Question 76

What is it then to eat the crucified body, and drink the shed blood of Christ?

It is not only to embrace with believing heart all the sufferings and death of Christ and thereby to obtain the pardon of sin, and life eternal;²²²²²²    John 6:35, 40, 47–54. but also, besides that, to become more and more united to his sacred body,²²³²²³    John 6:55, 56. by the Holy Ghost, who dwells both in Christ and in us; so that we, though Christ is in heaven²²⁴²²⁴    Col. 3:1; Acts 3:21; 1 Cor. 11:26. and we on earth, are notwithstanding “flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone”²²⁵²²⁵    Eph. 3:16; Eph. 5:29, 30, 32; 1 Cor. 6:15, 17, 19; 1 John 3:24; 1 John 4:13; John 14:23. and that we live, and are governed forever by one spirit,²²⁶²²⁶    John 6:56–58; John 15:1–6; Eph. 4:15, 16. as members of the same body are by one soul.