Who Has The Power To Consecrate The Eucharist?

[rockytopva]

1 Corinthians 11 is the chapter that deals most with the Lord's supper. The concern was not who served the communion but how the communion was partaken among the believers.

20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.
21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
22 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.
23 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:
24 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.
25 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.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
27 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.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

So, therefore, when we come together in communion we ought to do so in the utmost reverence, remembering the significance of the wine and the bread.I personally think that the Baptist, Catholics, and Pentecostals all do the communion ordinance worthily. But to say that those who administer communion must be approved by some church body is simply not scriptural. I went to a local Charismatic church one Sunday in which I was told that they had communion available in a side room and for me to help myself. I did not even look into the room. I refuse to take communion this way. Communion, in my opinion, should be administered by bishops, presbyters, priests, pastors, or deacons.

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. - 1 Corinthians 11

Paul actually said that many were weak, sickly, and dead because of taking the communion unworthily. So we ought to take this ordinance with the utmost seriousness and fear.

 

[biggandyy]

So?

 

[mjrhealth]

. I refuse to take communion this way. Communion, in my opinion, should be administered by bishops, presbyters, priests, pastors, or deacons.

WHy, Jesus never made it a "law", you can do it by yourself if you choose, there are many who certainly do. We do it to remember Jesus and what He did, not to be religious.

 

[Dodo_David]

Communion, in my opinion, should be administered by bishops, presbyters, priests, pastors, or deacons.

Yes, that is your opinion, but the New Testament gives no such restriction on communion.

 

[joshhuntnm]

Protestants believe anyone does.

 

[Dodo_David]

Protestants believe anyone does.

That is because the New Testament contains no restriction on who serves communion.

 

[horsecamp]

confessional Lutherans prefer our pastors to give us communion if the pastor cannot for some reason then we will let one of our elder give us communion.

there are several biblical reasons for this, one being the bible says we are to do every thing in good order.

another reason is we don't want any one to become sick or die because they did not recognize Christ's body and blood in the sacrament simply because no one taught them about it that would be cruel..that is just one reason why we also practice close communion their are other biblical reasons to.. unity in what the bible says we are to believe is another reason for close communion.

 

[aspen]

actually presbyterians also perfer ministers to serve communion

 

[jiggyfly]

Why were they considered unworthily?

 

[clark thompson]

Protestants believe anyone does.

No we believe any follower in Christ can. A lost person has no business with communion. However the officals in the church normally do it. In my church the pastor reads verses while the deacons pass out the bread and juice.

 

[Dodo_David]

It is possible for a person to get tradition confused with necessity.

The Messiah consecrated the communion when He initiated it.

 

[jiggyfly]

another reason is we don't want any one to become sick or die because they did not recognize Christ's body and blood in the sacrament simply because no one taught them about it that would be cruel..that is just one reason why we also practice close communion their are other biblical reasons to.. unity in what the bible says we are to believe is another reason for close communion.

Do you base this on any scripture or is it based on Lutheran tradition?

 

[[email protected]]

Who has the power? Really?

The Bible does not indicate anywhere that any individual has any special powers to administer what are called the sacraments. Yet wars have been fought over it. The matter is simply an argument over arrogant priestly authority, which exists not at all in Biblical text.

We're talking about a simple act of busing a table, really. This does not equate to the substitutional sacrifice for sin that Jesus bought with His own blood. What has some earthly priest bought for any of us that we've not been asked to buy for him in an abundance of religious taxes all our lives (tithes)?

In actual fact, the notion that there is some special authority attributable to the priestly class arose because of the Roman emperor Constantine. As you may recall the fellow had a vision of the sign of the cross standing above the sun prior to his battle to take the city of Rome during a civil war. Constantine won the battle despite being greatly outnumbered and attributed the victory to divine providence (unlike America today which assumes every success it enjoys is because of its own prideful power). After his victory, Constantine saw himself as emperor of the Christian people. Thus accepted in the Roman Empire as an official religion, it didn't take long for the spidery webs of institutionalism to creep into the church and make a memory of first century religion. Institutionalism wrecked the church. As a result, only 'approved' persons could ascend to the priesthood, read scripture - or administer sacramental instruments.

Move forward to the nineteenth and twentieth century when American protestantism insinuated its own twisted versions of Christianity into the mix and you've got quite a mess in 2013. The charged political atmosphere of the Prohibition era in America, for example, justified the use of grape juice for communion despite the fact that the technology to prevent grapes from becoming wine didn't exist prior to the 1920's.

The Bible is the only true measure of who does and does not administer forgiveness, baptism, communion or any other device of faith.

and that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...

