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Emphasis Mine in All Bible Verses
11 Reasons The Doctrine of Transubstantiation is
Irrational, Illogical, And Unreasonable - To Say Nothing Of Unbiblical
1.) A Literal Interpretation Contradicts The Scriptures
2.) Jesus Would Have Been Encouraging People to Disobey The Father Because
Consuming Blood Was Forbidden
3.) Comparing John 6:40 and John 6:54
The parallels between John 6:40 and John 6:54 makes it quite clear that Jesus was not speaking literally.
4.) The Wrong Audience
5.) The Last Supper
6.) There Isn't One Single Example in The New Testament of
Jesus Being Physically Present On Earth After His Ascension
7.) Christ Can Only Be Physically Present In One Place At One Time
8.) Jesus Was Very Clear As To How And When He Would Return To Earth.
9.) Miracles Have To Be Physical And Observable
10.) Jesus Consistently Used Non Literal Language
11.) His Words Were Spiritual
11 Reasons The Doctrine of Transubstantiation is
Irrational, Illogical, And Unreasonable - To Say Nothing Of Unbiblical
The Eucharist (Emphasis Added)
"... 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. [01]
Transubstantiation, that means the conversion of one substance into another, is a combination of two Latin words trans (across) and substantia (substance or essence) . In Catholicism it refers to the belief that although their appearances remain the same, the bread and wine of the Eucharist are miraculously transformed into the body and blood of Jesus.
As said on the web site of the Diocese of Orlando,
The Church teaches "transubstantiation," meaning that the "substance" has changed from bread and wine to the glorified Body and Blood of Christ. At the same time, the "accidents" remain the same as a time-tested explanation for what occurs at Mass during the consecration of the bread and wine.
"Accidents" mean that the host continues to taste, look and feel like bread, but the "substance" has become the Body of Christ. The "accidents" of wine taste, color and fluidity remain while its "substance" has become the Body of Christ. This change continues after Mass. That is why the Church reserves the consecrated hosts in the tabernacle, and the hosts can also be adored by placing one in the monstrance for the exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament. [02]
In other words, although what is called the 'accidents' (the color, texture, shape, smell etc.) remain those of bread and wine, the whole substance of the bread is miraculously changed into the whole substance of Christ's body, and the whole substance of the wine into the whole substance of Christ's blood."
See what the The Council of Trent said about Transubstantiation
and the anathemas leveled against those who do not believe in this doctrine HERE
If it is true that that consuming Christ's body and blood is necessary for salvation then all of us need to become Catholics in order to escape the Wrath of God. On the other hand, if Jesus was speaking metaphorically then, as Mike Gendron writes
this teaching becomes the most blasphemous and deceptive hoax any religion could impose on its people. There is no middle ground. Therefore we are left with a question of utmost importance: Was the message Jesus conveyed to the Jewish multitude to be understood as literal or figurative? [03]
Here are the main reasons why Jesus' statement about eating His flesh and drinking His blood are to be understood figuratively. The verse reads
So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:53-54, BSB)
1.) A Literal Interpretation Contradicts The Scriptures
Understood literally John 6:53-54 contradicts numerous passages of Scripture that tell us that we are justified and saved by grace through our faith in Christ.
Now then, why do you test God by placing on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." (Acts 15:10-11 BSB)
And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:22-24 BSB)
I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, Christ died for nothing. (Galatians 2:21 BSB)
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 BSB)
He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5 BSB)
Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace and not by foods of no value to those devoted to them. (Hebrews 13:9 BSB)
A literal interpretation also means...
