Jumpstarter 1 of 10

Direct Answer

Based on David Bercot’s teaching, the resistance usually rises at the point where the “literal and natural meaning” seems to contradict what we were taught—especially the assumption that communion is only a symbol. He says we must lay aside the mental habit of automatically inserting “symbolizes” or “figuratively speaking” into Jesus’ words.

Support from Transcript:

• He proposes a method: “read everything the New Testament has to say…give each verse its literal and natural meaning…laying aside all of your preconceptions.”
• He says he was trained to hear symbolism even when it’s not stated: “Take, eat, this symbolizes my body…figuratively speaking.”
• He admits this was his reflex “every time I read those passages” until he read early Christian writings.
• He warns we must “put away all of these things that our various pastors and our books and commentaries…have put in our minds.”
• His claim is that this method almost always yields early Christian conclusions: “I can almost assure you…that’s exactly what the early Christians believed.”

Where have you learned to distrust the “natural” reading of Scripture? What authorities (church tradition, teachers, fear of Catholic-sounding language) most shape your instincts about communion?