"Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:" Psalm 12:1-3

Whenever I am told that I need to perform a ritual for spiritual purposes, I am always on guard, simply because we cannot know anything about spiritual things without the Bible for guidance. For this reason, I stay away from rituals except those specifically instructed by the Holy Ghost in the New Testament, and as far as I am aware, there are only two rituals instituted in the New Covenant:

Baptism Communion

Although many will perform these rituals without question at first, eventually, we Christians should ask questions about why we do the things we do, or in other words, why did Jesus Christ tell us to do these things? It is a normal, healthy process of learning to ask these questions because, if we do not ask these things, we run the risk of performing rituals for the sake of social acceptance, without first understanding the "why," meaning that we end up trusting in the works themselves to gain "holiness," which is what many corrupt religious cults have done.

Let's begin by taking a closer look at what is commonly referred to as "The Last Supper," which is the Passover feast Jesus ate with His twelve disciples before He went to the cross:

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
-Matthew 26:26

There are many ritualistic things done during the Passover feast before the actual eating of the primary meal, which is enjoyed at the end of the ceremony, and so because they were eating the meal at that point, that indicates it was the end of the Passover feast. Jesus took bread, which would have been unleavened, like a cracker (which the Jews refer to as "Matzah" or "Matzo"), and "blessed it," meaning that He said a prayer of blessing over it, but the Scripture does not specify what He said, which could have been the generic prayer of blessing of bread which the Jews commonly use, namely, "Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth," although it is possible that the prayer could have been something of His own making for this particular purpose.
(See "Hamotzi: Blessing Over Bread," chabad.org, retrieved Oct 8, 2024, [https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/278542/jewish/Hamotzi-Blessing-Over-Bread.htm])

Jesus "brake it, and gave it to the disciplies," which has some signifigance in Jewish custom, since the blesser of the bread was to first eat a piece before others ate, and furthermore, the speaker was not to give it directly to the eaters unless in time of mourning, which this would have been, because Christ was about to go to the cross. The Jewish tradition of the Passover feast has a breaking of bread they call "the bread of affliction," which does not mean that the bread is literally affliction, but that it is a metaphorical representation of the affliction the Hebrews during their captivity in Egypt, and likewise, when Jesus says "this is my body" it is not meant that it is His literal flesh, because that would force the disciples to engage in cannibalism, which is an abomination, but rather, this was a metaphorical representation of His body being broken for their sins.

Jewish writers have referred to the Passover lamb eaten as "the body" of the lamb. Because Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God which was sacrificed for the sins of men (John 1:29), He is "the body" that was sacrificed for us to consume for our spiritual nourishment, and though the disciples were handed unleavened bread, Jesus did not put it into their mouths for them, as corrupt religious cults practice, but rather, the disciples took the bread and brought it to their own mouths with faithful obedience.

And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave
it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
-Matthew 26:27

The Jews also had a general prayer of blessing said over fruit juice, namely, "Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine" (the same phrase used by Christ in verse 29), which is said in thankfulness for the good fruit from the earth, but the Scripture is not specific on whether Jesus spoke a traditional blessing or spoke something else custom for the church. The Jews used red wine made from grapes because, visually, it most closely resembled blood, and that wine was a metaphorical representation of the blood posted on the doors of the Hebrews in Egypt, so the Spirit of God would pass over them, which is how William Tyndale came up with the English term "Passover" in the 16th century.

For this is my blood of the new testament, which
is shed for many for the remission of sins.
-Matthew 26:28

Despite the fact that many corrupt religious cults have taken this literally, meaning that they believe the wine they drink is the LITERAL blood of Christ, this is obviously meant as a metaphorical representation. One of the primary reasons for this is because the drinking of blood is forbidden in both the Old and New Covenants.

