There is no altar in the New Testament Church

The New Testament Church Has No Altar

There is no altar in the new testament church here at morris corner church. We don't have an altar uh in this building now. If somebody were to point to us, no, it's not true. I was married in this church.

I was married before the altar. Where where would the altar be. You've heard of an altar call? Right, the the pastor's preaching and gives the altar call and people are supposed to do what? Come up front so we know that.

People who call whatever it is the altar it has to be up here somewhere. So i'm just posing the question to you. Where's the altar? Or what would be called the altar? Okay, because this the platform is elevated, okay, so some people will call the platform the altar.

Well, if i'm standing up here am I the sacrifice. No. All right, what else there's something else that would be called. Okay, the table right so this right here. Would normally be called the altar, but i'm telling you that this is not an altar.

I know if you put money in the plate feels like a sacrifice, but that's that's not. It's not the altar, okay. So there is no altar, uh in the new testament church. Here's why number one the sacrifices that we offer are spiritual sacrifices.

Our body romans chapter 12 verse 1 our body is to be presented as a living sacrifice. So in service to god we offer ourselves.

Also.

We offer the sacrifice of praise which is the fruit of our lips. That's hebrews 13 verse 15, so we do offer Spiritual sacrifices, but there is no physical sacrifice therefore there is no physical altar.

And then going back to the second definition, uh of Merriam-webster's definition of an altar. A table used in a church for the celebration of the eucharist. Who knows what the eucharist is. What's the eucharist.

The word eucharist means thanksgiving. Um, and there is an element of thanksgiving with the lord's supper, that's fine and good but Usually there's certain groups that use the term eucharist. We don't use that term.

Yeah, so catholic or greek orthodox russian orthodox, uh, they will use uh this term eucharist. And they would say that they have an altar In their churches and their altar is the communion table. Because they really believe they are offering physical sacrifices.

The elements are bread and wine and they believe that the bread.

Is the.

Literal, I mean, I know we talk about eat my flesh and drink my blood. Well, that's in john 6 and he's not really actually even talking about the lord's supper. Uh, but we talk about the bread and the cup.

They believe they are actually offering the literal flesh and blood of jesus christ on their.

Altar.

So why do some people call the communion table an altar? Because they believe it's a real sacrifice. So that's uh, generally the the catholic church that believes that but also there are some protestant churches Uh that believe The lord's supper or communion is an actual sacrifice that that christ is being presented.

Okay, the catholics have a doctrine called transubstantiation Where when the priest holds up the wafer And the bell rings and he offers this prayer that it that it literally becomes the the flesh Of jesus and the the wine his literal Blood still looks like wine.

It tastes like wine, but they say no it's it's really his body and blood. Uh, the protestants some protestants like lutherans will say that no christ really is present. It's not actually his flesh and blood, but he is present under the elements.

I don't really know what that means. Okay, um, but that's. That's what they say. What's our view of the lord's supper? Do we view it as a sacrifice? No, and because we don't view it as a sacrifice therefore.

This is not an altar. What is it? It's just a table. That's all it is so. Any questions so far? All right, so we hold to the memorial view of the lord's supper why because jesus said when you do this we Do this in remembrance.

That's where you get the idea of a memorial we do this in remembrance Of what he did on the cross so the bread.

Represents.

Represents his body the cup represents his blood, but it's symbolic. Okay, it's a metaphor. It's symbolic. It's not the actual body and blood of christ. I didn't need to tell you that did I?

Okay.

You know this but this whole idea of the altar because that's really what we're talking about. I think a lot of christians. Yeah, where's the altar in your church? Oh, it's up front. So is this a totally new idea for anybody that actually no we don't have an altar.

Okay, it might be it might be for a few and and that's that's okay. All right any hands up any questions?

No, all right.

The Eucharist, Transubstantiation, and Sacrifice

So just to recap I do not believe that there is an altar in the new testament Church. One more comment. Let's turn to mark chapter two.

You.

Say well what difference does it make. Well I mean it does make a difference because it is tied in with your view of the lord's supper. And this has been maybe one of If not the but definitely one of the most Important issues throughout church history your view of the lord's supper there are churches where they have Adoration services have you ever heard of this?

I think I read this in the paper A few weeks ago that a local catholic church was holding adoration Services, so basically there's an ornate like usually golden Um looks like a sun and in the middle. There's the the communion wafer and people they come to the church and they They're worshiping the bread.

They're adoring the bread bowing down to the bread when they go into the church and you know, they kneel Before they go into the pews. Why are they kneeling. Because god is there that's god. That's the literal flesh body soul and divinity of christ.

So they're worshiping the bread the protestant Position was that that's idolatry if you're worshiping an object as god, that's not god. You're bowing down basically to an idol. And the other side said well if you don't believe this is the literal flesh of christ.

