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NASB | John 3:5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 3:5 Jesus answered, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. [Ezek 36:25-27] |
Bible Question: Do you literally eat His flesh? If so where is it kept until you eat it? Does it change form? If so how? |
Bible Answer: Hi there Searcher, I'll try to answer: Do we literally eat His flesh? Well, my dictonary defines 'literally' as 'in exact accordance with the limited meaning of the text' or 'dull, factually, prosaic' so I guess there's more to it than merely literally. Yes, Jesus is mysteriously REALLY present in the Eucharist, even more so than when 2 or 3 are gathered together in his name, or as he inhabits the praises of his peoples, or as he is present with us always unto the end of the age! Do you believe that all Christians are literally, spiritually or mysteriously the body of Christ. Probably 'mysteriously' best describes all these things and is certainly a word used in Scripture. Does it change form? No it does NOT change form, shape, colour, texture. Neither did you when you became the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Also you are REALLY the Temple of the Holy Spirit. (I don't like the expression 'spiritually' for any of the above because it can be easily distorted into allergorically, metaphorically, etc.) If so how? When it is blessed and the God who created the universe by his mere word changes it, following Mat 26:26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." If so where is it kept until you eat it? Usually the communion species is distributed and consumed immediately and usually at every service, following Act 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. However, Catholic and Orthodox churches normally retain the bread and/or wine containing the real presence of Christ in a tabernacle at the back of the church (this could be given to the dying in a hurry) but the main reason is that the presence of God dwell in the Church in a particularly powerful way. This is following Mat 23:21 'And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it,': verse that shows the Jews had an understanding that the Lord dwelt with them in the Temple; I think this was in the Ark or similar. You may care to research exactly what the 'Bread of the Presence' in the OT was or meant, as it is related to our topic of the real presence of Christ in the bread of the eucharist. (Hebrews 9:2 Bread of the Presence ) Obviously God ALSO dwells in heaven then as now. I hope this helps you understand Catholic understanding of the Eucharist, held by all Christians everywhere for 1500 years. If you want to read a more detailed account by an expert then I would recommend the following link: http://www.catholic.com/library/Christ_in_the_Eucharist.asp Your brother in Christ, Dalcent http://www.catholic.com/library/Christ_in_the_Eucharist.asp |