And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.
-Levitius 17:10-12

Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.
-Acts 15:19-21

Since the commandment to abstain from the eating/drinking of blood was in both Covenants, the only way to reconcile Jesus having them drink His blood is if it was wine used as a metaphorical representation, and not actual blood. This is plainly obvious in the context of Matthew 26, but the vile Catholic denominations continue to practice drinking "blood," not as a metaphor, but as a belief in a fraudulent "miracle" of transformation of wine into blood.
(Read Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

The blood of animals is the blood of the Old Covenant (Exd 24:8), but the blood of Christ is the blood of the New Covenant, not which we are supposed to literally drink, but to drink the wine as a representation of it, that it was shed for our souls, that we would be cleansed by it through His saving grace, not that we would receive grace by the drinking of it as the fraudulent cults teach. Jesus shed His blood to be the remission of sins for many, which is said in the sense that many over the past 2,000 years have been given repentance and faith in Christ, whereupon they receive the gift of full pardon of all sin and regeneration of the Holy Ghost.

But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.
-Matthew 26:29

Some say this is a contradiction in correlation with Acts 10:41, in which the disciples "did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead," but this is not a contradiction because it says specifically that it was the disciples who ate and drank, and even if Jesus were to do so with them, it does not say He consumed "the fruit of the vine" with them; He could have drunk water, and the verse would be in perfect alignment to His promise. Jesus had no need to eat and drink in His new spiritual form, so His action of eating and drinking with them, assuming that He did, would only have been to prove to them His resurrection from the dead, that they would have full confidence moving forward in ministering the Gospel.

Knowing that there is no need for sustenance in the Kingdom of Heaven, it is obvious that Jesus is speaking metaphorically in this sense as well, which helps to demonstrate the metaphorical nature of this ritual, that should NOT be taken in the physical sense (i.e. that one should eat flesh and blood), but in the spiritual sense, under the context of spiritual nourishment. Jesus is referring to new wine when He said, "I drink it new with you," which is said in reference to the idea of the pleasure one takes in their first sip of the fresh fruit of the vine, especially after times of hard work and exhaustion, and that it gives them great joy and satisfaction, to relieve their affliction, which is what it will be like when we Christians are united with Christ in His Kingdom.

Luke provides more details:

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
-Luke 22:19

This gives us the purpose of this ritual, which is to be done in remembrance of Christ, namely, His sacrifice on the cross for us, that His body was broken and bled as payment for our sins. Paul reiterates this to Corinth:

And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
-1 Corinthians 11:24-25

This is to be done to remember the love Christ has for us, to come from His heavenly throne to this world to suffer and die for our sakes, that He might redeem the irredeemable, to save the worthless, vile creatures that mankind has become because of our sin. It should be noted that this ritual does not have any requirement on timing, meaning that it is not something that must be done monthly or annually, meaning that Christ left us free to choose when we ought to do it, and that itself is a kindness that gives us the liberty to decide with our own faith when to do it in honor of him.

There is no name for this ritual in Scripture, but we call it "communion" because of what Paul wrote by the guidance of the Holy Ghost:

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
-1 Corinthians 10:16

communion (n): fellowship; intercourse between two persons or more; interchange of transactions, or offices; a state of giving and receiving; agreement; concord; mutual intercourse or union in religious worship, or in doctrine and discipline
(See 'communion', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 9, 2024, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

The word 'communion' generally means "fellowship," and to make sure we understand that, let's define 'fellowship':

fellowship (n): companionship; society; consort; mutual association of persons on equal and friendly terms; familiar intercourse
(See 'fellowship', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 9, 2024, [webstersdictionary1828.com]; Read "The Biblical Understanding of Fellowship" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Again, communion is a short ritual in which we remember the selfless sacrifice of Christ, to honor His grace and mercy to us, that we have been given the gift of familiar intercourse with Him, God the Father, and Holy Spirit, as well as companionship with one another. It is a solemn, yet joyful ritual where we consider the pain He endured for our sakes, and the glory of His resurrection, being faithful to His promises, knowing we can rely on them without any doubt.

