As Jesus said, “Take, eat and drink. This is my body which is given for you: this is my blood, which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins.” Calvin comments, “In telling us to take, he makes it clear it is ours. In telling us to eat, he makes it clear that it becomes part of us. In stating that his body was given and his blood poured out, he shows that he laid them down, not for his own advantage, but for our salvation. We must grasp that the heart of the sacraments is in these words: it is given for you; it is poured out for you. The distribution of the elements would be meaningless, if his body and blood had not been given for our redemption. So they are represented by bread and wine, to indicate that they are intended to nourish our spiritual life. As bread sustains our bodies, so the body of Christ is the only food to keep our souls alive. When we see wine held out as a symbol of blood, we must compare its use to the body with what is spiritually given by the blood of Christ. It refreshes, strengthens and exhilarates. So the bread broke and the wine outpoured accurately represent what is communicated to us by his body and blood.”
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