Communion (Part 5) - Origin of Transubstantiation; Eucharist in One Kind; Eucharist Worship

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E. The pagan origin of transubstantiation i. It is clear that transubstantiation has no scriptural basis and that the apostles did not practice it. ii. So it if doesn't come from the Bible, where does it come from? iii. Transubstantiation didn't even become a canonized Catholic dogma until 1215AD. a. "The teaching of transubstantiation does not date back to the Last Supper as most Catholics suppose. It was a controversial topic for many centuries before officially becoming an article of faith (which means that it is essential to salvation according to Rome.) The idea of a physical presence was vaguely held by some, such as Ambrose, but it was not until 831 A.D. that Paschasius Radbertus, a Benedictine Monk, published a treatise openly advocating the doctrine. Even then, for almost another four centuries, theological war was waged over this teaching by bishops and people alike, until at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 A.D., it was officially defined and canonized as a dogma (A "Dogma" is a teaching or doctrine that can never be reversed or repealed. It is equal in authority to the Bible) by Pope Innocent III." (Mark Edward Sohmer, The Gospel of Rome, Part 15: Transubstantiation, www.sohmer.net) b. Transubstantiation was NOT a Catholic dogma for longer than it has been one. iv. Transubstantiation has it's origin in ancient pagan religion, not in Christianity. a. "Where did this teaching and practice really come from? Like many of the beliefs and rites of Romanism, transubstantiation was first practiced by pagan religions. The noted historian Durant said that belief in transubstantiation as practiced by the priests of the Roman Catholic system is "one of the oldest ceremonies of primitive religion" (The Story of Civilization, p. 741.) The syncretism and mysticism of the Middle East were great factors in influencing the West, particularly Italy. (Roman Society from Nero to Marcus Aurelius, by Dill.)" (Mark Edward Sohmer, The Gospel of Rome, Part 15: Transubstantiation, www.sohmer.net) b. "In Egypt, priests would consecrate meat cakes, which were supposed to become the flesh of Osiris! (an ancient Egyptian god of the lower world and judge of the dead - Encyclopedia of Religions, Vol. 2, p. 76.) The idea of transubstantiation was also characteristic of the religion of Mithra whose sacraments of cakes and haoma drink closely parallel Catholic Eucharistic rites. (Ibid.)" (Mark Edward Sohmer, The Gospel of Rome, Part 15: Transubstantiation, www.sohmer.net) c. "The idea of eating the flesh of deity was most popular among the people of Mexico and Central America long before they ever heard of Christ; and when Spanish missionaries first landed in those countries, "their surpass was heightened when they witnessed a religious rite which reminded them of communion... an image made of flour... and after consecration by priests, was distributed among the people who ate it... declaring it was the flesh of deity." (Prescott's Mexico, Vol. 3.)" (Mark Edward Sohmer, The Gospel of Rome, Part 15: Transubstantiation, www.sohmer.net) 3. The Roman Catholic church in the Council of Trent (1545-1563) decreed that the eucharist was to be taken in "one kind" or "one specie" by the laity, meaning the communicants only take the bread, but not the wine, which many Catholics still do today. A. What saith the pope? i. "Wherefore, this holy Synod, -- instructed by the Holy Spirit, who is the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of godliness, and following the judgment and usage of the Church itself, -- declares and teaches, that laymen, and clerics when not consecrating, are not obliged, by any divine precept, to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist under both species; and that neither can it by any means be doubted, without injury to faith, that communion under either species [Page 141] is sufficient for them unto salvation. For, although Christ, the Lord, in the last supper, instituted and delivered to the apostles, this venerable sacrament in the species of bread and wine; not therefore do that institution and delivery tend thereunto, that all the faithful of Church be bound, by the institution of the Lord, to receive both species." (Council of Trent, 1545-1563, Session 21, Chapter I) ii. "CANON I. -- If any one saith, that, by the precept of God, or, by necessity of salvation, all and each of the faithful of Christ ought to receive both species of the most holy sacrament not consecrating; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent, 1545-1563, Session 21, On Communion Under Both Species, Canon 1) iii. "CANON II. -- If any one saith, that the holy Catholic Church was not induced, by just causes and reasons, to communicate, under the species of bread only, laymen, and also clerics when not consecrating; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent, 1545-1563, Session 21, On Communion Under Both Species, Canon 2) iv. "CANON III. -- If any one denieth, that Christ whole and entire - the fountain and author of all graces - is received under the one species of bread; because that - as some falsely assert - He is not received, according to the institution of Christ himself, under both species; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent, 1545-1563, Session 21, On Communion Under Both Species, Canon 3) v. "55. That more perfect form of participation in the Mass whereby the faithful, after the priest's communion, receive the Lord's body from the same sacrifice, is strongly commended. The dogmatic principles which were laid down by the Council of Trent remaining intact (40), communion under both kinds may be granted when the bishops think fit, not only to clerics