76. What does it mean to eat the crucified body and drink the shed blood of Christ?

It means not only to embrace with a believing heart all the sufferings and death of Christ, and thereby to obtain the forgiveness of sins and life eternal,') but moreover, also, to be so united more and more to His sacred body by the Holy Spirit,2) who dwells both in Christ and in us, that, although He is in heaven3) and we on earth, we are nevertheless flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone,4) and live and are governed forever by one Spirit, as members of the same body are governed by one soul.5)

1) And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst . . . And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day ... Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. John 6:35,40,47,48.

This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily verily, I say unto You, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:50-54.

2) For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. John 6:55,56.

3) Whom the heaven must receive until the times of the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. Acts 3:21.

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. I Cor. 11:26.

4) That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that ye, being rooted and grounded m love may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Eph. 3:16-19.

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: for we are members of his body of his flesh, and of his bones . .. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Eph. 5:29,30,32.

Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid ... But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit ... What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? I Cor. 6:15,17,19.

Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. I John 4:13.

5) Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him. and make our abode with him. John 14:23.

He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. John 6:56-58.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. John 15:1 6.

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. Eph. 4:15,16.

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63.

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