Zone1 Early Christians believed that the bread and wine used in the Eucharist were transformed into the body and blood of Christ

[ding]

TN

What you eat or drink doesn't matter. I don't know of one church that serves up blood and little chunks of flesh. It is all about remembering. The disciples drank wine and ate bread daily. And remembered daily that Christ's flesh was shredded, and His blood spilled out to permanently cover our sins. You can use whatever you like. It doesn't have to be grape juice and wafers served up in a church once in a while. It is all about remembering what it took to salvage our souls.
We are about to remember our soldier's lives that were sacrificed for us. It isn't necessary for us to join the Army or eat MREs to do that. We use flags to remember them. We use wine and bread to remember Jesus and His sacrifice.

You aren't the first person to be shocked by Jesus' command to eat his flesh and drink his blood. He lost a lot of disciples over that command.

1. Jesus said he was the bread of life and whoever ate this bread would have eternal life. John 6:48-51
2. The Jews quarreled and said how can this man give us his flesh to eat. John 6:52
3. So rather than softening his stance he doubled down and said very clearly, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. John 6:53
4. Afterwards his disciples said, this is hard to take. John 6:60
5. Jesus asked them, does this shock you. John 6:61
6. Then Jesus explained that it is the spirit that gives life. The flesh is of no avail. John 6:62-63
7. But they didn't believe in Jesus and they couldn't accept what he was saying because it shocked them like it is shocking you. As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. John 6:64-65

He let disciples walk away rather than to soften his stance and make it symbolic. He was given an opportunity to soften it and instead he reinforced what he said by saying the flesh is of no avail.

 

[hadit]

Don't forget the different duties within the title of Royal Priesthood, which (in Exodus) God promised to those who serve him.

I would love to see that reference. I want to see if it refers to all those who believe and are saved or to the Levitical priesthood. I am not a Levite priest. Let's be careful about applying things meant for the Levitical priesthood to modern day Christians.

The Royal Priesthood is a call to serve others. You seem to think this puts a 'special priesthood' above Royal Priesthood. It does not. It identifies the duties of this part of the priesthood. Other duties are teaching, healing, visiting those in prison, lending a hand in any number of ways. One of these duties/assignments in the Catholic faith is a special priesthood who serve the Royal Priesthood. Different parts of the same Body which we have gone over and over and over again.

Yes, I get that. I see it, however, as an artificial designation that can discourage those who are gifted by God but not allowed to use their gifts because of Church bureaucracy. IOW, a non-Catholic can be gifted by God to have every single authority and power granted to a Catholic priest, but you would not accept them because they are not Catholic.

No one is refusing a title--that accusation is a spin and twist and beneath every Christian.

Actually, your fellow Catholic poster is doing exactly that. He/she said no when I asked if he/she was a priest. Now, are you a priest? You have indicated that you may consider yourself such, and you should.

 

[ding]

a non-Catholic can be gifted by God to have every single authority and power granted to a Catholic priest, but you would not accept them because they are not Catholic.

This seems to be more about you railing against the Catholic Church than believing you are a priest.

What duties have you done as a priest?

 

[hadit]

How exactly have you served as a priest? What are your duties?

Exactly what the Bible says, I "proclaim the excellencies of him who called me out of darkness into his marvelous light". See, the Bible doesn't go into specific duties and things for God's priesthood like man wants to. God's priesthood is to proclaim Him to the world. Man's priesthood is to be in a certain building at certain times, to wear certain clothes, to perform certain incantations, etc. God wants the heart, man wants the ritual, the list.

Jesus' priesthood is not man's priesthood.

 

[hadit]

This seems to be more about you railing against the Catholic Church than believing you are a priest.

What duties have you done as a priest?

I'm pointing out the Catholics' inability to accept or honor anything that comes from outside the Catholic Church. Would you accept the authority of a Spirit filled, God appointed church leader who was not Catholic? I say you would not.

Those not Catholic tend to look first at what such a person is teaching. Is it true to the Word? Only after that do we bother to look for the name of the group to which he belongs.

 

[ding]

Exactly what the Bible says, I "proclaim the excellencies of him who called me out of darkness into his marvelous light". See, the Bible doesn't go into specific duties and things for God's priesthood like man wants to. God's priesthood is to proclaim Him to the world. Man's priesthood is to be in a certain building at certain times, to wear certain clothes, to perform certain incantations, etc. God wants the heart, man wants the ritual, the list.

Jesus' priesthood is not man's priesthood.

Sounds more like a witness than a priest.

 

[hadit]

Not when you take passages out of context. The LDS say scripture tells them they can become gods. That too is an example of taking scripture out of context.

What does your quote tell me about my being part of a royal priesthood?

 

[ding]

What does your quote tell me about my being part of a royal priesthood?

That I am not a priest. I am a retired engineer. And that you are not a priest in actuality. You were something else.

 

[hadit]

Sounds more like a witness than a priest.

Take that up with who inspired the writing of the passage. He is available to you at any time.

