Of the Lordes Supper.
The Sacrament of Redemption and Communion
The Lord's Supper is a sacrament of redemption through Christ's death, in which the bread and cup are a communion of Christ's body and blood for those who receive it rightly and with faith.
The Lord's Supper isn't just a sign of the love that Christians ought to have for one another; it is a Sacrament of our redemption through Christ's death. So much so that, for those who receive it rightly, worthily, and with faith, the bread which we break is a Communion of the body of Christ. Likewise, the cup of blessing is a Communion of the blood of Christ.
Against Transubstantiation
Transubstantiation is not proved by Scripture, contradicts its plain words, and has led to many superstitions.
Transubstantiation—the change of the substance of bread and wine into the substance of Christ's body and blood—cannot be proven by Holy Scripture; in fact, it contradicts the plain words of Scripture and has led to many superstitions.
The Bodily Presence and Ascension
Because Christ's human body cannot be in multiple places at once and has ascended to heaven until the end of the world, faithful persons should not believe or confess a real bodily presence of Christ's flesh and blood in the Sacrament.
Since it's a basic fact of human nature that one person's body can't be in multiple places at once but has to be in a single specific place, it follows that Christ's body can't be present in many different places at the same time.1 And because, as holy Scripture teaches, Christ was taken up into heaven and will remain there until the end of the world, a faithful person should neither believe nor openly confess the real and bodily presence (as they call it) of Christ's flesh and blood in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.2
The Ordinance Not for Worship
Christ did not command the Sacrament to be kept, carried about, lifted up, or worshipped.
The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not commanded, by Christ's ordinance, to be kept, carried about, lifted up, or worshipped.3
Read the original English
THe Supper of y• Lord is not onely a signe of the loue that Christians oughte to haue amonge them selues, one to an other: but rather it is a sacrament of oure redempcion, by Christes deathe. Insomuche that, to suche as rightlye, worthelye, and wyth faythe receiue the same, the bread whiche we breake, is a communyon of the bodi of Christ. Like wise the Cuppe of blessinge, is a Communion of the bloude of Christe.
TRansubstantiatyon, or the chaunge of the substaunce of bread▪ and wine, into the substance of Christes bodye, & bloud, can not be proued by holy wrytte: but is repugnaunte to the plaine wordes of scrypture, & hath geuen occasion to many superstycions.
FOr asmuche as the trueth … mānes nature requireth, that the bodye of one, and the selfe same manne, canne not be at one tyme in diuerse places, but muste nedes be in sōe one certein place: therfore the body of Christ cā not be present at one▪ time in manye, and dyuerse places. And because (as holye Scripture doeth teach) Christe was taken vp into heauē and there shall continue vnto the ende of the worlde: a faythfull man oughte not, eyther to bele…e, or open…ye to confesse the reall & bodylye presence (as they terme it) of Christes f…esh, and blo…d▪ in the Sacramente of the Lordes Supper.
THe Sacrament of the Lords Supper was not commaunded, by Christes ordynaunce, …o be kepte, caryed aboute, lyfted vp, nor worshipped.
Notes
John Ponet's Short Catechisme (1553) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit