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Lord's Day 28

Topics: Lord's Supper, Christ, Crucifixion, Bread, Blood, Body, Soul, Forgiveness, Eternal Life

75. Q.

How does the Lord's supper
signify and seal to you
that you share in
Christ's one sacrifice on the cross
and in all his gifts?
A.
In this way:
Christ has commanded me and all believers
to eat of this broken bread
and drink of this cup
in remembrance of him.
With this command he gave these promises: 1
First,
as surely as I see with my eyes
the bread of the Lord broken for me
and the cup given to me,
so surely was his body offered for me
and his blood poured out for me
on the cross.
Second,
as surely as I receive
from the hand of the minister
and taste with my mouth
the bread and the cup of the Lord
as sure signs of Christ's body and blood,
so surely does he himself
nourish and refresh my soul
to everlasting life
with his crucified body and shed blood.
  • 1. Mt 26:26-28; Mk 14:22-24; Lk 22:19, 20; 1 Cor 11:23-25.
76. Q.

What does it mean
to eat the crucified body of Christ
and to drink his shed blood?
A.
First,
to accept with a believing heart
all the suffering and the death of Christ,
and so receive
forgiveness of sins and life eternal. 1
Second,
to be united more and more to his sacred body
through the Holy Spirit,
who lives both in Christ and in us. 2
Therefore, although Christ is in heaven 3
and we are on earth,
yet we are flesh of his flesh
and bone of his bones, 4
and we forever live and are governed
by one Spirit,
as the members of our body are
by one soul. 5
  • 1. Jn 6:35, 40, 50-54.
  • 2. Jn 6:55, 56; 1 Cor 12:13.
  • 3. Acts 1:9-11; 3:21; 1 Cor 11:26; Col 3:1.
  • 4. 1 Cor 6:15, 17; Eph 5:29, 30; 1 Jn 4:13.
  • 5. Jn 6:56-58; 15:1-6; Eph 4:15, 16; 1 Jn 3:24.
77. Q.

Where has Christ promised
that he will nourish and refresh believers
with his body and blood
as surely as
they eat of this broken bread
and drink of this cup?
A.
In the institution of the Lord's supper:
The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed,
took bread, 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."
In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in my blood;
do this, whenever you drink it,
in remembrance of me."
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup,
you proclaim the Lord's death
until he comes (1 Cor 11:23-26).
This promise is repeated by Paul where he says:
Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks
a participation in the blood of Christ?
And is not the bread that we break
a participation in the body of Christ?
Because there is one loaf,
we, who are many, are one body,
for we all partake of the one loaf
(1 Cor 10:16, 17).
 
Copyright 2010, Standing Committee for the Publication of the Book of Praise of the Canadian Reformed Churches.
Used by permission.
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