 

[Selene]

When Christ picked up the bread and said "This is my body" and then picked up the wine and said "This is my blood" and afterwards say "Do this in memory of me," the only ones in that room whom He spoke to were the Apostles. So, He gave the Apostles the authority to "do this in memory of Him".......to consecrate the bread and wine. Therefore, it is only the bishops and priests who can only consecrate the bread and wine.

 

[Dodo_David]

When Christ picked up the bread and said "This is my body" and then picked up the wine and said "This is my blood" and afterwards say "Do this in memory of me," the only ones in that room whom He spoke to were the Apostles. So, He gave the Apostles the authority to "do this in memory of Him".......to consecrate the bread and wine. Therefore, it is only the bishops and priests who can only consecrate the bread and wine.

If you want to get technical, the Messiah's last meal was a Passover Seder, and the Messiah's disciples at that meal were all Jews. So, technically, the Messiah was telling a group of Jews what they were to do during the annual Passover Seder. When the Messiah told them to commemorate his sacrificial death, He said nothing about bishops and priests.

 

[Selene]

If you want to get technical, the Messiah's last meal was a Passover Seder, and the Messiah's disciples at that meal were all Jews. So, technically, the Messiah was telling a group of Jews what they were to do during the annual Passover Seder. When the Messiah told them to commemorate his sacrificial death, He said nothing about bishops and priests.

In the Jewish religion, it is the head of the house who conducts and leads the Passover meal. That would be the father. The bishop and priest are considered the "head" of God's family because they represent Christ.

 

[Dodo_David]

In the Jewish religion, it is the head of the house who conducts and leads the Passover meal. That would be the father. The bishop and priest are considered the "head" of God's family because they represent Christ.

Christ is the head of the earthly body of Christ, and all Christians are supposed to represent Christ.

 

[Selene]

Christ is the head of the earthly body of Christ, and all Christians are supposed to represent Christ.

In the family of God, it is only the male who represents Christ. In a human family, the husband is the Head of the house and represents Christ while the woman represents the Church. In God's family, it is the same. The priest represents God's household....His flock.

 

[jiggyfly]

In the family of God, it is only the male who represents Christ. In a human family, the husband is the Head of the house and represents Christ while the woman represents the Church. In God's family, it is the same. The priest represents God's household....His flock.

Yes, according to Roman Catholicism, but the clergy/laity system is man-made and modeled after old covenant structure. In the new covenant we are all representatives or priests of Father's household.

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,2 “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. 3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.4 They crush people with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.5 “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. 6 And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues.7 They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’ 8 “Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. 9 And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father.10 And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah.11 The greatest among you must be a servant.12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Matt 23:1-12 (NLT)

 

[Selene]

Yes, according to Roman Catholicism, but the clergy/laity system is man-made and modeled after old covenant structure. In the new covenant we are all representatives or priests of Father's household.

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,2 “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. 3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.4 They crush people with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.5 “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. 6 And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues.7 They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’ 8 “Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. 9 And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father.10 And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah.11 The greatest among you must be a servant.12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Matt 23:1-12 (NLT)

God does not change. In the Old Testament, God chose only men to lead His flock. In the New Testament, Christ chose only men to be His Apostles to take care of His entire sheep. Jesus came from the line of Melchizedek. As you can see in the Old Testament, it was a priest who brought bread and wine to Abraham. This was the very first place in the Old Testament spoken about bread and wine, and the bread and wine was brought forth by a priestly king.

Genesis 14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High,

In the New Testament, it was Jesus (who was both priest and king) who consecrated the bread and wine. And He told only the Apostles to do what He did in memory of Him. He did not tell it to His entire disciples.

In the human family, only the man is the Head of the household. The woman is NOT the head of the household. This is the same in God's family. It is the man who is called to represent Christ in taking care of His entire flock.

In the Old Testament, the entire people of Israel was also a royal priesthood (See Exodus 19:6), but only the men were called to preside over the entire people of Israel. These men called by God were priests. This is no different when St. Peter told the Christians that they are a royal priesthood (See 1 Peter 2:9). And Christ called only men to be His Apostles and to take care of His entire flock.

John 21:15-17 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.

Furthermore, regarding the scripture that you quoted, look at what I placed in bold and underlined.

Matthew 23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, "The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. [fn] So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don't follow their example. For they don't practice what they teach.

Notice that despite that the Pharisees were hypocrites and corrupted, Jesus tells His disciples to OBEY what the Pharisees tell them. Why? Because they sit in the chair of Moses and were given authority by God to teach. What they teach is correct, which is why Christ told His disciples to OBEY what the Pharisees tell them. However, Christ told His disciples not to imitate the behavior of the Pharisees because their behavior is wrong. In other words, the Pharisees do not practice what they preach.