God's grace Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 Q2. How can an extreme symbolic interpretation cause a person to have too little respect for the Lord's Supper and its elements? Where is the balance, do you think? There is a tendency to focus on the substance instead of the one who instituted it and on the other side there is a tendency to look at the ordinance as a mere religious ritual with no significance at all. The balance is from the words of Jesus and I quote"Do this in remembrance of me" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awesomeGod Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 How can an extreme symbolic interpretation cause a person to have too little respect for the Lord's Supper and its elements? Where is the balance, do you think? I fear that much of our Christian worship is easily made flippant these days. We dress casually (I'm ok with that) and we laugh a lot (I'm fine with that too); we often make a lot of announcements in our service (necessary, I acknowledge), but all these things have changed the way we approach worship. If we think of the bread as 'just bread' and the cup as 'just juice' or 'just wine' then there is a decided danger of taking it too casually. The manner in which that particular part of the service is conducted plays an enormous part in how we approach communion. Perhaps it has less to do with the symbolic interpretation of the elements themselves and more to do with the solemnity of the person/people leading in worship at that point. If the person leading guides the people to focus on Christ and to express thanks for His atoning work, then there will not be a casual attitude to the Lord's Supper. "This do in REMEMBRANCE..." must be first and foremost in our participation of the Lord's Table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awesomeGod Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 People have too little respect for the LORD'S SUPPER because of their lack of understanding, and what is in their hearts. The balance, is people need to think about, ponder on what Christ has truly done. The more we think about the sacrifice, we become more thankful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
servant for Christ Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Q2. How can an extreme symbolic interpretation cause a person to have too little respect for the Lord's Supper and its elements? Where is the balance, do you think? An extreme symbolic interpretation would cause me to loose the sight of the real meaning of the Lord's Supper. This was done for my salvation. The balance I think, to me, is when I eat the bread and drink the cup, it means to proclaim and accept the benefits of Christ's sacrifical death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
issacben Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 Q2. How can an extreme symbolic interpretation cause a person to have too little respect for the Lord's Supper and its elements? Where is the balance, do you think? I will share my understanding. Little respect to the worship (includes everything) is mainly depends on two things. 1. Lack of Knowledge or Holiness of the participant 2.Testimony of the assigned person (Leader of the service) First point- everyone have to examine themselves in the presense of the Lord To explain second point- I would like to share a story...Once there was an Evangelist...preaching in a market place about Jesus Christ and his Ressurrection. People gathered around him to hear from him. After 5 minutes a magician arrived there and started showing magic. Then the people around Evangelist moved to him one by one. At last there was no one to hear from the evangelist. After the program magician has got lot of money. At last only the Magician and Evangelist left there, then the Evangelist approached the magician and asked him what is his secret of attracting people. He replied, The people knows that what I am doing is not real. But I present it as if it is a real one. But in your case whatever you are saying is fact but you present it in a way that it never happened. If I know Jesus personnally, I could present him in that way. Otherwise what ever I am doing will be simply actions. Let us try to know Jesus more and more (than 'about Jesus') Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WALT39 Posted March 20, 2010 Report Share Posted March 20, 2010 Q2. How can an extreme symbolic interpretation cause a person to have too little respect for the Lord's Supper and its elements? Where is the balance, do you think? If people just think that the bread and wine are just elements to eat, then they are missing the point. When the elements are consecrated, they are changed to spiritual elements and then we can celebrate Jesus and everything that He has done for us. I am not sure how to find the balance, but people must believe in the Lord's Supper as a remembrance of Him, not just some meal. Whether people believe in transfiguration or figuratively, we must respect each other if they truly believe in Jesus Christ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASTOR D Posted May 3, 2010 Report Share Posted May 3, 2010 An "EXTREME SYMBOLIC INTERPRETATION" can cause us to have too little respect for The Lord's Supper and its elements by reducing what we are participating in to appear to be nothing more or less than a ritual (a routine or custom) wherein we fail to recognize or respect the presence of the Lord - or the purpose of which we are participating in this Sacrament. . . Although I see it as "SYMBOLIC" - by faith I realize that I am in the very presence of the Lord and can receive those things I am expecting from Him. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marloes Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Q2. How can an extreme symbolic interpretation cause a person to have too little respect for the Lord's Supper and its elements? Where is the balance, do you think? Extreme symbolic interpretation: O, it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanks Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 Q2. How can an extreme symbolic interpretation cause a person to have too little respect for the Lord's Supper and its elements? Where is the balance, do you think? Jesus instituted this sacrament and it deserves the utmost respect. It does not matter whether we think of the elements in a literal or figurative way, they deserve to be treated with reverence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foofee's Nana Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 How can an extreme symbolic interpretation cause a person to have too little respect for the Lord's Supper and its elements? If we decide this is a "mere" symbol with no real meaning behind it we are really taking away all that Christ Jesus sacrificed for us and making it trivial. We need to remain prayerful.....confess the things on our hearts and when we take of the bread and the body of Christ we should remember and be so thankful for a Father that loves us this much. Where is the balance, do you think? I think that our hearts should be in a prayerful atttitude and longing to be closer to our Savior. It