For the session on January 6, 2010, Pastor Terrie Beede presented The Doctrine of The Church Part 7: The Lord's Supper and the Passover Tradition. This installment of the "Studies in Theology" series, grounded in the anchor text of 1 Timothy 4:16, was part of the closing phases of the systematic theology study, with a transition to the book of Acts planned upon its conclusion. Beede reiterated Paul's charge to Timothy to "take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine" to ensure both the minister's own salvation and that of their hearers, emphasizing that doctrine is a living and vital part of faith.
The session focused on the church's ordinances, often referred to as sacraments in systematic theology. The Calvary Chapel Milwaukee's statement of faith, which guided the series, identifies two ordinances: full immersion water baptism and the Lord's Supper. The discussion for this session delved specifically into the Lord's Supper, drawing connections to the Passover meal as observed in Jesus' day.
Beede described the Passover meal as a structured event with courses, where the head of the feast provided interpretive explanations of each part's meaning, recounting Israel's deliverance from Egypt. This included the pouring of four cups of wine, each symbolizing one of God's four promises to His people in Exodus 6:6-7: "I will bring you out," "I will rid you of their bondage," "I will redeem you," and "I will take you to me for a people". The third cup, known as the "cup of redemption" or "cup of blessing," was highlighted as the most important.
The session also touched upon different historical views of the Lord's Supper. While implicitly rejecting the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, Beede acknowledged the Lutheran view of consubstantiation as a deeply reverent, non-heretical understanding. In this "over and under view," Christ's body and blood are present in, with, and under the bread and cup, but do not become the elements, much like water permeates a sponge without becoming the sponge itself. This view sees the Supper as a partaking in Christ, not an actual sacrifice. The final view, understood to be the one held by Calvary Chapel, was simply identified as the memorial supper. The series continued its exploration of the church doctrine, with marriage and the laying on of hands to be discussed in subsequent sessions as practices closely related to the ordinances.