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup,
ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
-1 Corinthians 11:26

This should be done throughout this dispensation of the church, until the day that Christ returns. However, there is a warning that often goes ignored in church buildings:

Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
-1 Corinthians 11:27

Remember, this is a ritual of spiritual understanding, which means that those who do not have their spirits regenerated by the Holy Ghost have no part with this ritual. If a man is dead, he has no need of food, and likewise, if a man is spiritually dead, he has no spiritual apetite — no thirst or hunger for spiritual things — and therefore has no need of spiritual nourishment, which means he is taking the bread and cup "unworthily."

unworthy (n): not deserving; wanting merit; not suitable; inadequate
(See 'unworthy', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 9, 2024, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Although a man can profess Christ, unless he has been born again, he is spiritually dead, which means he cannot love Christ because he has no understanding to do so, and so to try to feed him spiritual things is like trying to give bread and wine to a corpose. Such dead men have had no repentance, and bring forth no fruit worthy of it (Luke 3:8), which means their "faith" is vain, and therefore cannot please God. (Heb 11:6)

Being "unworthy" of taking the bread and cup of the Lord could apply to those who do so ignorantly, meaning that they have no understanding of what is being done or why, or casually, without the fear of the Lord with which it should be considered, or impenitent, without the humility to the understand Christ's gift, or fraudulently, to put on an appearance while having some contention with the church in secret, or unfaithfully, without having the spiritual bread of life (which the ritual is meant to represent), or unthankfully, not having any true gratitude to the Lord for His gift. Thus, for any professing Christian to take the bread and cup of the Lord with any of these in his heart is an insult to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, because to perform this ritual for any other reason than its intended purpose of remembrance of Christ's sacrifice on the cross is selfish—for self-gratification or self-justification or self-inclusion—to make himself feel "holy" by his participation, which is wicked in God's sight.

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
-1 Corinthians 11:28-29

Let men judge themselves if they have godly sorrow of sin, because without it, there is no true faith in Christ. It is only through repentance and faith that a man is born again, and so he will only seek the spiritual meat and drink when the Holy Spirit has regenerated his spirit to seek it; otherwise, there is none that seek God. (Rom 3:10-12) Let them also judge if they hold the sound doctrine of Scripture in their minds, and believe it in their hearts, and if any man believes himself to have these things given to him with understanding, then he should be welcome to come and participate in communion.

This is not to say that we should not judge such matters at all, because the fellowship of the church has duty and authority to judge sinful words and actions, and to remove unrepentant offenders from the church (1Co 5:11-13), but rather, the purpose of this verse is to help us understand that we have no need to judge the matter for them in regard to communion. This matter will be judged of the Lord, where He is the sole authority to view the depths of a man's heart (Pro 21:2), and there are consequences to participation in communion "unworthily," but those consequences are directly set upon the offender, and there are no consequences for the rest of the church who took communion together.

For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
-1 Corinthians 11:30-32

Because some of those in Corinth took communion "unworthily," they were striken with disease and other bodily afflictions as punishment. Furthermore, some were killed as punishment, which is what Paul meant by using the term 'sleep', but the indication of "sleep" is that some of those who were put to death by God as punishment for participating in communion unworthily may have been born again Christians who will still be saved by Christ (i.e. they are said to "sleep" because they will be resurrected in the final day), but were issued a harsh punishment for their behavior.

Some readers might wonder why, if this is the case, more churchgoers are not being stricken sick or dying by taking communion in church buildings all over the world, but first of all, we should consider that we do not know those statistics. Who has ever done a study to find out how many people have had this happen to them after taking communion? The second reason might be God's mercy, because He hates the death of the wicked. (Eze 33:11) However, my primary argument would be a third and final point, that there are so many false religious cults who participate in this ritual, that it has nothing to do with them being "unworthy" because they are simply not of Christ, so when a conglomorate of false converts get together to do a ritual, it has no relevance because Christ does not know them. (Mat 7:21-23)