You don't have eternal life because jesus said To have eternal life. You must eat my flesh and drink my blood. So for catholics and protestants This was a salvation issue your view of the lord's supper.

Meant you're either saved or damned now you might think that that's silly and Well, I don't see how that is i'm just telling you throughout church history it was that serious of an issue. So it does matter.

Um, dennis.

Yeah, when I would be talking with someone in ireland. That's exactly what I would go after if they came to me and said So what's the difference between a baptist and a catholic? Let me explain. Right.

That's exactly what I would go for. Um when when I was there in 1980 as an apprentice. They didn't do it by the time we were there full time. But they had a pageant where thousands Marched through the city with the priests at the head and they had one of those big shiny crosses.

With the eucharist right in the middle. It was called corpus christi. Yep, and that means body of christ. And oh it was it was big stuff and we were you know tracks being handed out right and the priests turned around.

Everybody dropped them right then and there. It was real powerful back then.

Right, and you know, and I don't say this to hey, let's bash the catholics tonight. That's not what this is about. This is about the truth. And I think based on what we just said, this is very very important again throughout church history.

Eternal life at least partially depended on your view of this. So this is about trying to convince people of the truth and you say well everyone here knows and agrees. Not everybody knows. And people watching online, you know at some point someone's gonna watch this and listen.

Who needs it another thing? Why at moore's corner church churches like? Ours, why don't I have these vestments and this this flowing gown with all the decoration, right?

Why not?

Yeah.

And the big hat, right? Yeah, it's all tied together because yes. There is no special priesthood. Yeah, there is no altar. If we believe that the lord's supper was a sacrifice. Then this would be an altar and I would be a priest and i'd have the vestments so it's all tied in together.

People look at it. Well, they they're different because they have different clothes and different garb.

Well, yeah.

But there's significance behind it. So this stuff really does.

Matter.

I think I said this last week or the week before. That type of.

Religion.

That style of christianity, which I would argue is a corruption of christianity. It is more like the old covenant than it is the new covenant. Because in the new covenant we have the empty cross. That's another thing.

Why is our cross empty. Because jesus He isn't there anymore. He's not being represented as a sacrifice. Over and over again. We have the empty cross so.

Larry and I think also. By having on all that garb, they're kind of presenting themselves as more than just a man. Yep, you know. And people. Look at them as more than just a man. You know, they almost worship him and put him up on a pedestal to be praised and honored as opposed to right.

Every catholic priest is ordained an altar christus. You know what that means? Another christ. Like he's literally ordained as another christ. Didn't the apostle paul say something about that? So that's more old testament religion and then there's the whole idea of clergy and laity.

Like i'm i'm clergy and you're just laity. No, we're all brethren. Jesus said we're all brethren. So this is all catholic stuff. So when you refer to this as an altar, that's a holdover from rome. Yeah, just.

Just letting you know. We've all we've probably all called it that at some point, you know, and it's not saying that it's some big thing. But just so we understand. All right. So mark chapter two. I said this is more old testament religion with an altar and sacrifices and a priesthood.

Jesus taught that there is to be no blending together of old and new covenants. And that's partially what he's talking about here mark two starting at verse 21. Jesus says no one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment.

Or else the new piece pulls away from the old and the tear is made worse and no one puts new wine Into old wine skins or else the new wine bursts the wine skins. The wine is spilled and the wine skins are ruined but new wine must be put into what?

Now this is important, you know practically because you don't want to ruin your wine skins, but that's not really what jesus is talking about. One of the points you can take away from this you don't mix old and new.

You don't try to blend The two together because if you do you'll ruin it. So the new covenant is the new covenant and it is Uh distinct and separate from the old. All right. So in exodus, this is the old testament practice.

We're reading about this through exodus 20 25 27. This is old testament. We can learn from it. Paul said all scripture is profitable for doctrine. Everything in the old testament is still true. It's just not always applicable To us today.

And this is why paul said to timothy you need to rightly divide the word of god. So we just don't take things from the old testament. Well, they did it back then we should be doing it today. That's not always true.

All right.

Any questions before we move on from this.

Subject.

And as I always say if somebody wants to challenge anything that I say Um, you can you can raise your hand, but you better have chapter and verse to back it up. That's the only thing. All right, so. If you've called this an altar, hey, i'm not against you I'm, just saying there really is no altar in the new testament church.

If you want to try to prove me wrong go home. This week do a word study in the new testament for the word altar starting at the crucifixion of christ the book of acts onward. Look at what the new testament says about Altar when altar is brought up.

I think after you do that, you'll you'll come to the same conclusion There is no altar in the new testament church.