER.
The "heresies" among them were the Sadducees and the High Priest was one of them. [Acts 5:17] When we gather in the church do we come together to partake of Christ or of ....? What do we hear and see?



  • 11:21-22 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.

On the surface it sounds as if those meeting were there to stuff themselves and get drunk. The deeper teaching is they were meeting and bringing their own food, their own teaching...not the Word of the Lord. Among us, some are hungry and crave His Word but others are drunk on false teaching.


  • 11:23-25 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, "Take, eat, this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me." After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, "This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me.

Paul received and delivered "of the Lord," as we should, whether we are male or female. When the Holy Spirit opens understanding to us we are to deliver that to others.

The bread is His body and His body is the Word. This example for us shows that even until we, as His witnesses, are betrayed we are to take His Word, the Bread of Life, into ourselves and the world. We should drink often of His blood, the New Testament. Not of the bread and wine offered by those "approved and becoming manifest among us" if it is not His Word.


  • 11:27-30 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

On the surface, we should examine ourselves before partaking of the Lords's Supper. We should also realize that when we take in false doctrine...not discerning the truth of His Word, "the Lord's body," it causes us to be the weak and sick parts of the body of Christ and...many will sleep, many will not be spiritually alive.
 
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seashale76

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I'll share what The Orthodox Study Bible says:

11:17-19 When the Corinthians come together (v.17) as the Church, they reveal the world, not heaven. For divisions (v.18), Gr. schismata) and factions (v.19, Gr. haireseis), are contrary to the Church, which is one and indivisible. Paul finds only one good thing in this ungodly disorder: God's approved (v.19) faithful are shown to be trustworthy.

11:20-22 The Agape meal held before or after the Lord's Supper (see vv.33, 34: also 2 Pet. 2:13; Jude 12), was intended to build and unify the community in Christ. It gave the rich opportunity to serve the poor, for everyone brought food and shared it-an ancient potluck supper. When the Corinthians come together, however, they experience drunkenness and gluttony, not Christ and His body, manifesting not God's love (Gr. agape) but self love.

11:23-26 received (Gr. parelabon) and delivered (v.23) refer to the transmission of Holy Tradition. These words were part of the Eucharistic celebration in the first century just as they are today. Remembrance (vv. 24, 25; Gr. anamnesis) is far more than thinking back about something; it is participation in it. In the Eucharist we participate in Christ's human nature, His body and His blood. The Jews were permitted to eat meat but not blood, for the life is in the blood (Lev. 17:11), and life belongs to God. Now, the Israel of God, the Church, breaks this fast and feasts, as it were, by eating Christ's body and drinking His blood in the Divine Liturgy. We proclaim the Lord's death till He comes (v. 26) for we presently celebrate the Eucharist in Christ's invisible presence, though one day we will feast with Him face-to-face in His Kingdom.

11:27 To receive Christ's Body and Blood in an unworthy manner means coming to Him with hidden immorality (6:18-20), disunity (v.18), doctrinal heresy (v.19), or disorder (vv. 21, 22), failing to see the gifts of God as holy things for holy people.

11:28 We prepare for the Eucharist by examining ourselves. This includes confessing our sins and being reconciled to one another in the sacrament of repentance (Matt. 5:23-26). In the Orthodox Church this confession before God is done in the presence of a priest, who visibly represents Christ (Matt. 16:19; 18:18-20; John 20:23), and in general prayers of confession. Being "worthy" does not mean being sinless, but being cleansed. it is not legalism but commitment to walk in righteousness before God.

11:29, 30 There is such power in the Body and Blood of Christ communicated to us in the eating and drinking of His gifts (John 6:54-56) that to do so in willful disregard of the Lord could result in sickness and even death.

11:31, 32 God's promise is if we judge ourselves we will not be condemned with the world (v.32).

11:33, 34 The Agape meal, connected to the Eucharist, was conducted with the same dignity as the Eucharist. While the Corinthian church ate before communion, and present day Orthodox Christians fast, the spirit of their eating was the same as our fasting: preparation.
 
