改革宗信仰基础26：圣餐Basics of the Reformed Faith: TheLord’s Supper

作者： Kim Riddlebarger  译者：寇正华

https://wscal.edu/blog/basics-of-the-reformed-faith-the-lords-supper

http://www.reformedbeginner.net/basics26-lords-supper/

改革宗对圣餐的理解是基于对如下几项之间的重要区分：标志和印记（饼和酒）、所指代的事（通过基督的血或“约中的血”的赦免），以及这两者之间的圣礼的联合（我们的主所说的“这是我的身体”）。这三重区分直接来自耶稣自己设立圣餐所说的话。“他们吃的时候，耶稣拿起饼来，祝福，就掰开，递给门徒，说，‘你们拿着吃，这是我的身体’；又拿起杯来，祝谢了，递给他们，说，‘你们都喝这个。因为这是我立约的血，为多人流出来，使罪得赦。但我告诉你们，从今以后，我不再喝这葡萄汁，直到我在我父的国里，同你们喝新的那日子。’ ”（太26:26-29）。

当耶稣将饼说成他的身体，将酒说成他的血，我们以他的话来接受，而不要将标记（饼和酒）与所指代的事物（基督的身体和血）混淆。我们也不应该插入诸如“这代表我的身体”之类的话，就像有些人相信圣餐在本质上是纪念性的餐，而通过领饼和酒并没有得到任何东西。正如保罗称“那磐石就是基督”（林前10:4），同样，饼就是耶稣的身体，不是因为这标记奇迹般地变成了所指代的事（如罗马天主教会错误地坚持变质说），而是因为基督使用圣礼的语言说饼（标记）如同是所指代的事物（他的身体）。因为在标记和所指代的事物之间存在真正的圣礼的联合，所以饼实际可以被说成是基督的身体，就像耶稣设立圣礼时所做的那样（太26:26及以下）。

在加尔文之后，改革宗试图牢记两点：耶稣升天的现实（其中耶稣真正的人性现在在天堂，并等待他的再来（徒1:9-11））与基督在圣餐中真实地临在（林前10:16-17）。虽然基督真正的人性在天上，但信徒可以得到他全部的拯救益处，因为通过信心，圣灵将在地上的信徒与在天上的基督联合。同样，基督在天上而信徒可以领受到他真正的身体和血，因为同样的圣灵确保那些已经与基督联合的人在信心中领饼和血时领受到他真正的身体（林前10:16-17；11:23-29）。

因此，吃的方式是属灵的，不是身体性的。我们藉着信而不是口真实地领受基督（约6:63可应用于此）。在设立圣餐的话中，基督的身体不是被拿下来给我们，即放置在祭坛上，如路德宗所说的“在里面、周围和下面”。而是，通过确保我们真实地得着应许的那位圣灵的大能，信徒能够以坐在神右边的基督为食。接受的方式是信心，因为这是灵魂的，不是身体的，所以得着的是所应许的实际，而口仅仅得到奉献的饼和酒。然而，当我们凭着信心吃奉献的饼并且喝这酒时，圣灵确保我们得到在天上的基督的真正的身体和血，因为我们联合于他。奥古斯丁是对的，他说“相信，则你就吃到。”

基督通过圣餐礼来与他的百姓同在，如同他们在信心中以基督为食物一样，这是关于圣餐的圣经教导和改革宗教义的核心。但这里还有一个末世性的维度（启19:6-9），因为地上的圣餐礼拜预示着那要来的伟大的婚娶。这里也有盟约的维度，每次圣餐礼拜的时候，神亲自重申他立约的誓言，以通过替罪人承受咒诅来拯救他们。耶稣基督依然享受与罪人在桌边的交往，正如在出埃及记24章中所预表性地描述的那样，然后在使徒时代建立的教会中被实现，正如我们在例如林前11:23-32的段落中所看到的。

鉴于设立圣餐的话语中的圣经语言“真实的临在”，除了联系道和圣礼的圣经实践（徒2:42；林前11；徒20:7）以外，很难作出纯粹的关于我们配得领圣餐的评价来作为领受圣餐的基础。某些问题困扰着我们。“我有足够的信心吗？”“我已经充分地承认我的罪并洁净了我的心吗？”这种内省过程的性质不可避免地贬低了一个事实，就是圣餐的本质是属灵的喂养和立约之餐，在这其中神重申他的立约誓言。使圣礼变得对信徒有效的是圣灵藉着道的工作，而不是牧师或神职人员。神是主动的一方（甚至不是“纪念”），所以我们必须将圣餐以及饼和酒的元素看为从神来的恩赐——从天上来的吗哪——由神通过他设立的记号赐给我们，以便将恩典之约中实际的祝福传递给我们。因此，圣餐对于基督徒生活来说不是附加的，而是必须被看作我们成圣和信仰成长中关键的部分。