and religious, but also to the laity, in cases to be determined by the Apostolic See, as, for instance, to the newly ordained in the Mass of their sacred ordination, to the newly professed in the Mass of their religious profession, and to the newly baptized in the Mass which follows their baptism." (Second Vatican Council, 1963, Constitution On The Sacred Liturgy, Chapter II - The Most Sacred Mystery Of The Eucharist) B. But what saith the scripture? i. Jesus said to "drink ye all of it" (Mat 26:27) and "this do ye, as oft as ye drink it" (1Co 11:25). a. This is a prime example of Catholic tradition making the word of God of none effect (Mar 7:8-9,13). b. Catholic tradition says that the laity only need to eat the bread -- Jesus said that we are supposed to eat the bread and drink the wine; therefore they have made the word of God of none effect by their tradition. ii. The eucharist under one kind (taking only the bread) invalidates their heavy emphasis on Jesus' words "whoso eateth my flesh, AND drinketh my blood, hath eternal life." (Joh 6:54) iii. If the wine is really transubstantiated into Jesus' blood, and drinking that wine (blood) really gives a Catholic eternal life, why would the RC church decree that their members only need to eat the bread, but not drink the wine? iv. This decree seems to convey that they don't really believe that the wine is transubstantiated into Christ's blood and that drinking that wine (blood) really gives one eternal life. 4. Christ is continually sacrificed millions of times per year in Catholic Masses all over the earth. A. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that in the Mass, Christ is really and actually sacrificed afresh. i. "CANON I. -- If any one saith, that in the mass a true and proper sacrifice is not offered to God; or, that to be offered is nothing else but that Christ is given us to eat; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent, 1545-1563, Session 22, On the Sacrifice of the Mass, Canon 1) ii. "CANON II. -- If any one saith, that by those words, Do this for the commemoration of me (Luke xxii. 19), Christ did not institute the apostles priests; or, did not ordain that they, and other priests should offer His own body and blood; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent, 1545-1563, Session 22, On the Sacrifice of the Mass, Canon 2) iii. "CANON III. -- If any one saith, that the sacrifice of the mass is only a sacrifice of praise and of thanksgiving; or, that it is a [Page 159] bare commemoration of the sacrifice consummated on the cross, but not a propitiatory sacrifice; or, that it profits him only who receives; and that it ought not to be offered for the living and the dead for sins, pains, satisfactions, and other necessities; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent, 1545-1563, Session 22, On the Sacrifice of the Mass, Canon 3) iv. "CANON IV. -- If any one saith, that, by the sacrifice of the mass, a blasphemy is cast upon the most holy sacrifice of Christ consummated on the cross; or, that it is thereby derogated from; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent, 1545-1563, Session 22, On the Sacrifice of the Mass, Canon 4) v. "47. At the Last Supper, on the night when He was betrayed, our Saviour instituted the eucharistic sacrifice of His Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity (36), a paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us (37)." (Second Vatican Council, 1963, Constitution On The Sacred Liturgy, Chapter II - The Most Sacred Mystery Of The Eucharist) vi. "The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: "The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different." "And since in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner. . . this sacrifice is truly propitiatory. (underline mine - CEW)" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part 2, Section 2, Chapter 1, Article 3, V. The Sacramental Sacrifice Thanksgiving, Memorial, Presence, #1367) B. But what saith the scripture about the sacrifice of Christ? i. Jesus was ONCE offered as a sacrifice (Heb 7:27; Heb 9:12; Heb 9:28; Heb 10:10; Heb 10:12; Heb 10:14; 1Pe 3:18). a. This was written after the churches had been observing communion for years. b. If Christ had been being offered continually since the Lord's Supper was instituted, then Paul would have said that Christ is continually being offered. ii. Jesus is NOT OFFERED OFTEN (Heb 9:24-26). a. Christ rose from the dead never to die again (Rom 6:9-10). b. To crucify the Son of God afresh is to put Him to an open shame (Heb 6:6). c. Afresh adv. - Anew, with a fresh commencement, freshly. iii. The Catholic "re-sacrifice" of Christ in the Mass is no different than those same sacrifices under the law of Moses which could never take away sins (Heb 10:11). a. Like the Levitical priesthood of old, all the Catholic sacrifices do is make a remembrance of sins, but never take them away which is why they keep offering them (Heb 10:1-3). b. It wasn't possible for bulls and goats to take away sins (Heb 10:4). c. Neither is it possible for bread and wine to take away sins. iv. To say that the eucharist is a propitiatory sacrifice (see quote from the Catechism) is to say that it takes away sins, which is to blaspheme the one all-sufficient sacrifice of Christ which alone was the propitiation for our sins. a. Propitiatory adj. - B. adj. That propitiates or tends to propitiate; of or pertaining to propitiation; appeasing, atoning, conciliating, expiatory; ingratiating. b. Propitiation - 1. The action or an act of propitiating; appeasement, conciliation; atonement, expiation. c. Christ's sacrifice on the cross is the only propitiation and atonement for our sins (1Jo 2:2; 1Jo 4:10; Rom 3:25; Rom 5:8-11). d. The above references are all the references in the NT to the words propitiation and atonement and their cognates. e. They are not once used to refer to communion. C. For the Catholics, Jesus is continually being born (eternally begotten) and is continually dying (during every Mass) at the same time. D. Heretics are condemned of themselves (Tit 3:10-11). 