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PART II - Transubstantiation
Eleven Reasons Why Jesus' Statement About Eating His Flesh And Drinking His Blood
Are To Be Understood Figuratively.
ON THIS PAGE
Emphasis Mine In Bible Verses
The Cornerstone Of Catholic Worship
For Catholics the Mass is a sacrifice, performed by a priest
The Eucharist - A Real Sacrifice?
Central to the celebration of the Mass is the Eucharist,
which Catholics believe the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ.
Our Redemption - Achieved Through The Sacrifice Of The Eucharist
And Our Sins Forgiven?
Salvation Through Faith or Ritual?
Numerous Scriptural Texts show that salvation is through faith in Christ,
An Obligation
Failure to participate in the Eucharist is considered a grave sin.
Transubstantiation
by the words of consecration, the bread and wine are believed to be transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus which is received in Catholic communion.
Did Jesus Change His Mind?
about how and when He would return to the earth,
Christ Was Raised Imperishable And In Power
is one good reason why it is impossible for Christ to be offered up as a propitiatory sacrifice for sins.
Christ's One Time Sacrifice For Sin
Attempting to appease God with an ongoing sacrifice shows blatant disbelief in, or ignorance of, the Word of God.
The Veil of The Temple
Symbolized the Father's acceptance of Christ's sacrifice and the removal of the separation between God and man.
Was Christ a Victim?
No one took His life from Him - He gave it willingly.
Symbolism of The Last Supper
The Lord's Supper that Jesus instituted was a memorial not a sacrifice
The Fruit of The Vine
Jesus spoke of the contents of the cup as "this fruit of the vine" which is not possible
if transubstantiation had already taken place.
 Note the Parallels: John 6:40 and John 6:54
The results are the same in both cases ie. eternal life.
John Paul II - Playing Fast and Loose With The Word of God
Not finding Hebrews 9:12 suited his theology, he simply changed it.
The Mass is ... The Cornerstone Of Catholic Worship
The Mass is the cornerstone of Catholic worship. As Catholic Answers says. It... (Emphasis Added)
"... is Christ's sacrifice made present again. It's not recalled, as if it had been absent or was merely a past event. It's re-presented. And so when we go to Mass, we are connected to the life-giving power of these saving events that have the power to make all things new. And we are offering to the Father the only sacrifice that could possibly please him: the perfect offering of his perfect Son.
And goes on to say, it ... (Emphasis Added)
However there is an enormous difference between Protestant services and the Catholic Mass. (All Emphasis Added)
It is surprising how many Protestants do not understand the significance of the Roman Catholic mass. Some think of it as merely a church ritual and dismiss it as just another form of the Lord's Supper or holy communion. But that is far from being the case. For Protestants and Roman Catholics alike, the Lord's Supper or holy communion is a sacrament.
(Sacrament - an important religious ceremony or worship practice that is holy and set apart for God. It represents God's invisible spiritual grace)
For Protestants it is a means of spiritual blessing and a memorial service, recalling to mind the glorious person of Christ and the great service that He rendered for us on Calvary.
But for Roman Catholics it is something quite different. For them it is also a sacrifice, performed by a priest. And its sacrificial element is by far the most important. In fact the sacrifice of the mass is the central point in their worship, while even the preaching of the Gospel is assigned a subordinate role and is not even held to be an essential of the priestly office. [02]
In the words of Pope John Paul II, (Emphasis Added)
"The Mass is above all else a sacrifice" (On the Mystery and Worship of the Eucharist, or Dominicae Cenae, henceforth "DC," Feb 24, 1980).
[In the Mass] Christ perpetuates in an unbloody manner the sacrifice offered on the cross, offering Himself to the Father for the world's salvation through the ministry of priests (Instruction on the Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery, henceforth "EM," 25 May 1967, C 3).
We re-offer in the Mass the body and blood of Christ, separated as they were on Calvary. We re-present the one sacrifice of Christ on the cross, the event which saved us and opened the gates of heaven which had been closed by Original Sin. [03]
There are three outstanding problems with the above statement.
The First: There is no such thing as 'original sin'.
See Original Sin.. Fact Or Fable?
I wonder how many of those that profess to believe in Original Sin have given any thought to the fact that sin is not a substance with physical properties that can be transmitted from person to person like a virus.