在这餐中，耶稣仍然要求悔改的税吏和罪人来加入他。在主的桌前，我们恩慈的神证实了福音的应许，并通过领受奉献的饼和酒，神将强化并促进我们的信心、重申他的约，并提醒我们，我们是属他的。耶稣这样做是因为他是从天降下的我们生命的粮。

Basics of the Reformed Faith: The Lord’s Supper

JULY 30, 2012

Kim Riddlebarger

The Reformed understanding of the Lord’s Supper is grounded in an important distinction between the sign and seal (bread and wine), the thing signified (forgiveness through his blood, the “blood of the covenant”), and a sacramental union between the two (our Lord’s words “this is my body”).  This three-fold distinction arises directly from the words of institution spoken by Jesus himself.  “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, `Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, `Drink of it, all of you, for 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 again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:26-29).

When Jesus speaks of the bread as his body and the wine as his blood, we take him at his word without resorting to confusing the sign (bread and wine) with the thing signified (Christ’s body and blood).  Nor should we insert words such as “this represents my body,” as in the case of those who believe that the Lord’s Supper is essentially a memorial meal and that nothing is received through partaking of the bread and wine.  As Paul calls “Christ the rock” (1 Corinthians 10:4), so too, the bread is Jesus’ body, not because the sign is miraculously changed into the thing signified (as the Roman Catholic church erroneously contends in transubstantiation), but because Christ can speak of the bread (the sign) as though it were the thing signified (his body) using the language of sacraments.  Because a true sacramental union exists between the sign and the thing signified, the bread can indeed be spoken of as Christ’s body as Jesus does when instituting the sacrament (Matthew 26:26 ff).

Following Calvin, the Reformed have tried to keep in mind both the reality of Christ’s ascension, wherein Christ’s true human nature is now in heaven awaiting his return (Acts 1:9-11), and the real presence of Christ in the sacrament (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).  Though Christ’s true human nature is in heaven, the believer receives all of his saving benefits, because, through faith, the Holy Spirit has united the believer here on earth to Christ in heaven.  So too, Christ can be in heaven and the believer can receive his true body and blood, because the same Holy Spirit ensures that those already in union with Christ receive his true body and blood when they take bread and wine in faith (1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:23-29).

Therefore, the manner of eating is spiritual, not physical.  We truly receive Christ by faith and not by the mouth (John 6:63 may apply here).  In the words of institution, the body of Christ is not brought down to us, i.e., localized on an altar “in, with, and under” as Lutherans argue.  Rather, the believer is able to feed upon Christ who sits at God’s right hand through the power of the Holy Spirit who ensures that we truly receive what is promised.  The manner of reception is faith, since it is the soul, not the body, which receives the reality of what is promised, while the mouth receives only the consecrated bread and wine.  Nevertheless, when we eat the consecrated bread and drink the wine, through faith, the Holy Spirit ensures that we receive the true body and blood of Christ which is in heaven because we are in union with him.  Augustine had it right when he said “believe, and thou hast eaten.”

That Christ is sacramentally present with his people through the Supper as they feed upon him in faith then is the heart of the biblical teaching and Reformed doctrine regarding the Lord’s Supper.  But there is also an eschatological dimension here (Revelation 19:6-9), as the earthly celebration of the Supper anticipates the great marriage supper yet to come.  There is a covenantal dimension here as well, as each time the Lord’s Supper is celebrated, God himself re-affirms his covenant oath to save sinners by bearing the curse for them.  Jesus Christ still enjoys table fellowship with sinners as was typologically set forth in Exodus 24, and then realized in those churches established throughout the apostolic era, as we see in a passage such as 1 Corinthians 11:23-32.  

Given the biblical language of “real presence” in the words of institution, in addition to the biblical practice of connecting the Word and sacrament (Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 11; Acts 20:7), it is hard to make a purely human assessment of our own worthiness to partake as the basis for receiving the Supper.  Certain questions haunt us.  “Do I have enough faith?”  “Have I sufficiently confessed my sins and purified my heart?”  Inevitably, the nature of this introspective process depreciates the fact that the essence of the Supper is a spiritual feeding and a covenant meal, in which God re-affirms his covenant oath.  It is the Holy Spirit working through the Word, and not a priest or minister that makes the sacrament efficacious for believers.  God is the active party (not even the “rememberer”), and this is why we must see the Supper and the elements of bread and wine as gracious gifts from God–manna from heaven, as it were–given to us by God to communicate to us the realities of the blessings of the covenant of grace, through the signs instituted by God.  The Supper is, therefore, not incidental to the Christian life, but must be seen as a vital part of our sanctification and growth in godliness.

In this meal, Jesus still invites repentant tax collectors and sinners to join him.  At the table of the Lord, our gracious God confirms the promise of the gospel, and through partaking of the consecrated bread and wine, God will strengthen and nourish our faith, renew his covenant, and remind us that we are his.  Jesus does this because he is our living bread, who came down from heaven.