2.) Jesus Would Have Been Encouraging People to Disobey The Father Because
Consuming Blood Was Forbidden
Catholics believe Jesus was speaking literally when He said "whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life" which begs the question of why the apostles and elders of the Jerusalem Council sent a message to the Gentile believers that they should
"... abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell. (Acts 15:29 BSB)
(There was no exception made for the Lord's Supper )
In fact, the reason it was not allowed to become an everyday food was based on the fact that blood is the life of every living being and was the only atonement for sin. Consuming blood was forbidden from as early as Noah's time (Genesis 9:4). As God said
If anyone from the house of Israel or a foreigner living among them eats any blood, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from among his people. (Leviticus 17:10 BSB) For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls upon the altar; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. Therefore I say to the Israelites, 'None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner living among you eat blood. (Leviticus 17: 11-12 BSB)
Only be sure not to eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. (Deuteronomy 12:23 BSB)
According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22 BSB)
3.) Comparing John 6:40 and John 6:54
The parallels between John 6:40 and John 6:54 makes it quite clear that Jesus was not speaking literally.
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)
In John 6:53 - 54 Jesus says
So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:53-54, BSB)
The results are the same in both cases ie. eternal live. In verse 54 Jesus simply substituted eating His flesh and drinking His blood for looking to the Son and believing in Him.
In fact, in John 6 the Messiah used the metaphor of eating his flesh and drinking His blood equally with believing in Him. He was literally saying that just as eating and drinking are essential for physical life, belief in Jesus is equally essential for eternal life.
Jesus replied, "The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent." (John 6:29, BSB)
Jesus answered, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst." (John 6:35, BSB)
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)
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh."" (John 6:51, BSB)
So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:53-54, BSB)
4.) The Wrong Audience
Besides which, consider that the Savior's teachings in John 6 were NOT aimed at the disciples or believers, but was said to a large crowd (V.22) that had followed Him to Capernaum much before He instituted the Lord's Supper.
In other words, Jesus was speaking to unbelievers, however communion or the Lord's Supper is for believers - those already saved.
Let me repeat that.
Christ was speaking in the present tense making the offer to His hearers before communion was instituted at the Lord's Supper.
5.) The Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that Jesus shared with his apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion.
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)
The Catholic perspective is
At the Last Supper, Jesus takes bread and wine in his hands and says, "This is my body" and "This is my blood." In doing so, he identified these elements to have been changed from ordinary bread and wine to his own body and blood. [04]
The problem being that Jesus had not yet been crucified when He instituted the Lord's Supper. 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". [05]
Also See The Fruit of The Vine HERE
There is absolutely no indication that the disciples thought that the bread and wine changed into the actual body and blood of Christ. In fact, 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.
In other words, Catholicism fails to recognize the symbolic nature of Christ's words.
6.) There Isn't One Single Example in The New Testament
of Jesus Being Physically Present On Earth After His Ascension
Although more than one person had contact with Jesus after His ascension in no case was He physically present on earth.
Stephen saw "the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." (Acts 7:5556)
Paul: On the road to Damascus Paul saw a light from heaven flash around him and heard Jesus speak.
John: In Revelation 1:10 18 when John was on Patmos he saw and described the Lord Jesus (Vs. 13-16). However, he also said at the beginning of his account that 'he was in the Spirit on the Lord's day' which is likely to mean that he entered an unusual state during which he received unique revelation from the Holy Spirit . In all likelihood a similar experience to the one Ezekiel had
And as He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me. (Ezekiel 2:2 NASB)
Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me: "Blessed be the glory of the LORD from His place!" (Ezekiel 3:12 NASB)
In any case,
7.) Jesus Can Only Be Physically Present In One Place At One Time
Jesus' omnipresence - the fact that He can be present everywhere simultaneously - can only refer to His Spirit as He can only be physically present in one place at one time.
It is impossible for Christ to be bodily present on Sunday morning in thousands of Catholic Churches around the world at the same time.
8.) Jesus Was Very Clear As To How And When He Would Return To 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 ... but immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. "and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, 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. (Matt. 24:27, 29-30 ).
The angels were equally articulate 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)
Jesus actually told His disciples exactly where He was going, when He would be back, and the manner in which He would reappear.
1. He was leaving and going to the Father but would return for them
You heard that I said to you, 'I am going away, and I am coming to you. If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. (John 14:28 NASB)
In My Father's house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be. (John 14:2-3 NASB)
2. He would however not return until all things were restored
Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things, about which God spoke by the mouths of His holy prophets from ancient times. (Acts 3:19-21 NASB)
3. And would return in the same manner as He left
And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, then behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them, and they said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven." (Acts 1:10-11 NASB)
For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. (Matthew 24:27 NASB)
But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, 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 24:29-30 NASB)
How in the world then can anyone believe that Jesus returns to earth as often as any priest in any church around the globe declares "This is my body" during the Mass.
Moreover Jesus warned not to be deceived by those who claim that He is to be found here or there, because His return to earth would not be secret or private but as plain as the lightning that flashes across the sky. It will be spectacular and universally visible
And if those days had not been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. "Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ, or 'He is over here, do not believe him. "For false christs and false prophets will arise and will provide great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.
Behold, I have told you in advance. "So if they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness, do not go out; or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms, do not believe them. "For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. (Matthew 24:22-27 NASB)
9.) Miracles Have To Be Physical And Observable
According to Catholicism
The consecrated Host becomes the actual, physical presence of Jesus Christ (Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity) in such a way that only the appearances (taste, color etc.) of the original elements remain.
Quite obviously this is believed to be a miracle - a word defined in theology as 'an extraordinary and inexplicable event attributed to divine intervention'.
There were miracles aplenty in the New Testament. The turning of water into wine, raising Lazarus from the dead, the multiplying of the loaves and fish, various healings including lepers etc. etc.
In EVERY SINGLE CASE the Biblical miracles were physical thus observable. The guests at the wedding in Cana didn't need 'faith' to believe - the 'wine' looked and tasted like wine - good wine in fact. Lazarus walked out of the cave he was interred in. Sometime later he was said to be reclining at table when Jesus came for the Passover (John 12:1-2). And there are plenty more examples.
And large crowds came to Him bringing with them those who were limping, had impaired limbs, were blind, or were unable to speak, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them. So the crowd was astonished as they saw those who were unable to speak talking, those with impaired limbs restored, those who were limping walking around, and those who were blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. (Matthew 15:30-31 NASB)
Yet in referring to Transubstantiation Catholic author and apologist Dave Armstrong says
The Incarnation has to be received with faith as a supernatural miracle and so does the truth of the Holy Eucharist
In support of this He refers to the time God caused a donkey to ask Balaam (Numbers 22:21-31) what she had done to cause him to strike her three times. Dave Armstrong then asks (Emphasis Added)
... how would one go about demonstrating a physical change in the donkey, which now enabled it to speak (whereas we normally assume that animals do not speak, and not in the language we understand)?
Thus, here again there was no outward change (the "accidents" perceived by our senses remained the same), but a miracle occurred in which a donkey talked. In other words, it is analogous to the Eucharist. In both instances, change occurs that we can't examine under a microscope, but believe in faith because Our Lord or the Bible told us to so believe. [06]
Seriously?
There was an outward change - perceived by our senses - The donkey spoke
One didn't need to examine the donkey's vocal cords under a microscope in order to determine that a miracle had taken place just as one didn't have to do a skin biopsy to 'prove' the lepers had been healed. As Jesus said in his message to John the Baptist
"Go and report to John what you hear and see: those who are blind receive sight and those who limp walk, those with leprosy are cleansed and those who are deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. (Matthew 11:4-5 NASB)
If the Messiah Himself pointed to physical signs that were the evidence that a miracle had occurred are we expected to believe that one has occurred even though there is absolutely no visible change?
10.) Jesus Consistently Used Non Literal Language
(A figure of speech is a word or phrase that uses non-literal language to create a vivid picture. They help explain complex or abstract ideas through familiar comparisons.)