Much to the contrary, sin is a conscious, willful act performed by an individual (in thought, word or deed) that transgresses God's law. Think about it - sin can not even exist unless a sinner has an immoral, unrighteous thought then acts on it. Besides which, if sin can be inherited there is absolutely no reason why virtue, goodness, and righteousness cannot also be passed on.
The Second: A 'bloodless' sacrifice cannot atone for sins
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement. (Leviticus 17:11 NASB)
And almost all things are cleansed with blood, according to the Law, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22 NASB)
No Blood, No Propitiation
The Third: It is not our place to "re-offer" the body and blood of Christ. Nor is it our place to "re-present" Christ's one sacrifice of Christ. See Christ's One Time Sacrifice For Sin BELOW
The Eucharist - A Real Sacrifice?
In spite of the fact that the rite is called the "Sacrifice Of The Mass", I have to wonder how many Catholics are aware of the fact that the Church teaches that the Mass is an actual sacrifice that takes place on the altar and that the consecrated bread wafers are called "hosts" that is derived from the Latin word hostia - sacrifice.
And they are participating in this sacrifice.
Point 12 of the Eucharisticum Mysterium (Instruction on Eucharistic Worship) says
It should be made clear that all who gather for the Eucharist constitute that holy people which, together with the ministers, plays its part in the sacred action. It is indeed the priest alone, who, acting in the person of Christ, consecrates the bread and wine, but the role of the faithful in the Eucharist is to recall the passion, resurrection and glorification of the Lord, to give thanks to God, and to offer the immaculate Victim not only through the hands of the priest, but also together with him; and finally, by receiving the Body of the Lord, to perfect that communion with God and among themselves which should be the product of participation in the Sacrifice of the Mass. [04]
I wonder why any believing Christian would ever want to participate in the continuation of the excruciating pain and torture Jesus endured to redeem mankind. It is both repugnant and morally repulsive that anyone would even think about perpetuating His suffering and agony.
Wasn't once enough?
And that is not all. The Catholic Church also teaches that through each Mass our redemption is continually carried out.
Our Redemption - Achieved Through The Sacrifice Of The Eucharist?
In the mid 1960's the Vatican II Council attended by more than 2,400 Catholic bishops was called by Pope John Paul XXIII. It made the following statement,
"For it is in the liturgy, especially in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, that 'the work of our redemption is accomplished, and it is through the liturgy especially that the faithful are enabled to express in their lives and manifest to others the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church." [05]
He (Christ) daily offers Himself upon our altars for our redemption, that we may be rescued from eternal damnation and admitted into the company of the elect. This He does, not for us only who are in this mortal life, but also "for all who rest in Christ, who have gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace;" [06]
And Our Sins Forgiven?
For the Lord, appeased by the oblation thereof, and granting the grace and gift of penitence, forgives even heinous crimes and sins. For the victim is one and the same, the same now offering by the ministry of priests, who then offered Himself on the cross, the manner alone of offering being different. [07]
Not only is it believed that our sins are forgiven but the Eucharist supposedly preserves us from future sins, and is also offered in reparation for the sins of the dead
The Catechism states (All Emphasis Added)
1393 Holy Communion separates us from sin. The body of Christ we receive in Holy Communion is "given up for us," and the blood we drink "shed for the many for the forgiveness of sins." For this reason the Eucharist cannot unite us to Christ without at the same time cleansing us from past sins and preserving us from future sins: [08]
1414 As sacrifice, the Eucharist is also offered in reparation for the sins of the living and the dead and to obtain spiritual or temporal benefits from God. [09]
Salvation Through Faith or Ritual?
In any case, if Jesus' words 'The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life' referred to communion then eternal life is gained by partaking. This contradicts numerous Scriptures that show that salvation is through faith in Christ, not by participating in a ritual.
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for "whoever will call on the name of the lord will be saved." (Romans 10:9, 13 NASB)
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
However although faith is an indispensable requirement for salvation. it never was, and never will be, the only requirement. As Tozer once said
"A world of confusion and disappointment results from trying to believe without obeying. This puts us in the position of a bird trying to fly with one wing folded. We merely flap in a circle and seek to cheer our hearts with the hope that the whirling ball of feathers is proof that a revival is under way". A. W. Tozer
See The Myth of Faith Alone
An Obligation
Failure to participate in the Eucharist is considered a grave sin. The Catholic Catechism warns that (Emphasis Added)
The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin. [10]
Which brings me to
Transubstantiation
Not only is Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross re-presented every time the Mass is offered but, by the words of consecration, the bread and wine are believed to be transformed into the actual Body and Blood of Jesus which is received in Catholic communion.
