Tabletalk Magazine, November 2006: The Lord's Supper

by Ligonier Ministries

Publisher:

Ligonier Ministries

, 2006

Overview

The theme of the November 2006 issue of Tabletalk is the Lord’s Supper. In Geneva, John Calvin instructed ministers to take great care when administering this sacrament. They were to preach that “although we see only bread and wine, let us not doubt that…Jesus is our heavenly bread, to feed and nourish us unto life eternal.” In many evangelical churches today, the Lord’s Supper is all but relegated to the shelf. This is not surprising, especially when many a church’s desire is to show the world that they are not much different than the so-called “seekers.” For this reason, this issue of Tabletalk will aim to present a succinct, Calvinian and biblical understanding of the Lord’s Supper.

Contributors include R.C. Sproul along with Tom Ascol, Terry Johnson, Robert Letham, Keith A. Mathison, R.C. Sproul Jr., and Gene Edward Veith. Tabletalk features articles about topics central to the Christian faith and daily, in-depth Bible studies.

The 2006 Bible studies take a careful look at the book of Genesis.

Contents

• "A Visible Proclamation" by Burk Parsons
• "The Battle for the Table" by R. C. Sproul
• "Calvin's Doctrine of the Lord's Supper" by Keith A. Mathison
• "Given for You" by Robert Letham
• "Worthy Partaking: Examining the Heart" by Tom Ascol
• "Left Behind by Grace Alone" by Chris Donato
• "Sodom and Gomorrah" by Derek W. H. Thomas
• "The Kindness and the Severity of God
• "Responding to a Holy God" by J. C. Poole
• "The New Covenant Meal" by Terry Johnson
• "Discerning the Body" by R. C. Sproul Jr.
• "This is My Body" by Gene Edward Veith

Top Highlights

“Calvin followed Augustine in defining a sacrament as ‘a visible sign of a sacred thing’ or as a ‘visible word’ of God. The sacraments, according to Calvin, are inseparably attached to the Word. The sacraments seal the promises found in the Word. In regard to the Lord’s Supper, more specifically, it is given to seal the promise that those who partake of the bread and wine in faith truly partake of the body and blood of Christ. Calvin explains this in terms of the believer’s mystical union with Christ. Just as baptism is connected with the believer’s initiation into union with Christ, the Lord’s Supper strengthens the believer’s ongoing union with Christ.” (Page 10)

“Zwingli argued that Christ’s words ‘This is my body’ should be read, ‘This signifies my body.’ He claimed that the Lord’s Supper is a symbolic memorial, an initiatory ceremony in which the believer pledges that he is a Christian and proclaims that he has been reconciled to God through Christ’s shed blood. Martin Luther adamantly rejected Zwingli’s doctrine, insisting that Christ’s words ‘This is my body’ must be taken in their plain, literal sense.” (Page 9)

“Luther argues that there is a ‘sacramental union’ between the substance of Christ’s body and the bread resulting in a new and unique substance that Luther refers to as fleischbrot (‘flesh-bread’). Thus, according to Luther, Christ’s human body is present in the Lord’s Supper supernaturally in a real and illocal manner.” (Page 10)

“Zwingli had argued that to eat and drink the body and blood of Christ was simply a synonym for believing in Christ. Calvin begged to differ. He argued that the eating of the body of Christ is not equivalent to faith; instead, it is the result of faith. Calvin often used the term ‘spiritual eating’ to describe the mode by which believers partake, but he is careful to define what he means. He asserts repeatedly that ‘spiritual eating’ does not mean that believers partake only of Christ’s spirit. ‘Spiritual eating’ means, according to Calvin, that by faith believers partake of the body and blood of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit who pours the life of Christ into them.” (Page 11)

Praise for the Print Edition

Tabletalk has been a key ingredient in the diet of Christians conscious of their spiritual vitality.

—Michael S. Horton

Month by month, Tabletalk represents an oasis in a desert of false spirituality, mindless Christianity, and vapid conviction. Tabletalk represents theological rigor, biblical Christianity, and authentic Christian devotion. It is an antidote to the world of superficial Christianity. Read it and grow.

—R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

Tabletalk has been a wonderful resource in my own daily walk with the Lord.

—Ravi Zacharias

Product Details

• Title: Tabletalk Magazine, November 2006: The Lord's Supper
• Executive Editor: R. C. Sproul
• Editor: Burk Parsons
• Series: Tabletalk
• Publisher: Ligonier Ministries
• Publication Date: November 2006
• Pages: 63

About Ligonier Ministries

R. C. Sproul is founder and president of Ligonier Ministries and president of Ligonier Academy. He also servers as the senior pastor of Saint Andrew’s in Sanford, Fla., and he has written more than seventy books including The Holiness of God, The Intimage Marriage, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, Following the Cross, and the R. C. Sproul Exposition Collection.

Burk Parsons serves as editor of Tabletalk and associate pastor of Saint Andrew’s in Sanford, Fla., and he is editor of the books Assured by God: Living in the Fullness of God’s Grace and John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, and Doxology.