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seashale76

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On a literal basis I'd have to view the meal of orthodoxy what it appears and tastes like

DRY TOAST....

Yeah- you obviously have no clue about Orthodoxy. Every parish has parishioners who bake the prosphora (holy bread for communion) every week. It is leavened bread that is placed in the chalice with the wine. We receive communion from a spoon.
 
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1whirlwind

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Thank you for your replies but the point of the post isn't where or how we take communion. That is the literal but I speak of the spiritual body and blood. Do we consume His word or...ours. "This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me."

Do we take that cup of the New Testament? Do we eat and drink His body and blood or...that of man? Man's words, man's ideas, man's teaching? As Paul asked, do we bring our own supper?
 
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Albion

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Yeah- you obviously have no clue about Orthodoxy. Every parish has parishioners who bake the prosphora (holy bread for communion) every week. It is leavened bread that is placed in the chalice with the wine. We receive communion from a spoon.

Yeh. It's neither dry nor toast.

In fact, it's about the most palatable bread used by any church for communion (everything else that might be said about communion bread aside).


As for whirlwind's concept of the early church's services--"On the surface it sounds as if those meeting were there to stuff themselves and get drunk. The deeper teaching is they were meeting and bringing their own food, their own teaching...not the Word of the Lord. Among us, some are hungry and crave His Word but others are drunk on false teaching."

...Paul actually was speaking of the simple matter of decorum, not suggesting any deep theological analogy. It was not a good idea, he contended, to make the fellowship/agape meal one of excess before you moved to the sacred meal.
 
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squint

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Yeah- you obviously have no clue about Orthodoxy.

Hey, don't get jumpy. I said were I to view the matters only on a literal basis...it IS DRY TOAST...

Every parish has parishioners who bake the prosphora (holy bread for communion) every week. It is leavened bread that is placed in the chalice with the wine. We receive communion from a spoon.

Doesn't make any less the DRY TOAST from a literal view.

jes sayin
 
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squint

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Yeh. It's neither dry nor toast.

In fact, it's about the most palatable bread used by any church for communion (everything else that might be said about communion bread aside).

Personally I like Tostitos Scoops much better...specially with very hot fresh salsa.

As for whirlwind's concept of the early church's services--"On the surface it sounds as if those meeting were there to stuff themselves and get drunk. The deeper teaching is they were meeting and bringing their own food, their own teaching...not the Word of the Lord. Among us, some are hungry and crave His Word but others are drunk on false teaching."

...Paul actually was speaking of the simple matter of decorum, not suggesting any deep theological analogy. It was not a good idea, he contended, to make the fellowship/agape meal one of excess before you moved to the sacred meal.

nah...she's really much closer to the facts of how such matters really are. I'd say very similar. All the dry toast in the world CANNOT install LOVE in a persons heart NOR can such ingestion produce any kind of 'sound judgments.'

The RCC and Lutherans have been very busy for the last few centuries condemning each others over a PIECE OF DRY TOAST....

That should tell anyone what is really going on under the covers of DRY TOAST....

s
 
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squint

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Thank you for your replies but the point of the post isn't where or how we take communion. That is the literal but I speak of the spiritual body and blood. Do we consume His word or...ours. "This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me."

Do we take that cup of the New Testament? Do we eat and drink His body and blood or...that of man? Man's words, man's ideas, man's teaching? As Paul asked, do we bring our own supper?

You may see the events similar to worship of the golden calf in the O.T. Everyone brought their own EAR-rings and their own ADORNments to make that calf. They tossed it all in the fire and according to Aaron, out comes this CALF all of it's OWN making...but everyone saw that CALF by their own OFFERING...that was put into it.

Idolatry by any other form is still....
 
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1whirlwind

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You may see the events similar to worship of the golden calf in the O.T. Everyone brought their own EAR-rings and their own ADORNments to make that calf. They tossed it all in the fire and according to Aaron, out comes this CALF all of it's OWN making...but everyone saw that CALF by their own OFFERING...that was put into it.

Idolatry by any other form is still....


:clap: Exactly!
 
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