To say that Christ at the last supper was holding his own body and blood in his hands
to distribute to the twelve, before his crucifixion would require a sacrifice then, and a resacrifice at the
actual time of the crucifixion.
Not to mention that Christ would physically be in two places, which is not my understanding
of the teaching of omnipresence.
One also cannot 'represent' (Catholic Catechism wording) a literal sacrifice without
redoing it.
The scriptures teach that our contiuual forgiveness is due to his once and for all
sacrifice (Hebrews 10:12), and is possible because the spirit, water and blood agree in one (1 John 5:6-8), not 'ARE ONE'
or 'ARE EACH OTHER' and the spirit presently applies what happened then, not because Catholic priests redo the sacrifice of
Christ.
Catholics are confusing the crucifixion with God's continual application of the effects
of the crucifixion by the Spirit.
For one to allege that God is saying that he is physically in two places at once is
nonsensical.
The Omnipresence and Incarnation of God doesn't teach that Christ is physically in two
places at once but divinely present everywhere, though not in equal intensity. In the same vein it is nonsensical for one
to allege that Christ is saying that He is conducting the last supper while alive and before the crucifixion but also simultaneously
holding his own body and blood in his hands i.e. the bread and the wine. This is nonsense. So we seek another sense: If the
plain sense makes sense, seek no other sense, to replace it, lest you end up with nonsense.
"The biblical doctrine of the incarnation states that the Word which was God and was
with God (John 1:1), became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). This "became flesh" involves what is known as the hypostatic Union. This is the teaching
that in the one person of Christ are two natures: divine and human. That is, Jesus is both God and man at the same time and
He will forever be God and man.
Furthermore, by
definition, for Jesus to be human He must be located in one place. This is the nature of being human. A human male does not
have the ability to be omnipresent. He can only be in one place at one time. To say that Jesus
in His physical form is in more than one place at a time, is to deny the incarnation. That is, it denies that Jesus
is completely and totally a man -- since a man can only be it one place at one time.
Therefore, to say that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ is to
violate the doctrine of the incarnation by stating that Christ is physically present all over the planet as the mass is celebrated.
This is a serious problem and a serious denial of the true and absolute incarnation of the Word of God as a man.
But, did not Jesus say in Matt. 28:18-20 that He would be with the disciples always, even to the ends of the earth? Is this
not a declaration that Jesus will be physically present everywhere? No, this is not what is stated.
The answer is found in the teaching of the communicatio idiomatum. This is the teaching that the attributes of both the divine and human nature are ascribed
to the single person of Christ. It does not mean, however, that anything particular to the divine nature was communicated
to the human nature. Likewise, it does not mean that anything particular to the human nature was communicated to the divine
nature. It means that the attributes of the divine nature are claimed by the person of Christ. Therefore, Jesus
is omnipresent, not in His human nature, but in His divine nature.
Paul/New World Dawning posted this article:
"It is misleading to speak about 'real presence' as
if the term is equivalent to "transubstantiation." Christians, who consider the bread and wine as strictly symbolical, also
believe in the real presence of the Lord among them. Jesus said: "For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20). Surely Christ is present in the congregation of His people, as He promises,
especially during the celebration of the Supper. His presence is real even though it is spiritual and not carnal."
BJ Maxwell 05/01/2006
