Thankful Thursday

I’m thankful

• for the beautiful place where I live. 
• for a quiet day.
• for the energy to get some cleaning done. 
• for God’s help to finish two big projects since last Thankful Thursday.
• for Natalie’s first year of life. I’m thankful that God sustained her through that first day when her heart was not functioning as it should, when she had to be flown out to the children’s hospital. I’m thankful he sustained her through the rest of the year, too.
• that winter has Christmas and is followed by spring.
• that God spoke so I can know.

Round the Sphere Again: Lots More People You Should Know

A Swedish King
You can’t grow up in Minnesota without hearing the name Gustavus Adophus, but I hadn’t a clue who he was until I read this biographical sketch by Michael Haykin. It turns out he was a warrior king who helped preserve the Protestant reformation. Haykin sums his piece up this way:

The kingdom of God is not ushered in through force of military arms, but such wars as Gustavus fought—wars essentially for self-defence—are not ruled out by the Word of God, as a careful reading of passage like Romans 13 shows. The name of Gustavus Adolphus belongs with those of other military commanders like Oliver Cromwell, James Gardiner (1688-1745), Robert E. Lee (1807-1870), and T.J. Jackson (1824-1863)—men who loved the Lord Jesus and who did not feel their calling conflicted with their Christian faith.

(Credo Magazine)

A Leader of Forerunners
Robert Godfrey answers the question, “Who was Waldo?”

The Waldensians were … witnesses to the presence of Christ’s Word and Spirit in the church through the centuries. They gave expression to aspects of Apostolic religion that were threatened with extinction in the dominant church. They remind us that in every era, Christ fulfills His promise: “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”…

(Ligonier.org)

A Puritan Woman
A few quotes from Anne Dutton on pride (Theology for Girls). 

A Treasure Trove
of biographies. I’ve listened to all of these lectures over the years, and have recommended many of them in previous Round the Sphere or Recommended for Listening posts. Now Justin Taylor has linked them all in a single post, so you really have no excuse for not listening to them.

Theological Term of the Week

transubstantiation
The Roman Catholic teaching that in the Eucharist the physical elements of bread and wine materially change into the body and blood of Christ, although the accidents of the bread and wine (their appearance, taste and smell, for instance), remain unchanged.

• Scripture used to defend the doctrine of transubstantiation:

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. (John 6:52-53 ESV)

• From Fundamentals of Catholic Doctrine by Ludwig Ott:

Christ becomes present in the Sacrament of the Altar by the transformation of the whole substance of the bread into His Body and of the whole substance of the wine into His Blood.

•  From Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof:

The supposed Scriptural ground for [transubstantiation] is found in the words of the institution, “this is my body”, and in John 6:50 ff. But the former passage is clearly tropical2, like those in John 14:6; 15:1, 10:9 and others; and the later, literally understood, would teach more than the Roman Catholic himself would be ready to grant, namely that every one who eats the Lord’ Supper goes to heaven, while no one who fails to eat it will obtain eternal life (cf. verses 53,54). Moreover, verse 63 clearly points to a spiritual interpretation. Furthermore, it is quite impossible to conceive of the bread which Jesus broke as being the body which was handling it; and it should be noted that Scripture calls it bread even after it is supposed to have been transubstantiated, I Cor. 10:17; 11:26,27,28. This view of Rome also violates the human senses, where it asks us to believe that what tastes and looks like bread and wine, is really flesh and blood; and human reason, where it requires belief in the separation of a substance and its properties and in the presence of a material body in several places at the same time, both of which are contrary to reason. Consequently, the elevation and adoration of the host is also without any proper foundation. 

Learn more:

1. Theopedia: Transubstantiation
2. Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry: Transubstantiation and the Lord’s Presence
3. James White: The of the Development of the Concept of Transubstantiation

Related terms:

• Lord’s Supper

Filed under Isms

1From The Christian Faith by Michael Horton.

2figurative

Do you have a term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.