5. The bread is worshiped as an idol in the Catholic Mass. A. As was before shown in Section II,A, the Catholic church teaches that the bread of the eucharist is transformed truly, really, and substantially into the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. B. Therefore the wafer is worshiped by Catholics, as if it were Jesus Christ. i. "Worship of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in the real presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine by, among other ways, genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord. "The Catholic Church has always offered and still offers to the sacrament of the Eucharist the cult of adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside of it, reserving the consecrated hosts with the utmost care, exposing them to the solemn veneration of the faithful, and carrying them in procession." (underline mine - CEW) (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part 2, Section 2, Chapter 1, Article 3, V. The Sacramental Sacrifice Thanksgiving, Memorial, Presence, #1378) ii. Genuflect v. - To bend the knee, esp. in worship. iii. "CANON VI. -- If any one saith, that, in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist, Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, is not to be adored with the worship, even external of latria; and is, consequently, neither to be venerated with a special festive solemnity, nor to be solemnly borne about in processions, according to the laudable and universal rite and custom of holy church; or, is not to be proposed publicly to the people to be adored, and that the adorers thereof are idolators; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent, 1545-1563, Session 13, On The Most Holy Sacrament Of The Eucharist, Canon 6) iv. It is no exaggeration or slander whatsoever to say that Catholics worship the eucharist bread. a. "...Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant..." (Luk 19:22) b. "Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee." (Job 15:6) C. The Bible forbids the making and worshiping of idols in both testaments. i. The second of the ten commandments forbids making any graven image and bowing down to them (Exo 20:4-5). ii. Since the second commandment clearly forbids bowing down and worshiping an idol like piece a bread, the Catholic church modified the ten commandments, leaving out the second and splitting the tenth into two. a. "A Traditional Catechetical Formula 1. I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange Gods before me. 2. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. 3. Remember to keep holy the LORD'S Day. 4. Honor your father and your mother. 5. You shall not kill. 6. You shall not commit adultery. 7. You shall not steal. 8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. 10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part 3, Section 2, The Ten Commandments) b. The Catholic church is merely "christianized" paganism which, "changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen." (Rom 1:25) iii. Only the true God, the Lord Jesus Christ, should be worshiped, and idols must be kept away from (1Jo 5:20-21). 6. Transubstantiation and the Catholic Mass make the Catholic priesthood essential. A. Priests are necessary to offer sacrifices (Heb 10:11). B. Since the Catholic church says that the eucharist is a sacrifice (see Section VIII,4), there must be a priest to offer that sacrifice. i. "They (Catholic parishioners) should be instructed by God's word and be nourished at the table of the Lord's body; they should give thanks to God; by offering the Immaculate Victim, not only through the hands of the priest, but also with him, they should learn also to offer themselves; through Christ the Mediator [38], they should be drawn day by day into ever more perfect union with God and with each other, so that finally God may be all in all." (underline mine - CEW) (Second Vatican Council, 1963, Constitution On The Sacred Liturgy, Chapter II - The Most Sacred Mystery Of The Eucharist) ii. "It is indeed the priest alone, who, acting in the person of Christ, consecrates the bread and wine, but the role of the faithful in the Eucharist is to recall the passion, resurrection and glorification of the Lord, to give thanks to God, and to offer the immaculate victim not only through the hands of the priest, but also together with him; and finally, by receiving the Body of the Lord, to perfect that communion with God and among themselves which should be the product of participation in the sacrifice of the Mass." (Vatican II, Second Instruction on the Proper Implementation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, no. 12) iii. "CANON II. -- If any one saith, that by those words, Do this for the commemoration of me (Luke xxii. 19), Christ did not institute the apostles priests; or, did not ordain that they, and other priests should offer His own body and blood; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent, 1545-1563, Session 22, On the Sacrifice of the Mass, Canon 2) C. But the Bible teaches that all Christians are priests which offer spiritual sacrifices to God (1Pe 2:5,9; Rev 1:6; Rev 5:10). i. There is no special class of men that go between us and God. ii. Jesus is the only mediator between God and men (1Ti 2:5). iii. Every Christian can go boldly to the throne of grace at anytime because Jesus Christ our high priest is there making intercession for us (Heb 4:15-16; Heb 7:25). iv. Everyone of us can enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus (Heb 10:19).