Jesus frequently used figures of speech to teach spiritual truths or to illustrate His point. No one takes them literally. He Himself confirmed that there were times He spoke metaphorically
Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. (John 16:25)
For example, He said He was
"... the bread that came down from heaven." (John 6:41)
"... the light of the world (John 9:5)
"... the gate for the sheep. (John 10:7,9)
"... the vine" (John 15:5)
Jesus referred to His body as the "temple" (John 2:19) and certainly did not mean real wolves and sheep when He said...
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not his own. When he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf pounces on them and scatters the flock. (John 10:11-12 BSB)
In the following verse everyone understands that He didn't mean He was an actual loaf of bread. Thus the hunger and thirst He spoke of are nor physical discomforts.
I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35 NASB)
Jesus compared Himself as the 'bread of life' with the manna that fell from heaven that God fed the Israelites during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. (Exodus 16).
I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh." (John 6:48-51 BSB)
His point being that their fathers physically ate the manna but died anyway. However, those who eat the spiritual 'bread of heaven' will live forever.
A Familiar Metaphor
The Jews were familiar with "eating and drinking" being used figuratively to describe appropriating divine blessings. For example In Isaiah 55 God called man to come to Him - to 'eat' what was good and live a life that was meaningful.
You there! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance. (Isaiah 55:1-2 NASB)
In John 7 Jesus extended the same invitation
Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. "The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" (John 7:37-38 NASB)
Trusting in Christ, not participation in any ritual appeases a person's spiritual hunger and thirst. See Salvation
In the New Testament salvation was likened to water that quenched one's thirst
And He told me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life. (Revelation 21:6 BSB)
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" Let the one who hears say, "Come!" And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely. (Revelation 22:17 BSB)
Thus when Jeremiah said he ate God's word" he could not have possibly meant anything other than he took God's word in as food for his soul
Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became a joy to me and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, LORD God of armies. (Jeremiah 15:16 NASB)
11.) Jesus Words Were Spiritual
There are several examples in John's Gospel when Jesus spoke in spiritual terms but men took His words literally. For example,
In John 2:19-22 when Jesus spoke about the destruction of the temple, the Jews thought He was referring to the building when Jesus was actually referring to His own body
Jesus answered, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again." "This temple took forty-six years to build," the Jews replied, "and You are going to raise it up in three days?" But Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body. (John 2:19-21 BSB)
In chapter 3, Nicodemus took Jesus' words about being "born again" literally asking how a man could be born when he was old? (John 3:3-4)
In chapter 4, hearing Jesus' statement about "living Water", the Samaritan woman He met at the well asked for some so she would 'not get thirsty and have to keep coming to the well to draw water.'
Similarly, in chapter 6 when Christ told the Jews
"Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:53-54 BSB)
Some of His audience were repulsed because they believed He was speaking literally however Jesus ended this teaching by saying
The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. (John 6:63 BSB)
There is nothing new under the sun.
They understood Christ literally in His time and continue to do so now.
There is another serious problem for Catholics who insist on a literal interpretation. They must realize that after they have consumed the physical body of Christ, it then decomposes during the digestive cycle. This goes against God's promise to never let His Holy Son see decay (Acts 2:27).
End Notes
[01] Why is the Mass so Central to Catholicism? https://tinyurl.com/2vyw9spp
[02] Father Jorge Torres. What is transubstantiation and when does it happen? https://tinyurl.com/377vhzax
[03] Mike Gendron. Eat My Flesh and Drink My Blood. http://www.reachingcatholics.org/eatdrink.html
[04] Catholic Answers. https://www.catholic.com/bible-navigator/real-presence/matthew2626-28
[05] Matthew Slick. Transubstantiation and the Real Presence. CARM (Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry). https://carm.org/transubstantiation-and-the-real-presence
[06] Dave Arnstrong. If You Believe in Miracles, You Should Believe in the Real Presence. National Catholic Register. https://www.ncregister.com/blog/miracles-and-transubstantiation.
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