An article entitled Why is the Mass so Central to Catholicism? says
"The Mass holds a pivotal place in Catholic worship, serving as the highest form of prayer and the most profound expression of faith. Central to this sacred celebration is the Eucharist, where Catholics believe the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. This mystery of transubstantiation allows the faithful to intimately unite with Jesus, experiencing His real presence and grace. [11] (Emphasis Added)
In Catholicism transubstantiation means there is a change of substance. When the priest declares "This is my body" during the mass the consecrated Host becomes the actual, physical presence of Jesus Christ in such a way that only the appearances (taste, color etc.) of the original elements remain.
See Transubstantiation
Eleven Reasons Why Jesus' Statement About Eating His Flesh And Drinking His Blood Are To Be Understood Figuratively.
As said by Fr. William Casey on the Catholic Exchange. (Emphasis Added)
When you receive Holy Communion, the priest presents the sacred Host and says, "The Body of Christ," and you say, "Amen." That word "amen" is not just a ritualistic response but an affirmation of the truth of the priest's declaration. When you say "amen," you are acknowledging before God that you believe that what you are receiving is, in fact, of the Body and Blood of Christ hidden under the appearances of bread and wine. You are affirming that in the Holy Eucharist you receive Jesus Christ's Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. [12]
Note I: It is both irreverent and profane to teach that our Almighty and most Holy God is contained in a corruptible wafer that is handled, eaten, decomposes during the digestive cycle, then expelled. What happened to God's promise to never let His Son see decay? (Acts 2:27).
IPS Note II: If a person really believed that they were in the presence of the Lord God they would never get up off their knees, much less turn their back on Him and walk out.
Did Jesus Change His Mind?
This next quote is one of the most preposterous claims I have ever read. (All Emphasis Added)
When the priest announces the tremendous words of consecration, he reaches up into the heavens, brings Christ down from His throne, and places Him upon our altar to be offered up again as the Victim for the sins of man. It is a power greater than that of saints and angels, greater than that of Seraphim and Cherubim.
Indeed it is greater even than the power of the Virgin Mary. While the Blessed Virgin was the human agency by which Christ became incarnate a single time, the priest brings Christ down from heaven, and renders Him present on our altar as the eternal Victim for the sins of man - not once but a thousand times! The priest speaks and lo! Christ, the eternal and omnipotent God, bows his head in humble obedience to the priests command. [13]
I guess Jesus had second thoughts about how and when He would return to the earth,
"For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be ... immediately after the tribulation ... and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:27-30).
And the angels were very much mistaken when they told the disciples who had just watched Christ being taken up into heaven,
Men of Galilee, they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11 BSB
Christ Was Raised Imperishable And In Power
is one good reason why it is impossible for Christ to be offered up as a propitiatory sacrifice for sins.
In Paul's response to some false teachers in Corinth who denied the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:12) he discussed whether or not there would be a resurrection of the dead (V. 1-35) and the nature of the resurrection body (V. 42-49).
In regard to the last point he said the body is perishable, but is raised imperishable - It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being;" the last Adam a life-giving spirit.
The spiritual, however, was not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so also are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so also shall we bear the likeness of the heavenly man. (1 Corinthians 15:42-49 BSB)
Because we now bear the "likeness of the earthly man" - and will in future "bear the likeness of the heavenly man" everything said about the Christian's earthly body and his resurrected body is a reflection of Christ's earthly body and His resurrected body
So when Paul stated our bodies will be raised imperishable, in power, and a spiritual body they will be a reflection of Christ's resurrected body that was raised imperishable and in power - thus no longer susceptible to suffering or death. This makes it impossible for Him to be offered up as a propitiatory sacrifice for sins.
Christ's One Time Sacrifice For Sin
The Catholic church's insistence that Christ "daily offers Himself upon our altars for our redemption" flies in the face of Biblical teachings.
