Salvation and Communion

What do Christians mean by Salvation? 2 mins with a partner come up with a definition...

Salvation Christians believe that the relationship with God was broken. God sent Jesus to lead the way back to God. If we accept Jesus – what he taught, how he lived and who he was – then we are saved!

We are back to where we are meant to be with God, and so sin, death and suffering are things of the past. Our eternal lie begins now. The Christian message is Jesus saves!

Jesus was the lamb of God Jesus was the lamb of God. He has sacrificed himself for human wrongdoing. He took the place of humanity.

The blood of Jesus was shed to pay the price of sin The blood of Jesus was shed to pay the price of sin. Our sins were washed away and we can all choose to start fresh, once we have accepted Jesus. This makes us redeemed. (brought back)

Jesus accepts Gods will whereas Adam rejected it. If we accept Jesus we are accepting God’s will.

Where does this lead us? This all leads to what Christians call the atonement. Jesus atoned for the sin of Adam by cancelling out his mistake and creating a new relationship with God so we can be at – one again

One of the ways Christians show that they have accepted Jesus is by taking part in the Sacraments. They are believed to be outward signs of God’s love for mankind. When you take part in a Sacrament you are taking part in something mysteriously linking you to God and shows that you have accepted God’s will.

Sacraments were seen as the means by which Christians could participate in the ‘mystery of Christ’. In Christianity the term ‘sacrament’ is used to describe symbolic actions in which central elements of the Christian faith are enacted. What are Sacraments?

Sacraments Peter Lombard, in the Middle Ages, identified seven sacraments: (1) Baptism, (2) Confirmation, (3) Eucharist, (4) Penance (Reconciliation), (5) Anointing of the Sick, (6) Holy Orders, (7) Matrimony.

The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches today still accept these seven sacraments. So does the Church of England; however, it distinguishes between Baptism and Eucharist as sacraments instituted by Christ and the remaining five as ‘sacraments of the church’. Most Protestant traditions accept only two sacraments – Baptism and Eucharist. Baptists call these two sacraments ‘ordinances’. Some (e.g. the Salvation Army) do not admit even these as central Christian rituals.

Q. What do Christians understand by a sacrament?

The Eucharist Eucharist comes from the Greek word eukharistia meaning ‘thanksgiving’. Just as Jesus gave thanks at the Last Supper, so also Christians offer thanksgiving to God at the Eucharist. At the Eucharist Christians remember Jesus’ death and are reunited with Him through the bread and wine.

Different names ….. Known under many different names: Breaking of Bread Eucharist Lord’s supper Mass (title used by Roman Catholics) Holy/Sacred liturgy (Eastern Orthodox) Holy Communion (communion means ’common sharing.’)

For many Christians the Eucharist is the most important act of worship The Eucharist remembers Jesus’ last supper as recorded in the Gospels. The final meal was the celebration of the Jewish Passover or feast of the Unleavened bread.

In the Gospels? Shortly before his death, Jesus is presented sharing a Passover meal with his disciples. The Passover is a Jewish festival during which they remember their ancestors escape from Egypt through Moses. The Israelites sacrificed a lamb before they left Egypt and the blood was put on their doors, to stop the Angel of death from entering their homes.

The wine reminded the Israelites of the lambs blood. At that meal He thanked God and blessed the bread and wine and distributed them to his friends. He identified the bread as his body and the wine as his blood, and asked his friends to repeat his actions and words ‘in memory’ of Him.

Jesus changes the Passover Meal Wine = Jesus’ Blood Bread = Jesus’ body Jesus changes the Passover Meal

It is often said that because the Last Supper was a Passover meal in which a lamb was sacrificed, the early Christian church would have seen Jesus’ words in sacrificial terms. The New Testament shows the earliest Christian communities following this instruction and breaking bread in the name of Jesus (Acts 2: 46).

What the Bible says ….. ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in memory of me.’ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup and said, ‘This cup is God’s new covenant, sealed with my blood. Whenever you drink it, do so in memory of me.’ This means that every time you eat this bread and drink from this cup you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11: 24–26)

What is its purpose? They give thanks for all that Jesus’ death achieved Enjoying and drawing strength from their present relationship with him, in fellowship with other believers They look forward to what will happen when He comes again

LOOKING BACK to the PASSOVER SADNESS at HIS death on a cross LOOKING FORWARD to Heaven and the Feast that awaits everyone

Outward sign of your faithfulness in accepting Jesus. Remembrance of what Jesus went through for you. Celebration of what Jesus means. Renews the bond between you and God. It also strengthens your link with fellow Christians as you share this experience on a regular basis. Throughout Christian history, the Eucharist has always been central to imagining the community of faith as the body of Christ in the world.

How important is it? The Roman Catholic view is called Transubstantiation. In this view. ‘The bread and wine are miraculously changed into the body and blood of Jesus. They are then offered to God as a sacrifice for the sins of the living and the dead: The congregation worships them as the priest lifts them up; and when the congregation partakes of the bread (not the wine) they really receive Christ’s body and blood. Therefore it is very important.

Saint Thomas Aquinas and Roman Catholic tradition see that these material elements are changed into the actual body and blood of Christ at consecration. TRANSUBSTANTIATION

Protestant do not share this view Protestant do not share this view. They see that the physical bread and wine remain the same at consecration, but are also the body and blood of Christ through faith and grace

How important is it? The Baptist Church view The bread and wine are only symbols and were simply intended to remind us of the death of Jesus and its meaning. This approach means the Eucharist is less important position for them than it is for Roman Catholics.

How important is it? The Roman Catholic Church practices mass each day. The Baptist Church has communion once a week. The Church of Scotland has it 4 times a year The Salvation Army do not have it at all.

In your jotter summarise what we know about the Eucharist.

Now what? Once a Christian is saved and shows it by taking part in the sacraments, is it enough to keep turning up to Church and doing all the religiousy stuff?

Over October break Revise Revise Revise Read worksheets and attempt questions. Read chapter on Easter and The Resurrection qs 2-20 * Read chapter on Justice, Community and Kingdom. Revise Revise Revise