For example, there are hundreds of millions of Catholics (and Catholic denominations, such as Orthodox, Anglican, Traditional, etc) who claim they take communion, but they are not actually taking communion as it is described in the Scriptures, and cannot logically be called such, although they call it "communion" anyway because it fools the masses into think that they are "Christians." Their ritual is an antichrist ritual of witchcraft they call the "Eucharist" which takes place in a gathering they call the "mass," and many people around the world are being led to the wide gates of hell through their deceit and false promises.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with these terms, here are some definitions:

mass (n): the celebration of the Eucharist

eucharist (n): the sacrament of Holy Communion; the sacrifice of the Mass

sacrament (n): the consecrated elements of the Eucharist, especially the bread; an outward sign combined with a prescribed form of words and regarded as conferring some specific grace upon those who receive it

consecrate (v): to make or declare sacred or hallowed in service of a deity
(See 'mass', 'eucharist', 'sacrament', & 'consecrate', Random House Dictionary, 2024, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

Translation: They hold a mass, often inviting in all people of any belief, to participate in a ceremony they label "communion," even though it has no Scriptural foundation. This ceremony involves an institutionally-ordained priest (who they call "father," against the commandments of Christ Mat 23:9), who says a certain recipe of words which he believes will turn wine to blood, then has people drink it to receive a sort of spiritual voucher by which they can gain grace points to make them "holy" by their own efforts.

This is not communion because, in summary, Catholics believe that they take their wine and wafer, they recite an incantation over it, and it magically transforms into human blood and flesh (while under the appearance, smell, and taste of wine and wafer), that they may consume to gain God's grace. Other Catholic denominations, like Orthadox for example, have tweaked this to say that the wine and wafer transform once it is in your stomach to try to avoid this logical and Scriptural contradiction, but it is the same antichrist heresy that proposes that one can gain grace through works. This process is called "transubstantiation," and it is nothing more than a witchcraft incantation to perform a spell, by which they believe they will gain God's grace by participating in cannibalism and vampirism.

transubstantiation (n): the changing of the elements of the bread and wine, when they are consecrated in the Eucharist, into the body and blood of Christ

incantation (n): the chanting or uttering of words purporting to have magical power

spell (n): a word, phrase, or form of words supposed to have magic power

cannibal (n): a person who eats human flesh, especially for magical or religious purposes, as among certain tribal peoples

vampire (n): a preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, that is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night
(See 'transubstantiation', 'incantation', 'spell', 'cannibal' & 'vampire', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 10, 2024, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

For those of you who have spent time studying the Scriptures, there is nothing in the New Testament that even remotely hints at promoting or encouraging this behavior, and clearly, communion was not described in any such manner as is practiced in the antichrist Catholic denominations. They believe they eat human flesh like a cannibal, they believe they get saving grace by drinking human blood, and since God's grace is where we get eternal life, they believe that they maintain eternal life by drinking blood, just like a vampire.

We Christians believe that the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed our souls from a spiritual perspective, and that He has given us eternal life as a gift. However, Catholic denominations believe that you must literally, physically drink blood to not just gain eternal life, but to maintain it (because they believe you can lose your salvation), and therefore, I would challange any person in a Catholic denomination to explain to me how their mass is any different from vampiric philosophy, other than they simply claim it to be different.

The following article addresses vampire mythology:
"The consumption of blood is a primal instinct deeply ingrained in the nature of vampires, serving as a crucial aspect of their eternal existence."
-Mystic Beasts, "Unveiling The Secrets Of Vampires - 10 Immortal Facts You Never Knew," retrieved Oct 11, 2024, [https://www.mysticbeasts.com/blog/unveiling-the-secrets-of-vampires-10-immortal-facts-you-never-knew]

This is precisely what Catholics believe according to the Council of Trent, which was an official 16th century declaration of their beliefs that are still upheld as canon to this day:
"If any one saith, that, in the sacred and holy sacrament of the Eucharist, the substance of the bread and wine remains conjointly [combined; i.e. as a separate thing that is included together] with the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and denieth that wonderful and singular conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the Body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the Blood-the species Only of the bread and wine remaining-which conversion indeed the Catholic Church most aptly calls Transubstantiation; let him be anathema."
-Council of Trent, "Concerning the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist," First Decree, Canon II, retrieved Oct 11, 2024, [http://thecounciloftrent.com/ch13.htm]

The Catholic Church will tell you that an "anathema" is not a condemnation to hell, but an anathema means you are condemned to destruction because you cannot partake of the Eucharist if you are anathemized. This means that, not only do they believe you have to drink blood to maintain eternal life, but that if you do not believe it, you will end up in hell because you cannot participate in their vampiric ritual to maintain eternal life.