The book of Hebrews tells us that in the Old Testament the priest repeatedly offered the same sacrifices that could never take away sins
Day after day every priest stands to minister and to offer again and again the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. (Hebrews 10:11 BSB)
It then goes on to contrast the continual and yearly ministry of the Jewish priests in the earthly tabernacle with the once for all ministry of the Lord Jesus in the heavenly tabernacle.
Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He ...having offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time, He waits for His enemies to be made a footstool for His feet, because by a single offering He has made perfect for all time those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:12-14 BSB)
He sat down at the Father's right hand because His work was done. And unless, He has changed His mind, there He will remain until "His enemies be made a footstool for His feet".
Hebrews makes it perfectly clear that Jesus secured eternal redemption by this one offering.
He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:12 BSB)
And the believer's redemption is eternal because of a once for all finished transaction.
Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself. (Hebrews 7:27 BSB)
so also Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him. (Hebrews 9:28 BSB)
Stating in no uncertain terms,
"Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more. And where these have been forgiven, an offering for sin is no longer needed. (Hebrews 10:17-18 BSB)
Peter and Paul were no less clear
knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all time; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. (Romans 6:9-10 NASB
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit, (1 Peter 3:18 BSB)
When you were dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our trespasses, having canceled the debt ascribed to us in the decrees that stood against us. He took it away, nailing it to the cross! (Colossians 2:13-14 BSB)
Scripture repeatedly refers to the "once for all" offering of Christ, thus attempting to appease God with an ongoing sacrifice shows blatant disbelief in the Word of God. Much to the contrary it demonstrates not only an ignorant and undeserved loyalty to the teachings of fallible human beings but a willingness to put man's words above God's.
Another fact to consider is...
The Veil of The Temple
Just before the Lord Jesus gave up His spirit upon the cross, He cried out, "It is finished!" (John 19:30). However, the other three Gospel authors added an additional detail - as the Messiah died the veil of the temple was torn in two.
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. (Matthew 27:50-51 NASB)
But Jesus let out a loud cry, and died. And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. (Mark 15:37-38 NASB)
because the sun stopped shining; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into Your Hands I entrust My Spirit. And having said this, He died. (Luke 23:45-46 NASB)
In the temple in Jerusalem, the veil was a heavy curtain that separated the Holy Place (where the priests ministered) from the Holy of Holies (the sacred sanctuary that housed the Ark of the Covenant - the earthly dwelling place of God's Divine Presence).
The veil symbolized the separation between a holy God and sinful humanity. The only one who was ever permitted to go past the veil into the Holy of Holies was the high priest - and that only once a year on Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement.
See The Seven Feasts of Israel
The most complete description of the Jewish feasts is found in Leviticus 23. Each of the feasts had both a historic and prophetic significance inasmuch as they celebrated a historical event in Israel's past, but also prophesied future events - four of which have already come to pass.
It is important to note that the Feasts were given by God in a set chronological order, therefore the events that they symbolize will take place in the same exact order. I have read way too many interpretations of the Feasts that jump backwards and forwards between them in an effort to make them fit into pre-conceived end time scenarios. What we need to do is make the order of the Feasts our guideline to coming events, instead of scrambling them to fit our ideas.
Thus the dramatic removal of the barrier between God and man symbolized the Father's acceptance of Christ's sacrifice.
Was Christ A Victim?
And echoing the Eucharisticum Mysterium published in 1967 by the Sacred Congregation of Rites (a department of the Roman Curia) the Catechism says (Emphasis Added)
1367 The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: "The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different." "And since in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and offered in an unbloody manner. . . this sacrifice is truly propitiatory." [14]
Note: As mentioned earlier a 'bloodless' sacrifice cannot atone for sins (Leviticus 17:11 and Hebrews 9:22 )
The definition of the word victim is
1. 'a person or thing that suffers harm, death, etc, from another OR
2. a living creature sacrificed in religious rites.
Christ was never a "victim" inasmuch as no one took His life from Him - He gave it willingly.
The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father. (John 10:17-18 BSB)
As said in a comment made on the Puritan Board
"I prefer ransom instead of victim. It seems ransom would include his eternal omniscience in knowing the beginning from the end, his omnipotence in controlling his death, and his voluntary willingness to take upon himself the wrath due us.