Maybe you need to better understand what God requires of us and what He wants us to be doing. Here's a hint, He's much more interested in the state of a believer's RELATIONSHIP with Him than he is about whether said believer is checking the boxes. Get that relationship right and you'll be doing everything He wants you to do, you won't be able to help yourself.

1. Go to the Church with the right name on the door? Check.
2. Give the appropriate amount from my pay when asked? Check.
3. Wear the right clothes? Check.
4. Say the right things? Check.

I must be okay, huh? Nope, not even close.

This is not limited, moreover, to the Catholic Church. The denomination I grew up in fell short in some of these areas. People wanted to do right, but centuries of tradition would get in the way.

 

[hadit]

That I am not a priest. I am a retired engineer. And that you are not a priest in actuality. You were something else.

Can you point out that particular portion? Maybe these old eyes failed me, and I did not see it.

 

[ding]

What does your quote tell me about my being part of a royal priesthood?

Have you ever transformed bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ? Have you ever performed a marriage? Have you ever baptized an infant? Have you ever taken a confession and absolved sins? Have you ever given last rites?
Because according to you, all anyone needs to do to be a priest is to proclaim the excellencies of Jesus. That's a witness, not a priest.

 

[ding]

Can you point out that particular portion? Maybe these old eyes failed me, and I did not see it.

What did you do for a living? Because that's really all you need to know to know what you were.

 

[ding]

Take that up with who inspired the writing of the passage. He is available to you at any time.

Maybe you need to better understand what God requires of us and what He wants us to be doing. Here's a hint, He's much more interested in the state of a believer's RELATIONSHIP with Him than he is about whether said believer is checking the boxes. Get that relationship right and you'll be doing everything He wants you to do, you won't be able to help yourself.

1. Go to the Church with the right name on the door? Check.
2. Give the appropriate amount from my pay when asked? Check.
3. Wear the right clothes? Check.
4. Say the right things? Check.

I must be okay, huh? Nope, not even close.

This is not limited, moreover, to the Catholic Church. The denomination I grew up in fell short in some of these areas. People wanted to do right, but centuries of tradition would get in the way.

You mean the letter where Peter was encouraging the first Christians to remain faithful to their standards of belief and conduct in spite of threats of persecution? That was the intent of the letter. The intent of his letter was not to inform them that they were all priests.

 

[Meriweather]

Yes, I get that. I see it, however, as an artificial designation

It's your "artificial designation". Do you believe, when you are commemorating the Last Supper, you are consuming the actual body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ?

The point being, anyone who gathers bread and wine and says to their family or friends, "Let's eat this bread and drink this cup in memory of our Lord, Jesus Christ" is well within duties of a Royal Priesthood. However, the transubstantiation of the bread and wine is the duty of the special priesthood.

Compare it to the duties of any healer to clean a wound and apply a Band-aid, but it takes a special calling, education, training to remove an appendix.

 

[ding]

I'm pointing out the Catholics' inability to accept or honor anything that comes from outside the Catholic Church. Would you accept the authority of a Spirit filled, God appointed church leader who was not Catholic? I say you would not.

Those not Catholic tend to look first at what such a person is teaching. Is it true to the Word? Only after that do we bother to look for the name of the group to which he belongs.

I accept authority when what the authority says makes sense. I don't blindly accept anything. My mission is to seek truth in all things. God is truth among other "things."

 

[hadit]

Have you ever transformed bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ? Have you ever performed a marriage? Have you ever baptized an infant? Have you ever taken a confession and absolved sins? Have you ever given last rites?
Because according to you, all anyone needs to do to be a priest is to proclaim the excellencies of Jesus. That's a witness, not a priest.

That's what the Bible says, not me. All I have to do to be in the royal priesthood is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's all you have to do as well.

 

[hadit]

I accept authority when what the authority says makes sense. I don't blindly accept anything. My mission is to seek truth in all things. God is truth among other "things."

I applaud that. I am seeking to do that as well.

 

[hadit]

It's your "artificial designation". Do you believe, when you are commemorating the Last Supper, you are consuming the actual body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ?

The point being, anyone who gathers bread and wine and says to their family or friends, "Let's eat this bread and drink this cup in memory of our Lord, Jesus Christ" is well within duties of a Royal Priesthood. However, the transubstantiation of the bread and wine is the duty of the special priesthood.

Compare it to the duties of any healer to clean a wound and apply a Band-aid, but it takes a special calling, education, training to remove an appendix.

I get that, and I understand what you are saying. I stop short of full agreement, however, because while I see the royal priesthood to which we as believers belong, I don't see a separate designation in Scripture of a priesthood.

 

[hadit]

You mean the letter where Peter was encouraging the first Christians to remain faithful to their standards of belief and conduct in spite of threats of persecution? That was the intent of the letter. The intent of his letter was not to inform them that they were all priests.

But in the process of doing that, the writer specifically states that we ARE a royal priesthood. Why do you deny that so vigorously?

If he did not mean that we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, etc., what DID he mean?

 

[hadit]

What did you do for a living? Because that's really all you need to know to know what you were.

What the world says I am or what God says I am? Big, big difference. What I do for a living is just that, what I do for a living. Who I am and what I do for God is what really matters.