Yes he was excommunicated, but then again he did try and go against the most powerful organization in the world... Also even though I agree the church was corrupt and in need of reform, as you can clearly see, I support the condemnation of Luther as a heretic... Thus I support his excommunicaton, and one main reason is that Luther didnt come around until the 1500's... How had people gone that long and he was the first one to think, "you know, maybe we are reading this wrong..." I seriously doubt that...
Im pretty sure that sola scriptura does say that the bible is all we need for faith and salvation... and I cant imagine that if that is true then the words in the book arent the truth too.
ok, i think that Calvin should just be avoided in this discussion, because he ended up even being disagreed with by his followers... well except the puritans but in my opinion the puritans are ridiculous but thats a personal bias from my arts classes cause i hate their literature...
anyway, yes i would agree the consistency of thought is astounding , however as you probably know i disagree with almost all other denominations on one thing, and that is transubstantiation vs. consubstantiation which although only one characteristic, I believe it is the most important thing about my faith, as i profess that the change on the altar results in my consuming the literal body and blood of the Lord
Let me suggest an enlargement of that understanding of
transubstantiation, which does not change it, but which I think enriches it greatly.
The OT presents several
types (patterns, pictures) of Holy Communion, or the Lord's Supper.
(1) Let's begin with the
Passover meal, out of which the Lord's Supper was
instituted, and which was a commemoration of their deliverance from the angel of death
by the blood of the lamb in Egypt; which Jesus changed to a commemoration of our deliverance from eternal death by the blood of the Lamb on Calvary (1 Co 11:25).
In that meal, they were commanded to eat the flesh of the lamb that was slain (Ex 12:3-11, Dt 16:1-7).
(2) Then there is a really good picture in the peace, or
fellowship sacrifice of Lev 3 (also 7:14-21, 19:5-8).
There were five different sacrifices prescribed by the Levitical law. But only one of those was eaten by the offerer, and that was the fellowship sacrifice.
The purpose of this sacrificial offering was threefold:
peace with God,
thanksgiving to God, and
fellowship with God and the
priest who offered it.
The blood of the slain sacrificial animal was sprinkled on the bronze altar outside the Holy Place,
which altar was a
type (picture) of Christ who
bore our guilt. . .and then of his blood which
cleanses our guilt.
The flesh of the sacrifice was eaten in a fellowship or communion meal where,
on the basis of the sacrifice, the offerer received or
participated in the benefits
of the sacrifice, which were the
restoration of peace and fellowship
with God, and fellowship
with the priest who offered it (who ate part of it back at the Temple).
This sacrifice is a
type (pattern, picture) of Jesus Christ, the high priest who offered the
once-for-all sacrifice for sin (Heb 10:10), and of the communion meal
where we
participate in the
benefits of his sacrifice.
(3) Then there is a third
type which shows the meaning of his "
blood of the new covenant." That is seen in the covenant meal on Mt. Sinai in Ex 24:4-11.
Having made atonement by burnt offering (v.5), a covenant is established between God (represented by an altar, which were erected to honor God--Ge 8:20, 12:7, 13:18, 26:25, 33:20, 35:1; Ex 17:15) and Israel (represented by 12 pillars), probably with Moses passing between them as mediator (Ex 32:30), as in Ge 15:8-9.
The covenant was then ratified by the consent of both parties, and sealed by the
sprinkling of blood on both parties (vv.6-8). This is the blood of the covenant.
Being sealed in covenant with them, God then
admits them
near to Him (vv.9-10), where they feast on a
fellowship offering (v.5) in the presence of God (v.11, cf Dt 27:7), receiving or participating in the benefits of the sacrifice
because of the covenant.
This is the most complete picture of the Lord's Supper, with its
blood of the new covenant, and receiving the benefits of Christ's sacrifice
because of the new covenant, of which he is the mediator.
(4) And the fourth and final picture is in the
discourse of Jn 6:26-60, which was the
result of feeding the 5,000, and which is the Catholic basis for transubstantiation.
It is Jesus who
links (Jn 6:26) his previous
feeding of them (Jn 6:1-15) with his discourse on
eating his flesh and
drinking his blood (Jn 6:30-60). . .which
many of the disciples were not able to accept, and who turned back and no longer followed him (v.66).
Jesus was speaking of the NT
covenant meal, where those who believe in him
eat of the NT sacrifice, and thereby participate in the benefits of the NT sacrifice of himself,
once for all (Heb 10:10).
(5) Then
Paul puts all this together in
1 Co 10:16 when he says:
"Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a
participation (communion) in the blood of Christ (in its sacrificial benefits)?
Is not the bread that we break a
participation (communion) in the body of Christ (in its sacrificial benefits)?"
In
1 Co 11:27 he says:
"Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup unworthily will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord."
But
Paul's link of the Lord's Supper to the Levitical sacrifice is really seen in his application to the Lord's Supper (
1 Co 11:29) of the punishment required in
Lev 7:21:
Lev 7:21 -- "If anyone touches something unclean. . .and then eats any of the meat of the
fellowship offering belonging to the Lord,
that person must be cut off from his people (removed from the covenant people by divine judgment)."
1 Co 11:29 -- "For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks
judgment on himself."
So Holy Communion, or the Lord's Supper, is the NT covenant meal where, on the basis of the sacrifice of Christ,
we have communion/fellowship with God and with Christ, the high priest who offered it.
And at the same time, is is the proclamation of our
faith in that sacrifice of his body and blood to save us (1 Co 11:26).
So Holy Communion, or the Lord's Supper, is really both a proclamation of our
faith in Christ's sacrifice to save us (Ro 3:25),
and a receiving of, or participating in, the benefits of his sacrifice
through that
faith in him (1 Co 10:16).
For me the Lord's Supper is that act of worship and NT covenant meal given to us by Jesus himself,
to be the
proclamation of the very heart of the
gospel and of our
faith in him.
In this act of worship, the Holy Spirit bears powerful witness in our hearts to the
reality of Jesus' work on the cross saving us personally (Jn 16:14-15),
as the benefits of that
finished work are communicated to us. . .thus transforming us from glory to glory.
The Lord's Supper is that supreme and precious NT act of worship (Ac 2:42)
proclaiming and communicating the beneifts of that supreme and precious NT work of Jesus on Calvary.
