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Article 27.  Baptism is an explicit separation from the World, a sign of regeneration or new birth, a grafting into the church, the promise of the forgiveness of sin, adoption into the Family of Christ through the Holy Spirit, a confirmation of Faith and the Grace of God.  Baptism of young children is agreeable to the will of Christ (“let the children come to Me”).

 Article 28.  Holy Communion is a sign of the love that Christians ought to share with each other, a Sacrament of our Redemption through the death of Christ.  The bread we break is to partake of the Body of Christ, the cup we drink is to partake of the Blood of Christ.  The Body and Blood are given, taken, and eaten in a heavenly and spiritual manner, through Faith.  Hypothesizing physical changes misses the point.

Article 29.  Unbelievers or those who are wicked and partake of Holy Communion, though they go through the motions, do not really partake of Christ.

 Article 30.  The cup of the Lord is not to be denied to lay-people – both parts should be offered to all Christians alike.

 Article 31.  The Offering of Christ (upon the cross) is the full and perfect redemption, atoning sacrifice, and resolving of God’s Holiness for all the sins of the whole world, and nothing else suffices.  Holy Communion is not a re-sacrifice of Christ, but a Holy Remembrance and partaking of the original and only sacrifice. 

 Baptism and Holy Communion are very important – the church has argued intensely as to their meaning over the centuries.  In Holy Communion, some people argue that the bread and wine physically change in some way, or don't – Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (basically) said “that misses the point – we eat of Christ and we drink of Christ, as He commanded at the Last Supper.”  He also said that receiving Christ depends on the belief of the receiver – going through the motions doesn’t make it real.  For a believer, as the molecules of bread and wine become a part of every one of their cells, Christ Himself spiritually re-becomes a part of them and they of He.  We are redeemed, we are changed, we are healed.  We re-partake of His death and resurrection, and rise again from the altar as new human beings. 

 

What is your understanding of Holy Communion?

 

+David