Ernie Lassman | – Are the Bread and Wine merely symbols?

Pastor Lassman’s Lesson 11 – The Lord’s Supper
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Videos from the Adult Information Class on basic christian teachings at Messiah Lutheran Church in Seattle, Washington.

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Pastor Lassman Pastor Lassman. A class on basic Christian teachings at Messiah Lutheran Church in Seattle, Washington.

Comment (50)

  1. I'm not sure what to believe about Communion. I can't ignore the fact that Hebrews 9:25 implies Christ is in Heaven and not to be sacrificed again. Also, Jesus often compares Himself to inanimate objects, for instance, a vine (He says, "I am the true vine," but He's not literally a vine), the bread of life (…) and the living water.

  2. Hi..thanks. first not sure why you mention about Christ not being sacrificed again..Lutherans don't believe that either..that was a Roman Catholic teacing. The rest is too complicated to explain to you over email but Jesus does not REPRESENT/SYMBOLIZE the true vine..He IS the true vine. The figure of speech is not in the word IS but in the word VINE. Blessings..Pastor Lassman

  3. I am not looking for an argument, just to clear up misunderstandings; the Catholic Church's official teaching has never been that Jesus was sacrificed again. Unfortunately, there are too many miscommunications that separate Christians.

  4. Hi.thanks for your comments but you have your facts wrong. The New Testament was written in Greek not Hebrew and in all the New Testament accounts the Greek word "IS" is in the text. So, your facts are just wrong…Pastor Lassman

  5. Christ is not present in the eucharist. He died once and for all 2000 years ago. Christ said "it is finished." Hebrews….."So Christ was ONCE offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. . . ."

  6. HI..you might have me confused with the Roman Catholic Church…I am Lutheran (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod). So, I agree with you that Christ was offered only once for the sins of the world. But we do believe that Jesus's body and blood are given with the bread and wine for the forgiveness of our sins…that's what He says…

  7. Hi..I'm sorry but I have a real hard time following your thought. The Cross is not meaningless. The Cross is the Cross. But in the Lord's Supper He gives us His body and blood for the forgiveness which He won for us on the cross. I don't see the contradiction. On the Cross Jesus won forgiveness. In his Supper He gives that forgiveness that He won on the cross…

  8. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from youselves, it is the gift of God–NOT BY WORKS, so that no one can boast." Eating bread and wine would be considered a 'work' that needs to be completed every week for the forgiveness of sins. Works are not in the equation. All religions preach 'man's efforts'. Christianity is the exact opposite. It preaches God's effort.

  9. Im not sure I understand your explaination as needing distiction from the RC. What this person is saying (not that I agree) is that Christ cannot be present because He died & Ascended to Heaven so He can no long manifest Himself physically here on earth. If you as a Lutheran believe in the real presense, then Christ can manifest Himself in physical form similarly as the RCC teaches. Of course I know the differences in our beliefs but still Im not sure where you distinction here is getting at.

  10. this is a simplistic argument that does not hold up. you can understand jesus' comments in light of the context in which they occur i.e. the passover feast, he was reinterpreting one symbol within the feast. also, there are lots of times in ritual or poetry where "is" is used as a figure of speech. the word "is" creates analogy as well.example: your body is a holy temple. this logic would lead us to believe that our bodies are buildings and not symbolic of being the dwelling of the holy spirit

  11. i love this vidio mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm love itttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
    how dos bread tast like

  12. You are wrong on the consistent actuality implied by the word "is"; by example, two people could observe a painting; one person could state, "This is a beautiful painting." The other person could state, "This is an ugly painting." Each person is stating what they believe to be the truth based upon their own response to the painting. What they are actually stating is their individual response to the painting, as there can be no implication of definitive truth in this application of the word "is"

  13. @JDNWF66 Hi..I was simply pointing out the problems with the concept of sola scriptura. I am confused however.. what do you mean by speaking on behalf of 1 of 4 separated bodies of Lutheran Churches? There are many more bodies of Lutheran churches.. at least so I thought. Correct me here if I am incorrect. I have done much study myself on the Roman Catholic church and know that it contains the fullness of truth. It seems to me that you are also a member of the one true body yourself.