Victim has the feeling of unwilling, unbeknownst, and helpless, etc. I don't really see anytime in history man ever doing anything to God apart from his will. [15]
He was not a victim but the risen, glorified, crowned King of Glory.
"... After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:3 BSB)
Symbolism of The Last Supper
A Passover Meal
The original Lord's Supper was a Passover meal. Jesus however adapted and applied the meaning of that Jewish feast to Himself. The idea is that just as Israel was delivered from the death of their firstborn and from slavery to Pharaoh through the blood of the Passover lamb, so you are spared from God's judgment and slavery to sin by the death of the Lamb of God. [16]
The Lord's Supper that Jesus instituted was a memorial not a sacrifice
When the hour had come, Jesus reclined at the table with His apostles. And He said to them, I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering. For I tell you that I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. After taking the cup, He gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.
And He took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body, given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you. (Luke 22:14-20 BSB)
Catholicism fails to recognize the symbolic nature of Christ's words. There is absolutely no indication that the disciples thought that the bread and wine changed into the actual body and blood of Christ. It would have taken a vast stretch of their imaginations (or a collective hallucination) for them to imagine that the Savior standing right in front of them was was holding His own body and blood in his hands.
As asked by Matthew Slick are we to understand that ... (All Emphasis Added)
"... at the Last Supper, when they were all at the table, when Jesus broke the bread it became His actual sacrificial body -- even though the sacrifice had not yet happened? Likewise are we to conclude that when Jesus gave the wine that it became His actual sacrificial blood -- even though the sacrifice had not yet happened? That would make no sense at all". [17]
See Transubstantiation
11 Reasons Why Jesus' Statement About Eating His Flesh And Drinking His Blood
Are To Be Understood Figuratively.
The Fruit of The Vine
In Matthew 26 at the institution of the Last Supper Jesus said,
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is My body. Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father's kingdom. (Matthew 26:26-29 BSB)
There are two points to be noted here.
First: In both accounts (Luke 22:18 and Matthew 26:229) Jesus spoke of the contents of the cup as "this fruit of the vine" which is not possible if transubstantiation had already taken place.
Second: In Matthew Jesus also told His disciples that He would "drink it anew" with them in His Father's kingdom. However, in His Father's kingdom there will be no Eucharist.
As Paul said
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. (1 Corinthians 11:26 NASB)
This verse only makes sense if Jesus will only physically return in the future. It cannot possibly apply if Jesus appears at every celebration of the Mass.
See The Seven Feasts of Israel
The most complete description of the Jewish feasts is found in Leviticus 23. Each of the feasts had both a historic and prophetic significance inasmuch as they celebrated a historical event in Israel's past, but also prophesied future events - four of which have already come to pass.
It is important to note that the Feasts were given by God in a set chronological order, therefore the events that they symbolize will take place in the same exact order. I have read way too many interpretations of the Feasts that jump backwards and forwards between them in an effort to make them fit into pre-conceived end time scenarios. What we need to do is make the order of the Feasts our guideline to coming events, instead of scrambling them to fit our ideas.
Note The Parallels: John 6:40 and John 6:54
John 6:40:
"For it is My Father's will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:40 BSB)
John 6:54,
Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54 BSB)
The results are the same in both cases ie. eternal life. In verse 54 Jesus simply substituted eating His flesh and drinking His blood with looking to the Son and believing in Him.
In any case, if both teachings are considered to be literal we are presented with a dilemma
What if a person "believes" but does not "eat or drink"? Or what if a person "eats and drinks" but does not "believe?" This could occur any time a non-believer walked into a Catholic Church and received the Eucharist. Does this person have eternal life because he met one of the requirements but not the other? The only possible way to harmonize the interpretation of these two verses is to accept one as figurative and one as literal. [18]
Playing Fast and Loose With The Word of God
In his bestselling book Crossing the Threshold of Hope published in 1994, John Paul II (pope 1978-2005) said the following,
"The church is the instrument of man's salvation. It both contains and continually draws upon the mystery of Christ's redemptive sacrifice. Through the shedding of His own blood, Jesus Christ constantly "enters into God's sanctuary thus obtaining eternal redemption" [19]
The words in parenthesis are supposedly a quote from Hebrew 9:12.
Are they?
