Bucer on Eucharistic Theology in Grund und Ursach : A Korean Presbyterian Perspective

Abstract

The theology of the Lord's Supper in the Korean Presbyterian Church is rooted in the sacramental theology and practice in the Reformed branch of the Protestant Reformation. While there were varieties of sacramental practices and teachings among Reformed churches and theologians, they held similar views regarding “Sacramental Efficacy” and “Eucharistic Sacrifice.” They unanimously rejected the sacrificial aspect of the Roman Catholic Mass, emphasizing the once–and–for–all nature of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Christ's sacrifice on the was a centerpiece of their theology, but in divorcing it from the Lord's Supper they diminished the substance and significance of the sacrament in the life of the church. Based on an investigation of sixteenth–century reformer Martin Bucer's book Grund und Ursach, I will argue that the Korean Presbyterian Church's understanding and practice of the Lord's Supper should rise above the limits of historic Reformed eucharistic theology.