Knots Untied - Ryle - VIII - Chapter 8

Required reading
Knots Untied by JC Ryle (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 8 (The Lord's Supper).

My summary
Now Ryle looks at the other Protestant sacrament/ordinance - the Lord' supper.

Firstly Ryle tells us what the original intention of the Lord's supper was:
(i) a remembrance;
(ii) NOT a sacrifice;
(iii) NOT a means of conferring a benefit on communicants;
(iv) NOT a mere social feast.

Secondly we are shown the rightful position of the Lord's supper.  It is
(i) NOT the first, foremost, principal, and most important thing in Christian worship;
(ii) NOT to be administered with an extravagant degree of outward ceremony and veneration;
(iii) NOT to be pressed on all worshippers indiscriminately.

What grabbed me
I liked the way Ryle refuted the argument that John 6 teaches transubstantiation when Jesus speaks of "eating his flesh and drinking His blood": 'But there is an utter absence of conclusive proof that this chapter refers to the Lord s Supper at all. The man who maintains that it does refer to the Lord s Supper, will find himself involved in very awkward consequences. He sentences to everlasting death all who do not receive the Lord's Supper. He raises to everlasting life all who do receive it. Enough to say that the great majority of Protestant commentators altogether deny that the chapter refers to the Lord s Supper, and that even some Romish commentators on this point agree with them.'

Great point!

Next week's reading
Read Chapter 9 (The real presence).

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.