The Real Presence in the Lord's Supper
As taught in the Lutheran tradition
The true body and blood of Christ given in, with, and under the bread and wine for the forgiveness of sins.
At the heart of the Lutheran tradition lies a confession that is both deceptively simple and profoundly mysterious: that in, with, and under the forms of bread and wine, the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ gives His very body and blood to His Church. For the Lutheran, the question is not "How can this be?" but "What has Christ said?" This subtopic answers the fundamental question of how the Incarnate Word continues to be physically present with His people in the "age of the Spirit." While many traditions have sought to explain away the mystery through philosophical categories or to retreat into a purely symbolic or spiritual understanding, the Lutheran tradition stands firmly on the literal "Is" (Est) of the Words of Institution.
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the specific scriptural anchors that form the basis for the Lutheran doctrine of the Real Presence.
- **Distinguish** between the Lutheran "Sacramental Union" and the alternative doctrines of Transubstantiation, Memorialism, and Spiritual Presence.
- **Explain** the significance of the *Manducatio Oralis* (oral eating) and why it is central to an objective understanding of the Sacrament.
- **Articulate** the relationship between the Word of God and the physical elements of bread and wine in the consecration.
- **Trace** the historical development of the doctrine from the Words of Institution through the 16th-century Reformation debates.
- **Defend** the literal interpretation of the word "Is" (*Est*) in the Words of Institution using Lutheran hermeneutics.
- **Apply** the comfort of the Real Presence to the individual believer’s assurance of the forgiveness of sins and the resurrection of the body.
- **Compare** the Lutheran view of the *Manducatio Impiorum* (eating of the unworthy) with traditions that link Christ’s presence solely to the faith of the recipient.
Scripture
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