Southern Baptist proclaim themselves to be the “people of the Book” (Elliff). Southern Baptists believe the Bible is the greatest teaching authority and put a greater emphasis on Bible study (Matthews 314). This stress on the importance of the Bible relates to the doctrine Sola Scriptura. Sola Scriptura can be directly seen in the practice of the Lord’s Supper in the Southern Baptist Church. The Southern Baptists’ exegesis of the scripture is that Jesus Christ ordered them to eat the unleavened bread and drink the wine as symbols of his resurrection. According to the Southern Baptist Convention, “The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming” (“The Baptist Faith and Message”). This act of remembrance is because of the way Southern Baptist interpret the Bible and the importance they place on it. Southern Baptists look towards the Bible to create their doctrines and structure their theological beliefs (Elliff). Specifically in 1 Corinthians, Paul proclaims that Jesus said to his disciples, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (New Oxford Annotated Version, 1 Corinthians 11). To the Southern Baptist, their exegesis of the Lord’s Supper is to solely do it in remembrance of Him, not to reenact the event. This interpretation of the Bible is why Southern Baptists have uniques views on grace, salvation, and faith.
Catholics infer from the Bible that the bread and wine are not merely signs of remembrance, but they are the true body and blood of Jesus Christ. Catholics do not take the Bible at its face value. Rather, they construct their doctrines and beliefs around the Patriarch’s view of the Bible. For example, the Catholics’ doctrine of transubstantiation was established in 1545 at the Council of Trent. A council of highly ranked Catholics had to congregate in order to come up with it; it did not solely come from the Bible. One of the most famous verses in the Bible that Catholics interpret as their proof of transubstantiation. Jesus claimed that “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. . . . For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” (New Oxford Annotated Version, John 6:51-55). This verse reflects the exegesis Catholics use to view their sacred text. However, it is not solely a word-for-word reading of the Scripture. Catholics typically generate their doctrines during important conferences or from higher authority and then find the evidence within the Scripture. This type of exegesis stems from the importance of the Church in Catholicism. The Pope is infallible and is in works with the Holy Spirit, so his perspective on the Scripture is followed by others. Because Catholics have a more holistic exegesis of the Bible, including the input from high ranked church official, their beliefs are distinct from other denominations.
Word Count: 527.
Ellif, Tom. “Understanding Baptism.” Journal of the Southern Baptist Convention,
http://www.sbclife.net/Articles/2006/09/sla5. Accessed 7 December 2017.
Fay, William. “The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist: Basic Questions and Answers.” United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/order-of-mass/liturgy-of-the-eucharist/the-real-presence-of-jesus-christ-in-the-sacrament-of-the-eucharist-basic-questions-and-answers.cfm. Accessed 7 December 2017.
Matthews, Warren. “Christianity.” World Religions. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson/
Wadsworth, 2008. 313. Print.
“The Baptist Faith and Message.” Southern Baptist Convention. http://www.sbc.net/bfm2000/bfm2000.asp. Accessed 7 December 2017.
The Bible. The New Oxford Annotated Version, 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2001.
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