In case anyone might not believe that this is what they do, I pulled up a live video of St. Benedict Catholic Church, during a live stream they did for their Eucharist. In it, the priest holds up the wafer and wine, and says, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" which makes no sense, unless one believes that the wafer has been transformed into literal flesh, and the wine into literal blood. (See St. Benedict Catholic Church, "St. Benedict Catholic Church LIVE stream - 9am Mass, May 17, 2020, retrieved Oct 10, 2024, [https://youtu.be/olUO2P0UmyA?t=2228])

The analogy of communion is meant that bread supplies our nourishment and gives us strength, and that wine has a sweet flavor that brings us joy, so that our salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, in which His flesh was torn and His blood was shed, would bring us strength and joy in the Lord through His gift of salvation. However, heathen in Catholic denominations stand in front of hundreds or thousands of people and act like fools, thinking that they are to eat literal flesh and blood, not only having no understanding, but not caring to understand.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
-Romans 1:28

Drinking from the cup offered in Catholic cults is to have communion with devils:

But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
-1 Corinthians 10:20-21

Just like baptism, communion CANNOT save you. You cannot be saved by doing a ritual because you cannot receive grace by doing work; the two cannot coexist in the same context.
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Baptism" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Paul addresses this very clearly in Romans:

Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
-Romans 11:5-6

grace (n): favor; good will; kindness; the free unmerited love and favor of God

work (n): labor; employment; exertion of strength; action; deed; feat; achievement
(See 'grace' & 'work', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 11, 2024, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

If you work for something, then you are owed a wage, or in other words, when your employer pays you for your work, that is not grace; that is debt owed. If you are given grace, it is an unmerited (i.e. unearned) gift that was given without expectation of having to do work, or in other words, when a child is born and given a crib to sleep in, that is a gift that was not earned.

Paul taught that if you work for something, then it is a debt owed, and can no longer be grace, and if something is give by grace, it can no longer be earned by work. Therefore, if Catholics want to believe that they can gain grace by doing work (in a ritual), then they are stuck in a logical and Scriptural contradiction.

For those of you unsure of what they believe and teach, here is the Council of Trent condemning to damnation and destruction anyone who has faith in the grace of Christ for salvation:
"If any one saith, that justifying [saving] faith is nothing else but confidence [faith] in the divine mercy which remits [pardons] sins for Christ's sake; or, that this confidence [faith] alone is that whereby we are justified [saved]; let him be anathema."
-Council of Trent, "On Justification," Session VI, Canon XVI, retrieved Mar 28, 2018, [http://thecounciloftrent.com/ch6.htm]; See also James Waterworth, Canons and Decrees of the Sacred and Ecumenical Council of Trent, 2003 Reprint, Kessinger Publishing, Canon #12, p. 46, ISBN: 9780766138414

Believing that one can sit down to a meal and eat to have all sin purged from the soul is nothing short of insanity. If Jesus were to have established that, then He would have said "this do for the salvation of your soul" instead of "this do in remembrance of me." Again, Paul made it very clear to the Ephesian Christians that we are saved by grace, not works, because works is the RESULT of faith, not the foundation of it:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
-Ephesians 2:8-9

Whether you are part of a large group of Christians, or whether you are small group of two or more, and you want to take communion together faithfully, do so in the liberty which Christ gave you. The only question some readers might have is: How do we do it?

The Bible does not specify, but generally, Jesus prayed to Lord for the blessings of the bread and drink, and then handed to each to consume. My advice would be to do something similar, and if there is any confusion, you can always just read the Scriptures from the King James Bible from Luke 22:

And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
-Luke 22:14-19

Never consider communion to be a foundation of your salvation because to do so is a rejection of Christ's gift of grace. As often as you do it, I pray that all Christians who spent the time to read this would be richly blessed with God's mercy as you faithfully learn and obey His Word.

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