When discussing the Lord’s Supper, several issues arise regarding its practice and understanding. Some see it merely as a memorial, a symbol. Others believe that Jesus is truly present in the Lord’s Supper. From these interpretations, four main views on the Lord’s Supper emerge:

● Transubstantiation
Commonly accepted in Catholic circles, this view holds that a change in substance occurs through a miracle, whereby the bread and wine elements are literally transformed into the body and blood of Jesus, even though the natural characteristics of the bread and wine (touch, taste, smell) remain unchanged.

● Consubstantiation
Lutherans believe that the body and blood of Jesus are truly present in the elements of bread and wine, but they do not undergo a literal transformation into body and blood.

● The Calvinist Position
Calvinists reject the idea of the real presence of Christ’s body and blood in the Lord’s Supper. According to Calvin, when this meal is celebrated, the believer enters into a mystical communion with the entire person of the Redeemer, even though Christ’s body and blood are absent, as they are truly in heaven. Nevertheless, they are capable of imparting a life-giving influence to believers.

● The Memorialist Position
This view is associated with the Swiss Reformer Ulrich Zwingli. The Lord’s Supper does not bring about the real presence of Christ but offers spiritual communion with Christ to those who partake in faith. The key idea of the memorialist view is that the bread and wine are merely symbolic…

This text is an excerpt from the book “THE SEVEN DIMENSIONS OF THE HOLY SUPPER” written by Maryse-Abygaïl DANIEL.

We invite you to read the following article: “DIVERGENCES IN THE PRACTICES OF THE LORD’S SUPPER.”