Bread is a basic food in most parts of the world, made from ground grain mixed with water to make dough, and then baked. In the Bible bread is sometimes used to represent all kinds of food, as for example in the Lord's Prayer "give us this day our daily bread". In addition to food which sustains the body, Christ also speaks of his body as bread upon which his disciples must feed daily if they would remain alive and grow spiritually, by this he means taking to ourselves and living by his teaching and example (in John 6:31-35, 48-51).

"Jesus said to them, 'I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.'" (John 6:32-33).

Jesus places this thought at the centre of Christian worship by instructing us to keep the memorial feast or 'breaking of bread' regularly to remind us of our need to feed on his word: "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.'" (Matthew 26:26)

(See also BREAKING BREAD, LAST SUPPER, WINE).

Baal
Babylon
Baptism
  1. "Baptism for the dead"
  2. Baptism with the Holy Spirit
Barbarians
Beelzebub
Beginning
  1. The Creation of the World
  2. The New Creation in Christ
Begotten
Believe, Belief, Believer
Bible
Bishop
Blasphemy
Blessedness
Blessing
Blood
Body
  1. The physical body
  2. The spiritual body
  3. The body of Christ
  4. "The body of Moses"
  5. "Spiritual bodies"
Born
Bread
Breaking Bread
Brothers and Sisters
Burial