The verse in Hebrews actually reads
and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered (Gk. eiselthen) the holy place once for all time, having obtained (Gk. heuramenos) eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:12 NASB)
Which means the pope made four changes to the original text in order to support Catholic theology. This is not only unscrupulous and unprincipled, but demonstrates a dangerous contempt for the Word of God - well deserving of moral condemnation.
1. "Entered" (past tense) was changed to 'enters'
The Greek verb eiselthen is in the indicative mood and the aorist tense - a verb form in ancient languages like Greek that describes a simple, completed action in the past. This portrays Christ's entrance into the heavenly sanctuary as an event in past time.
The Pope changed the verb to the present tense, writing that Christ "enters into God's sanctuary" making Christ's entrance an event that is even now occurring.
2.) The word 'constantly' was inserted making it 'constantly enters'.
3.) The 'words "once for all time" were omitted
4.) "Having obtained" (past tense) was altered to 'thus obtaining'.
The English word 'securing' is the Greek heuramenos also in the aorist tense thus better rendered as 'having obtained" [20]
In fact if read in context the author of Hebrews was comparing and contrasting the continual and yearly ministry of the high priest in the Old Testament with Jesus in the New. In the Old Testament the high priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year with a blood offering to atone for the sins of the people.
But only the high priest entered the second room, and then only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. (Hebrews 9:7 BSB)
In the New, the Lord Jesus, our High Priest, entered the holy place of the heavenly tabernacle "once for all, having obtained eternal redemption"
But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:11-12 BSB)
Why These Alterations?
Because Rome holds that Christ must be constantly re-presented as a victim for our salvation through the Mass said over a million times a year.
The Pope, not finding Hebrews 9:12 suited his theology, simply changed it. This was not a slip of the pen, but a calculated alteration of God's Word to make the Sacrifice of the Mass appear biblical.
End Notes
[01] Marcellino DAmbrosio. Here's Why You Should Go to Mass.
https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/why-go-to-mass
[02] Lorraine Boettner. Roman Catholicism. Chapter VIII The Mass.
https://jamesjpn.net/religion/roman-catholicism-by-lorraine-boettner-chapter-viii-the-mass/?print=print
[03] Catholic Faith Alive!, Inc. What is the Mass? https://cfalive.com/pages/is-sunday-mass-necessary
[04] Eucharisticum Mysterium Instruction on Eucharistic Worship. https://adoremus.org/1967/05/eucharisticum-mysterium/
[05] Excerpt from United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, "Catechism of the Catholic Church." United States Catholic Conference. Diocese of Columbus. https://tinyurl.com/97r9mszj
[06] Mediator Dei. Encyclical Of Pope Pius XII. On The Sacred Liturgy. Point 73. November 20, 1947.
https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_20111947_mediator-dei.html
[07] Doctrine On The Sacrifice Of The Mass. Chapter II. That the Sacrifice of the Mass is propitiatory both for the living and the dead. https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/trent/twenty-second-session.htm
[08] The Holy See. Catechism Part Two Section Two The Seven Sacraments Of The Church. https://tinyurl.com/4xmv9bh7
[09] The Holy See. Catechism Part Two Section Two The Seven Sacraments Of The Church. In Brief.
https://tinyurl.com/5y24kjyr
[10] Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2181. Why do Catholics have to go to Mass? https://www.stjic.org/ccc-2180-2181/
[11] Why is the Mass so Central to Catholicism? https://tinyurl.com/2vyw9spp
[12] Fr. William Casey. https://catholicexchange.com/real-presence-personal-relationship-jesus/
[13] Quote attributed to Father John OBrien in his book 'The Faith of Millions'
[14] Catechism of the Catholic Church. Catholic Culture. https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/catechism/index.cfm?recnum=4230
[15] davejonescue, Puritan Board Graduate. https://puritanboard.com/threads/was-jesus-a-victim.116968/
[16] Steven J. Cole. How To Come To The Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-34)
https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-11-how-come-lord-s-supper-1-corinthians-1117-34
[17] Matthew Slick. Transubstantiation and the Real Presence. CARM (Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry). https://carm.org/transubstantiation-and-the-real-presence
[18] Mike Gendron. Eat My Flesh and Drink My Blood. http://www.reachingcatholics.org/eatdrink.html
[19] Pope John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope (New York: Knopf, 1995), p. 139
[20] https://biblehub.com/interlinear/hebrews/9-12.htm
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