is a lovely and specail time to take of the Lord's Supper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerneydr Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 Q2. How can an extreme symbolic interpretation cause a person to have too little respect for the Lord's Supper and its elements? Where is the balance, do you think? The extreme symbolic interpretation causes us to have little reverence in regard to the Lord's Supper. It becomes common placed. As a child, I knew it was representative yet it was a time of sacred trembling as I heard of the the warnings attached to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd Hon Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Q2. How can an extreme symbolic interpretation cause a person to have too little respect for the Lord's Supper and its elements? Where is the balance, do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd Hon Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 We have to trust in the Holy Bible ;Have Faith and give all We have to God ;He knows our heart and ask him for Guidance in our lives and Be PATIENT.God will except any amount of faith if it comes from the heart .Remember the Mustard Seed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmcafmom Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 Q2. How can an extreme symbolic interpretation cause a person to have too little respect for the Lord's Supper and its elements? Where is the balance, do you think? Some people think of the Bible as just another book. Those are the people who can't and aren't willing to even try to appreciate the symbolic interpretation of the cup and the wine. A cup is just a cup, until it's the cup - and then it means everything, well to me anyway. The same with the bread. The balance is in believing the bread and the cup you receive at Communion are Jesus. You have to feel it to believe and to understand the symbolic interpretation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacquie7 Posted July 1, 2013 Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 A person can have too little respect for the Lord’s Supper and it’s elements because of disbelief in what it represents, a lack of realization, or understanding of “what” Jesus did on the cross and “why” He did it. An extreme symbolic interpretation can give a sense that the elements aren’t really His body figurative or literally. What it boils down to is what one believes, you believe either the elements represent His body in some form (figuratively/literally) or you do not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgandy Posted December 1, 2013 Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 When we use one thing to "represent" another is has a way of becoming familiar. In the Last Supper we KNOW we are not partaking of Jesus body or His blood. However, we are partaking of the body He sacrificed and the blood He shed for us. These two facts should remain forefront in our minds as we are kneeling at the altar (in my case). These are sacred! They should never be familiar. They are Holy. Even if Jesus himself is not at our Last Supper the Holy Spirit is. He surrounds us and as such we should remember and have His body, whipped, spat upon, mocked, tripped in our minds. We should have His blood that was shed when he was whipped. His blood when the crown of thorns was pressed into His head, and when He was nailed to the cross the precious drops of blood that dropped into the sand should be firmly engrained into our thought as we take Holy Communion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoanG Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 I truly feel that when people start to take their hearts out of worship, they lose all of the meaning of the service, the Gospel and all the elements that are used. An extreme symbolic interpretation would be easy for these people to justify their own views that it means nothing. It is only part of the service that needs to be done at a certain time. I personally think that it is all in the heart of those that are receiving the elements. It is up to individuals how they feel within themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elaineer Posted May 9, 2017 Report Share Posted May 9, 2017 Not sure if some people realize the importance of why we take the elements of wine and bread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ademola Posted July 26, 2017 Report Share Posted July 26, 2017 In my humble opinion, I think most Christian today do not really have the holy spirit baptism which make it more difficult for them to understand the things of the spirit. Many want to limit The Almighty Jehovah to reason and logic. God said he'll use the foolish things of the to confound the wisdom of the wise. ministers of the gospel must rise up to the occasion by earnestly seeking the face of God in prayer for the baptism of the holy spirit for new converts. Also prayer that all those those not showing respect for the elements of holy communion that God should convict their hearts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debra Grant Posted January 29, 2019 Report Share Posted January 29, 2019 Q2. How can an extreme symbolic interpretation cause a person to have too little respect for the Lord's Supper and its elements? Where is the balance, do you think? 1. Not willing to study the word of God and put forth an effort to understand the true meaning of the Lord’s Supper. Treating the Lord’s supper without reverence and respect, due to sin in their life. Having a religious attitude, not wanting to feel left out, and pretending to fool others as if they have repented and living a holy life. 2. I believe the balance is to repent and live holy before taking the Lord’s Supper. We should remember why we are taking it and put our minds on Jesus as the reason for the blessing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.B Posted December 30, 2019 Report Share Posted December 30, 2019 The elements are merely symbolic or representative and even spiritual in nature. I do not argue with a literal translation, especially the Lord's commandment. Indeed, His words are sacred and ours to honor, but while I hate using the word "merely" I do it to downplay the heighten nature given to the communion elements by some. I kind of wished our host would have presented examples so I don't miss the intent of the question. But be that as it may, one extreme for an example, there are some who profess the fruit of the vine to actually becoming Christ's blood. Along this extreme, there is also the whole debate of whether or not wine is acceptable. The other extreme reasons that coke-cola can be used because after all it is only symbolic. To either extreme I offer the words of Jesus, "For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, 'BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!'" (Mat 23:39) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thabiso Posted May 17, 2023 Report Share Posted May 17, 2023 An extreme symbolic interpretation of the elements could result in scripture being regarded as mere history devoid of spiritual significance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.