Eucharistic Theologies Summarised - Lutheran Churches

Lutheran Churches

Main article: Sacramental union Further information: Eucharist in the Lutheran Church See also: The Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ—Against the Fanatics

• Primary theological development from Martin Luther, Philipp Melanchthon, and the Lutheran Book of Concord of the 16th century.
• Eucharistic theology: the sacramental union is the mode of the Real Presence, the means is the mandate and institution of Christ. This mandate and institution is expressed in the Lutheran divine service as the Words of Institution or the Verba. Statement of Martin Luther:

Why then should we not much more say in the Supper, "This is my body", even though bread and body are two distinct substances, and the word "this" indicates the bread? Here, too, out of two kinds of objects a union has taken place, which I shall call a "sacramental union", because Christ's body and the bread are given to us as a sacrament. This is not a natural or personal union, as is the case with God and Christ. It is also perhaps a different union from that which the dove has with the Holy Spirit, and the flame with the angel, but it is also assuredly a sacramental union (WA 26, 442; LW 37, 299-300).

• Body and Blood are "in, with, and under the forms" of bread and wine:

For the reason why, in addition to the expressions of Christ and St. Paul (the bread in the Supper is the body of Christ or the communion of the body of Christ), also the forms: under the bread, with the bread, in the bread, are employed, is that by means of them the papistical transubstantiation may be rejected and the sacramental union of the unchanged essence of the bread and of the body of Christ indicated (FC SD VII, 35; Triglot Concordia, 983; emphasis added). Lutherans do not seek to explain the change, and some designate their beliefs as consubstantiation, while others reject the designation of their doctrine as consubstantiation in contradistinction to the transubstantiation of the Roman Catholic Church, which they also reject (see also, Smalcald Articles ).

• Lutherans do not believe that the eucharistic sacrifice (sacrifice of praise) of the Lord's Supper is propitiatory or that it "repeats" Christ's sacrifice on the cross. However, Lutheran denominations put a great emphasis on the importance of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and of the main branches of the Reformation Era, the Lutheran view of "Real Presence" is regarded by many theologians to be the closest in theory and practice to the Sacrament of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

• Many congregations in Lutheran Church bodies practice closed communion. For example, in the LCMS and WELS, closed communion is practiced (meaning the Lutheran Eucharistic catechetical instruction as well as membership in a church body that shares the same Lutheran confession of faith is required for all people before receiving the Eucharist.). Recently, more liberal synods like the ELCA practice open communion (meaning the Eucharist is offered to adults without being members of the national church body, as long as they are a baptized Christian). Lutherans are to offer the Eucharist each Sunday. The weekly Eucharist has been strongly encouraged by the bishops and priests/pastors and is now the common practice among all Lutherans.