SIXTH REASON: THE ATONING BLOOD LIES AT THE HEART OF THE CHURCH'S MEMORY OF HER LORD
"For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come." 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
One reason why the Lord's Supper was instituted was to stir the Church's memory in order that Calvary in all its solemn significance might be unforgettable. "This do in remembrance of me." And as the Church participates in this act of remembrance she also proclaims the act of redemption. "For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew forth (or proclaim) the Lord's death till he come."
In the broken bread we have an emblem of the Broken Body. That breaking was in order to the bleeding.
In the poured-out wine we have an emblem of the poured-out blood resulting from the breaking of Christ's body on the Cross. In the cup we have an emblem of the everlasting covenant, for as the cup holds the wine so the covenant holds out to us all the merits of the precious Blood of Christ. The Blood of the Eternal Christ is the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant. So Christ could say, "This cup is the new testament (or covenant) in my blood."
The covenant is a covenant in Blood. In the Blood the covenant blessings are secured and sealed to the covenant people. Hence the breaking was in order to the bleeding and the bleeding in order to the blessing. Therefore Paul could say, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ," 1 Corinthians 10:16.
The whole centre of the supper is the typifying of the Blood. The broken bread speaks of the Body of Christ stained with the Blood. The broken Body was a bleeding Body. The wine speaks of the Body of Christ drained of every life-drop of Blood. The cup speaks of the Blood preserved, for the benefit of the believing soul.
The Lord's sacrifice was a crimson sacrifice and the Lord's Supper is a crimson supper. The Lord's death was dominated by the Blood. The supper is dominated by that which typifies the Blood.
The Shorter Catechism in answer to the question, What is the Lord's Supper? states:
"The Lord's Supper is a sacrament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to Christ's appointment, his death is showed forth; and the worthy receivers are, not after a corporal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of his body and blood, with all his benefits, to their spiritual nourishment, and growth in grace."
The catechism guards against both the Roman and Lutheran errors regarding the ordinance. Rome teaches the transubstantiation of the elements into the actual Body and Blood of Christ. Luther taught the reception of Christ's real Body and Blood along with the elements. This is called consubstantiation, signifying that the Body and the Blood of Christ is in, with and under the substance of the elements. The Reformed view which I believe is the scriptural one is that the soul alone at the supper partakes by faith of the Body and Blood of Christ. The believing communicant takes by faith the benefits of the Blood and by the act of partaking physically of the bread and wine he proclaims the Lord's death to his soul, conscience and heart. There is no transubstantiation or consubstantiation here but an appropriation, not in the physical sense but in the spiritual sense only, of the benefits of the Blood shed and sprinkled on our behalf. This appropriation by faith, however, is not confined to the Lord's Supper. It takes place whenever faith in Christ is exercised. It is in this spiritual sense that we sing as we approach the table -
In the broken bread we have an emblem of the Broken Body. That breaking was in order to the bleeding.
In the poured-out wine we have an emblem of the poured-out blood resulting from the breaking of Christ's body on the Cross. In the cup we have an emblem of the everlasting covenant, for as the cup holds the wine so the covenant holds out to us all the merits of the precious Blood of Christ. The Blood of the Eternal Christ is the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant. So Christ could say, "This cup is the new testament (or covenant) in my blood."
The covenant is a covenant in Blood. In the Blood the covenant blessings are secured and sealed to the covenant people. Hence the breaking was in order to the bleeding and the bleeding in order to the blessing. Therefore Paul could say, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ," 1 Corinthians 10:16.
The whole centre of the supper is the typifying of the Blood. The broken bread speaks of the Body of Christ stained with the Blood. The broken Body was a bleeding Body. The wine speaks of the Body of Christ drained of every life-drop of Blood. The cup speaks of the Blood preserved, for the benefit of the believing soul.
The Lord's sacrifice was a crimson sacrifice and the Lord's Supper is a crimson supper. The Lord's death was dominated by the Blood. The supper is dominated by that which typifies the Blood.
The Shorter Catechism in answer to the question, What is the Lord's Supper? states:
"The Lord's Supper is a sacrament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to Christ's appointment, his death is showed forth; and the worthy receivers are, not after a corporal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of his body and blood, with all his benefits, to their spiritual nourishment, and growth in grace."
The catechism guards against both the Roman and Lutheran errors regarding the ordinance. Rome teaches the transubstantiation of the elements into the actual Body and Blood of Christ. Luther taught the reception of Christ's real Body and Blood along with the elements. This is called consubstantiation, signifying that the Body and the Blood of Christ is in, with and under the substance of the elements. The Reformed view which I believe is the scriptural one is that the soul alone at the supper partakes by faith of the Body and Blood of Christ. The believing communicant takes by faith the benefits of the Blood and by the act of partaking physically of the bread and wine he proclaims the Lord's death to his soul, conscience and heart. There is no transubstantiation or consubstantiation here but an appropriation, not in the physical sense but in the spiritual sense only, of the benefits of the Blood shed and sprinkled on our behalf. This appropriation by faith, however, is not confined to the Lord's Supper. It takes place whenever faith in Christ is exercised. It is in this spiritual sense that we sing as we approach the table -
Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face;
Here would I touch and handle things unseen,
Here grasp with firmer hand the eternal grace,
And all my weariness upon Thee lean.
Here would I feed upon the bread of God,
Here drink with Thee the royal wine of Heaven;
Here would I lay aside each earthly load,
Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiven.
Mine is the sin, but Thine is the righteousness;
Mine is the guilt, but Thine the cleansing blood;
Here is my robe, my refuge, and my peace -
Thy blood, Thy righteousness, O Lord my God.
Here would I touch and handle things unseen,
Here grasp with firmer hand the eternal grace,
And all my weariness upon Thee lean.
Here would I feed upon the bread of God,
Here drink with Thee the royal wine of Heaven;
Here would I lay aside each earthly load,
Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiven.
Mine is the sin, but Thine is the righteousness;
Mine is the guilt, but Thine the cleansing blood;
Here is my robe, my refuge, and my peace -
Thy blood, Thy righteousness, O Lord my God.
To reject the Blood is to destroy the meaning of the sacrament. Hence I believe in the Atoning Blood of Christ for that Blood lies at the heart of the Church's memory of her Lord.
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