  14. @JDNWF66 That is true, but then again you bring up the point of what entails a true Lutheran church? Most protestants are protestants because they have no clear guidelines to group them together. Luther wouldnt accept homosexual marriage but yet the Lutheran church of Sweden has accepted this as normal practice. Following sola scriptura, far cry from it.

  15. @JDNWF66 And truth can only exist in the proper authority of His church handed down to Peter and passed through the ages through the laying of hands where it is protected and guided by the Holy Spirit of which the gates of Hell would never overcome. God bless the Catholic Church.

  16. Jesus' supper was a fortelling of His crucifixion and death, bcuz He said His blood would be poured out for the remission of all sin. When we eat His supper without believing that His blood sacrifice saves us then we are eating unworthily. He took the punishment for sin which we are truly deserving of. We must focus on His blood sacrifice when eating His supper. His supper was never meant to be offered as an unbloody sacrifice. There must be a death, this does not occur in the mass.

  17. @pwoodfi. Yes He states clearly and plainly bcuz He wants us to understand that His body will be broken and His blood will be poured out(crucified and died for the sins of the world). Take His word for that. We must trust in His saving blood sacrifice. But He resurrected as prove that His blood sacrifice was acceptable to his Father.

  18. The greek word for is "eimi" has a range of meaning of "be, be identical, exist, happen, be in a place, belong, represent" This according to both Louw-Nida and DBL Greek Lexicons of the Biblical Greek. So to go on and on about the meaning of the English word is, as the speaker does is a waste of time. Jesus has not yet been poured out physically, so he is misleading the hearer to say that his position is to interpret the plain meaning of the verse.

  19. Further evidence against this false interpretation of this verse… John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! So if we don't see that he is talking about a spiritual reality and not a physical reality, we would be led, by the "simple reading" to believe that Jesus was an animal.

  20. The Lutheran Church teaches that two kinds of eating take place: with the mouth and with faith. 1 Cor is talking about eating with the mouth….John 6 is talking about the eating of faith. In the Book of Concrod the Formula of Concord addresses this isisue in Article VII on the Lord's Supper and speaks of the eating of Faith……BTW in 1 Cor. Paul uses the Greek word which is accrurately translated as "Body" ..while John uses the word that is accurately translated as "flesh"……

  21. This Lutheran  thinks he is really and actually eating and drinking Jesus at the Lords supper?  He cant understand the basic spiritual truths of Gods word? 

    2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture (Word of God) is God-breathed (Holy Spirit).  
    John 1:14 The Word (JESUS) became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
    John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread (WORD) of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 

    How do we become filled?? So Keep eating and drinking Jesus at the Lords supper and get filled up?? No we eat and drink  in remembrance of  Jesus (The word) for what he did on the cross and live our lives by hunger and thirsting for righteousness by walking in the spirit of what is written in the word of God.That is why we as Gods people are not under the law we are under grace.

    1 Corinthians 11:24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance (REMEMBRANCE) of me."

    Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 

    Galatians 5:16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want..But if you are led by the Spirit (SPIRIT), you are not under the law.

    Romans 6:14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace (GRACE) .

    And no we dont live in opposition to the Law  of God , We follow the law because it is what put Jesus on the cross.

    John 14:15 ""If you love me, obey my commandments.

    2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

    Go to 4:46 and listen to how he cant understand the basic spiritual truths of Gods word as is clearly revealed in Scripture by his spirit.

    Unless the Lord has mercy on this Lutheran he is still under the Law and he don't even know it… yet.

    Romans 9:15 "I (God) will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy.

    Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? (or try to teach people about the spiritual aspects of God in his word when you yourself are a spiritually dead Lutheran)' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws.'

    (as you should know we all break Gods laws)

    .

  22. What a beautiful gift. Really present in this world today; in Christ God became our food. Some of the very people who say the Church is the body of Christ, even though we ourselves to not pass into nonexistence when we are united with Christ in this way, deny that Christ can also be fully present in this holy feast. They have no problem saying we are members in His body. Yet bread which has no sin (unlike us) cannot really be a 'sharing in the body of Christ' (1 Cor 10:16) in their logic. It does not make sense. All I know is I am thankful and it makes me think of a husband giving himself to his wife. Christ is the divine husband and the Church is His bride who gives Himself to His beloved in this holy love feast.

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