John Owen on the Lord's Supper
Real but spiritual presence, received by faith
Q. Do the elements remain bread and wine still, after the blessing of them? A. Yes; all the spiritual change is wrought by the faith of the receiver, not the words of the giver: to them that believe, they are the body and blood of Christ.
THE POSITION
Real but spiritual presence, received by faith. The supper communicates Christ's body and blood spiritually, the bread and wine representing them; the elements themselves remain bread and wine after the blessing, and the change is located in the receiver rather than in the elements. Owen ties this to his Christology: a corporeal presence would destroy Christ's human nature.
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
8 OTHERS HOLD THIS
ABOUT THIS FIGURE
The most formidable English Puritan theologian: Dean of Christ Church and Vice-Chancellor of Oxford under Cromwell, later a nonconformist pastor in London. This entry rests on The Death of Death in the Death of Christ (1647), The Doctrine of Justification by Faith (1677), Pneumatologia and the Discourse of Spiritual Gifts (1674), and the Two Short Catechisms (1645), read in the Goold edition of the Works.
Cite this page
"John Owen on the Lord's Supper", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/owen/lords-supper (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/owen/lords-supper).