Why should Christians break bread together?

Food always seems to bring people together. From small dinners to large BBQ's, who could get upset in filling their belly? In John 6, Jesus feeds at least five thousand men, and then they follow him around. At this point, however, Jesus informs the crowd that he is the living bread of Heaven (John 6:51). In fact, Jesus goes on to mention that “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you (John 6:53). While many deserted Jesus on this point, the twelve did not (John 6:66-69).

Jesus' statement becomes especially interesting later on, when he does a special meal with the twelve. Mentioned in Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:17-20, & 1 Cor 11:23-26, Jesus declares the bread and wine his body and blood, said the wine is his blood in the new covenant, encourages the disciples to do it in remembrance of him and Paul says that through this we proclaim Christ death until he comes again. Simply Jesus discussion in John 6 seems good enough reason to break bread in this special way, for Jesus said “whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” (John 6:56). Additionally, Jesus did tell the twelve to practice this meal (Matt 26, Mark 14, Luke 22). Surely, in partaking in the bread and wine, Christ own body and blood, we corporately remind ourselves of the forgiveness of sins that Christ has accomplished for us. By Acts 2:42, we also see that the breaking of bread was a core practice, which 1 Corinthians 11 corroborates. Since Christ instituted this in a group setting and Christ saved us, not just individually, but corporately, it only makes sense that we break bead together, proclaiming Christ death until he returns. 

Are we saved, being saved, or yet to be saved completely?

Yes! While much of modern protestant Christianity seems to focus on being saved as a singular event, the scriptures provide a more holistic view. The Greek verb form of being saved is used as a continuous act, indicating that salvation is ongoing. One only needs to look at Paul's letter to the Corinthian or Galatian church to realize that we all have sin that God has to continuously deliver us out of. Don't get me wrong, the moment we place are faith in Jesus, we were declared justified before God in Christ, but that is but the beginning of a glorious journey.

Additionally, in my research on healing in the Bible, I came across the Greek word σῴζω (sōzō). Interestingly enough, this word is translated as both “saved” and “healed.” I had always considered being saved as a spiritual deliverance from sin, but from the Biblical perspective, salvation is redemption of both spirit and body. In fact, many Christians believe that we are composed of body, soul and spirit, all of which needs redemption. I've personally not studied this out, so I can't comment too much, beyond acknowledging that salvation is more than a spiritual act of forgiving sin. The forgiveness of sin actually impacts our physical body, because we are physical and spiritual creatures.

Now, if being saved includes healing, it is clear that our salvation is incomplete, for we all die. Romans 8:23-24 clearly deals with this issue, mentioning that we look forward to the day of our “adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” Interesting! So, as those who have been saved through faith in Christ, receiving the first-fruits of the Spirit, we are looking forward to the day when Jesus finishes what He has begun, completing the adoption process and bringing permanent healing to our bodies.

What part of the Law of Moses are we under?

This question must first be answered with a question: What do you mean by “under?” In Hebrews 8, the writer contrasts the covenant God made with Moses to the covenant in Christ. With the Law of Moses in view (Heb 3:4), the author calls it old and fading (Heb 8:13)! In Galatians, we see Paul chiding the Galatians for attempting to be justified before God based on works of the law. Contextually, “law” should be understood as Mosaic Law (Gal 3:7). At this point, some may become uneasy and protest, “God calls us to be holy!” True, God does call us to be righteous, but not according to how we would imagine. Paul, in fact, declares that the Law has no life (Galatians 3:21)! At the end of the day, the real issue with the law is that our sinful nature prevents us from fulfilling it (Romans 8:3).

Why the law, then? According to Galatians 3:19, law was given because of transgressions. In other words, the Law was given to curb sin. In fact, Paul goes on to say that the Law holds us captive (vs 23). This Law, though holy (Rom 7:12), is merely a tutor to lead us to Christ (Gal 3:24). The Law, because of our sinful nature, is useful for demonstrating how we are unable to live holy, but it is useless for actually bringing freedom and life. The freedom and life is found through faith in Christ (Gal 3:23-26).

Now, when dealing with this subject more thoroughly in Romans, Paul also warns us not to conclude that sinning is perfectly fine. The fact is, if we are set free from sin, we certainly do not want to return to it, for it only brings death (Romans 3:23). So, our Justification is firmly rooted in faith in Christ. In other words, we are not under the Law of Moses.

In terms of our Sanctification, I believe we have to talk to the Holy Spirit with how to deal with the Law of Moses. After all, faith in Christ fulfills the Law of Moses (Rom 10:4), so we are not obligated to it. Jesus himself declared all food clean (Mark 7:18-19) and the apostolic witness is clear that believers are not bound to festivals, Sabbaths, etc. (Col 3:16). It would be an error to think our righteousness, even just a little, is contingent upon obedience, but it is also error to think that adultery or lying are now acceptable or beneficial. Since the Law is only a shadow of the good things to come (Col 2:7, Heb 10:1) we must ask what is actually behind the Mosaic Law. Jesus clarified this in a number of places (Mark 2:27, Matt 22:38-39). However, it still must be maintained that our righteous standing before God is not dependent on our Sanctification, but that Sanctification is an outworking of Justification.